City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
--

Just about halfway through the 2017-18 college hoops season, CoBL takes a look at how some of the areas Division I alumni are doing with their respective teams.

All stats updated as of Dec. 27, 2017:

Sam Iorio (Fr./American)
Starting all nine of the Eagles’ 11 games in which he’s played, the pride of the Lehigh Valley -- one of them, at least -- is off to a terrific start, averaging 10.1 ppg and 5.3 rpg. The 6-foot-6 wing forward, a known sharpshooter in his years at Parkland, has continued that in college, hitting 39.4 percent of his 3-pointers (13-of-33), and 83.3 percent (20-of-24) from the foul line. He picked up his first career double-double with a 10-point, 11-rebound effort in a win over Howard earlier in December.

Sa’eed Nelson (Soph./American)
Playing a heavy workload for the second season in a row (37.1 mpg), Nelson has upped his scoring (18.3/game), rebounding (4.5/game) and assist (4.1/game) numbers as he’s proven his worth as one of the top guards in the Patriot League. A 6-1 guard out of St. Augustine Prep (N.J.), Nelson has scored in double figures in each game since scoring five the season opener, and has hit the 20-point mark six times.

Brandon Randolph (Fr./Arizona)
One of the top scorers in the area last year when he was a senior at Westtown, Randolph has been more of a complementary piece for No. 17 Arizona, averaging 6.8 ppg off the bench for the 10-3 Wildcats, good for sixth on the team. The 6-6 off guard has connected on 42.3 percent (11-of-26) from 3-point range and has scored in double figures four times, led by a 17-point effort in a loss to current No. 14 Purdue on a neutral court at the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Tommy Funk (Soph./Army)
A former Archbishop Wood guard, the 6-0 Funk hasn’t raised his scoring average much from freshman year (9.1 ppg) to sophomore year (9.3), but he’s considerably upped his assists from 4.8/game to 6.6/game, while going from making 30 percent of his 3-pointers (29-of-97) to 40 percent (12-of-40). He’s scored in double figures four times this season, with 16 points each time; he also has one double-double (10 assists against Marist).

Horace Spencer (Jr./Auburn)
After starting 30 games over his first two seasons at Auburn -- and the first six this year --Spencer has spent the last half-dozen coming off the bench for Bruce Pearl’s Tigers; he’s averaging a career-low 3.8 ppg (he averaged 5.1 ppg as a freshman) but a career-best 5.1 rpg. A 6-9 forward who began at William Tennent before transferring to prep powerhouse Findlay Prep (Nev.) for his junior and senior years of high school, Spencer had arguably his best game of the season his last time out, with nine points and 10 rebounds in 19 minutes of a win over UConn.

Daeqwon Plowden (Fr./Bowling Green)
Plowden has been a key reserve for the Falcons all season long, playing 17.6 mpg off the bench in all 12 games for a Bowling Green squad that’s 8-4 and trying to factor into the Mid-American Conference despite an extremely youthful rotation. A 6-5 wing who led Mastery North (Pa.) to the PIAA AA championship game as a junior in 2016, Plowden is averaging 5.3 ppg and 3.5 rpg, while also collecting eight blocks; he’s only hit double-figures once, but has also only been held scoreless once.

Nana Foulland (Sr./Bucknell)
The 2016-17 Patriot League Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year hasn’t missed a step, averaging a career-high 16.9 ppg as well as 5.9 rpg -- not his career best, but that’s also due to the development of classmate Zach Thomas (22.4 ppg, 8.9 rpg) into an all-around monster. A 6-9 forward out of Berks Catholic, Foulland is now at 1,442 points, which is 11th in Bucknell history; at his current pace, he’ll finish with around 1,780, good for fourth all-time, passing Mike Bright (1,670. Bob Barry (1,809) is third. Netted a career-high 30 points in Friday’s 88-81 win over La Salle.

