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 with experience who may have to 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.
Davis Baker, G/F, Southern Utah Thunderbirds
Last year Davis Baker had Tyler Quinney and John Clifford under the basket to help out with the scoring and create space for him. This time around Baker is pretty much the only scorer on the team and the 6-foot-5 wing has had to take over the majority of the rebounding as well. That has led to a bad season for the Thunderbirds, but a good season for fantasy owners of Baker. Through 18 games, Davis is averaging a team high 18.2 points and 4.9 rebounds. While Davis has been inconsistent, he is capable of scoring over 30 points on any given night. And the surprising thing is that Davis can score over 30 points in a variety of different ways. In December he put up 34 points against Centenary without hitting a three-pointer. A month later he scored the same amount against North Dakota State by knocking down six long balls.
Will Figures, G, Northern Colorado Bears
Will Figures has slowly worked his way up the Northern Colorado depth chart. As a freshman he started a few games, but only averaged 5.1 points per contest. Figures did not find himself starting much as a sophomore either, but he was developing into a solid sharpshooter off the bench. By the time he was an upperclassman the diminutive guard was a consistent starter and averaged 12.1 points per game. Perhaps with the way Figures has progressed throughout the years it is not much of a surprise to many that he has taken over this team during his senior season. Not only has his scoring output increased to 16.0 points per game, but he is also leading the team in assists and grabs more rebounds than one would expect from a 5-foot-9 guard.
Jeff Foote, C, Cornell Big Red
Cornell has a very talented team that is full of experienced seniors, but it is the play of Jeff Foote that has stepped up the most during this season. With so much talent returning on the team, most expected everybody's numbers to be about the same. For the most part that has been the case, but Foote has played a bigger role on both ends of the floor. His 12.9 points and 8.8 rebounds are both higher averages than last year and there has only been two games all season long where he has not totaled at least ten points or ten rebounds. In six of the team's 18 games, the 7-foot center has tallied a double-double…and expect that number to increase now that Cornell is replacing Syracuse and Kansas with Yale and Dartmouth on the schedule.
Corey Hassan, G, Sacred Heart Pioneers
Until his senior season, Corey Hassan's best year was during his freshman campaign when he averaged 11.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per contest. That was way back in 2005-06. Since then Hassan has been less productive. His junior season showed promise, but Hassan has finally been healthy and lived up to his potential thus far during his senior campaign. He is averaging over 20 points per game and nearly eight rebounds per contest. That is a lot of rebounds for a 6-foot-4 guard. His length and size also leads to quite a few steals and assists. Hassan is showing no signs of slowing down and he should be good for 20 points per game and a handful of other statistics.
Reggie Holmes, G, Morgan State Bears
Reggie Holmes has always been a productive scorer for Morgan State, but he has saved the best for last. Even as a freshman Holmes was averaging over nine points per game. By his sophomore campaign he was up to 12.9 points per contest. As an upperclassman he averaged 16.8 points. Holmes could have peaked at that point, but now he is leading the Bears towards a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship with his 22.5 points per game. For a 6-foot-4 guard, Holmes does not tally too many assists, but he is a decent rebounder and is good for a steal or two, increasing his value even more in fantasy leagues where points are counted for steals.
Anthony Johnson, G, Montana Grizzlies
Anthony Johnson came to Montana last season as a junior college transfer and immediately took over the team. The question heading into the 2009-2010 campaign was whether or not he could keep it up. The Grizzlies had some decent players returning to the backcourt and that could have hampered Johnson's numbers. But that was not been the case so far this season. He is averaging 17.2 points per game, but the 6-foot-2 guard is also a solid passer and rebounder. He is leading the team with 3.2 assists and when the Grizzlies need a big shot, it will be Johnson taking it.
Jeremy Lin, G, Harvard Crimson
Heading into his senior season, Jeremy Lin had already been Harvard's leading scorer for two years. However, the Crimson are getting more and more talented under Coach Tommy Amaker and it would have not been surprising to see Lin become more of a leader and less of a scorer during his senior campaign. Yet, Lin is putting up great numbers yet again and is a fantasy owner's dream player. Not only is he averaging 17.0 points per game, but also grabs nearly five rebounds per contest and dishes out 4.7 assists. Even on those rare occasions when Lin is not scoring, he is doing other things to make his fantasy owners happy. And it gets even better in fantasy leagues that count steals and blocks. Lin is averaging 3.0 steals and 1.3 blocks on the season and is the Evan Turner of the Ivy League.
Amorrow Morgan, G, Idaho State Bengals
Last season Amorrow Morgan had to share the spotlight with Matt Stucki. Now Stucki is gone and there is no question who the Bengals go-to-guy is now. Morgan has boosted his scoring output from 13.6 points per game last season to 18.2 points per contest this time around. The emergence of Broderick Gilchrest as the point guard has allowed Morgan to work off the ball. While he is not much of a shooter, Gilchrest does a superb job attacking the basket and has gotten to the free-throw line an impressive 6.3 times per game. Idaho State is not having a good season, but Morgan is certainly taking over the team during his senior campaign.
Ben Smith, G, Jacksonville Dolphins
Ben Smith has been Jacksonville's go-to-scorer for three seasons now, but he has grown as a player during his senior campaign. Through 17 games he is averaging 19.5 points, 3.7 assists and 3.2 rebounds. As good as those numbers are; they are a little deceiving. The Dolphins played a brutal non-conference schedule and lost seven of their first eight games. During that time Smith was rather inconsistent. Since then, the team has won eight of their last nine contests and, while the easier schedules certainly has helped, it has also been Smith's leadership that has taken Jacksonville from a struggling team to one that could compete for an Atlantic Sun title. Smith's numbers have been better all around, but it has been his ability to find his teammates that have made the biggest difference to the team and to Smith's fantasy numbers.
Dana Smith, G/F, Longwood Lancers
When Dana Smith has been available to play, which was often not the case, he has been a very productive player. During the 2008-2009 season he played his first full season at Longwood since his freshman campaign and recorded 14.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per contest. As a senior, the 6-foot-5 wing has stayed healthy thus far and increased those numbers. He started the season off a little slow and failed to reach double figures in the scoring column in two of Longwood's first three games, but since then he has scored at least 11 points in every game and is averaging 16.9 on the season. As if that was not enough for a fantasy owner, Smith is dominating on the glass and is even a pretty good passer on those rare occasions when he gives up the ball.