This week at CFHI, we start our exploration of the deeper tiers. If you play in a league with Tier 3 and 4 players, you know that unearthing one of these gems can turn a long term profit. The best Tier 1 players generally don't stick around, but a Tier 3 or 4 stud can produce four years of goodness for you (if you are lucky enough to get a stud freshmen). Each of our writers will profile a handful of lower tier players that you should be familiarize yourself with.
George Odufuwa, F, North Texas Mean Green
I used to write a column of Tier 1 players that transferred to Tier 3 and 4 schools: the big fish in the small ponds. Odufuwa, a 6-foot-8 senior, would have qualified. He started his career at Arizona State back in 2007-08, but transferred after one year of being trapped on the Sun Devil bench. He returned to his Dallas roots and became a member of the Mean Green. After a quiet sophomore season, Odufuwa exploded into a double-double machine as a junior. In the opener against Cameron, he grabbed 24 rebounds to become just the ninth player since 2005-06 to haul in that many rebounds. He averaged 11.5 points and 10.7 rebounds and really came on at the end of the season. He even had ten points and rebounds in the first round NCAA tournament loss against Kansas State. The Mean Green have four returning starters, so the good times should continue to roll for Odufuwa and North Texas.
Isaac Butts, C, Appalachian State Mountaineers
I like Isaac Butts and I can not lie. Finding players from Tier 3 and 4 early in their careers can lead to multiple years of production. Finding a center who does that just doubles the bonus. Butts is a 6-foot-10, 285 lb behemoth who has been plowing away for the Mountaineers for the past three seasons. At his size, you can guess that he isn't a point guard in a center's body; he's a center. Butts averaged 8.5 points and 8.1 rebounds as a junior. One caveat: Butts had knee surgery in August and may be somewhat limited to open the season. By the time SoCon conference play starts, Butts should be the main man for the Mountaineers.
Raymond Taylor, G, Florida Atlantic Owls
From mountainous Mountaineer, we go to a tiny Owl. Taylor is a 5-foot-6 speedster for the Owls and coach Mike Jarvis. In his freshman year, Taylor had his ups and downs as the primary ball handler and scorer for FAU. He scored more than 20 points four times in 2009, but only once after the flip of the calendar. Taylor finished off with averages of 14.2 points and 5.9 assists. He shot slightly better from three-point range than he did from within the arc. He made 38.6% of his threes to provide 2.0 threes per game. Now that he is established in the Sun Belt, Taylor is an excellent player to watch (if you can see him among the trees).