Sean O’Brien (Sr./Colgate)
This Penn Charter product has come quite a ways since his freshman season, when he averaged more fouls (1.1/game) than points (0.9) and only hit 21.9 percent (7-of-32) from 3-point range. A 6-2 guard, O’Brien has grown to become a superbly steady on-ball presence for the Raiders, with 45 assists (4.1/game) against just nine turnovers, a ratio of 5.63:1 that is third-best in D-I hoops. Oh, and he’s also averaging 10.3 ppg and 4.6 rpg, hitting a third of his 3-pointers in games against Division I competition.

Karonn Davis (R-Sr./Coppin State)
After two seasons at Niagra, Davis transferred to Bloomsberg and scored 11 points per game in seven contests last season. He is finishing out his college career at Coppin State this season, where he has started 11 of the team’s 13 games. The Friends’ Central alum is averaging 9.6 points per game for the Eagles. He scored 22 points against UMBC on Dec. 12.

Josh Warren (Soph./Cornell)
Warren has seen a slight decline in playing time and production as a sophomore. The former Downingtown West forward started the Big Red’s first four games, but has come off the bench in the team’s last six. Warren has one double digit scoring outing this, an 11-point performance against Toledo on Nov. 24. He showed off his rebounding skills in in with a career-high nine boards against Longwood on Dec. 16.

Ryan Daly (Soph./Delaware)
Daly is a real stat sheet stuffer. He is leading the Blue Hens in scoring, assists and steals and is second in rebounds 12 games into Delaware’s season. The Archbishop Carroll grad has scored 20-or-more points five times this season. In his most recent outing, Daly scored 20 points, grabbed nine rebounds and added five assists in a win against Cal State-Bakersfield on Dec. 20.

Derrick Woods (R-Soph./Delaware)
Woods, a 2015 Pennsbury grad who played one season at St. Bonaventure before transferring to UDel, played in nine games for the Blue Hens this season, averaging 5.8 ppg and 5.0 rpg. But he was suspended indefinitely from the team on Dec. 9 and dismissed from the team 10 days later, with head coach Martin Ingelsby not wishing to elaborate on details.

Miles Overton (R-Sr./Drexel)
It’s been a rough go for Overton since he transferred back to Drexel after two seasons as a reserve at Wake Forest. The St. Joe’s Prep grad averaged 9.5 ppg and 2.0 rpg last year, missing 10 games due to injury; so far this season, a calf strain has limited him to exactly one appearance, but the Dragons are hopeful to have the 6-3 wing back for conference play.

Trevon Duval (Fr./Duke)
A Delaware native who played his high school ball at several locations, including St. Benedict’s Prep (N.J.) and IMG Academy (Fla.), Duval has long been considered one of the top point guards in the 2017 class, and he’s showing why in college. The uber-talented 6-3 guard is averaging 11.7 ppg and 6.8 apg for the No. 4 Blue Devils, with two double-doubles (and a third double-digit assist effort) so far, though he’s been struggling from 3-point range (5-33, .152)

Mike Holloway (Jr./Fairleigh Dickinson)
A 6-7 forward out of Schalick (N.J.), Holloway has been nothing but solid since his arrival at FDU. He averaged 9.4 ppg and 5.7 rpg in 30 starts (32 games) as a freshman and has slowly built up those numbers each season, now averaging 12.3 ppg and 6.5 rpg as a junior, quickly closing in on 1,000 career points (777) and 500 career boards (444). Despite playing more minutes than he ever has, he’s cut his fouls per game down from 3.4 a year ago to 2.7 this year, even against a loaded slate that’s included Seton Hall, Penn State, Princeton, Rutgers, Maryland and more thus far.

Jair Bolden (Soph./George Washington)
A Westtown grad, Bolden went from playing solid minutes (17.9/game) last year to suddenly rarely leaving the court as a sophomore, averaging 36.7 mpg through the Colonials’ first 13 games. The 6-2 point guard is second on GW in scoring (13.8 ppg) and its leader in assists (3.0 apg) while also grabbing 3.5 rpg. He’s hit double-figures in all but three games, with a season (and career) high of 25 against Princeton.

