With most teams having about five to seven games under their belt, we continue to take a look at some early surprises here at CFHI. Our next stop is the Big East.
Travon Woodall, guard, Pittsburgh Panthers
What in the name of Carl Krauser has gotten into Tray Woodall? Woodall has mostly been a spare part in his career at Pittsburgh overshadowed by Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker. Now that he has been given a chance to run the show, he has flourished leading the Panthers to a conference best 1.27 points per possession on offense. The 5-foot-11 guard is averaging 15 points and 8.5 assists per game. He has racked up double- digit assist totals in four of Pitt's six games and is third in the nation in assists behind only Scott Machado and Kendall Marshall. That's elite company to be in if you're a point guard. Outside of his ability to drop dimes, Woodall has seen his shooting percentages rise significantly. A pedestrian shooter his first two seasons at Pitt, Woodall is shooting 56.6% from the field and 48.4% from behind the three-point line.
Henry Sims, center, Georgetown Hoyas
Sims is another guy who had spent the majority of his career and is now getting a chance to see extended minutes. With an offensive rating of 128.5, Sims has been one of the most productive centers in the country. The 6-foot-10 Baltimore native is averaging 13.5 points, and 5.8 rebounds. John Thompson III's Princeton-style offense creates opportunities for his big men to rack up assists with a system of quick ball movement and precise cutting to the basket, and Sims has taken advantage averaging four assists per game. For leagues that count blocks, he has produced in that category registering a block and a half per game. Hoya fans have to be wondering where this Henry Sims has been his first three years on campus.
LaDontae Henton, forward, Providence Friars
While the trio of Vincent Council, Gerard Coleman, and Bryce Cotton have doing most of the work on the perimeter for the Friars, it's been freshman forward Henton doing the lion's share in the paint. He is averaging 10.5 points and eight rebounds in over 35 minutes per game. Henton is coming off his best performance of the season against Northern Iowa in which he scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds. It is certainly surprising to see the newcomer Henton getting so much playing time while veteran Bilal Dixon has been largely invisible averaging just 13 minutes per game. If you're in need of a freshman, you could certainly do worse than Henton on the waiver wire. However, watch out for the possibility of him wearing down if he keeps playing 30+ minutes every night.
Jerian Grant/Eric Atkins, guards, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
With Tim Abromaitis's season ending knee injury, look for Mike Brey to lean heavily on his young back court. Sophomore Eric Atkins is averaging 15.4 points per game and has an eFG% of 59.5 boosted by shooting 72% (8-for-11) from the three-point line. Fellow sophomore Jerian Grant has been just as efficient as Atkins with an offensive rating of 139.9. Grant has added 13.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and five assists per game. The 6-foot-5 guard from Maryland has been a strong shooter from inside the arc (53.6% on twos) and outside the arc (56.5%).
Vander Blue, guard, Marquette Golden Eagles
Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder are going to receive most of the attention for Marquette, but Blue is quietly off to a solid start. Blue is averaging 10.7 points per game while shooting 37.5% from three. That figure is a staunch improvement over the 16% he shot his freshman year. Blue has been one of the more statistically well-rounded guards adding 3.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. For leagues that count steals, Blue has excelled defensively picking up 2.5 per game. Marquette has had a soft early season schedule, but we'll get a better idea of how much Blue has improved when the Golden Eagles play Wisconsin Saturday.
Seton Hall Pirates
Kevin Willard's Pirates are off to a 5-1 start with solid victories over VCU, and St. Joseph's in Charleston. Herb Pope has led the way averaging 20.5 points and 11.7 rebounds. Pope has recorded double-doubles in five of Seton Hall's games and is second in the Big East in defensive rebounding percentage grabbing 24.4% of the opponent's misses. While Pope's rebounding isn't that much of a surprise, the play of Fuquan Edwin has been a welcomed one helping offset the loss of Jeremy Hazell. The 6-foot-6 sophomore is playing over 35 minutes a game scoring 14.8 points and shooting 56% from the floor. Point guard Jordan Theodore has had the ball in his hands a lot ranking sixth in the Big East in usage rate. He has scored 17.5 points and picked up 6.7 assists over 37.5 minutes per game.
Toarlyn Fitzpatrick, forward, South Florida Bulls
I mentioned Herb Pope was second in defensive rebounding percentage in the conference. Meet the man who is first in that category (26.1). Fitzpatrick has seen an increase in playing time with Augustus Gilchrist's shoulder injury, and he has taken advantage averaging nine points and 7.7 rebounds per game. He has shown a nice inside-outside game in the early season shooting 50% on both his twos and threes. If Gilchrist continues to miss time-expect Fitzpatrick and Ron Anderson (10.4 points, 7.4 rebounds) to see more minutes.