What’s more fun than something new and shiny? The five players below have all to some degree planted their names on the college basketball radar this season and seem primed to play important roles for their respective teams as Summit League play gets underway next week.
What makes these five stand out is the surprise factor, which took players like Kansas City’s RayQwuandis Mitchell and Oral Roberts’ Connor Vanover – both of whom have had some measure of production in their careers – out of contention, despite both putting all-league campaigns together in the early going. The list also does not include North Dakota State’s Boden Skunberg, who has no doubt broken out (13.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg), but in a way that was at least somewhat expected ahead of the season, at least to this writer.
With that said, here are five men’s breakout players to keep an eye on during League play:
Andrew Rohde, St. Thomas
The Milwaukee native may not have been as high on recruiting rankings as some of his freshmen teammates, but he’s had John Tauer’s faith from the jump. And that faith has been rewarded in a big way. Rohde has emerged as one of the best guards in the Summit, and one of the most productive – and relied-upon – freshmen in the country. Rohde is one of just four freshmen in the nation averaging at least 14 points and 3.5 assists per game while averaging 30 or more minutes a game.
That kind of instant impact has been vital for a Tommies’ offense that hasn’t lost a beat from last year’s impressive Division I debut, all despite losing Anders Nelson. Rohde’s more physical game with his 6-foot-6 frame has also added a new element to UST’s offense from the backcourt, which was on display when he hit a game-winning basket in the paint to sink Troy in November.
Jesiah West, Western Illinois
The Leathernecks’ current four-game winning streak would not have been possible without West, who has jumped right in as a key cog in Rob Jeter’s rotation. The Southeastern Community College transfer has poured in contributions from all over the floor, acting as an athletic presence in a Western Illinois frontcourt that desperately needed it after roster churn in the offseason. Other than Zeke Mayo, West is the only player in the Summit averaging at least 11 points, six rebounds and two assists per game.
West stuffed the stat sheet to an almost improbable degree – 15 points, 9 rebounds, 6 blocks, 4 assists, 3 steals – his most recent time out against Eastern Illinois, helping the Leathernecks extend that winning streak against a rival. Alongside Alec Rosner, who has broken out himself averaging over 16 points per game, and the ever-reliable Trenton Massner, you can start to see the bones of a team that could grow to be as competitive as the Leathernecks were a year ago, if not more so.
Shemarri Allen, Kansas City
There was no doubt that Allen could bring something to the equation on a college basketball court after serving as an ace defender off the bench for the Roos a year ago. But he’s evolved into much more in a different role under Marvin Menzies, nearly tripling his scoring average (16.0 ppg) and being a respectable three-point shooter (34.8 3P%) despite not hitting a shot from distance a year ago.
Allen taking on a playmaking, lead guard role has been vital for a Kansas City team full of newcomers and without much depth at the point guard position. He had 22 points in the Roos’ best win to date (Indiana State), one of four times he’s reached the 20-point mark in a season that has him angling for all-league honors.
JJ White, Omaha
Chris Crutchfield’s wave of newcomers includes White, who has jumped in as the Mavericks primary lead guard this season. The Junior College transfer has flashed scoring and playmaking chops (8.7 ppg, 3.7 apg, 37 3P%) that harken back to the slew of dynamic point guards – K.J. Robinson, Tra-Deon Hollins – that have been at the heart of many of Omaha’s competitive teams over the past decade.
That’s a high bar and unfair standard this early for White, but the Mavericks’ offense does seem at its best when he is simultaneously acting as a distributor and floor spacer alongside Frankie Fidler, as he did when the Mavericks challenged a good Drake team last week. It’s no coincidence that Omaha is 3-1 in games that White has tallied at least six assists. Fellow Junior College transfer Marquel Sutton is off to a great start as well, but the Mavericks’ ceiling this year may be tied to how White develops at the helm of the offense.
William Kyle III, South Dakota State
The state of Nebraska has been kind to the Jackrabbits in recent years, and that has continued with Kyle III. The freshman forward has slotted into a starting spot vacated by Douglas Wilson and while a comparison to the electric Wilson is unfair at this stage, Kyle has nonetheless given SDSU a steady source of interior offense thus far (9.8 ppg, 3.9). The Bellevue native has, like any freshman, had several inefficient outings, but has also shone at times – such as a 17-point effort against Valparaiso – and was the only player to chip in double figure scoring alongside Mayo’s 30 points in the Jackrabbits wild comeback win over Eastern Washington on Saturday.
Kyle III is one of just five freshmen in the League averaging nine or more points per game this year, all of whom either did or could have made this list: Rohde, Denver’s Justin Mullins (11.4 ppg), North Dakota’s B.J. Omot (11.3 ppg) and North Dakota State’s Tajavis Miller (10.4 ppg).
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