Justyn Mutts (Fr./High Point)
A 6-7 product of St. Augustine (N.J.) Prep, Mutts has appeared in all 11 games, starting seven for Scott Cherry’s Panthers (5-6). While Mutts’ 17 blocked shots lead High Point, he’s also averaging 7.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 20.4 minutes per contest. Has scored in double digits five times thus far, pocketing 13 points in a victory over Division III Methodist and in a loss at Pittsburgh. Also grabbed six boards in that win over Methodist and blocked four shots in a loss to The Citadel.

Matt Faw (Fr./Holy Cross)
A 6-8 stretch-forward out of Upper Merion, Faw has brought his shooting abilities to Massachusetts, where he's become a reliable threat off the bench. Through 11 games, playing about 11 minutes per game, he's hitting 37.5 percent from deep, averaging 5.0 ppg and 1.5 rpg. He's hit double figures once so far, a 14-point effort (in just 12 minutes) of a win over Harvard on Nov. 16.

Clifton Moore (Fr./Indiana)
Despite potentially being the top NBA prospect on the Hoosiers -- there aren’t many 6-10 wings with a 7-plus wingspan who can stretch the floor with the ease that Moore can -- he’s had a slow start to his college career, playing a total of 19 minutes spread across four games, with a total of two point scored. The Hatboro-Horsham product does have a lot of work to do in terms of getting stronger and preparing for high-major hoops, but his future is still quite bright.

Quade Green (Fr./Kentucky)
Green has scattered some really good outings with some subpar ones so far this season. Most recently, the Neumann-Goretti product followed a 17-point, five-assist, one-turnover outing against Virginia Tech by going 1-of-7 from the field with three turnovers against UCLA. Green could become more consistent and do a better job of taking care of the ball, but the former five-star recruit is still third in scoring and second in assists for a very talented Wildcats team.

Justin Jaworski (Fr./Lafayette)
Jaworksi is leading the team in minutes since he joined the Leopards lineup on Nov. 17. He is also second on the team in scoring at 11.9 points per game. After a stretch of four straight games in double figures, including a 24-point outing against Drexel. The Perkiomen Valley alum is a bit cold as of late, going 4-of-25 from the floor in his his last two games.

Matt Klinewski (Sr./Lafayette)
While Lafayette has struggled to a 2-9 start to the season, Klinewski’s career year continues. The Eastern (N.J.) product leads Lafayette with 18.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Klinewski scored his 1,000th point earlier this season and recently tallied his 100th career assist. He should reach 500 career rebounds by the end of the season.

B.J. Johnson (R-Sr./La Salle)
Off to a great start, the 6-7 Lower Merion product was averaging nearly 22 points and just over nine rebounds per outing — both were team highs — for a La Salle club that split its first 12 contests. He also racked up five double-doubles in his first 12 games. Unfortunately for the Explorers, Johnson was sporting a walking boot on his left leg Friday night and was parked on the bench in civilian clothes during an 88-81 loss at Bucknell. Following the game, head coach Dr. John Giannelli was unsure when the redshirt senior might be able to return.

Amar Stukes (Sr./La Salle)
One of two players to start all 13 games for the Explorers, the 6-2 graduate student is averaging just under seven points (6.9) per game — a number that ranks him fourth on the Atlantic 10 Conference squad. Stukes is La Salle’s No. 2 assist man at 3.0 per contest, but he’s also grabbing rebounds at a 2.8 per game clip. No one has logged more floor time than Stukes, a La Salle College High School grad who has played 471 minutes thus far, an average of 36.2 per game.

