Two weeks ago, College Fantasy Hoops Insider had our first mock draft of the year. Eight stalwart people joined me to tip off the season in the right way. We had ten people sign up, but two got caught in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene (which seems like a long time ago) and could not attend. Our host, Asa Tysseling scrambled to fill the other two teams. The ground rules were that we were going six rounds. Each team had to draft two guards, two forward, a center, and a sixth man. One of the six players had to be a freshman. We were basing the draft on Big Chief Challenge rules, which only use points, rebounds, and assists. If you are interested in joining us for an upcoming mock draft, we have drafts scheduled for the Big East (9/20) and Big 12 (9/25). We are still working on dates for the Pac 12, Tier 2, and a second Tier 1 drafts. Please sign up here. We'll reveal the results to our ACC and SEC mock drafts in the next week. Let me know which team you think is the best at perry@cfhinsider.com. Let's take a look at the results.
Round 1
1. cbennett314: Jared Sullinger Ohio State F-C SO
2. rjaymoose: Jordan Taylor Wisconsin G SR
3. usao99: Terrence Jones Kentucky F SO
4. Asatyss 2.0: Mike Scott Virginia F SR
5. Asatyss 3.0: Trevor Mbakwe Minnesota F SR
6. Thrash13: Perry Jones Baylor F-C SO
7. big5guy: Harrison Barnes North Carolina F SO
8. asatyss: Andre Drummond Connecticut C FR
9. illinifan1: Draymond Green Michigan State F SR
10. Big Chief: Anthony Davis Kentucky F FR
Chris made what he called the easiest pick in the draft. I agree. Sullinger has center-eligibility and he should be a one-man wrecking ball for the Buckeyes. Raphielle stayed in the Big 10 by taking Taylor, who will dominate the ball for the Badgers and be the nation's top point guard (for overall play). I was somewhat surprised by the third pick because I had erased Terrence Jones' stats in the spreadsheet. Based on his stats, he is the second best player from last year. Of course, the Wildcats had a dearth of frontcourt players and this year they have a glut. Based on the chart of points plus rebounds plus assists, it made sense. Scott averaged a double-double last year in ten games before getting knocked out with an ankle injury. Asa loves the Golden Gophers so his "autodraft" pick of Mbakwe was no surprise. I like Mbakwe slightly more than Scott, but they are a horse apiece. Even though he has the greatest first name known to man, I am not that high on surprise returner Perry Jones. He was more hype than help last year and the Bears have a ton of front court talent surrounding him. I was also the first to jump off the Harrison Barnes ship last year, but it seems I was a bit too quick. The 6-foot-8 sophomore turned it on in the second half of the season and showed elite scoring skills. Asa jumped on the best freshman center available. Drummond had just announced his intension to become a Husky this year, so it was a little surprising to see him last this long. Freshman centers are an extremely valuable commodity. Ryan Curi snagged my current favorite player one spot ahead of me. I love players that provide rebounds and assists. Green may score enough this season to be the top forward in the Big Chief leagues. I somehow drew the last pick of the first round and went with my chalk. I've had Anthony Davis as a top three player since July, so there was no passing him by with the tenth pick. I think he'll be more productive than Jones, but he does have plenty of impressive teammates to keep away from his spot as the Wildcats' alpha dog.
Round 2
11 Big Chief: Dee Bost Mississippi State G SR
12 illinifan1: John Shurna Northwestern F SR
13 asatyss: Jeffery Taylor Vanderbilt G-F SR
14 big5guy: JaMychal Green Alabama F SR
15 Thrash13: Tony Mitchell Alabama F JR
16 asatyss 3.0: Augustus Gilchrist South Florida F-C SR
17 asatyss 2.0: Vincent Council Providence G JR
18 usao99: Robbie Hummel Purdue F SR
19 rjaymoose: Reeves Nelson UCLA F JR
20 cbennett314: John Jenkins Vanderbilt G JR
The first round gives you a decent representation of a top ten. The second round starts with strategy. I usually try to complement a first round guard or forward with the opposite in the second round, but it can also make sense to double up on your strength. I went the complementary route with Bost who will rival Taylor for the top point guard spot. Bost may not rebound as much as Taylor, but he may get a few more assists. I really like assists, as you will see. Ryan stayed within his comfort zone with Shurna, who started out his junior year looking like a First Team All-American. He was derailed by a concussion and regression to the mean. Asa went with versatility in Taylor. He won't dominate any one category, but will bring enough in everything to be an effective player. Harry grabbed value for the second straight round with a frontcourt of Barnes and Green. Sweet. Two members of the Crimson Tide went back to back with Mitchell's selection. Mitchell's 15.5 points and 7.2 rebounds were comparable to Green, but the senior is getting the majority of the hype. It was time for Asa to scramble to make two autodrafts. He added Gus Gilchrist, formerly the top player in the Big East (prior the Drummond's change of mind), to Mbakwe for an impressive frontcourt. Vincent Council was recently panned by Harry, but his 2010-11 stats make him look like a stud. Michael took a risk on Hummel's tetchy ACL, but he could be a great value as the only offensive threat on the Boilermakers. Raphielle went west for Nelson, another double-double threat. The second round finished off with Jenkins, who should be among the SEC scoring leaders.
