In addition the coaching star power that I mentioned in the SEC Top Ten column, half of the top ten players at least considered testing the draft process before returning to school. With the upper echelon talent returning and a buffet of tasty incoming freshmen, the SEC is loaded with fantasy options for even the most discerning of pallets. Based on previous coaching stints, it won’t take Mark Fox at Georgia and Anthony Grant at Alabama long to get up to speed. Kentucky will be the team to beat, but John Calipari and his talented crew won’t have 11 Conference USA patsies opposing them.
Alabama Crimson Tide Perhaps through necessity or just by virtue of excellent recruiting, Grant’s VCU teams were guard-oriented. With players such as B.A. Walker, Jesse Pellot-Rosa, and most recently, Eric Maynor, Grant followed Jeff Capel with the continued run of success at Richmond. Now, Grant follows Mark Gottfried who did not leave the basket empty. The Tide return three double-digit scorers in G Senario Hillman (12.9 ppg), F JaMychal Green (10.3 ppg, 7.6 rpg), and G Mikhail Torrance (10.0 ppg). Of the three, Green seems like the most likely to improve upon his promising freshman year. Fouls certainly limited Green’s playing time and he had 14 games of four or more fouls. The 6-fot-7 Green should be paired with freshman SF Tony Mitchell from Swainsboro, Georgia. The 6-foot-6 Mitchell has a nice all-around game, but will need to add to his 185-lb frame to keep from being bruised in the SEC.
Arkansas Razorbacks As noted in the top ten preview, John Pelphrey’s second year in Arkansas was a tale of two halves. The non-conference schedule was a smash success with wins over two top ten teams (Oklahoma and Texas), but the season bottomed out during the conference schedule and the Razorbacks finished in the SEC basement. They were a very young squad last year and the experience will help them. In addition to the inside/outside duo of Michael Washington and Courtney Fortson, perimeter threats G Rotnei Clarke (12.2 ppg) and Stefan Welsh (11.5 ppg) return. Clarke played ample minutes in his freshman year and scored a season high 26 points in the ‘backs win over Alabama on Jan. 29. Welsh hit just 30.7% of his threes, but wasn’t shy about gunning. Pelphrey welcomes a pair of promising small forwards in his third recruiting class in 6-foot-7 Marshawn Powell and 6-foot-7 Glenn Bryant. Neither player is the wide body that will help Washington on the glass, but both could provide some defensive help.
Auburn Tigers Auburn had its best season in the Jeff Lebo era (which covers the last five years), but were still unable to get into the NCAA tournament. They finished at 24-12 overall and 10-6 in the SEC, but they failed to register any landmark wins. While they essentially started four guards, Auburn has half of its backcourt returning. G DeWayne Reed led the team in scoring (13.2 ppg) and assists (3.7 apg). He shot just 38.7% from the floor and 32.7% on threes (which were marginal improvements from his sophomore season), so he has room to improve. Fellow G Tay Waller buried 100 three pointers and provided 12.1 ppg. More than 75% of his shots came from beyond the arc, so he also has room to diversify his game. 6-foot-9 freshman power forward Ty Armstrong may be asked to fill Korvotney Barber’s shoes, but he needs to refine his offensive game.
Florida Gators Despite not making the tournament for the last two years and suffering some tough personnel losses (i.e. Nick Calathes), Florida looks to be on the upswing in 2009-10. Coach Billy Donovan has a highly touted freshman in Kenny Boynton Jr. ready to step into the backcourt for Calathes. While Boynton may not be the passer that Calathes was, he should be able to score from the get go of his college career. F Alex Tyus returns after a promising sophomore campaign in which he provided 12.5 ppg on 59.1% from the floor and 6.2 rpg. Tyus had five double-doubles, including 13 points and 12 boards in the NIT opening win over Miami. F Dan Werner is the last player left from the championship seasons. He provided 8.9 ppg and 4.9 rpg. His frontcourt mate, Chandler Parsons, offered similar stats (9.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg). Nimrod Tishman, a 6-foot-5 point guard from Israel, recently started attending classes and could be a late round flyer.
Georgia Bulldogs After their surprising romp through the 2007-08 SEC tournament, the Bulldogs once again failed to impress in the regular season and it eventually cost Dennis Felton his job. Fox steps in after a five-year run at Nevada that showcased his ability to recruit (but not to keep his players from the early withdrawal process). In addition to the aforementioned Thompkins, the Bulldogs have their point guard spot settled. G Dustin Ware led the team in assists in his freshman year (3.4 apg) and was a streaky outside shooter. He should be backed up and possibly complemented by freshman G DeMario Mayfield who at 6-foot-3 is four inches taller than Ward. Mayfield should be an impact defensive player, but his offensive skills are raw. F/C Albert Jackson is a player to keep an eye on. The 6-foot-10 post player averaged 4.5 ppg and 3.8 rpg in 19.6 mpg last year.
Kentucky Wildcats Calipari is coming off an impressive run in which his teams did not lose a conference game for the last three years (although some of those wins have been “erased.”). It’s true that it often seemed Conference USA was Memphis and the 11 dwarves, but the coach has finally made his way up to Tier 1. The sailing won’t be quite as easy. His first recruiting class to Lexington borders on the ridiculous. Including John Wall, the Wildcats have two of the top incoming centers and two other top 20 players at their position (according to Scouts Inc.). C DeMarcus Cousins will be option 1A for low post offense and has the athleticism to be a dominant defensive presence around the hoop. At 6-foot-10, Daniel Orton is an inch taller than Cousins and can also do damage near the rim. G Eric Bledsoe came to Kentucky despite Wall’s presence and has been highly touted. Holdovers F Darius Miller and G DeAndre Liggins were highly touted freshmen last year, but neither fared very well in the Billy Gillespie system. The roster is very deep and all of this talent could cause the Wildcats’ individual fantasy values to fall.
