John Gasaway
ESPN Insider
1. Harry Giles, Duke Blue Devils
Giles is Mike Krzyzewski's second national No. 1 recruit in three seasons. Jahlil Okafor was also the nation's top recruit entering his freshman season, and like Giles, he had previously led a USA team to a FIBA U19 gold medal. Using apples-to-apples stats from international competition, we can make some handy comparisons between the two players.
First the bad news for Blue Devil fans: Giles does not appear to be the ready-made 2-point-making monster Okafor so clearly was, even at the beginning of his freshman season. In 149 FIBA minutes last summer, Giles made 47 percent of his 2s. Conversely Okafor's number from the summer of 2013 was (take a deep breath) 30 percentage points higher.
Now the good news for Coach K: Giles recorded that so-so 2-point percentage while personally accounting for one-third of Team USA's shot attempts in his minutes. He won't carry anywhere near that heavy of a load in the Duke offense, and his efficiency should rise accordingly. Plus, Giles is clearly an absolute beast on the glass, particularly on the offensive end.
Lastly, there's the obvious point: Giles was Team USA's featured player in an international U19 competition when he had turned 17 just two months earlier. The past trajectories of guys that young who post the kind of rebounding numbers Giles did that summer in Greece are, shall we say, impressive. Assuming reports are correct, and he's healthy after overcoming an ACL injury, Giles is the (very) early leader for top player honors nationally in 2016-17.
2. Isaiah Whitehead, Seton Hall Pirates
Whitehead is testing the draft waters, and if it appears likely that he'll be a first-round pick, he might be finished with college ball. For now, however, he's listed here on the assumption that recency effect will tip the scales in favor of his staying in school.
About that recency effect: The last time NBA front-office types saw Whitehead in action, the Pirate star was recording a 4-of-24 shooting performance against Gonzaga in the round of 64. Indeed, for a solid 80 percent of his college career thus far, Whitehead's 2-point shooting has been less than auspicious.
Then again, this is the same player who connected 52 percent of the time inside the arc over the five games preceding the loss to the Bulldogs, drained 43 percent of his 3s in conference play and led his team to a thrilling win over Villanova in the Big East tournament title game. Whitehead plays with aggressiveness and impact on defense and gets to the line virtually at will. At 6-foot-4, his "pure" point guard stats are exemplary. (Even in the round of 64 debacle, he dished eight assists.) In a setting in which the shooting light is less green and the misbegotten burdens of hero-ball are lifted, he might thrive. Who knows? Maybe that setting will be Seton Hall in 2016-17.
3. Jayson Tatum, Duke Blue Devils
Tatum was Giles' teammate at the FIBA U19 championships last summer in Greece. In Team USA's eight-game run to a gold medal, the 6-foot-9 small forward made exactly half his 2s while accounting for 32 percent of the offense's shot attempts during his minutes. Tatum showed a laudable inclination toward guarding opponents, with 13 steals in 323 personal defensive possessions.
In last week's McDonald's All-American game, Tatum scored 18 points but needed 15 shots to do so. On the plus side, he was a perfect 8-of-8 at the line, and the freshman-to-be is invariably billed as a "versatile" scorer with good basketball IQ.
4. Dillon Brooks, Oregon Ducks
If that whole handshake controversy with Coach K does nothing but bring Brooks to the attention of hoops fans, the kerfuffle will have performed a valuable service. The Oregon star was excellent as a sophomore, scoring from both sides of the arc while functioning as a de facto point forward in Dana Altman's offense (see, for example, the six assists he recorded against the Blue Devils). In a tight game against Saint Joseph's in the round of 32, Brooks scored 25 points on 7-of-13 shooting to lead the Ducks to the win.
5. Kay Felder, Oakland Golden Grizzlies
In the category of "best March game that no one saw," Felder walked off with the title last week. Facing East Tennessee State in the semifinals of the Vegas 16 tournament, the junior put a 29-point, 10-assist and 10-rebound triple-double into the record books. Big numbers and prodigious feats are nothing new for Felder, who at 5-foot-9 draws nearly seven fouls per 40 minutes and shoots 85 percent at the line. In three seasons to date, Greg Kampe's floor general has dished 788 assists, which brings him within range of former Duke point guard Bobby Hurley's career record of 1,076.
