City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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More than two weeks into the college basketball season, CoBL takes a look at how some of the areas Division I alumni are doing with their respective teams.

Sam Iorio (Fr./American)
The freshman from Parkland High School has started all five of American’s games to begin the season. Iorio, a 6-foot-6 forward, is the Eagles’ third leading scorer at 9.6 points per game. He scored 24 points in a 71-70 loss to Wagner on Nov. 18.

Sa’eed Nelson (Soph./American)
Nelson scored 21 points, grabbed five rebounds, tallied four assists and played all 40 minutes of American’s 69-64 win against the Virginia Military Institute on Saturday. The 6-foot-1 guard leads the team in scoring at 18.4 points per game in their 2-3 start. He is shooting 61.9 percent from the field.

Brandon Randolph (Fr./Arizona)
After limited action in four of the Wildcats’ first five games, Randolph had a breakout game in Arizona’s final contest of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. The Westtown grad scored 17 points in a season-high 26 minutes of action in the Wildcats’ 89-64 loss to Purdue. Prior to the contest Randolph had just six points in 38 total minutes.

Tommy Funk (Soph./Army)
Funk is putting up similar scoring numbers to last season when he started all 32 contests for Army as a freshman. However his assists are way up. Through four games, Funk is averaging 9.3 points and seven assists per game. Entering Sunday, the Archbishop Wood grad ranked tied for 11th in Division I in assists per game.

Horace Spencer (Jr./Auburn)
Spencer has started all five of Auburn’s game this season, averaging about 16 minutes per contest. The William Tennent and Findlay Prep product hasn’t been much of an offensive presence, averaging just three points per game. However, Spencer has found a way to contribute in several other ways. The Tigers’ junior forward is averaging 5.8 rebounds per contest to go with eight total blocks and seven total rebounds through five games.

Daeqwon Plowden (Fr./Bowling Green)
Plowden has found his way into the Falcons’ rotation in his first season out of Mastery Charter North. The 6-foot-6 wing has come off the bench in all seven games, averaging nearly 19 minutes per contest. Plowden has scored six-or-more points in all but one game. He is averaging seven points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

Nana Foulland (Sr./Bucknell)
Foulland scored 21 points, grabbed five rebounds and blocked three shots in the Bison’s 93-81 loss to North Carolina on Nov. 15. Last season’s Patriot League Player of the Year is averaging 15.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. So far this season he has been overshadowed by teammate Zach Thomas, who scored 38 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and added seven assists in the team’s win against Stony Brook on Sunday.

Nysier Brooks (Soph./Cincinnati)
Brooks and the Bearcats are off to a 6-0 start and currently ranked in the Top 25. The 6-foot-11, 250-pound center has seen an uptick in minutes in his second year with the Bearcats. Brooks has two starts and is averaging 2.5 points and 3.7 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per game.

Sean O’Brien (Sr./Colgate)
The Penn Charter product is off to a strong start as he tries to finish off a very productive career at Colgate. O’Brien is averaging 12.2 points, six rebounds and 4.8 assists in his team’s 3-2 start. If he keeps up his scoring average, he should reach 1,000 career points before the season is over.

Josh Warren (Soph./Cornell)
For the second year in a row, Warren is serving as the Big Red's first big man off the bench, averaging 5.3 ppg and 3.0 rpg in just about 15 minutes through Cornell's first six contests. The 6-9 forward out of Downingtown West been strong in his last two games especially, scoring 11 points against Toledo and eight against Duquesne -- both wins -- with a 3-pointer in each.

Ryan Daly (Soph./Delaware)
A season after leading the Blue Hens in scoring as a freshman, Daly is once again Delaware’s top scorer. Daly is averaging 15.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in the team’s 4-2 start. Some of the scoring load has been taken off the Archbishop Carroll product with the presence of freshman guards Kyle Anderson and Ryan Allen.

