The Non-Obvious Names You Need To Know In College Basketball This Season
We’re officially starting college basketball season. Practices started, Midnight Madness happened for a majority of schools. So with the season here, it’s officially preview season and we’ll be looking at a bunch of different things heading into the season. There will be the traditional top-25, best players list, conference previews and all that jazz, but we’ll also go more in depth, looking at different offensive and defensive sets and what makes teams so consistently good. We’ve been breaking down a team per day and we’ll keep doing that, but we’ll also branch out to some other ideas.
Look, everyone knows about the Zion Williamson’s, Mike Daum, Carsen Edwards, etc., of the world. So we need to look at the other guys. The ones who are going to play a massive role in their teams success and what they bring to their role on the team. These can be guys from top-5 teams or right outside the top-25. Either way these are going to be guys that I think will play a major role in the success or failure depending on how they play of their team. We’re going to focus on guys who can help lead a team to a Final Four run more than bubble teams. Let’s get into it.
Zach Norvell (Gonzaga) – Everyone knows all about Rui Hachimura and Killian Tillie. The two are projected to be All-Americans and NBA players. But, the reason I’m so high on Gonzaga? Zach Norvell. He made a bit of a name for himself in the NCAA Tournament last season when he hit the big shot against UNC-Greensboro. The game was tied at 64 with just 21 seconds left when Norvell created space for himself and rose up from behind the arc. He’s a former top-100 recruit, who averaged over 12 per game last season.
Tre Jones (Duke) – Similar to his brother Tyus, Tre is a bit under the radar heading into the season. That’s mostly because of the monster class both came in with. Tyus was paired up with Jahlil Okafor and Justice Winslow while Tre is there with Cam Reddish, RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson. Now, Tre is a key player to this class because he’s a pure point guard. He’s a lot like his brother in that sense where he can go get 20 if needed, but he’s at his best breaking down the defense and creating for others. With Duke having the big names, it will be on Tre to keep everyone happy while also knowing when to attack.
Jemarl Baker (Kentucky) – The one question people seem to have with this Kentucky team is can there be enough outside shooting. You know Tyler Herro can shoot the ball. Quade Green is a decent shooter. But, for me, it’s the health of Jemarl Baker. He missed all of last season with a knee injury. He’s someone who was labeled the best shooter in the class of 2017. If you can get him for 15 minutes per game off the bench and pair him with Herro on the wing against a zone, the look of this team changes so much. You then have two shooters to keep an eye on which keeps the lane open for Keldon Johnson to attack, for PJ Washington/EJ Montgomery/Nick Richards/Reid Travis to post.
Jermaine Samuels (Villanova) - Jermaine Samuels came to Villanova as its highest-rated recruit in the class of 2017. He played just 6 minutes per game and dealt with a hand injury that limited him to 25 games. Now, he’s one of the more athletic wings that Nova has. He fits the mold of that drive and attack wing that we’ve seen thrive at Nova during the last 5 years. With last year’s talent gone, he’s going to be someone who could be a major breakout candidate this season.
Kenny Williams (UNC) – He’s improved every year he’s been in college. Coming in as a slightly used freshman to playing over 30 minutes per game last year and doubling in points. More importantly he’s a 40% 3-point shooter. If he can continue to shoot like that, it will keep defenders honest and away from Maye in the post or Nassir Little driving. We see these secondary guards tend to thrive as they get older in Roy’s system and become a key part in tournament runs. Williams is that candidate this year.
Cartier Diarra (Kansas State) – He’s known for his defense, which makes sense since he plays at Kansas State. He’s someone who likes to get after opposing guards and can switch screens. But, he showed flashes lasts year on the offensive side of the ball. With Wade/Brown being the likely 1-2 option for Kansas State this year, Diarra can possibly be that third option. He averaged over 7 per game last year and shot 40% from three on over 2 attempts per game. If that number can stay around 40% and add 1-1.5 attempts per game, Kansas State’s offense changes enough.