Thursday, December 26, 2013

Three Under-the-Radar Players WCC Fans Should Know About

As teams finish up their Non-Conference slate and get ready for WCC conference play, there have been many players that have jumped out on the national and even local radar to begin the year. Brad Waldow has been having a tremendous impact on the offensive end of the court for St. Mary's (though defensively he still raises a few questions), and Kevin Pangos has emerged as the Zags' "Go-to-guy" following the departure of Kelly Olynyk.

However, who are some players that may have gone under the radar this year in the WCC? Who are some playmakers that could have an impact on the wide-open WCC? (And yes, it's more wide open than in years past, but remember...the WCC has been traditionally a top-heavy league since the emergence of Gonzaga). Let's take a look at three guys WCC Fans Should Know About as conference play begins this Saturday.


Kruize Pinkins, junior, USF, six-feet, seven inches, 230 pounds



Pinkins, a JuCo transfer from Chipola College in Florida, has immediately made an impact in his first year on the "Hilltop". An athletic power forward, Pinkins has made his name as a bit of a highlight show, known for some sensational dunks that made appearances on some national hoops Mix Tapes. But, Pinkins is more than just an Ira Brown-esque player (guy who is known for sensational dunks and little else), as he has made a tremendous impact on the offensive end for the Dons off the bench.

According to KenPom.com, Pinkins is tops in efficiency for players who have at least 28 percent of possessions used at 110.3. Though he has primarily served as a role player, Pinkins has seen an uptick in minutes over the course of the year, as he has only had one game where he played under 20 minutes since the Idaho State game (the fourth game of the year). The increase in minutes has served the Dons well, as they have gone 5-3 over that stretch.

In the Dons' offense, the ball stays in Pinkins' hands when he is in, as evidenced by his 28.7 possession percentage and 26.1 shot percentage, both nationally ranked numbers according to Ken Pom. That being said with an effective Field Goal Percentage of 54.2 and true shooting of 56.1, Pinkins is not a black hole of shooting by any means, and really scoring is not the sole reason he makes this list. With his athleticism and size, Pinkins brings a lot of energy and productive play off the bench beyond points, and that shows in his rebounding numbers, blocks and ability to draw fouls. The area where Pinkins' is most successful is on the offensive glass, as his 16.7 offensive rebounding percentage is 26th best in the nation. His ability to crash the boards, and create extra opportunities for the Dons not only has helped the team's offensive effectiveness, but has gotten him to the line as well, as Pinkins is drawing 8.5 fouls per 40 minutes, seventh highest in the nation. Pinkins still has some work to do at the line (58.2 FT precentage), but his aggressiveness will serve him and the Dons well against many WCC teams who have rebounding and size issues.

Yes, Pinkins came to USF known as a "MixTape Player" (i.e. one who showcases highlight dunks or plays but no consistency), but he has developed into the kind of all-around player that could contend for WCC Newcomer of the Year honors by year's end.



Brandon Clark, junior, Santa Clara, six-feet, 170 pounds

If the Broncos want to make any kind of run to earn a postseason berth of any kind this year, they are going to have to rely on junior guard Clark to do so. However, Clark has been one of the most efficient players int he WCC this season, as the East Chicago, Indiana product has made tremendous progress as a players since arriving to Santa Clara a few seasons ago.

While senior guard Evan Roquemore has gotten more of the hype, Clark has been the one that has taken over as the "Go-to" guy for the Broncos. For the season, Clark has an adjusted offensive rating of 119.5, with an effective field goal percentage of 50.3 and a true shooting of 56.8. What has made Clark so effective, even with the high number of possessions used through him (25.9 percent), is his ability to not only create for others, but limit mistakes as well. This season, Clark has an assist percentage of 26.6 percent, 181st in the nation. Even more impressive though is his 11.9 percent turnover rate, which is not only 281st best in the nation, but almost a 10 percent improvement from his sophomore season. The fact that Santa Clara not only has their point guard creating plays at an incredible rate but keeping care of the ball as well should bode for some surprising success in WCC play, even if SCU is down from a year ago.

Clark also remains a decent 3-point shooter (38 percent), good considering he has a shot percentage of 27.2 percent. Though another strong aspect of his game that stands out even more is his ability to be aggressive and get to the hoop and draw fouls. Clark average 5.1 fouls per 40 minutes, and unlike Pinkins, he is able to make teams pay for it, as he is shooting 84.4 percent from the charity stripe this season. With his strong ability to hurt teams from beyond the arc or at the line, and his ability to be efficient in playmaking, Clark could be a dark horse for WCC Player of the Year Honors, and at the very least should be in the mix for All-WCC 1st team honors.


Stacy Davis, sophomore, Pepperdine, six-feet, six-inches, 245 pounds



Davis was almost not included because he did earn Newcomer of the Year Honors last season, and was expected to compete for All-WCC first team honors after a successful freshman campaign. But, Davis has made such a leap in his sophomore season, that I do not think some WCC fans know how good Davis is. Considering this program has produced a lot of players who were big on name (Keion Bell and Mychel Thompson), but hollow on effectiveness, Davis bucks the trend for the Waves as somebody whose accolades and reputation match his efficiency on the court.

This year, Davis has improved all over the board as a player. His effective field goal percentage (58.5) is almost 14 points better than from a year ago, and his true shooting percentage (62.3) is almost thirteen points better as well. Furthermore, he has cut down on his turnovers (15.9 percent turnover rate, 5.1 percent less than a year ago), and he has gotten to the free throw line more as well, as he is drawing 6.4 fouls per game, a free throw rate of 68.6 (which is 121st best in the nation). And, with the more chances at the line, Davis has also been relatively effective, as his 70.4 free throw percentage, while not great for a guard, is serviceable for a bigger forward. With all these factors in the play, Davis sports a 114.2 adjusted offensive rating for the year, which would be a 20.3 point improvement from his Newcomer-of-the year campaign.

Of course, I don't know if Davis will have a major impact on this team, since the Waves have so many issues  (mostly defense) that I think will get exposed when WCC play begins. Furthermore, Davis' rebounding numbers have gone down (his offensive rebounding dropped 1.5 percent and his defensive rebounding dropped to 19.4 percent this year from 19.9 a year ago), so I wonder if Davis is focusing a bit more on his scoring than his overall game this season. Nonetheless, those are ticky-tack issues, and only a sophomore, Davis has sparked a lot of hope for long-suffering Waves fans. Additionally, he went from a dark horse All-WCC candidate to a strong contender as long as he continues this new Wave of efficiency on the offensive end in conference play.

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