Derrick Woods (R-Soph./Delaware)
Woods sat out last season after transferring from St. Bonaventure. Woods has two starts in six games for Delaware. He averages 7.8 points and 4.7 rebounds in about 15 minutes per contests. The 6-foot-8 forward out of Pennsbury scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 20 minutes of Delaware’s 88-70 win against North Carolina Wesleyan on Tuesday

Miles Overton (R-Sr./Drexel)
A nagging calf injury has kept Overton out of all but one game, an 84-80 upset win over Houston that saw the St. Joseph’s Prep product go 1-for-2 from 3-point range in 10 minutes of action. The 6-4 guard averaged 9.5 ppg in 22 games last season, his first with Drexel after a transfer from Wake Forest, before a wrist injury sidelined him for the Dragons’ final eight games. Now a senior, Overton should see big minutes for a struggling Drexel team, but the key will be just staying on the court.

Trevon Duval (Fr./Duke)
Duval was considered by many as the top point guard in this year’s freshman class. The 6-foot-3 Delaware guard played at St. Benedict’s before finishing his high school career at IMG Academy. Duval is averaging 13.1 points, 6.5 assists and 2.3 steals for the Blue Devils. Duval’s steal late in Sunday’s game against Florida helped seal the win for Duke.

Mike Holloway (Jr./Fairleigh Dickinson)
Holloway appears to have become the go-to-guy for Fairleigh Dickinson in his third year out of Arthur P. Schalick. He leads the team in scoring at 16.2 points per game in the Knights’ 3-3 start. The 6-foot-8 forward hasn’t scored fewer than 13 points this season, including a 16-point, 10-rebound performance in a win against Holy Cross on Wednesday.

Jair Bolden (Soph./George Washington)
After averaging just 4.8 points per game as a freshman last season, Bolden is leading George Washington in scoring through six games this season. The Westtown product is scoring 13 points per game in 36 minutes of action. Bolden made just 27 threes all of last season. He already has 17 makes from deep in GW’s 2-4 start.

Justyn Mutts (Fr./High Point)
Mutts has already worked himself into the starting rotation in his first season out of St. Augustine Prep. The 6-foot-7 freshman has started High Point’s last two games after coming off the bench in the team’s first three contests, Mutts is averaging 7.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. While his offensive output has not been eye-popping, he has been ridiculously efficient. Mutts is making more than 69 percent of his field goal attempts so far this season.

Clifton Moore (Fr./Indiana)
Moore isn’t yet part of head coach Archie Miller’s regular rotation, but he did take the floor in two of Indiana’s opening six games, playing a total of 13 minutes against Howard and USF. A lanky 6-10 wing out of Hatboro-Horsham, Moore hasn’t yet registered his first collegiate points, so far shooting 0-for-2 from the floor, but he has put his athleticism to use with three blocks, two rebounds, and an assist for the 4-2 Hoosiers.

Quade Green (Fr./Kentucky)
After coming off the bench in Kentucky’s season opener against Utah Valley, Green has started all six of the Wildcats’ games since. The Neumann-Goretti product  Green turned the ball over just one time in his first three games, but he has three or more turnovers in his past four contests. The freshman is third on a loaded Kentucky roster in scoring at 11.7 points per game. His top performance so far is a 21-point outing against East Tennessee State on Nov. 17.

Justin Jaworski (Fr./Lafayette)
A preseason injury kept Jaworski out of Lafayette’s first two games. In his college debut against Villanova on Nov. 17, Jaworski scored six points while coming off the bench. He has started the Leopards’ past two contests, averaging 10.5 points per game in the two starts. Jaworski played 17 minutes against Villanova. He has logged 31 minutes on the court in each of Lafayette’s past two games.

Matt Klinewski (Sr./Lafayette)
Klinewski has been a bright spot in Lafayette’s 0-5 start. Like when he scored 30 points in Lafayette’s loss to Saint Peter’s on Sunday. The senior from Eastern Regional is averaging 18.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. He has added a three-point shot to his arsenal, hitting 12-of-18 attempts from deep.