Chuck Champion (Soph./Loyola Md.)
After missing the first five games of the season due to injury, this 6-1 guard out of Friends' Central has settled in nicely, averaging 17.7 ppg and 3.5 rpg, hitting 47.8 percent overall and 34.8 percent from 3-point range. He's scored in double figures in all six games (five starts), topped off by a 26-point outing in his season debut against Dartmouth, where he was 12-15 from the floor.

Jared Nickens (Sr./Maryland)
A productive cog off the bench, the 6-7 Westtown School product has averaged 13-plus minutes per contest while playing in all 14 games thus far for a Maryland squad that has won its last five games. Although Nickens is averaging 5.5 ppg for Mark Turgeon’s Terrapins (11-3), he’s been particularly effective from beyond the 3-point arc, canning an outstanding 56.1 percent (23-for-41) of his pops from deep — easily a team best. His 23 treys also rank him second on the squad.

Ja’Quan Newton (Sr./Miami)
One of four players to start all 12 games for the No. 15 Hurricanes, Newton is averaging 10.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg and nearly three assists per contest for a Miami squad (11-1) that suffered its first loss two days before Christmas. A 6-3 senior guard who starred at Neumann-Goretti before matriculating to Coral Gables, Newton could crack 1,000 career points Saturday — he needs just 16 points to reach 1K — when Jim Larranaga’s ‘Canes open Atlantic Coast Conference play at Pittsburgh.

Lonnie Walker (Fr./Miami)
Rounding into form after suffering a preseason knee injury, the 6-5 Walker has appeared in all 12 of the Hurricanes’ regular-season outings (one start) since leaving Reading for South Beach. Walker is averaging 8.5 points per contest for Jim Larranaga’s nationally ranked club (No. 15), which dropped its first game just a few days ago in Hawaii. Also averaging 2.8 rebounds and nearly 1.5 assists per game. Best outing came on Dec. 5, his lone start, when Walker scored 26 points and snared seven boards in a 69-54 victory over Boston University.

Austin Tilghman (Sr./Monmouth)
Tilghman received a belated Christmas present on Tuesday, landing the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference’s player of the week award after cranking out a triple-double (11 points, 14 rebounds, 15 assists) on Friday in an 85-64 victory at Yale. Tilghman’s feat — remember, the Archbishop Carroll graduate stands just 6-1 — was just the second triple-double in Monmouth hoops history. Tilghman has started 10 of 12 games for King Rice’s Hawks (4-8), but he’s leading the club in minutes (32), rebounds (5.3) and assists (4.8) per game. He’s also scoring at a 9.3 ppg clip.

Ryan Betley (Soph./Penn)
Part of a heralded recruiting class when he arrived on campus last fall, the 6-5 Betley has been extremely productive throughout his second season with Steve Donahue’s Quakers (8-4). In fact, the Downingtown West product leads Penn in scoring (14.9 ppg), free-throw shooting percentage (34-for-45/75.6%) and has canned a team-high 31 treys while starting all 12 games. Betley also is averaging 5.4 rebounds per outing from his guard position. Scored a season-high 26 points while knocking down six treys in a 101-96 win at Monmouth that needed four overtimes to decide.

Devon Goodman (Soph./Penn)
Goodman has seen action in 10 of Penn’s 12 games — all off the bench. Logging 10.4 minutes per game, the 6-0 Germantown Academy product is averaging 1.8 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game for Steve Donahue’s Quakers (8-4). Best outing thus far came on Nov. 11 in an 80-72 loss at Fairfield, where Goodman scored eight points, grabbed three rebounds and dealt three assists in 28 minutes of action

Nazeer Bostick (Soph./Penn State)
Part of Penn State’s regular rotation — although he has started two games recently — Bostick has appeared in 13 of the Nittany Lions’ 14 contests. One of four Roman Catholic graduates on Patrick Chambers’ Philadelphia-heavy roster, Bostick is averaging 5.5 points and 2.4 rebounds for a Nittany Lions club (10-4) that will close out non-league play Saturday at home against Coppin State.