LSU Tigers In his first season on the bayou Trent Johnson took the Tigers back to the NCAA tournament. While the team loses 60% of its starting lineup, F Tasmin Mitchell should be a nice place to start. G Bo Spencer took to the starting lineup nicely in his sophomore season and provided 11.4 ppg and 2.6 apg. He canned 40.3% of his three-points for 1.9 3pg, but he’ll need to improve his 1.38 assist:turnover ratio. Freshman SG Aaron Dotson from Rainier, Washington could start next to Spencer. The 6-foot-4 guard can contribute to both sides of the game and has a fluid looking three-point motion. F Storm Warren had a reserve role in his freshman year and the season went downhill after a double-double in the second game against Alcorn State.
Mississippi Rebels The promise of the Rebels’ season went down the tubes when the team’s backcourt was dismantled by a series of crushing injuries. G Eniel Polynice went down in the first game with a torn ACL and made a token appearance later in the season, but his season was pretty much lost. G Chris Warren was having an outstanding sophomore campaign through 11 games (19.6 ppg, 4.0 apg) when he suffered his own torn ACL. Both players are expected back at full strength in 2009-10. While Polynice and Warren were out, G Terrico White had a chance to show what he could do. Happily, he kept his ACL’s healthy and was able to score 20 points seven times, including in the Rebels’ last five games of the season. Ole Miss should be stocked in the backcourt and the frontcourt has hope in 6-foot-7 sophomore Murphy Holloway who had five double-doubles in the last eight games of the season.
Mississippi State Bulldogs The Bulldogs could have one of the most dominant front lines in college basketball. Everything starts with Jarvis Varnado who has led the NCAA in blocks in each of the last two seasons and is within reach of the all-time record. Incoming freshman C John Riek was recently allowed to play after surviving a look at his grades. The 7-foot-2 former UConn recruit could back up Varnado. If F Renardo Sidney is allowed to play after some possible transgressions involving dirty lucre, the 6-foot-9 former USC recruit could push Mississippi State over the top. He has a low post game that could better Varnado and the Bulldogs could own the glass. The show in Starksville will be run by sophomore Dee Bost who contributed 10.9 ppg and 4.3 apg in his first year despite not being able to shoot much (35.2% from the field). G Barry Stewart (12.4 ppg, 2.0 3pg) and G/F Ravern Johnson (12.1 ppg, 2.3 3pg) provide other scoring options.
South Carolina Gamecocks Much like in 2008-09, the Gamecock offense should revolve around G Devan Downey. Yet, the team has plenty of other veteran options and a few promising youngsters as well. C Mike Holmes is just 6-foot-7, but he did a nice job on the glass (7.7 rpg) and piled up defensive statistics (1.3 spg, 1.2 bpg) as well. Holmes chipped in 10.8 ppg and had six double-doubles. F Dominique Archie helped Holmes on the boards (6.4 rpg) and also scored in the paint (10.9 ppg). Like Holmes, Archie is a consideration if your league values defensive stats (1.5 spg, 1.2 bpg). The Gamecocks’ future is centered on SF Lakeem Jackson and SG Ramon Galloway. Jackson is a fine athlete who needs to refine his shooting mechanics and Galloway is a 6-foot-3 combo guard who can pass and shoot.
Tennessee Volunteers The Volunteers are another team that returns a lot of talent. In addition to Tyler Smith, the team has burly F Wayne Chism. In his junior year, Chism broke out with 13.7 ppg and 8.0 rpg. He was a one-man wrecking crew against Marquette on Dec. 16 and had 26 points and 11 boards. He also showed well against Gonzaga in a loss on Jan. 7 in which he provided 15 points and a season-high 19 rebounds. Tennessee also has a pair of tall guards in 6-foot-7 J.P. Prince and 6-foot-7 Scotty Hopson. Prince, a former Arizona Wildcat, provided 9.9 ppg and 3.1 apg, but his results were inconsistent. Hopson was a highly touted freshman last year who also showed flashes. He scored 20 points twice and finished with 9.2 ppg. The point guard spot could be shared by Bobby Maze and juco transfer Melvin Goins.
Vanderbilt Commodores Vanderbilt has a very intriguing squad for the 2009-10 season. They lost none of their starters from a team that went 8-8 in conference but 19-12 overall. G/F Jeffery Taylor, who was born in Sweden, showed a lot of promise in averaging 12.2 ppg and 6.2 rpg in 26.0 mpg. The 6-foot-7 swingman had a pair of double-doubles and scored a career high 23 points in a Jan. 28 loss at South Carolina. G Jermaine Beal continued to improve in his third year with the team. He provided 12.5 ppg, 1.9 3pg (on 40.3% from downtown) and 3.2 apg. Brad Tinsley also had a nice freshman season and provided 11.0 ppg with 2.2 3pg. Tinsley’s role will be challenge by incoming freshman John Jenkins. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard from Gallatin, Tennessee isn’t shy about shooting and averaged 42.3 ppg in his senior season in high school.