B.J. Johnson (R-Sr./La Salle)
Johnson has been tremendous for the Explorers in his second year with the program. He is averaging 22.1 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game. He has a double-double in four of La Salle’s seven games. The former Lower Merion star also has three games of 25-or-more points. Johnson scored 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against South Alabama on Nov. 16. He had 25 points in La Salle’s 87-83 win against Temple on Sunday.

Chris Kuhar (Fr./La Salle)
Kuhar hasn’t played since logging one minute in La Salle’s season opener against Saint Peter’s.

Amar Stukes (Sr./La Salle)
Stukes was impressive in La Salle’s early exhibitions and appeared headed for a breakout season in his redshirt-senior campaign. Stukes is La Salle’s third leading scorer at 6.6 points per game. He is one of three Explorers averaging 37 minutes per game. The La Salle College High School product rarely leaves the court for coach John Giannini.

Jared Nickens (Sr./Maryland)
Nickens is part of the Terps eight-man rotation, but the senior forward still hasn’t cracked the starting lineup. He is averaging 5.1 points per game in 11 minutes of action. Nickens is shooting the ball very well this season. The Westtown grad is 10-of-18 from three in seven games. He scored 14 points, making 4-of-8 shots from deep, in a win against Jackson State on Nov. 20.

Ja’Quan Newton (Sr./Miami)
Newton, a Neumann-Goretti product, has scored in double figures in all but one game this season. Unfortunately, the down game came when he returned to the area in Miami’s win against La Salle. Newton’s scoring average is a bit down from last season at 11.6 points per game, but he currently has the best field goal percentage at 50 percent.

Lonnie Walker (Fr./Miami)
Walker is not quite off to the start many expected from him to begin his Miami career. The Reading High School alum is averaging seven points per game through five contests. In his return to Reading against La Salle on Nov. 22, Walker went 2-of-8 from the floor for five points, two assists, two rebounds and two steals.

Austin Tilghman (Sr./Monmouth)
The 2016-17 MAAC Sixth Man of the Year nearly played hero for the Hawks in a 4OT game against Penn, hitting two buzzer-beaters to keep Monmouth alive before falling 101-96. In that game, Tilghman scored 19 points, grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds, and tied a career-best mark of eight assists in 48 minutes. A 6-1 guard from Archbishop Carroll, he’s averaging 9.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, and 4.2 apg in a full-fledged starting role for the 2-4 Hawks.

Ryan Betley (Soph./Penn)
Betley missed the first nine games of the Quakers’ 2016-17 campaign, but really turned things on down the stretch. In his second year out of Downingtown West, Betley has continued to be a consistent offensive contributor for Penn. The 6-foot-5 wing leads all Quakers at 15.9 points per game. He led all scorers with 26 points in Penn’s four-overtime win against Monmouth on Saturday.

Devon Goodman (Soph./Penn)
Goodman, a Germantown Academy alum, has seen action off the bench in all six of Penn’s games. The sophomore scored eight points in 28 minutes in the Quakers’ season-opening loss to Fairfield. Since then, Goodman hasn’t scored more than three points or recorded more than 14 minutes on the floor.

Nazeer Bostick (Soph./Penn State)
Bostick’s role for the Nittany Lions has seen a large boost to start his sophomore season. The former Roman Catholic player’s minutes are up from 6.7 per game to 20.3 per game. His scoring average has risen from 1.3 points per game to 7.6 points per game. Bostick scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds in Penn State’s win against Oral Roberts on Friday.

Tony Carr (Soph./Penn State)
Carr led the Nittany Lions in scoring as a freshman, but in his second year out of Roman Catholic, he has taken his game to another level. The sophomore guard is averaging 20 points per game and shooting 65 percent from three. Carr already has two 30-point games this season, including a 31-point outing in Penn State’s loss to Texas A&M in the championship game of the Legends Classic.

Shep Garner (Sr./Penn State)
Garner has seen his numbers and minutes decline during the past two seasons with the addition of the current sophomore class. He is averaging 10.1 points per game this season, which is down from 14.8 points per game as a sophomore two years ago. However, he can still fill it up when the Nittany Lions need him to. The Roman Catholic product scored 26 points in a win against Columbia on Nov. 17.

