After a down year for the NSIC, I had to consider the youth of the league and figure that with all the talent it is bringing back, the NSIC is going to come back in top form.
I figured I'd compile a list of who the top returning players are going to be in 2014-2015. I tell you what, it was tough just narrowing this list down to 30. There are THAT many good returning players. Still, putting them all in one blog would be pretty daunting, so this will be the first of a three part series.
With that being said, let's not delay any longer. Here are the list of my Top 30 players in the league (feel free to disagree and share who you think deserves more respect and who is overrated).
30. Chris Mason - SR - SF/PF - Mary
2013-14 Stats - 10.3 PPG 90-228 39.5% FG 42-108 38.9% 3FG 65-90 72.2% FT 135 REB 4.8 RPG 29 A 41 TO 3 BLK 21 STL 28 G 18 GS 23.3 MPG
Chris Mason officially made the list due to a few guys transferring. He gets one of the "odd man in" positions. To be completely honest, I'm having a hard time trying to find places for these guard/forward hybrid type players. For the most part, it seems like most of my list consists of point guards, shooting guards, and centers. There aren't many forwards quite like Mason on it which might create some value in him. Overall, Mason is a pretty solid. I wouldn't quite call him the best shooter in the world, especially considered to almost everyone ahead of him on this list, but he's just an overall solid player. There really isn't much that distinguishes him from most on this list. Considering he's going to probably carry a good bulk of Mary's scoring due to the graduation of Marc Musungayi, it'll be interesting to see how much he developed in the off-season.
29. Josh Mongan - SO - PG - Winona State
2013-14 Stats - 5.2 PPG 50-112 44.6% FG 30-72 41.7% 3FG 47-49 95.9% FT 56 REB 1.6 RPG 76 A 35 TO 3 BLK 19 STL 34 G 10 GS 19.8 MPG
Mongan gets one of the the "odd man in" positions due to the transfer of Malik Wood and Travon Mitchell. It'll be interesting to see what Mongan's role will be this year. He became the starting point guard for Winona State toward the end of last year when Taylor Cameron was dealing with injuries. Overall, Mongan is a pretty good floor general and the sort of guy you like to have at point guard. He takes care of the basketball with an over 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, he shoots the ball extremely well during the few times he takes care of the ball. He's the sort of guy where you want the ball in his hands during late game situations when you have the lead, because his free throw percentage was redonkulous (quoting a former KQAL broadcaster I used to work with). He plays solid defense and is a solidly built. However, there are a few small problems with Mongan that might keep him from climbing up this list. He's going to be fighting for playing time against the likes of Isaiah Gray (who you will see farther down this list, as well as new transfer guard Tim Wagner (who you will see on another list). He's also not the sort of point guard who is going to carry an offense when the team is having an off-shooting night. Still, if I were a fan of another team that had Mongan, I'd be ecstatic to have him as a point guard. He fits the mold of exactly what you want in a point guard.
28. Derrick Redd Jr. - JR - SG - Minnesota-Crookston
2013-14 Stats - 10.2 PPG 102-207 49.3% FG 12-26 46.2% 3FG 59-77 76.6% FT 65 REB 2.4 RPG 28 A 53 TO 5 BLK 23 STL 27 G 16 GS 24.8 MPG
I suppose some of you are probably thinking, "this is the official 'give UMC one spot by default' spot." Well, to be honest, I do think Derrick Redd is a pretty good ballplayer. He's an athletic guard that does have a knack for being a scorer...and with UMC losing it's two top scorers, you can take it to the bank that Redd will more than likely be UMC's leading scorer this year. While the guy does have impressive shooting numbers, there is one stat that is just flat out ugly to look at and is a big reason why UMC only won four games last year. His turnover ratio. 53 turnovers is not a good stat to have at all, ESPECIALLY in basketball. NSIC teams do a great job of converting off turnovers and Redd's inability to create for other teammates while turning over the rock can be more of a hindrance than an asset. Still, I expect him to put up some gaudy numbers this year...even though I also still expect his turnover numbers to be gaudy as well...
27. Jordan Stotts - JR - C - Sioux Falls
2013-14 Stats - 9.6 PPG 85-196 43.4% FG 33-89 37.1% 3FG 57-74 77% FT 156 REB 5.8 RPG 13 A 53 TO 20 STL 27 G 26 GS 24.0 MPG
Jordan Stotts is someone I can actually see some vast improvement out of going from his sophomore year to junior year. For starters, any time you can have a big step out and shoot a three, it opens up the rest of the game for your guards to attack the basket. If you have a big that's afraid to step out on the perimeter and guard, Stotts was a guy that could burn you in that regard. The biggest downfall to Stotts is that he isn't a "hefty" post player so it seemed like he could be forced off the block by bigger post players. He's still a decent rebounder for a big guy, so as long as he hit the weight room this summer, he might be able to become a pretty strong player down in the low post. There isn't an abundance of talent at center in the NSIC, so this is a spot where he can succeed depending on match ups.
26. Isiah Gray - SO - PG/SG - Winona State
2013-14 Stats - 8.2 PPG 91-197 46.2% FG 11-24 45.8% 11-24 3FG 77-104 74.0% FT 79 REB 2.4 RPG 38 A 48 TO 3 BLK 21 STL 33 G 0 GS 16.8 MPG
The funny thing about Isiah Gray is he might be the best returning bench player in the NSIC that is more than likely still going to come off the bench for Winona State (mostly due to their insane depth at guard). He averaged nearly a point every two minutes, which is actually even a higher rate than the team's leading scorer Riley Bambenek (who you can bet on will be seen on this list). Gray shoots at an insane clip for a guard and for such a small player, I've seen very few that score in the variety of ways Gray can. Gray's biggest setback though is the reason why he doesn't play more or start. His defense was lacking last season, although it did appear to be getting slightly better toward the end of the year. He struggles against bigger guards and is a liability on pick plays. Still, he is a guy that I could see make some huge strides this year. I'm not sure if he or Mongan will be WSU's starting point guard this year, but whoever it is, they compliment each other's games perfectly.
