In just the second article of the season, I found myself burned by my own rule. I was all set to write about Jarvis Varnado, who is on pace to break the all-time college blocked shot record. I hopped over to the Mississippi State official website to find the 6-foot-9, 220 pound Varnado is listed only as a forward. Ho hum, I'll have to save him for my SEC report. This is a good illustration of how hard it can be to find an official center. For whatever reason, players do not want themselves labeled with the C. It is problematic for fantasy owners in leagues that require them to play a center. Some commishes, like me, are fairly lenient when it comes to positional eligibility, but if you want to go with the official source: Varnado is not a center (even though he rarely strays away from the basket). Let's take a look at a handful of big men who aren't afraid of the center designation.
F/C JaJuan Johnson, Purdue Boilermakers
If you ever watched Star Trek: the Next Generation, you'd know that any time ensign Wesley Crusher wished he was an adult, he'd become a man of linebacker size. That's despite the fact that Will Wheaton is/was slim. The point of the first two sentences is that JaJuan Johnson came to Purdue as a tall, slim guy and he will likely leave as a tall, slim guy. Despite big and unfulfilled expectations as a freshman, Johnson is steadily improving, and he had a great game among the many trees of Wake Forest on Dec. 1. Johnson, the only regular Boilermaker other than Robbie Hummel taller than 6-foot-5, used his variety of post moves to score 21 points against the Demon Deacons. He added nine rebounds and three blocks. Johnson more than made up for his performance against Tennessee in the final of the Paradise Jam where he fouled out after 18 minutes. Overall, the 6-foot-10 junior is providing 14.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks.
C Chas McFarland, Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Speaking of that Wake Forest forest, senior McFarland had a fine game defending the cup against Purdue. The seven-foot center had a season-high six blocks, most of which were in the first half. The Boilermakers had trouble make threes all game, but they couldn't get past McFarland either. Throughout his career at Wake Forest, McFarland has rarely been a guy to look at for fantasy stats. He is getting a bump in playing time this year and has averages of 7.0 rebounds and 2.8 blocks, but his offensive game is, well, offensive. McFarland is putting in 6.3 points while averaging just five shots per game. Eventually, McFarland may cede some playing time to sophomores Tony Woods and Ty Walker, who came to Winston-Salem with much applause but have yet to produce. In the meantime, McFarland can be useful in leagues that concentrate on the ACC and you could do worse than his moderate production in larger leagues.
F/C Ekpe Udoh, Baylor Bears
You have to give Baylor coach Scott Drew credit. He seems to be a master recruiter and his teams are always deep in talent. The problem for the fantasy owner is that it is hard to figure out who will step to the forefront. So far, it has been the Michigan transfer, Udoh, who has been the force inside that the team was missing last year (with all apologies to the long-suffering Kevin Rogers). The 6-foot-10 big man of Nigerian descent started as a sophomore for the Wolverines in 2007-08 and provided 6.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks. Some time during his layoff during the 2008-09 season, Udoh must have developed an offensive game. Through seven games, he is providing 15.4 points to go along with 9.3 rebounds and 3.6 blocks. In Baylor's win over Xavier, Udoh dominated inside with 15 points on 7 of 8 shooting, nine boards and a season-high six blocks. Udoh has four double-doubles and has blocked at least two shots in every game this season.
F/C Jason Love, Xavier Musketeeers
Unfortunately, Love was on the other end of Udoh's great game and the Xavier postman had his worst game of the season with four points and seven rebounds before fouling out after 25 minutes. The good news is that the 6-foot-9 Love won't see many more skilled big men like Udoh, so he will likely get back to his double-double ways of the early season. Through his first three years as a Musketeer, Love seemed ready to break out because his per minute numbers were outstanding. This year, under new coach Chris Mack, Love has officially come out of his reserve status shell. He opened the season with three double-doubles in his first four games, including a 21-point, 19-rebound game in a loss against Marquette. Love scores most of his points on offensive rebounds, but his 62.9% shooting from the field is a nice number. He is also a factor on the defensive end with 2.3 blocks. If he can continue to stay out of foul trouble, he should be among the best big men in the A-10.
C Jerome Jordan, Tulsa Golden Hurricanes
Some people were surprised when Jordan decided to return to Tulsa for his senior season. Not me, mainly because nothing surprises me anymore. However, fantasy college basketball players were overjoyed that the seven-foot Jamaican figured donning the Golden Hurricane uni was a good idea, and they have enjoyed his continued ascent in production. Jordan was key in the team's big win over rival Oklahoma State on Dec. 2 because the Cowboys had no answer for him. He scored six of the team's first nine points and went on to provide 11 points, nine boards, and six blocks. That was the third time this season that he had six blocks. Thus far, Jordan is providing 15.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks. He did foul out of Tulsa's lone loss to Missouri State, but not before providing 22 points and 11 rebounds. His 52.1% from the field is down a bit from past seasons, but that is likely due to his increased responsibility on offense. If you've got him, don't let him go.
C Hamidu Rahman, New Mexico State Aggies
For the Aggies, the early season has not been kind. They've lost four of their first six games, including a game to intrastate rival New Mexico. For the fantasy owner, however, the Aggies are doing just fine. They have Jonathan Gibson and Jahmar Young combining for 40 points, and Rahman is having an early season breakout. The seven-foot center looked like he had a pro body but a JV game last year. This year, he's turned some of that potential into production. Rahman has turned in three straight double-doubles and is averaging 15.2 points and 9.5 rebounds. He is also converting 65.9% of his shots and is blocking 1.2 shots. Rahman's production does come with a major caveat: the Aggies are playing without Wendell McKines and Troy Gillenwater who are on academic suspension for at least the fall semester. If and when they return, Rahman's production is sure to suffer. If you can trade him this month and get something pleasant in return, you should do so.
C Omar Samhan, St. Mary's Gaels
After Patty Mills and Diamon Simpson left St. Mary's after last year, I didn't think we'd hear much from the Gaels. Samhan had flashes of potential as a dominating big man, but that was as a third option who had little offensive responsibility. I was wrong (but not surprised). Through six games, Samhan has been a human wrecking ball, providing 19.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks. He had his best scoring game against Cal Poly with 33 points and 12 rebounds, but his 25-point, 18-rebound game against A.J. Ogilvy and Vanderbilt may have been even more impressive (despite the fact that the Gaels lost). Through the early going, Samhan has seemed to enjoy the extra attention and it may be that he just needed the more established players to leave before he could blossom. The WCC has other quality big men, but Samhan should be a cut above the competition and continue to produce.