Julian Moore (R-Sr./Penn State)
Moore, a Germantown Academy product, is in his fifth year at Penn State. The redshirt-senior started the season with eight points in 27 minutes against Campbell. However, Moore’s role has been reduced in the Nittany Lions’ six other games. Moore is averaging 2.6 points and 2.3 rebounds for Penn State in the early part of the season.

Lamar Stevens (Soph./Penn State)
Stevens, the third Roman grad from Penn State’s sophomore class, is following Carr with an uptick in production during his second season. The 6-foot-8 forward is averaging 14.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in Year Two. Stevens already has two games of 25 points this season. He scored 25 points, grabbed seven rebounds and tallied five assists in the loss to Texas A&M.

Mike Watkins (R-Soph./Penn State)
Watkins ranked in the Top 10 in Division I in blocked shots per game last season. He once again finds himself near the top of that list. Watkins is currently ranked seventh with 3.5 blocked shots per contest. The 6-foot-9 forward has also given Penn State some scoring in the paint. He is averaging 10.3 points per game. The Phelps School product has 11 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked six shots in the Nittany Lions’ win against Columbia on Nov. 17.

Daron Russell (Fr./Rhode Island)
Russell has come off the bench in all five of the Rams’ games to start the season. He is averaging five points per game in 17 minutes of action per contest. Russell has yet to reach double figures in scoring but has games of six, seven, eight and nine points in his first year out of Imhotep. Russell played a season-high 26 minutes against Virginia on Friday. He will likely maintain a large role in the recent future with E.C. Matthews set to miss the next month with a broken wrist.

Anthony Durham (R-Jr./Rider)
Durham is playing his most significant role yet in a Rider uniform, averaging 21.8 mpg off the bench in all six games, about 8.5 mpg more than he got last year, as he’s become the Broncs’ sixth man. He’s also upped his scoring (from 4.1 ppg to 6.5 ppg), rebounding (1.9 to 2.7 rpg) and assists (0.8 to 1.2 apg), though he went from hitting 40 percent overall last year to 31.6 percent this season.

Stevie Jordan (Soph./Rider)
Now in his second year as Rider’s starting point guard, Jordan has improved on his numbers from a year ago, second on the Broncs in scoring (14.7 ppg) and their leader in assists (7.5 apg), a number good enough to be tied for eighth nationally. The former Conwell-Egan guard, who spent his senior year at API (Tex.) has also cut his turnover number from 3.6 per game to 2.7 per game, and is averaging 5.3 rpg.

Tyere Marshall (Soph./Rider)
Marshall has started every game in the Broncs 6-1 start. The 6-foot-9 center out of Martin Luther King HS has seen his numbers shoot way up in second year. He is averaging 8.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest, more than doubling his scoring average from last season. Marshall scored 13 points and collected eight rebounds in Rider’s Thanksgiving win against Hampton.

Charlie Brown (Soph./Saint Joseph’s)
Brown fractured his left wrist before the season and has yet to see action this year. At the time of the injury on Oct. 25 he was supposed to miss “a few weeks.” It has yet to be determined when he will be available for the Hawks. He was a Preseason All-Atlantic 10 Third Team selection.

Chris Clover (Jr./Saint Joseph’s)
With injuries to Lamarr Kimble and Brown, Clover has become part of the Hawks’ starting lineup. In his third year out of St. Joe’s Prep, Clover is averaging 4.5 points in 22 minutes per contest. He scored seven points and added four steals in St. Joe’s win against Sacramento State on Sunday.

Taylor Funk (Fr./Saint Joseph’s)
Funk has made an immediate impact for the Hawks. The freshman out of Manheim Central is averaging 15.8 points per game, while shooting 53 percent from the floor and 51 percent from three. The sharpshooting forward was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week for the week of Nov. 20, when he averaged 22.5 points and five rebound in games against Princeton and the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Lamarr Kimble (Jr./Saint Joseph’s)
Kimble’s injury luck continued at the start of this season. The former Neumann-Goretti guard re-injured the fifth metatarsal in his left foot in the Hawks’ season-opener against Toledo. It was the same injury that forced Kimble to miss the final seven games last season. He scored 10 points in his only 30 minutes of action this season.