Tony Carr (Soph./Penn State)
The 6-5, 204-pound guard has scored in double figures in 11 of the 12 games he’s appeared in for the Nittany Lions including four games with 20 or more points. The starting point guard on Roman Catholic’s 2015 and 2016 state title teams, Carr leads his team in scoring (18.8 ppg) and has a 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio. On a team with four former Cahillites, Carr has been the most impressive in non-conference play.

Shep Garner (Sr./Penn State)
Although he’s been forced to wear a protective face mask to cover a broken nose he suffered earlier this season, Garner is one of two players to start all 14 of Penn State’s games. While the 6-1 Roman Catholic product is averaging 11.1 points per game, he’s knocked down a team-high 43 treys and is connecting from deep at just over 40 percent (43-for-101). With 18 points in Friday’s 71-70 loss to Rider, Garner moved past Ed Fogell and Freddie Barnes and now sits 13th on PSU’s all-time scoring list with 1,343 career points. He also has 259 career treys, the fourth-highest total in school history.

Julian Moore (R-Sr./Penn State)
While the 6-10 Moore has played in 13 of Penn State’s 14 contests, he’s averaging just over nine minutes per game in limited duty up front. The Germantown Academy product is averaging 1.9 points and 1.8 rebounds per contest for Patrick Chambers’ Nittany Lions (10-4). In Friday’s 71-70 loss to Rider, Moore played 12 minutes off the bench, scoring four points and blocking four shots.

Lamar Stevens (Soph./Penn State)
Stevens has been more active on the glass in recent weeks as evidenced by recording his first two career doubles-doubles: first a 23-point, 12-rebound performance vs George Mason on Dec. 17 followed by a 10-point, 11-rebound effort vs Rider on Friday. The 6-8 forward, who was also a First Team All-Catholic selection in 2016 with Roman Catholic, is second on the Nittany Lions in scoring (14.3 ppg) and rebounds (7.3).

Mike Watkins (R-Soph./Penn State)
At 6-9 and a lean 255 pounds, Watkins has become a feared interior presence for a Nittany Lions program (10-4) that hopes to reach postseason play. Having appeared in 13 of 14 games  — all starts — the Phelps School product is averaging 12.5 points and 8.6 rebounds for Patrick Chambers’ improving club. He scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds in Friday’s 71-70 loss to Rider, just missing his fourth consecutive double-double. His four blocks in that game moved Watkins into third place on PSU’s all-time swats list with 136.

Daron Russell (Fr./Rhode Island)
The former Imhotep Charter standout began to come into his own in late November as he scored his first two 20-point games (20 apiece vs Brown and Providence) as well as 12 points in a loss to Alabama. The 5-10, 165-pound who led the Panthers to PIAA 4A title last season, has avg. 8.8 ppg while shooting 43.1 percent from the field through 10 games for the Rams.

Anthony Durham (R-Jr./Rider)
After coming off the bench in all 32 games last season, Durham has started all 12 of Rider’s contests to start the 2017-18 campaign. The Abington product has seen his most playing time as of late, playing 25 minutes or more in the Broncs’ last four games after seeing that much time just twice in the previous eight. He is averaging a career-high 5.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.

Stevie Jordan (Soph./Rider)
Jordan has been one of the nation’s assists leaders since the start of the season. He is ranked No. 7 in Division with 7.1 assists per game, while also averaging 15.1 points as Rider’s second leading scorer after 11 contests. Jordan, who played his high school ball at Conwell-Egan, has reached double figures just once this season, on Dec. 2 against Drexel.

Tyere Marshall (Soph./Rider)
The Martin Luther King grad’s breakout sophomore campaign continues. Marshall, a 6-foot-9 forward, has started all 12 games, averaging 10.6 points and 6.2 rebounds. His best game so far is a 23-point, 12-rebound performance against Drexel when he went 11-of-13 from the floor. He played a season-high 34 minutes in Rider’s 71-70 win against Penn State on Friday.

