teamjosh04 wrote:no PJ Hairston mention?
Robert Covington is another sleeper that can make noise this year. He can do a bit of everything and his perimeter game is coming together. If he can become a full time SF, he has a ton of upside. Situation reminds me of Danny Granger a bit
And the award for best breakout player goes to.....
Covington is going to be solid. I watched him a bit last year and I was very impressed with his aggressiveness. He played well this summer as a counselor at Adidas. His conversion to SF will be critical, but I think that he is capable.
Others who are poised for breakout years are Ray McCallum of Detroit, who looked like the best point guard in attendance. Additionally, Sean Kilpatrick will likely start to get the attention he deserved after last season. There's a reason Cincy was winning without Yancy Gates on the floor. Namely, Kilpatrick had a great year in 11-12 and will likely continue to demonstrate that he is a good draft selection next season.
As for guys that I have my eyes on, I continue to love Kendrick Perry of Youngstown St. Again, no one is talking about this guy, but he is definitely someone that people should be keeping an eye on. He produced better than McCallum at times last year and is a lock down defender. He is a small point guard, but he has the athleticism and quickness to compensate. Eventually, people will recognize his name. Whether this happens next season or during NBA workouts, it will eventually happen.
I'm going to continue sticking with my twitter prediction that Gorgui Dieng will be a lottery selection whenever he decides to come out. His shot blocking is game changing and he has a developing game. Even more impressive than this skill, though, is his ability to grab rebounds and bang inside. His offensive game needs some work and his shooting form is fairly odd at this stage, but he impacts the game in so many ways. He's another guy that people will warm up to later on. But, remember where you heard it from first.
On a more random note, Western Illinois' Terell Parks is going to receive a few looks from scouts next year. He is undersized at 6'7, but if he can ever develop an outside game, I think that he could warrant a selection. Much better prospect than Jeremy Evans ever was.
Rodney Williams is going to be a big riser next year. The NIT proved that he has finally put it all together and is attacking the basket with the fire and aggressiveness that he always should have had. He is very difficult to stop, and is an NBA caliber athlete. The Hollins' are also going to be very good for Minnesota next year, as I think Manual mentioned in his first post. Their development was key for Minnesota's NIT run a year ago.
CJ Aiken is an elite level athlete that needs to receive more attention. He and his St. Joes squad should be very good next year, and I would be surprised if his post game has not advanced a bit.
I also really like Seton Hall's Fuquan Edwin. He may not be as nationally renowned, but he has tremendous hands defensively and is going to have to step up next season with Herb Pope and Jordan Theodore gone. I would be surprised if he does not have an All Big East First or Second Team level season.