Cameron Jones (R-Soph./Saint Peter’s)
Jones averaged 4.7 points and two rebounds as a freshman in 2015-16. With a number of guards on last season’s roster, the Pennsbury grad redshirted last season to save a year of eligibility. Jones is averaging 7.8 points per game in his return at Saint Peter’s. His best performance of the season so far game when he scored 14 points, grabbed three rebounds and added two steals in the Peacocks loss to Northwestern on Nov. 13.

Josh Sharkey (Soph./Samford)
A sophomore out of Archbishop Carroll, Sharkey averaged 4.8 ppg and 4.0 apg in 22.5 mpg through Samford’s first five games, but then missed their latest with a bone bruise in his ankle that could keep him out another couple contests but not much longer. He’s still finding his shot, hitting 8-of-27 (29.6 percent) to start off the season.

David Beatty (Fr./South Carolina)
A high-scoring slasher, Beatty has seen action in all five games so far for the Gamecocks but hasn’t quite found his shooting stroke; he’s averaging 4.4 ppg but has hit just 7-of-25 (28 percent) overall, perhaps a reason why he only played five minutes in USC’s most recent game, a win over Western Michigan.

Izaiah Brockington (Fr./St. Bonaventure)
Brockington, a 6-4 lefty wing out of Archbishop Ryan, had a fairly quiet first couple games for the Bonnies, but busted out in a big way over the last three. On Saturday in a loss to TCU he dropped 20 points, hitting 4-of-8 from 3-point range in a loss. Overall, Brockington is averaging 9.8 ppg and 1.8 rpg, hitting 53.3 percent of his 3-pointers (8-of-15).

Keith Braxton (Soph./St. Francis Pa.)
The 2016-17 NEC Rookie of the Year has kept it rolling into his sophomore season. A 6-4 wing out of Delsea (N.J.), Braxton is SFU’s leading scorer (15.4 ppg) and rebounder (7.6 rpg), hitting 50 percent overall and 35 percent from 3-point range. He showed what he can do against high-level talent, going for 40 points and 11 rebounds against Louisville in an 84-72 road loss on Friday.

Mark Flagg (Fr./St. Francis Pa.)
A 6-8 stretch-’4’ out of Pennsbury HS, Flagg has played in each of St. Francis’s first five games, with one start. He’s averaging 5.4 points and 2.8 rebounds in 19.4 minutes; though he’s known for his outside shooting ability, Flagg is 0-for-3 from 3 and 10-for-22 (45.5 percent) overall, chipping in eight steals and five blocks.

Anthony Ochefu (Fr./Stony Brook)
A 6-8 forward out of the Westtown School -- and younger brother of Villanova’s Daniel -- Ochefu has seen action in each of the Seawolves’ first five games, though only for a total of 25 minutes. Stony Brook’s rotation goes deep; nine players average double-figure minutes and have played all five games.

Tyrell Sturdivant (Sr./Stony Brook)
Stony Brook has played a tough opening schedule, going 1-4 against the likes of Maryland, UConn and Michigan State before finally beating Brown to move into the win column on Wednesday. So Sturdivant’s averages thus far -- 10.2 ppg and 3.0 rpg, both a slight tick down from last year (10.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg) -- are sure to change once the 6-8 Chester product starts playing against forwards who aren’t Miles Bridges.

Ernest Aflakpui (Jr./Temple)
Aflakpui has started all four of Temple’s games, but he is averaging just 15.5 minutes per game as coach Fran Dunphy has mixed in sophomore big man Damion Moore and used four-guard lineups at times this season. The 6-foot-10 Archbishop Carroll product is averaging five points and 2.8 rebounds per game.

