College Basketball's best...

Last week, the Atlanta Tipoff Club revealed its annual watch list of the top college basketball players in the country. The players, who are voted on by a panel of college basketball coaches, administrators and journalists across the country, are on the list because they are finalists for the James Naismith Award. The Naismith Award is basketball’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy and is presented at the end of each season to the player on this list who excels as college basketball’s best. Although fifty names appear on the pre-season list, I’ve picked the five players and two honorable mention players who will deserve the award the most at season’s end.



Patrick Patterson – 6’9” Junior Forward
                              Kentucky Wildcats
     
      Big expectations were placed on Patrick Patterson’s shoulders when he arrived on campus at Kentucky. Patterson and teammate OJ Mayo led Huntington High School (Huntington, West Virginia) to one of the best high school basketball seasons in West Virginia history during Patterson’s senior season. He became one of college basketball’s hottest prospects and was recruited by former Wildcat head man Tubby Smith to be the program’s savior. Kentucky could never quite get the momentum going, and while he has had two successful seasons, Kentucky has gone a mediocre 40-27. A season ago, under ex-Kentucky Coach Billy Gillespie, Patterson averaged 17.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per contest.
       This year, Patterson returns with National Championship Coach John Calipari and his famed dribble-drive offense. More importantly, he returns with a group of extremely talented freshman to help his cause. With the pressure off to produce all the offense, and a big man to help him in the post, look for Patterson to have a giant year.
 
Cole Aldrich - 6’11” Junior Center
                      Kansas Jayhawks

      Coach Bill Self may have the best college basketball team in the land this season. Three of his starters made this year’s watch list, but Aldrich might end up being the standout. With a wing span of 88 inches, Coach Self recently called Aldrich “the best true big man Kansas has had since Wilt [Chamberlain]”. If a statement like that doesn’t stir excitement, not much will. (Wilt scored 52 points and had 31 rebounds in his Varsity debut at KU.) Last year, Aldrich averaged 15.1 and 10.6 and relished in his role behind the leadership of teammate Sherron Collins, a fellow candidate for player of the year. This year, Coach Self looks for both players to take on a co-leadership role and lead a talented team overwhelmingly voted number 1 in the polls.
 
      In a game filled with power forwards, small forwards and everything in between, Aldrich is a true center. While other guys focus on becoming hybrids, often neglecting the best parts of their game, Aldrich is fully focused on riding the horse that got him here.
 
Luke Harangody – 6’8” Senior Forward
                             Notre Dame Fighting Irish

      Last year, Luke Harangody had a bittersweet season. Individually, Harangody put up big time numbers, but his team continually proved disappointing. Harangody, the quintessential college basketball player, averaged 23.2 points and 11.8 rebounds on a team that was picked early on to do big things. Unfortunately, despite his individual accolades, Coach Mike Brey couldn’t figure out a way to get his team to win. It was no fault of Luke Harangody’s, who consistently put up huge performances despite being less athletic than most of his Big East opponents.

     This year, if Harangody continues to be persistent, he has opportunities to set both Big East scoring and rebounding records. It might be hard for him to win top honors on a team that doesn’t find itself in the pre-season top 25, but he is the first player since Patrick Ewing in 1984 and 1985 to be named the pre-season All-Big East Player of The Year. Even if he doesn’t win a Naismith Award, he won’t be in bad company.
 
 
Ed Davis – 6’10” Sophomore Forward
                           North Carolina Tar Heels

      There might not be a more exciting prospect in college basketball this year than UNC’s Ed Davis. As a freshman, he averaged just 6.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest, but don’t let those stats fool you; he was one of the best sixth men in college basketball. This year Davis will establish himself as a dominant force on a team fresh off a National Championship season. If guard Larry Drew and Davis click, North Carolina may very well end up putting on an encore performance.

    Davis, who had just two career starts last year, is destined for big things if he lives up to all his hype. At times last year, he looked explosive and with Coach Roy Williams allowing him a more primary role this season, his only competition will be himself. If he can play with poise and confidence, he will be a lottery pick after this season and may very well walk away with the title of top basketball player in the land.

Kyle Singer - 6'8" Junior Small Forward
                             Duke Blue Devils

      Kyle Singler may be the most versatile player on my list and the most fun to watch for the amateur basketball fan. At 6’8” he plays a similar game to Dirk Nowitzki of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks. He can dribble, dish and shoot and has a natural IQ for the game. This year, he’s surrounded by a Duke team loaded with talent that is a true national contender for the first time in several seasons. He scored 21 to lead all scorers in Duke’s first scrimmage a couple of weeks ago against Pfeiffer College in a 58 point rout.

     Coach K’s squad starts the season with an 8th ranking, but will likely end up being a top three team early on. Singler (16.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg) has gotten stronger and will lead a balanced attack that looks to wreak havoc on the ACC. If Duke makes a run deep into March, rest assured Kyle Singler will be taking home individual honors as well.


Honorable Mention


DeSean Butler – 6’7” Senior Forward
                          West Virginia Mountaineers

      DeSean Butler may be the best college basketball player you’ve never heard of. Coach Bobby Huggins has this year’s Mountaineer squad back in the national spotlight and has brought a swagger to Morgantown that previous Coach John Beilein wasn’t able to find. For fans that haven’t gotten to see the Mountaineers play, this season will be a treat as their schedule is filled with big time contests. Last year, Butler scored 17 points a contest and pulled down six boards in the Big East, a league full of great players. This year, he’s a pre-season All-American and a candidate for the Big East Player of the Year Award.

      At times last year, Butler looked like he was putting on a clinic. Coach Huggins who stresses physique over finesse and defense over offense, has caused the Mountaineers to adopt a new look that will surely help their cause in March. With the team’s success, DeSean Butler will become a familiar name in the lexicon of basketball fans everywhere.

Sherron Collins - 5'11" Point Guard
                           Kansas Jayhawks

     Although Sherron Collins will adapt quickly to his role of co-leader with teammate Cole Aldrich, don’t look for him to roll over completely. Last year, as Bill Self’s coach on the floor, Collins averaged 19 points and 5 assists a contest. This year, he is a main reason the Jayhawks are so highly regarded in the polls. With another year of experience and expectations far outshining those of the 2008 National Championship team, a Naismith Award isn’t out of reach for the swingman