Bossi's Best: Junior value
One of the most important factors in recruiting is being able to look beyond the rankings and find long-term value.
In this week's edition of Bossi's best, National Basketball Analyst Eric Bossi focuses on 10 juniors who ranked outside of the national top 100 who are thriving in college.
MORE: Best start for first-year coach | Bossi's Starting Five
This season: 15.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.
How he got here: Motley picked Baylor in September of his senior year. He had considered Marquette, Maryland (which was all over his five-star summer teammates Andrew Harrison and Aaron Harrison) and SMU, among others.
Bossi's breakdown: As much as any high-major program, Baylor has made effective use of the redshirt, and Motley is a shining example. In high school he showed touch, could run and had excellent length but lacked strength and wasn't a big-time athlete. He's developed into a legitimate Big 12 Player of the Year and NBA Draft candidate.
This season: 16.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.
How he got here: A virtual unknown on the national scene, Fisher-Davis burst onto the scene with a big July before his senior season. He ended up choosing Vanderbilt over Georgia, Virginia and Wake Forest.
Bossi's breakdown: I remember first seeing Fisher-Davis play in a summer event in July of 2013 and being taken with his combination of size and a picture-perfect jump shot. But he was so reliant on the jumper, it was hard to rank him much higher. The fight to be more physical has been a tough one at times, but he's diversified his game and turned into a high-level SEC wing scorer.
This season: 17.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
How he got here: Carrington was interested in other programs such as West Virginia and Cincinnati; however, he was intrigued by the idea of being one of the faces of a major rebuild and chose Seton Hall.
Bossi's breakdown: I always liked Carrington's ability to create for himself and score from deep or off of the dribble. However, I was a little worried about his shot selection. He's really developed as a leader and has settled into his role as primary scorer. He's now one of the Big East's best players.
This season: 17.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
How he got here: Holder saw his stock take off in the winter and spring of 2013. Arizona State was aggressive in their pursuit and secured a quick commitment by May of his junior year.
Bossi's breakdown: Holder first caught my eye during his junior season because of his toughness and ability to score in traffic. He's played big minutes from day one at ASU but really struggled to finish and with his decision-making early in his career. He's a good jump shooter but not too reliant on his jumper, and his ability to manufacture points at the free throw line has made him effective.
This season: 16.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
How he got here: Providence, St. Louis, Texas Tech and some others were in the picture, but nobody pursued Martin like Butler did.
Bossi's breakdown: I always thought Martin was an interesting mismatch option. He was a highly skilled four man who was a bit short for the position but had toughness and a strong body. As he's become the focal point for defenses, Martin's efficiency has suffered some, but he's still developed into an All-Conference type.
This season: 15.4 points and 10.9 rebounds per game.
How he got here: Colson took official visits to Pittsburgh, Florida State and Notre Dame before cancelling a visit to UConn and picking the Irish over the Seminoles.
Bossi's breakdown: I loved watching Colson play in high school. He was undersized for a post player but had long arms, wide shoulders, skill and he was tough. I felt really good about ranking him the Rivals150. As it turns out, Colson's unique game and toughness have translated even better than expected to the ACC, and pound for pound he's as tough as they come.
This season: 18.7 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
How he got here: Foster initially picked Kansas State over Creighton. However, after two seasons at Kansas State he transferred to his initial runner up, Creighton.
Bossi's breakdown: Foster just missed the Rivals150 out of high school. He was explosive but somewhat undersized as a two guard and wasn't always in the best of shape. After a big-time freshman campaign at Kansas State, his sophomore season was plagued by some off-the-court issues. At Creighton, he's experienced a renaissance as a tough scorer.
This season: 21.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
How he got here: Aldridge picked Davidson over Creighton, Boston College and most of the Mid-American Conference.
Bossi's breakdown: I didn't get to see a ton of Aldridge as a high schooler, but I liked what I saw from him in the spring of his junior year playing with his grassroots squad, Team Work. He was tough, a good athlete and had a nice skill level. That's all translated to Davidson, where he has also developed into a very dangerous three-point shooter.
This season: 19.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.
How he got here: Things picked up late for Maten, who selected Georgia in the spring of his senior year over Indiana and a late offer from Michigan State.
Bossi's breakdown: Basically, I missed it with my evaluation of Maten out of high school. I thought he was a good-looking athlete but worried about his consistency and didn't pick up on his skill level. He's developed into one of the SEC's best post scorers at Georgia, and he's a legitimate NBA prospect.
This season: 29.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.
How he got here: Keene signed with Youngstown State out of high school. After two seasons he transferred to Central Michigan.
Bossi's breakdown: A relative unknown in high school, Keene had a strong postseason as a junior before an up and down summer before his senior year. His first two seasons at Youngstown State were strong, but nobody could have seen him developing into the nation's leading scorer. He's a high-risk, high-reward guy at times but is always entertaining and needed just 23 shots to score 50 against Miami (Ohio) last weekend.