You are not going to see Isaac McBride on this list. And, you will not find Zeke Mayo, Boden Skunberg or any of the other players off to excellent starts that rightfully received preseason plaudits. Instead, we focus on the players who, for one reason or another, have jumped into the 2023-24 season with big results that may not have been as expected.
 
Here are four players whose pre-Thanksgiving production catch the eye. 
 
Lahat Thioune, South Dakota
This is not Thioune’s first rodeo. The senior came into the season as a veteran of over 100 college basketball games across the Pac-12 and AAC. But the UCF transfer has kicked it to another level in finding a home at South Dakota. He has quickly become one of the more dominant mid-major big men over the season’s first two weeks. 
 
Thioune has looked comfortable as one of the Coyotes’ focal points (16.2 ppg, 9.8 rpg), a role he has never had in his college career. He’s also pulled down double-digit rebounds in every game but one. With two 20-point, 10-rebound games to his credit already, he trails only Stanley Umude (6), Trevor Gruis (3) and Tyler Larsen (3) as Coyotes with such games to their credit, period. If part of Eric Peterson’s plan was to bulk up inside, he’s sure found a star in that vein in Thioune. 
 
Touko Tainamo, Denver
The Fin started the season with a bang, scoring 31 points and pulling down 18 rebounds in a hard-fought loss to UC San Diego on opening night. He hasn’t reletend since, using that to head into Thanksgiving nearly averaging a double-double (19.7 ppg, 9.5 rpg). Tainamo has been a presence for Jeff Wulbrun since arriving in Denver, but has elevated that this season. 
 
The charity stripe has been a big reason why. He bullied his way into 16 trips to the line on opening night against the Tritons but, like that performance overall, it wasn’t an anomaly. Tainamo made six free throw’s as part of his 23-point, 11-rebound effort that helped lift the Pios to their best win of the season against Nicholls State in Mobile last week. Should he keep up the offensive explosion, he and Tommy Bruner suddenly look like one of the tougher inside-outside duos in the mid-major ranks. 
 
DeShang Weaver, Oral Roberts
Can this qualify as a surprise? Maybe not, since Weaver has had a hand in all the success at Oral Roberts over the past handful of years. But the graduate student did get lost in the rotational shuffle a year ago as Patrick Mwabma and Connor Vanover came into (and out of) the program. 
 
Weaver came back for one final season, and what a season it’s been through four games. He’s registering the most minutes per game of his career (34.3 mpg), while scoring a career-high 15 points per game and, generally, being the stretch difference maker he’s always been, just at a bigger scale. Kareem Thompson, who has barely left the court, is in much the same boat. Neither player excelling in more ball-dominant roles is a shock, but it is happening, and should have the Golden Eagles positioned to compete as the season goes on. 
 
Drake Dobbs, St. Thomas
The Tommies got arguably the best win of their Division I tenure by knocking off Portland State in the Lancer Joust, and the headlines rightfully should go to Kendall Blue’s (22 points) three-point explosion in that game. Dobbs, however, as he’s slotted into a starting role alongside newcomer Raheem Anthony in the Tommies’ backcourt. 
 
Big things were expected from Anthony, and he has delivered. The same can be said for Blue, who showed plenty of potential last year as a freshman. But that wasn’t as clear for Dobbs, who played sparingly last season after transferring from Liberty. Nonetheless, the senior’s consistency (9.8 ppg, 2.3 apg) thus far has helped the team already win two games away from home. His three-point potential was on display against the Vikings (17 points, 3-3 3FG) and was a big reason the Tommies were able to bag a big win without a superhero performance from Parker Bjorklund.

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