Koby Thomas (Fr./Robert Morris)
Thomas is producing right away for Robert Morris after prepping at Imhotep last season. The 6-foot-6 forward has started all 13 games for the Colonials. He is second on the team in scoring (13.9 ppg) and third in rebounding (5.5 rpg). Thomas has three 20-point outings in his last five games. Most recently he scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds against Canisius on Dec. 22.

Charlie Brown (Soph./Saint Joseph’s)
The waiting game is still on for Brown, who’s yet to appear in a game this season for the Hawks as he continues to recover from a left wrist fracture suffered in the preseason. The original hope was that he would be back by early December; now, there’s no clear timetable for when he will be back on the court. St. Joe’s could certainly use the presence of the 6-6 wing out of George Washington and then St. Thomas More (Conn.), who hit 38.4 percent of his 3-pointers and averaged 12.8 ppg as a freshman.

Chris Clover (Jr./Saint Joseph’s)
For the second year in a row, injuries to various perimeter players have meant Clover, a St. Joe’s Prep grad, is perhaps playing a larger role than the Hawks’ staff would have thought at the beginning of the season. The 6-3 wing might never be the player he was during a senior at Prep, when he was PCL MVP, but he’s averaging 7.4 ppg and 3.5 rpg, very similar to his numbers a season ago; he’s also put in a pair of 17-point efforts recently, against Bucknell and Temple.

Taylor Funk (Fr./Saint Joseph’s)
Certainly one of the pleasant surprises of the early season has been the play of Funk, a 6-9 stretch-forward and former Manheim Central star. Through the Hawks’ first 11 games, he’s averaging 14.3 ppg and 4.5 rpg, hitting 48.3 percent overall and 45.0 percent from 3-point range (36-of-80), taking more than seven attempts from deep per contest. He also moved into the starting lineup for the first time in SJU’s last game, a loss to St. John’s.

Lamarr Kimble (Jr./Saint Joseph’s)
After working all offseason to get in the best shape of his career, Kimble suffered a broken bone in his fifth metatarsal of his left foot, the same injury he suffered at the end of last season. The subsequent surgery will keep him out the entire year, and he’ll be a redshirt junior in 2018-19. The Neumann-Goretti product, a 6-0 point guard, averaged 15.5 ppg, 4.5 apg and 4.0 rpg in 24 games last year.

Cameron Jones (R-Soph./Saint Peter’s)
Jones voluntarily sat out last season to redshirt in a deep Peacocks’ backcourt, and the 6-2 Pennsbury grad is still trying to find his rhythm back. He’s averaging 5.1 ppg and 2.4 rpg in 22 minutes this year, but is shooting just 26 percent from the floor and only 25.6 percent from 3-point range (10-of-39), a surprising number for a guard known for his outside shooting ability in HS; he hit 30.8 percent from deep as a freshman.

Josh Sharkey (Soph./Samford)
Samford has played a tough non-conference slate, with games against Arkansas, LSU, Memphis, Clemson and more. And despite playing similar minutes to last year, Sharkey has seen his numbers drop from 8.2 ppg and 4.2 apg last year to 5.6 ppg and and 3.9 this season, though those could improve with the SoCon about to get underway. A 5-9 point guard out of Archbishop Carroll, Sharkey has already racked up 87 career steals in 47 games.

David Beatty (Fr./South Carolina)
Beatty hasn’t perhaps had quite the impact he was hoping for right away at USC, averaging 4.0 ppg while hitting just 33.3 percent from the floor, though he’s hit 10-of-24 (41.7 percent) from 3-point range. A terrific 3-level scorer during his high school years at Carroll, St. Benedict’s and finally Imhotep Charter, he showed some of what he can do with 13 points in a loss to Temple, but otherwise has yet to score more than seven points in a game.

Sean Lloyd (Jr./Southern Illinois)
Lloyd spent his high school years at Franklin Learning Center, the Haverford School and Imhotep before a prep year in Maryland. Now in his third year at Southern Illinois, Lloyd is leading the Salukis in scoring at 13.1 points per game, up about five points from his sophomore campaign.