Round 3
21 cbennett314: Austin Rivers Duke G FR
22 rjaymoose: Marquis Teague Kentucky G FR
23 usao99: Jeremy Lamb Connecticut G SO
24 asatyss 2.0: LeBryan Nash Oklahoma State F FR
25 asatyss 3.0: Scoop Jardine Syracuse G SR
26 Thrash13: Jorge Gutierrez California G SR
27 big5guy: Darius Johnson-Odom Marquette G SR
28 asatyss: Khris Middleton Texas A&M F JR
29 illinifan1: Tyler Zeller North Carolina F-C SR
30 Big Chief: Kendall Marshall North Carolina G SO
The third round started with the most shocking pick of the entire draft. Chris, an avowed Duke hater, selected Rivers as his freshman. He too was dealing with some post-Irene fallout, but this was amazing. He became dismissive of the pick later in the week by boldly predicting that Rivers would not be the Freshman of the Year in the ACC. I was almost certain of the player he was going to pick. Raphielle nabbed the latest in the great line of Calipari point guards. If Teague takes his place with even Brandon Knight, he will be a nice pick. Michael selected Lamb who should be a nice scorer and rebounder for a guard. Asa 2.0 angered some Cowboy fans by taking Nash, who is getting some one-and-done hype. With the 3.0 frontcourt set, Asa took Jardine who should lead the Orange attack in points and assists as a senior. Cody also took his first guard in round three. Gutierrez is Taylor-lite. Harry also went backcourt for the first time with Johnson-Odom, who should see an expanded role for the Golden Eagles. Middleton is unexciting, but he is a dependable pick for Asa 1.0. This team should be strong in points and rebounds. I was set to go Tar Heel for both picks in the turnaround, but Ryan once again read my mind and nabbed the best center on the board. Zeller is a dependable C, who will fit right in with the Dancing Bear and Shurna. I knew how much Chris loves Kendall Marshall, even before he wrote that he'd average a double-double. I was shocked that he slid to me. He should be the leading assistman in Tier 1 and may score enough not to be a liability in that category.
Round 4
31 Big Chief: Royce White Iowa State F SO
32 illinifan1: William Buford Ohio State G SR
33 asatyss: Durand Scott Miami G JR
34 big5guy: Festus Ezeli Vanderbilt C SR
35 Thrash13: Myck Kabongo Texas G FR
36 asatyss 3.0: Bradley Beal Florida G FR
37 asatyss 2.0: Ralph Sampson III Minnesota F-C SR
38 usao99: Reggie Johnson Miami F-C JR
39 rjaymoose: Tim Abromaitis Notre Dame F SR
40 cbennett314: John Henson North Carolina F JR
I was quite happy with my team so far, so it was time to take a risk. White has garnered summer hype for averaging a triple-double. I did some pre-draft hyping of the former Golden Gopher and was happy to see him at this point. If he can keep his head screwed on straight in Ames, he could bring the points and rebounds my team needs. His assists will be gravy. Ryan hit the Big Ten for the third time and it's hard to argue with the pick of Buford, who should get a nice bump in production. Scott is a nice all-around contributor, but may not bring the type of assists that the big Asa 1.0 team needs. Another one of the few centers came of the board when Harry pegged Ezeli. The Commodore center provided 12.9 points and 6.2 rebounds, which is more than serviceable for a center. Cody felt his pick of Longhorn freshman Kabongo was a risk, but he could be a great bargain. He should have the ball in his hands a lot and get plenty of scoring opportunities as well. Asa 3.0 took his freshman in Beal from the crowded Gator backcourt. I am not high on the Gators and Beal might not get enough minutes to really be an effective freshman. He bounced back with a Golden Gopher, who I considered a reach in Round 3 last year. This year all I could say was nice pick and look down my draft list for a center. The pick of Johnson should show you how shallow the center pool is. The Hurricane center will be out until January because of an MCL injury. Abromaitis makes for a nice frontcourt duo with Reeves for Raphielle. Chris finally took his Tar Heel in jumping jack Henson. Blocks do not count in this league, but Henson should be a nice rebounder for Team Bennett.
