They say players make their biggest strides between their freshman and sophomore campaigns. And then, there is that change from sophomore to junior when a player is suddenly an upperclassman. He has experience with which he can teach younger players how things work. That role continues during a player's senior year, but that is also a time when many realize that this is their last chance … the last chance to play in the NCAA Tournament and, for most, their last chance to play organized basketball. Not all of these seniors came out of nowhere, although some certainly have been off the radar for the last three years, but all of these players have taken on a leadership role for their team and their fantasy numbers prove it.
Bilal Benn, F, Niagara Purple Eagles
Bilal Benn is not one those of those seniors who came out of nowhere. Benn immediately made an impact for the Purple Eagles after he transferred in from Villanova. During his first year under the tutelage of Coach Joe Mihalich, Benn averaged 13.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. However, this year Benn is becoming a leader on the floor. Not only are his numbers better, but he is committing fewer turnovers and Niagara always feels safe with the ball in Benn's hands. Benn has played in 13 games this year and has recorded a double-double in seven of those contests. Do not be surprised if he has a triple-double at some point before his collegiate career ends.
Marqus Blakely, F, Vermont Catamounts
Marqus Blakely stepped into the national spotlight as a sophomore when he averaged a double-double. His junior campaign was a slight disappointment in comparison, but Blakely has emerged as a great all-around player and the leader of a pretty good Vermont team. The 6-foot-5 forward leads the team with an average of 18.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.0 steals and 2.3 blocks. In fantasy leagues that score points for steals and blocks, Blakely is tough to beat. But what makes Blakely so much better this year is his intelligence on the floor. Last season Blakely was often in foul trouble and that would sometimes keep him on the bench. That is not the case anymore.
John Boyer, G, Buffalo Bulls
John Boyer is one of those four-year players who have slowly worked their way up. He barely played as an underclassman and as a junior during the 2008-2009 campaign he only averaged 17.1 minutes per game. Now he is the starting point guard on a Buffalo team that should compete for a Mid-American Conference title. He is not a great scorer, but he makes up for it with his ability to rebound out of the backcourt and his impressive average of 5.5 assists per game. While he is yet to reach double-digits in the rebounding department this season, he is certainly a player who is capable of grabbing ten boards, scoring 12 to 15 points and dishing out 12 assists like he did earlier this season against Towson.
Chris Harris, G Navy Midshipmen
Despite scoring around 15 points per game during his sophomore and junior seasons, Navy's Chris Harris always played second fiddle to some other guard. That is the case no more. Harris had to bide his time, but now he is the Midshipmen's go-to-scorer. At times his shooting percentage can be pretty bad, but Harris is almost always on the floor and will keep chucking up shots. While that may be bad for Navy, it is not bad for your fantasy team. Harris is shooting under 30 percent from long range, but when he gets hot he is nearly impossible to stop. For every 1 of 9 shooting effort like he had against Buffalo in November, Harris will have a 7 of 14 showing like he did against George Washington.
Marquez Haynes, G Texas-Arlington Mavericks
Texas-Arlington lost their leading passer, rebounder and scorer from last season and that has left Marquez Haynes as the team's biggest fantasy producer. He is a superb three-point shooter and has connected on half of his attempts from long range so far this season. His 23.9 points per game rank among the best in the nation, but he is also the team's point guard and dishes out 3.5 assists per contest. And on a team that lacks a consistent frontcourt, the 6-foot-3 guard is even asked to help out a lot on the glass and he has done a surprisingly good job in that regard over the last two seasons.
Brandon Hazzard, G, Troy Trojans
Troy has had some ups and downs already this season, but the team is currently 3-0 in Sun Belt Conference play and Brandon Hazzard is a big reason for that. Hazzard led the team in scoring last season, but he is stepping up his game as a senior. Hazzard had two bad games early in the year against Florida and UAB, but other than that he has scored at least 19 points in nine of 12 games. Hazzard has done less work on the glass recently and does not rack up too many assists, but when his shot is falling, he can score 30 points on any given day, like he did on New Year's Eve against Louisiana Monroe.
Billy Humphrey, G, New Orleans Privateers
Billy Humphrey had some problems on and off the court during his three-year career at Georgia. However, a fresh start at New Orleans has proven to be a pretty good thing. Humphrey will not force three-pointers like many other super scorers on struggling teams. Instead, he will complement his outside shooting ability by using his 6-foot-3 frame to get to the basket. That means on top of his 18.3 points per game, Humphrey is good for at least four or five rebounds a contest as well. Humphrey has had some up and down games while adjusting to the style of play at New Orleans, and an injury that caused him to miss the majority of three games in mid-December has not helped, but he will be even better as the season progresses.
David Kool, G, Western Michigan Broncos
Western Michigan has always expected big things from David Kool since he arrived as a freshman as the state of Michigan's reigning Mr. Basketball in 2006. And Kool has not disappointed for the most part: he has been a double digit scorer since his freshman campaign. Yet, things are different now that he is a senior. Kool is taking smarter shots. Last season Kool tried to do too much and forced up 6.3 three-pointers per game and only connected on 29.7% of those attempts. So far this year, he has limited his average three-point attempts to under six and has made nearly 38% of those attempts. His maturity has also shown with his ball handling and defensive skills. In fantasy leagues where you lose points for turnovers and get points for steals, Kool is much more than just a 20-point scorer.
Kevin Palmer, G/F Texas A&M Corpus Christi Islanders
Kevin Palmer is putting up pretty similar numbers as he did last year, but not everybody expected him to do so. The Texas A&M Corpus Christi star was a junior college transfer last year and simply took over the team. The big question for fantasy owners was whether or not he could do it again. The answer is yes. Palmer is averaging 20.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists so far this season and shows no signs of slowing down. While the 6-foot-6 wing can be painful to watch with the ball in his hands and has turned the ball over nine times in a single game on multiple occasions, his shooting is better and that is all that matters for most fantasy owners.
Omar Samhan, C, Saint Mary's Gaels
Patrick Mills and Diamon Simpson may have gotten more publicity last year, but Omar Samhan was just as an important piece to the puzzle at St. Mary's as those two. And with Mills and Simpson gone, the 6-foot-10 Samhan has to take the spotlight all by himself. Samhan is dominating the interior against just about every opponent and has reached double digits in the scoring column every game this year and gets a double-double more often than not. His leadership has turned a Gaels team that many thought would underachieve without Mills and Simpson into a legitimate West Coast Conference contender and NCAA tournament team. The Gaels beat some pretty good teams in non-conference play and expect Samhan to continue to put up about 20 points and grab at least ten boards per game in WCC play.