When Kolby King signed on with St. John’s to tip off his freshman season, he probably didn’t envision the Red Storm’s coach getting fired and 90+% of the roster he had known departing for greener pastures before the start of his sophomore year. The nice thing about all of that NYC wrack & ruin for King has been that it gave the Florida product a chance to head back south in search of a greater opportunity. Turns out, the young guard has found a terrific fit in New Orleans.
King is one of many young players in the reconfigured American Athletic Conference who are enjoying more of the spotlight than ever before due to their excellent play to start this new season. Now that we’re a month into the festivities, it’s time to take a look at the players who have spent the past few weeks breaking out. Whether they’re new to their teams, new to a significant role, or newly-come to true stardom, these are some names you really ought to know!
Kolby King – Tulane
14.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.0 apg, 2.4 spg – 54.8% FG
In head coach Ron Hunter’s ball-moving, shot-taking system, King has been just the sort of high-reward riverboat gambler that the Green Wave loves to feature. The sophomore guard is one of a few different Tulane players having a career-best start to this season, and he’s been a seamless fit in Uptown so far. King is making a significant two-way impact for the Green Wave, and he’s part of an offense which is getting to the charity stripe – and making the most attempts while there – of any team in America.
As great as King has been to start the year, he’s one of a few different players who are producing at a prodigious rate in the Crescent City. Kevin Cross – one of the best playmaking bigs anywhere – is leading the Green Wave in scoring, rebounding, assists and blocks so far, and veterans Sion James and Collin Holloway have never been better. Each player – along with experienced scoring wing Jaylen Forbes – has bought into Hunter’s desire to find the guy who has the best look, and Tulane is off to a great start as a result. King is averaging 14 more points per game this season than he did as a freshman in the Big Apple, and he’s been among the best ball thieves in the AAC so far. King’s 2.4 steals per game have helped to ignite transition opportunities, and with a point forward like Cross and savvy passers all around, Tulane can score any number of ways. We said this fall that Hunter’s system works best with four different scoring options, but that he would employ as many bucket-getters as possible in the Green Wave’s rotation. So far, King and Cross – who is also scoring nearly 20 points per game – have been two of the five Tulane starters averaging nearly 12 ppg. As if that wasn’t enough, the team’s 6th man, Tré Williams, has put up nine per contest. There are plenty of players enjoying career-best years for the Green Wave, and each of them is hoping to lead Tulane to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since the mid-1990’s.
Vladislav Goldin – Florida Atlantic
16.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.0 bpg, 0.8 spg – 73.7% FG
Everyone remembers Florida Atlantic’s run to the Final Four – and the Owls are big-time contenders again this year. While FAU is led primarily by one of the nation’s deepest and most versatile groups of perimeter players, the Owls’ leading scorer this season has been center Vladislav Goldin. The Russian seven-footer arrived in Boca Raton as a gangly, robotic reserve who hadn’t seen the floor much while a rookie at Texas Tech. Head coach Dusty May saw potential in Goldin’s mobility and go-go-Gadget length, though, so he put the developing youngster straight into the starting lineup.
All Goldin has done over the past two seasons is improve. He’s now a very useful post-scoring compliment to his smaller teammate. Goldin turns the many good feeds he gets from FAU’s guards reliably into buckets, and his length and motor on the defensive end have made him a rim protector to be feared. While many bigs these days love to show off their outside jumper, Goldin knows that he’s most effective in the paint. His offensive confidence has visibly grown, and this year Goldin is assertively stepping through double teams and finishing through traffic. Better footwork and ballhandling have also helped to make Goldin a genuine threat, and he’s shown clear development in making nearly unblockable hook shots and leaners. His evolution as a scorer may be best observed by his shooting splits. Last year, Goldin attempted about four times as many shots directly near the rim than he did from further out. This season, it’s more 2:1; and Goldin is shooting a fantastic 72.0% away from the rim to go along with his 74.5% rate in close. As the Owls continue to run the gauntlet towards another fun-filled March, their high-impact pivot will be helping to lead the way.
Colby Rogers, Xavier Bell & Kenny Pohto – Wichita State
Rogers: 16.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.8 apg, 0.9 spg – 37.5% 3FG / Bell: 14.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.2 spg – 46.2% FG / Pohto: 13.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 0.4 bpg – 51.1% FG
Who to pick among the Shockers’ breakout trio? Colby Rogers, Xavier Bell, and Kenny Pohto are stepping out this year to the tune of about 45 points per game combined, and they’re leading a big upswing for Wichita State. Rogers had been waiting for the chance to make his impact. He had to sit out last year after arriving in Wichita as a two-time undergrad transfer. Now that the former Cal Poly and Siena sharpshooter is on the court in earnest, Rogers is showing that he spent the time off making himself into a true star scorer. A shooter first and foremost, Rogers has pure form, can get his shot off despite close defensive attention, and is dangerous wherever he sets up to launch. The owner of 171 career triples and a 38.1% rate from deep, Rogers stretches the defense and has proven that he’ll take defenders who close out aggressively off the bounce. Though Rogers doesn’t usually take his man all the way to the rack, he’s got a solid mid-range and step-back repertoire once he gets inside the arc. Rogers ranks top five in the AAC in scoring average so far, and he’s providing new head coach Paul Mills with a reliable go-to option.
