The most improved players of 2007
Lewis Clinch- Georgia Tech, SG-Sophomore
-The 6'3 shooting guard has really blossomed as Georgia Tech's new starting shooting guard this year. As a freshman he sveraged around 9 points a game but was hampered by injuries and was used mostly as a spark plug off the bench to relieve Georgia Tech's leading scorer Anthony Morrow. When Morrow went down with an injury in the offseason it paved the way for Clinch to step into a starting role and show off his scoring abilities. He's done just that so far and hasn't looked back ever since. He's leading Georgia Tech in scoring at 17.4 points per game while shooting a blistering 57% from the field and 51% from behind the 3pt line.
Kyle Visser- Wake Forest, C-Senior
-Visser spent his first three years riding a lot of pine for Wake Forest while being considered an underachieving 6'11 center with fading potential. His senior year has been a completely different story though. Head coach Skip Prosser has made Visser the focal point of the offense and Visser has delivered averaging 19.7 points per game and 8.7 rebounds per game while shooting a league best 71% from the floor. It will be interesting to see if Visser can continue to post these types of numbers once ACC play roles around though.
Drew Neitzel- Michigan State, PG-Junior
-Michigan State lost their three leading scorers from last year that combined to net 71% of the Spartans offense last year. Heading into the 2007 season, it was clear that Neitzel had to pick up his play and become more than a setup point guard in order for Michigan State to succeed this year and he's done just that. Neitzel is currently leading Michigan State in scoring at 17.4 points per game while still dishing out 4.7 assists per game. In order for Michigan State to reach the NCAA Tournament they will need Neitzel to continue to be a consistent scoring threat and playmaker.
Derek Raivio(SG-Senior)/Josh Heytvelt(C-Sophomore)- Gonzaga
-The losses of leading scorers Adam Morrison and J.P. Batista meant that Gonzaga needed someone to step up this year. What they got were two players to step and in big ways. Raivio has been a starter the last two years for Gonzaga but slipped and underachieved as a junior last year. This year though he's become the teams go to and leading scorer at 20.4 points per game. The move from point gaurd to shooting guard has made him one of the most feared and deadly outside shooters in the country.
Heytvelt on the other hand was a rather sparingly used post player last year but the loss of graduating senior, J.P. Batista in the post gave Heytvelt a chance to start on the interior and show the Spokane faithful how much he had improved. He's currently averaging 17 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting 55% from the floor. It was his game against North Carolina that was most impressive though. He thoroughly out played his All-American counterpart, Tyler Hansbrough for much of the game
A.J. Abrams- Texas, SG-Sophomore
-Texas lost all five starters from last year and were left with only one returning player that saw significant minutes last year. That player was the 5'10 155lb A.J. Abrams and while Texas was set to bring in their most highly regarded recruiting class of all time it was obvious that they needed a big year out of Abrams. Thus far he's quickly asserted himself as the teams top outside shooting threat as he's averaged over four made three pointers a game while putting up 17.9 points per contest. Abrams ability to stretch the defense with his shooting as well as handle the basketball are going to be very key towards the success of Texas basketball this year.
Gavin Grant(SG-Junior)/Brandon Costner(PF-Sophomore)/Ben McCauley(PF-Sophomore)- North Carolina State
-Welcome to the most improved trio in the country. North Carolina State lost four starters from last years squad as well as their head coach and entered the 2007 season with only seven scholarship players. Fortunetly, three of those players have improved drastically from last year and are all playing All-ACC basketball right now.
We'll start with Gavin Grant who last year came off the bench and gave NCST inconsistent but good all around play. This year though he's had to step up as the teams do it all player. Grant can score(16.8ppg), rebound(5.3) and pass(4.9). He's developing himself into one of the best all around players in the ACC and has reminded a lot of folks of Julius Hodge while he was at NCST.
Coster came into NCST last year as a raw but very hyped freshman forward. He wasn't able to crack into the rotation though and played only 13 minutes a game. This year though he was more or less throw to the wolves as the teams starting power forward and has been able to show off his much hyped and improved abilities this year. He's currently averaging 15.8 points per game, 7.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists per game as well as the versatility to score inside and outside offensively.
McCauley did not have quite the hype that the highly athletic Costner had heading into his freshman season last year and as expected played very little as a freshman. However, this year, he too was thrown into the starting lineup from day one and has surprised many doubters. McCauley has good size at 6'10 but he has more of a skilled game than that of a power game. He's a very crisp passer and he's shown so by averaging over three assists a game. He's also averaging over five boards and 14 points a game.
Rob Kurz- Notre Dame, PF-Junior
-If you've never heard of Rub Kurz before then you're probably like most people. The 6'9 combo forward has come out of relative obscurity to help revamp Notre Dame this season with wins over Maryland and Alabama. Kurz is not the most athletic player in the country but he is a very skilled player with range on his jumpshot, a solid handle and a very good feel the game. Kurz is currently averaging 15.3 points per game, 8.5 rebounds per game and 2.4 assists per game. Very solid all around numbers for a player who was nothing more than a role player coming off the bench last season.
Herbert Hill- Providence, C-Senior
-Last season Herbert Hill was considered sort of a surprise player while playing alongside Randall Hanke in the post last year. He averaged a modest nine points per game last year but with the injury of Randall Hanke, Herbert Hill has stepped up as one of the most improved players in the country this year for the Friars. He's second on the team in scoring at 16.1 per game, averages 7.3 rebounds per game and three blocks per game. Hill has always shown the ability to score, rebound and defend at a high level but was just never consistent enough to warrant the attention or minutes at Providence. This year though he's being relied on to anchor Providence offensively and defensively.
Darren Collison- UCLA, PG-Sophomore
-UCLA's epic run to the National Title game last year was led by the clutch play of point guard Jordan Farmar and when Farmar elected to turn pro after his sophomore season that meant that back-up point guard Darren Collison was going to have some major shoes to replace in 2007. How's he done thus far? He's done so well that he's led some UCLA fans to ask, "Who's Jordan Farmar?" Collison may just be the quickest player in the country but he's also a very pure point guard who knows how to control his quickness while not playing out of control. The sophomore has raised his game this year and is averaging 12.8 points per game, 6.8 assists and 3.3 steals per game. UCLA might be ranked #1 in the country right now but they'll only go as far in March as Darren Collison takes them.
Mike Mercer-Georgia, SG-Sophomore
-Not that Mike Mercer wasn't a key player for the Bulldogs last year but he's stepped up this year as the teams best defender, scorer, passer and has become by far their best all around player. Georgia has a very deep back court and that hurt Mercer last year because he was fighting for minutes as a newcomer and was used as a back up for most of the season. However, it was evident heading into the 2007 season that he was Georgia's best all aroung player and deserved a starting role. He hasn't let Bulldog fans down one bit either as he's leading the team in scoring(17.6), is second in assists(4.1) and 2nd in steals(2.9) while shooting nearly 50% from the floor.
Other Players worhty of notice
-James Mays(Clemson), Warren Carter(Illinois), Matt Lawrence(Missouri), Chris Douglas-Roberts(Memphis), Joe Alexander(West Virginia), Lawrence Hill(Stanford), Chris Low(Washington State), Randolph Morris(Kentucky) and Alonzo Gee(Alabama)