ESPN Insider
1. Harry Giles, Duke Blue Devils
Giles is Mike Krzyzewski's second national No. 1 recruit in three seasons. Jahlil Okafor was also the nation's top recruit entering his freshman season, and like Giles, he had previously led a USA team to a FIBA U19 gold medal. Using apples-to-apples stats from international competition, we can make some handy comparisons between the two players.
First the bad news for Blue Devil fans: Giles does not appear to be the ready-made 2-point-making monster Okafor so clearly was, even at the beginning of his freshman season. In 149 FIBA minutes last summer, Giles made 47 percent of his 2s. Conversely Okafor's number from the summer of 2013 was (take a deep breath) 30 percentage points higher.
Now the good news for Coach K: Giles recorded that so-so 2-point percentage while personally accounting for one-third of Team USA's shot attempts in his minutes. He won't carry anywhere near that heavy of a load in the Duke offense, and his efficiency should rise accordingly. Plus, Giles is clearly an absolute beast on the glass, particularly on the offensive end.
Lastly, there's the obvious point: Giles was Team USA's featured player in an international U19 competition when he had turned 17 just two months earlier. The past trajectories of guys that young who post the kind of rebounding numbers Giles did that summer in Greece are, shall we say, impressive. Assuming reports are correct, and he's healthy after overcoming an ACL injury, Giles is the (very) early leader for top player honors nationally in 2016-17.
2. Isaiah Whitehead, Seton Hall Pirates
Whitehead is testing the draft waters, and if it appears likely that he'll be a first-round pick, he might be finished with college ball. For now, however, he's listed here on the assumption that recency effect will tip the scales in favor of his staying in school.
About that recency effect: The last time NBA front-office types saw Whitehead in action, the Pirate star was recording a 4-of-24 shooting performance against Gonzaga in the round of 64. Indeed, for a solid 80 percent of his college career thus far, Whitehead's 2-point shooting has been less than auspicious.
Then again, this is the same player who connected 52 percent of the time inside the arc over the five games preceding the loss to the Bulldogs, drained 43 percent of his 3s in conference play and led his team to a thrilling win over Villanova in the Big East tournament title game. Whitehead plays with aggressiveness and impact on defense and gets to the line virtually at will. At 6-foot-4, his "pure" point guard stats are exemplary. (Even in the round of 64 debacle, he dished eight assists.) In a setting in which the shooting light is less green and the misbegotten burdens of hero-ball are lifted, he might thrive. Who knows? Maybe that setting will be Seton Hall in 2016-17.
3. Jayson Tatum, Duke Blue Devils
Tatum was Giles' teammate at the FIBA U19 championships last summer in Greece. In Team USA's eight-game run to a gold medal, the 6-foot-9 small forward made exactly half his 2s while accounting for 32 percent of the offense's shot attempts during his minutes. Tatum showed a laudable inclination toward guarding opponents, with 13 steals in 323 personal defensive possessions.
In last week's McDonald's All-American game, Tatum scored 18 points but needed 15 shots to do so. On the plus side, he was a perfect 8-of-8 at the line, and the freshman-to-be is invariably billed as a "versatile" scorer with good basketball IQ.
4. Dillon Brooks, Oregon Ducks
If that whole handshake controversy with Coach K does nothing but bring Brooks to the attention of hoops fans, the kerfuffle will have performed a valuable service. The Oregon star was excellent as a sophomore, scoring from both sides of the arc while functioning as a de facto point forward in Dana Altman's offense (see, for example, the six assists he recorded against the Blue Devils). In a tight game against Saint Joseph's in the round of 32, Brooks scored 25 points on 7-of-13 shooting to lead the Ducks to the win.
5. Kay Felder, Oakland Golden Grizzlies
In the category of "best March game that no one saw," Felder walked off with the title last week. Facing East Tennessee State in the semifinals of the Vegas 16 tournament, the junior put a 29-point, 10-assist and 10-rebound triple-double into the record books. Big numbers and prodigious feats are nothing new for Felder, who at 5-foot-9 draws nearly seven fouls per 40 minutes and shoots 85 percent at the line. In three seasons to date, Greg Kampe's floor general has dished 788 assists, which brings him within range of former Duke point guard Bobby Hurley's career record of 1,076.