Izaiah Brockington (Fr./St. Bonaventure)
A 2017 Archbishop Ryan grad who went to Bonaventure instead of taking a prep year, Brockington only scored three points in the Bonnies’ two opening games. But an injury to star guard Jaylen Adams opened up major minutes for the 6-4 lefty, who showed what he can do with 18 points against UMES and then 20 against Texas Christian, as well as a more recent 13-point showing against Vermont even with Adams back in the lineup. Overall, he’s averaging 6.5 ppg, 1.4 apg and 1.3 rpg in 15.7 mpg.

Keith Braxton (Soph./St. Francis Pa.)
The NEC’s Rookie of the Year last season, Braxton has continued his climb to be one of the best players not just in the Northeast Conference but all of mid-major hoops. The 6-4 wing guard, originally out of Delsea (N.J.) before doing a prep year at Lawrenceville (N.J.), is averaging 17.1 ppg, 9.1 rpg and 3.1 apg, shooting above 50 percent from the floor despite only 32.4 percent (11-of-34) from 3-point range; he was a 43.9 percent shooter (25-of-57) from deep last year, but on far fewer attempts per game (1.7 compared to 3.1)

Mark Flagg (Fr./St. Francis Pa.)
Flagg has jumped right into the rotation in his first year with the Red Flash, averaging 5.5 ppg and 3.1 rpg while averaging 15.1 minutes playing in all 11 games thus far. The 6-8 Pennsbury grad, known for his ability to stretch the floor in high school, hasn’t been quite able to do that thus far in college, as he’s just 1-for-6 on 3-point attempts. But he’s hitting 55 percent of his 2-pointers and is also averaging nearly a steal per game.

Anthony Ochefu (Fr./Stony Brook)
The younger brother of former Villanova standout Daniel Ochefu has only appeared in eight of Stony Brook’s 13 games thus far, chipping in 1.9 ppg and 1.4 rpg in 5.6 mpg. The 6-8 forward out of the Westtown School should see a big increase in minutes as a sophomore, with three senior forwards in the erotation above him, but his per-40 numbers (13.3 ppg, 9.8 rpg) are solid.

Tyrell Sturdivant (Sr./Stony Brook)
Now in his second year as a starter for the Seawolves, Sturdivant has proven himself to be a reliable, rugged bigman in the America East Conference. The 6-8 post from Chester is averaging 9.8 ppg and 4.5 rpg this year, slight drop-offs from last year, in part because he’s taking 4.5 3-pointers per game but hitting just 28.8 percent of them; that’s a big reason his overall shooting percentage dropped from 44.5 percent last year to 37.4 percent this year.

Ernest Aflakpui (Jr./Temple)
Playing the exact amount of minutes he was last year (16.5/game) as Temple’s starting center, Aflakpui is averaging 4.6 ppg, slightly higher than last year, but has seen his rebounding fall from 5.0/game to 2.5/game as he struggles with consistency. A 12-point, six-rebound effort against St. Joe’s from the Archbishop Carroll grad and 6-9 forward was promising, but he’s had six other games with two or fewer rebounds.

Shizz Alston Jr. (Jr./Temple)
Alston was thrust into perhaps a larger role than anticipated last year, but acquitted himself well as the Owls’ starting point guard. Moving off the ball this year with the return of Josh Brown, Alston has thrived, averaging 14.7 ppg while making a nifty 43.9 percent of his 3-point attempts (25-of-57), slightly better than the 42.6 percent he’s shooting on 2-point attempts. The Haverford School product, a 6-4 guard, is also averaging 3.9 rpg and 2.5 apg.