Pohto and Bell bring contrasting styles to the Shockers’ rotation. Bell is a playmaking guard who loves to drive the lane, while Pohto is a sweet-shooting stretch big man. When the Shockers found out that Bijan Cortes wouldn’t be eligible to play this year, Bell became the team’s main distributor. While not the world’s purest floor general, Bell has done an effective job of getting the rock to his teammates in the places they’re effective, and his creative drive game has been on display. After playing a reserve role last year after transferring in from Drexel, Bell has jumped his scoring average from 4.0 to 14.8 points per game. Pohto’s development over the past two seasons has accelerated this year, as the Swedish big man is making shots, gobbling up rebounds, and helping to move the ball like a star in the post. He’s already had games of 23 and 25 points to start his junior season, and Pohto has hit double figures in rebounds three times. He’s a slick, skilled player more than a bruiser, but Pohto’s rise in production has come in part because he’s playing more of a true post game. As the Shockers’ rising option up front, Pohto’s ability to face up and make jumpers – he’s shooting a terrific 51.5% on mid-range looks, per Bart Torvik – really spaces the floor for his teammates.
PJ Haggerty – Tulsa
16.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 3.3 apg, 2.3 spg – 40.8% FG
Last year, PJ Haggerty played a handful of games at TCU before taking a redshirt. This season, the Texas native decided to head for a new opportunity at Tulsa, and has been great to start his do-over freshman year. Haggerty has joined fifth-year Louisiana Tech transfer Cobe Williams in leading second-year head coach Eric Konkol’s attack. The 6’3″ guard has done a little bit of everything at a high level so far for the Golden Hurricane. He’s leading the AAC in free throws made and attempted, and ranks top five in steals per game. With his attacking style and comfort level in the paint, Haggerty is also proving an effective rebounder and creative playmaker after drawing the defense. Though he’s committed more turnovers than he’s handed out assists, Haggerty is proving talented at getting his teammates involved and generating scoring opportunities all over the floor. Though he’s attempting just over 10 shots per contest, Haggerty’s 9+ trips to the charity stripe – and 79.7% rate there – have provided reliable scoring even when Tulsa’s offense isn’t humming along at maximum efficiency. As his steal numbers indicate, Haggerty and Williams (who currently ranks second in the league in thefts) are keying a high-intensity perimeter defense. By bringing good size and his aggressive approach to the off-guard spot, Haggerty has been a wonderful compliment to his veteran co-star who exemplifies a lot of the traits upon which Konkol is hoping to build Tulsa’s foundation.
Hysier Miller – Temple
17.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 4.4 apg, 1.4 spg – 32.2% FG
Last Year, Hysier Miller started every game for the Temple Owls, playing more than 32 minutes per game and ranking seventh in the AAC in assists average. This year, with just about all of the team’s top veterans from a year ago gone elsewhere, Miller is becoming the star of head coach Adam Fisher’s show. He’s scored in double figures all but once so far, has hit for 19 or more in four different games, and Miller has also managed to hand out even more helpers. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been a particularly efficient shooter thus far – especially from the land of trey – but the Philly product is proving that he’s capable of going off for big games. The loss of wing Jahlil White to a hand injury for a few weeks hasn’t helped, as White had been playing very well for the Owls over their first couple of weeks. A bothersome defender, Miller likes to pressure his man and can key good opportunities in transition. Miller is stepping up and leading the way for his young team, and Fisher is learning to lean on his exciting young lead guard.
David Jones – Memphis
19.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.4 apg, 2.5 spg – 45.0% FG
We wrote a good bit about David Jones before the season, and he’s certainly no newcomer to a primary scoring role. Still, the Tigers’ leading scorer is clearly having his own type of breakout season. The former DePaul and St. John’s wing arrived in Memphis with a career scoring average of 12.6, but he’s taken things to a new level at both ends of the court the past few weeks. After showing off his skills to his new teammates while playing for his native Dominican Republic’s national team during an exhibition series that the Tigers played this summer, Jones is shooting the ball and racking up steals like never before. The versatile wing has always been capable of heating up from the outside, but Jones has bettered his career average of 28.4% on triple tries up to 37.3% to tip off his senior season. He’s still doing a great job of cashing in around the lane, also; and he’s getting to the free throw line nearly six times per game and converting 77.8% of his attempts. Jones is also playing a career-high 31.1 minutes so far, as his strong defense and versatility are helping to key the Tiger attack with or without the ball. As he continues to level up as a genuine go-to guy, Jones is looking like the type of all-conference star who could lead this deep Memphis group on a big run come March.
Other guys to keep on keeping an eye on
Jason Edwards, Aaron Scott and Rubin Jones – North Texas
RJ Felton, Brandon Johnson and Ezra Ausar – East Carolina
Lu’Cye Patterson and Igor Milicic, Jr – Charlotte
Christian Tucker and Dre Fuller, Jr – UTSA
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