Shizz Alston Jr. (Jr./Temple)
The return of Josh Brown seems to be paying dividends for Alston to start the season. Alston was the Big 5’s most improved player last season and is playing even better this year. The former Haverford guard is averaging 18.3 points per game to lead the Owls in scoring, while shooting 56 percent from the field and 52 percent from deep.

Mohamed Bamba (Fr./Texas)
Bamba is averaging a double-double in the first six games of his college career. The 6-foot-11 big man is scoring 10.4 points and grabbing 10 rebounds per contest. The Westtown product is also tied for fourth in the country with four blocks per game. He had an opportunity to showcase himself to a national audience during the PK80 tournament this weekend against Duke and Gonzaga. He averaged nine points, 10 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in the two losses.

Zane Martin (Soph./Towson)
The Tigers are 5-1 and fresh off a Gulf Coast Showcase championship, and leading the way is this sophomore out of Neumann-Goretti. Martin, a 6-3 guard, is averaging a team-best 15.5 ppg while hitting just over 50 percent of his shots and 32 percent of his 3s. He’s nearly tripled his scoring average from a year ago (5.5 ppg).

Rashaan Holloway (R-Jr./UMass)
Though fouls continue to limit his minutes (19.2/game), Holloway is clearly one of the A-10’s best bigs when he’s on the floor. The Schalick (N.J.) product is second on the Minutemen in scoring (10.2 ppg) and third in rebounding (5.2 rpg). His recent outing was a good example of his struggles: he had 16 points and eight rebounds against BYU, but played just 16 minutes in a two-point loss.

Mikal Bridges (Jr./Villanova)
Though Jalen Brunson gets a lot of the hype, no player has been more singularly impressive through Villanova’s first six games than Bridges. The Great Valley alum, a 6-6 wing with an impressive wingspan, is averaging 18.5 ppg and 5.8 rpg, shooting 58 percent overall and 50 percent (16-of-32) from 3-point range; he’s also got 17 steals, 12 assists and nine blocks so far. His NBA stock seems to be rising by the game.

Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree (Fr./Villanova)
A 6-8 forward out of Neumann-Goretti, Cosby-Roundtree has carved out his role as a reserve big man, averaging 2.7 ppg and 3.0 rpg in 12.5 mpg so far. He’s hit seven of his 10 shots and has generally avoided foul trouble, and is giving the Wildcats exactly what they need off the bench.

Donte DiVincenzo (R-Soph./Villanova)
Playing the role of the Wildcats’ “super-sub” has been the 6-5 Salesianum (Del.) product, who’s third on the team in scoring (11.8 ppg), though he hasn’t gone for more than 20 yet this season. A superb athlete, DiVincenzo is shooting 51 percent overall and 8-of-24 (.333) from 3-point range after going 0-4 in the Wildcats’ most recent win, over Northern Iowa in the finals of the Battle 4 Atlantis championship on Friday.

Collin Gillespie (Fr./Villanova)
There was plenty of debate as to what exactly the Wood product’s role would be as a freshman, but Gillespie has certainly carved out his niche in the rotation. The 6-3 guard has seen action in all of Nova’s first six games, averaging 4.7 ppg in 13.8 mpg; even more importantly, he’s handed out 10 assists and grabbed three steals against just one turnover.

DeAndre Hunter (R-Fr./Virginia)
One of the most talented prospects in the area in the 2016 class, Hunter spent his first year at Virginia working on his game and his strength to best take advantage of his lanky 6-7 frame and impressive skillset at the high-major level. So far this year, he’s averaging 7.0 ppg and 2.2 rpg in a little under 15 minutes through the Cavaliers’ 6-0 start.

Devin Liggeons (Jr./Wagner)
Liggeons’ role has grown year over year with the Seahawks, and though he’s still a reserve at Wagner, the 6-3 wing out of Imhotep is having his best stretch yet. Through four games, Liggeons is averaging 7.0 ppg and 5.5 rpg while hitting 58 percent of his shots, and he’s played at least 17 minutes in each game.