Round 5
41 cbennett314: Maalik Wayns Villanova G JR
42 rjaymoose: Alex Oriakhi Connecticut F-C JR
43 usao99: Quincy Miller Baylor F FR
44 asatyss 2.0: Marcus Denmon Missouri G SR
45 asatyss 3.0: Jae Crowder Marquette F SR
46 Thrash13: Kevin Jones West Virginia F JR
47 big5guy: Jahii Carson Arizona State G FR
48 asatyss: Cleveland Melvin DePaul F SO
49 illinifan1: Ashton Gibbs Pittsburgh G SR
50 Big Chief: Joshua Smith UCLA C SO
Chris took his first and only point guard in Wayns. He should be able to keep opponents honest in assists and looks to savor his featured role with the Wildcats. Raphielle went to his Big East background to take Orakhi to fill his center role. He should get a decent amount of rebounds, even if his value is hurt by Drummond. Michael must feel confident in formerly injured ACL's because he coupled the previously injured Miller with Hummel. Denmon was a nice pick based on last year's stats. If he gets more minutes under Frank Haith than he did with Mike Anderson, he could be a nice player. With Asa 3.0's backcourt set, he went back to the bigs with Crowder, a productive Marquette forward. Jones' junior season was disappointing to some, but he is a solid 13-points, seven-rebound player. Not spectacular, but a solid add to Cody's frontcourt. Harry got his freshman with the Sun Devil Carson. He should get plenty of opportunities at ASU and he likes to dunk. Asa selected a productive player for a losing team. Losing doesn't matter in fantasy and Melvin should get a lot of empty points. Gibbs and Buford were teamed on the best team in the Big Chief Challenge last year, and they will play again together on Ryan's team. They are similar in production, but Gibbs faces more questions about his teammates and his role as a senior. I needed a center and there wasn't much left in the cupboard. I looked in the refrigerator and there was big Josh Smith. I know, I know - that's not funny. Smith is huge and could be a nice pick if he can stay on the court.
Round 6
51 Big Chief: Aaron Craft Ohio State G SO
52 illinifan1: Ryan Boatright Connecticut G FR
53 asatyss: Trevor Releford Alabama G SO
54 big5guy: Brandon Young DePaul G SO
55 Thrash13: Tyshawn Taylor Kansas G SR
56 asatyss 3.0: Peyton Siva Louisville G JR
57 asatyss 2.0: C.J. Leslie North Carolina State F SO
58 usao99: Bryce Cartwright Iowa G SR
59 rjaymoose: Jabari Brown Oregon G FR
60 cbennett314: Renardo Sidney Mississippi State F-C JR
With Craft, Bost, and Marshall, I believe my team will be unassailable in assists. My frontcourt of Davis, White, and Smith carries all of the risk and the fate of my team. Ryan selected five seniors, but added a touch of (mandatory) youth with Kemba Walker's heir apparent. Asa liked Releford's brother at Kansas, so he gave the third Alabama player a shot. Young is the backcourt version of Melvin. Harry's team will rely on Young and Carson to be productive to balance their impressive frontcourt. Cody took the most established Jayhawk backcourt option. Somewhat surprisingly, Thomas Robinson went undrafted. That wouldn't have happened if Andy Bottoms had attended. Asa 3.0 needed a point guard and took Louisville's upperclassman. Asa 3.0 needed a forward and selected Leslie, who is a nice value at this point in the draft. Michael went the point guard route with Cartwright, who was productive for the Hawkeyes last year. Another Pac 12 freshman went off the board with Brown, who may lead the Ducks in scoring. Finally, troubled Sidney went to Chris to team with Sullinger for a twin tower effect. If Sidney can get into shape and out of trouble, he will be an excellent value. Chris' team was mentioned most often as the best (other than my own, but that may have just been my towering presence over the draft), although Ryan and Cody also got some kudos. What do you think?