25. Ethan Guske - SO - SG - Augustana
2013-14 Stats - 7.3 PPG 71-181 39.2% FG 54-142% 3FG 22-28 78.6% FT 51 REB 1.7 RPG 27 A 29 TO 0 BLK 16 STL 30 G 22.6 MPG
With all the weapons Augie has on their roster, very few were as deadly from three-point range as Ethan Guske. While guys like Schilling were able to create with drives and Jansen overpowering in the low block, dishes and kick outs to Guske for open looks were common place. When a freshman leads your team in three-point field goal attempts, you know he's a confident shooter and I expect that confidence to grow even more going into his sophomore season. With a large majority of Vikings team returning in 2014, I expect Guske will only continue to improve within Augie's system with familiar faces giving him the rock. My only real gripe against Guske is that he's not the type that's going to draw many fouls and get to the line very often. When 142 of 181 of your FG attempts are threes, it does bring forth the thought that he isn't the type who's going to create his own shot and will be relying on his teammates to draw doubles to get him open.
24. Mitch Weg - SO - PF - SW Minnesota State
2013-14 Stats - 6.0 PPG 71-118 60.2% FG 0-0 0% 3FG 44-59 74.6% FT 204 REB 6.6 RPG 24 A 30 TO 11 BLK 27 STL 31 G 18 GS 24.5 MPG
While Mitch Weg's numbers might not seem overwhelming, there is one thing to keep in mind. He put up these numbers with four seniors ahead of him on the roster. With SMSU going into an overhaul this season, you can bet Weg is going to step into the "star" role at SMSU and it's a position they will so desperately need him to produce in. Weg is an incredibly physical player in the low block, who looks for high percentage shots and will try to dominate on the glass. I thought Weg had a very impressive freshman campaign. My only real concern is I'm curious as to how he'll fare without a ton of senior leadership around him, especially when he won't have his battery mate Nick Smith down low anymore. Foul trouble could end up being a concern with extended minutes, so he might need to learn to "tone it down" a bit in the low block if he expects to see a lot of playing time this year.
23. Matt Brazendale - SO - SG - Augustana
2013-14 Stats - 7.7 PPG 57-145 39.3% FG 19-50 38.0% 3FG 36-53 67.9% FT 30 REB 1.4 RPG 31 A 41 TO 0 BLK 9 STL 22 G 10 GS 19.0 MPG
Matt Brazendale showed flashes of being one of the best young guards in the NSIC last year. If an early-to-mid-season injury didn't slow him down, I felt he could've competed with Riley Bambenek for NSIC Freshman Of The Year last year. While #24 seems kinda low for someone I'm so high on, it might be a little difficult for Brazendale to prove himself on such a deep and talented Augustana roster. However, I do feel he could make a big impact on the Vikings this year with his ability to attack the basket and shoot from three. Considering he attempted 50 free throws in just 22 games, he does have a knack for getting to the free throw line as well. If he can improve his free throw percentage this year, I have no doubts that Brazendale will average double figure scoring for the Vikings this season.
22. Urbane Bingham - SR - C - MSU-Moorhead
2013-14 Stats - 10.8 PPG 109-231 47.2% FG 21-54 38.9% 3FG 62-85 72.9% FT 103 REB 3.7 RPG 21 A 49 TO 14 BLK 11 STL 28 G 13 GS 17.5 MPG
Urbane was a newcomer to the NSIC last season and from the center position, left a pretty good impression for a much improved MSU-Moorhead program that finished 21-8 and came close to making the NCAA Tournament. I expect Bingham to be a big centerpiece (literally) for the Dragons again this year since the Dragons will be the leading contender for the NSIC North Division. However, if the Dragons are going to contend, they're going to need more consistency out of their senior center. Bingham has an immense amount of offensive talent, but while Bingham showed flashes in games last year, he was rather inconsistent and had many moments where he'd make mistakes or commit foolish fouls...also at times apparently loosing his temper on the floor. While emotions can be good for a player, Bingham let his emotions get the best of him at times, causing extended foul trouble and troubling mistakes, hence the 49 turnovers...nearly two a game. Bingham is going to need to clean that up considering some of the competition he's going to face this year in the center position.
21. Grant Lang - SR - SG - Upper Iowa
2013-14 Stats - 12.1 PPG 124-279 44.4% FG 73-166 44.0% 3FG 43-49 87.8% FT 80 REB 2.7 RPG 32 A 28 TO 4 BLK 32 STL 30 G 24 GS 25.1 MPG
Grant was without a doubt one of the sharpest shooters in the league last year. He's a deadly three-point shooter and I fully expect him to be one of the Peacocks leading scorers on a very well coached squad that should fare fairly well in the NSIC South Division. From what I can tell, Lang is an outstanding floor leader. He doesn't make many mistakes and his ability to shoot from the outside and his innate free throw shooting ability will keep the Peacocks in a lot of games in the 2014-2015 season. The one downgrade I have of Lang is I am unsure of his ability to create his own shot. Having Joey Woods as his point guard was an enormous asset because not only could he create his own shot, but he opened up guys like Lang out on the wing. Without Woods, there might be a lot more pressure on Lang to step up and be a guard who can create his own shot. Can he pull it off? We'll see, but I just barely have him outside my top 20 returning players in the NSIC this season.
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