In the initial CFHI Podcast, Andy and I were discussing the dearth of centers in the Big Ten, and I commented that I might have to write a multi-page essay on Mike Tisdale to fill space in the Think On Center article. While I don't know that my knowledge of Tisdale extends past a paragraph-worth, he is worth noting. Another thing worth noting is that I am really scraping for seven centers to profile, so if you think I am missing one (and he is listed as a C on the school's official site), shoot me an email. This week we'll fly around the country in search of quality bigs. And by quality, I mean players that qualify as a center and play. Of course, these guys are all pretty good too.
Michael Dunigan, Oregon Ducks
Dunigan came as a highly touted prospect to Oregon prior to the 2008-09 season. He never managed to reach the heights of those expectations in his freshman season. After providing 8.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in his first year, expectations were mitigated. Still, there is plenty of promise in this 6-foot-10, 255-pounder, and he is starting to make good on it. Prior to losing at Oregon State, the Ducks reeled off six straight wins.\, and it wouldn't be just a pun to say that Dunigan was in the middle of them. Starting on Dec. 16 when Dunigan put up 16 points and 10 rebounds on Oakland and Keith Benson, the Ducks' center had three double-doubles in a six-game stretch. In that stretch, he averaged 17.7 points and 9.0 boards. That's more like it! As long as Dunigan stays out of foul trouble, he could be in for a double-double average in conference play.
Mike Tisdale, Illinois Fighting Illini
The aforementioned Tisdale opened some eyes with a 31-point outburst on Dec. 30 against Northwestern. He added 11 rebounds for his second straight double-double and looked like he had finally turned his 7-foot-1 frame into a force to be reckoned with. However, in the subsequent game against Gonzaga, the Illini center fouled out after 11 minutes and provided just four points and no rebounds. Despite that poor game and the following seven-point, two-rebound game against Iowa, the indicators for Tisdale are pointing up. The junior had 27 points against Indiana and a 16-point, 13-rebound effort against Penn State in his next two games. While Mike Davis has only scored 10 points in the last three games, Tisdale seems to be warming up. As noted in the podcast, no team in the Big Ten has a player with similar size and skill.
Todd O'Brien, St. Joseph's Hawks
O'Brien makes this list for potential and one strong performance. On Jan. 9, the 6-foot-11 junior beat up on woeful Fordham for 20 points and 12 rebounds. He added two steals and four blocks in a career game. O'Brien, who started his collegiate career at Bucknell has shown a few skills in his first year for coach Phil Martelli, but foremost among them is the ability to use his allotment of fouls. He has only fouled out of one game, but has accrued four fouls in six others. Most of his positive value comes from his board work. For the season, O'Brien is averaging 6.3 rebounds to go along with 5.2 points. He is going to need to figure out a way to stay on the court consistently. If he can do that, averaging double-digit rebounds is not an impossible goal.
Otis Polk, Bowling Green Falcons
Last year, the MAC was part of one of my Big Chief Challenge leagues (the Masters Challenge), so I followed it pretty closely. This season, we replaced the MAC with the Horizon and my knowledge of the conference has been reduced. Nevertheless, it was hard to overlook the 6-foot-9, 285 lb Polk who has slowly earned his way into the Falcon starting lineup in his senior season. The fourth-year BGSU player is averaging 10.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks. He had his best game on Dec. 30 against Towson in which he provided career highs of 17 points and 16 rebounds. Polk uses his huge frame to get a lot of offensive boards, so you'd expect his field goal percentage to be better than 44.9%. The school's all-time leader in blocked shots may need to curb his aggressiveness a tad because he has been whistled for at least four fouls in all but three games. If you are in need of a center, you could do worse.
Cruz Daniels, High Point Panthers
High Point had been known in fantasy circles for the past few years for their super-producing forward Arizona Reid. Although Reid has been gone since the end of last year, we can still think about him fondly. The Panthers aren't bereft of talent: there's sophomore guard Nick Barbour who is averaging 19.2 points. Plus, they have shot blocker extraordinaire Daniels. Like Polk, Daniels came into the season as his school's all-time leading shot blocker and he hasn't stopped swatting as a senior. The 6-foot-11 native of Clearwater, FL is averaging a career-high 2.9 blocks and has been on a rampage of late. He has 13 blocks in his last three games, including a season-high six rejections on Jan. 4 against UNC-Asheville. He is scoring just 6.7 points and grabbing 5.6 rebounds (significant decreases from his junior season), but if you need a shot blocker Daniels could be a consideration.
Brian Qvale, Montana Grizzlies
Qvale is in his third year with the Grizzles and his collegiate career has been a show of steady progress. As a junior, he is finally entering the ranks of what could be considered fantasy worthy centers. The 6-foot-11 North Dakotan is providing 11.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks. He had a terrific stretch in late November and early December when he four double-doubles in five games. Qvale then missed two games to be with his ill father and has provided inconsistent results over the next eight games. He did have a season-high six blocks on Jan. 8 against Eastern Washington but contributed just four points and five rebounds in that game. The Grizzlies have just 10 games left on the schedule, including an upcoming four-game road trip, so Qvale will need to get back to his early season ways in a hurry.
Ben Allen, St. Mary's Gaels
How is this fair? St. Mary's already has one of the best centers in the nation with Omar Samhan. Allen is a 6-foot-11 native of Australia who came stateside with Indiana. He spent two years trying to break into the Hoosier rotation before turning his head west and heading to the Aussie-laden Gaels. While Samhan gets the majority of the accolades, Allen is having a nice senior season as well. He is averaging 9.9 points and 7.9 rebounds. Unlike Samhan, Allen isn't afraid to take shots from the perimeter and is averaging 1.1 threes on 38.8%. He has six double-digit rebounding efforts, including a career-high 14 on Jan. 8 against San Francisco. As I type this, the Gaels are taking on Gonzaga for WCC supremacy. You know what, I think I'll sign off and go watch.