Mohamed Bamba (Fr./Texas)
A five-star big man out of the Westtown School, Bamba has started all 11 games he’s played in for the Longhorns (9-3), averaging 10.9 ppg and 9.8 rpg, as well as 4.2 bpg, third-best in the country. The 6-11 center with the 7-6 wingspan, a projected top-5 pick in June’s NBA Draft, has four double-doubles so far, including a 17-point, 11-rebound, five-block effort in a win over Alabama his last time out.

Zane Martin (Soph./Towson)
Towson has been one of the most impressive teams in the CAA this season, with a 10-3 record, and a big reason has been Martin. A 6-3 wing out of Neumann-Goretti, Martin more than tripled his scoring average, from 5.5 ppg as a freshman up to 18.4 ppg as a sophomore, hitting 50.6 percent of his shots and 39.3 percent from 3-point range (24-of-61). If he keeps this up, he’s a shoe-in for an All-League selection at year’s end.

Rashaan Holloway (R-Jr./UMass)
For the last two years, Holloway has been one of the most productive bigs around -- when he’s on the court, which has been something of an issue for the 6-foot-10 center out of Schalick (N.J.). He’s averaging 9.7 ppg and 4.6 rpg on 62.1 percent shooting in just 18.1 mpg, thanks to foul issues (3.3/game) that are the worst of his career thus far.

Mikal Bridges (Jr./Villanova)
For the last few years, it had been apparent locally that Bridges was the city’s next burgeoning stars; now he’s made himself a name on the national scale. The 6-7 wing out of Great Valley with the 7-foot wingspan is averaging 17.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.0 apg, 2.0 spg and 1.5 bpg while hitting 46 percent of his 3-pointers and 51.4 percent overall. While he might not be the frontrunner for National Player of the Year anymore, he’s certainly still in the discussion.

Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree (Fr./Villanova)
One of two local freshmen on Jay Wright’s roster, Cosby-Roundtree has proven to be a serviceable backup big man in his first season on campus. Playing in all 12 games thus far, the 6-9 forward out of Neumann-Goretti is averaging 3.2 ppg and 2.8 rpg in 12.4 mpg, making 73.9 percent of his shots, most of which have been dunks. Like many ‘Nova bigs before him, he should progress nicely throughout his four years.

Donte DiVincenzo (R-Soph./Villanova)
The breakout star of last year’s (brief) NCAA Tournament run, DiVincenzo has turned into a steady producer for Villanova in his second full season on the court, averaging 12.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg and 2.9 apg while making 48.5 percent of his shots and 40.4 percent of his 3-point attempts. The bouncy 6-5 wing out of Salesianum (Del.) also has four games this season with multiple steals.

Collin Gillespie (Fr./Villanova)
Before breaking his left hand nine games into the season, Gillespie had proven to be a valuable reserve for Villanova, and the best of the three freshmen Wright has on his roster. The 6-2 guard out of Archbishop Wood was averaging 4.4 ppg in 13.2 mpg, shooting 42.9 percent from 3-point range (9-of-21). A redshirt is still potentially on the table if his injury doesn’t heal quickly, but if he can return he provides key perimeter depth for the No. 1 team in the country.

De’Andre Hunter (R-Fr./Virginia)
A skilled 6-7 wing out of Friends’ Central with a ceiling not many players in college hoops can boast, Hunter has flashed his potential after spending last season getting his body ready for the rigors of the ACC, going for 23 points in a November win over Monmouth. Overall, he’s averaging 6.5 ppg and 2.3 rpg, shooting 45 percent overall but just 18 percent (3-of-16) from 3-point range thus far; it might take him another year or two to really break into stardom.

Devin Liggeons (Jr./Wagner)
After starting just five games over his first two years at Wagner, Liggeons has moved into the lineup for Bashir Mason, coming off the bench in the team’s first three games but then starting the last eight for the 7-4 Seahawks. A versatile 6-3 wing out of Imhotep Charter, Liggeons is averaging 6.9 ppg and 4.9 rpg, both the best marks of his career thus far, with a pair of 14-point games and six outings with at least six rebounds.