Junior values: Third year college players exceeding expectations
All college coaches are looking for value in recruiting. These 10 juniors -- all products of the high school class of 2013 and ranked outside of the national top 50 -- have proven to be terrific values.
Malcolm Hill, SG, Illinois (4-star, No. 62 overall)
This season: 19.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.
How he got here: Hill committed early in his junior season to then head coach Bruce Weber after also considering programs like Missouri, Kansas State and Xavier. Even when John Groce came in, he didn’t waver much and playing for the Illini was pretty much a dream school situation.
Analysis: Hill was a kid that we liked because of his strong mid-range game and because he was relatively young for his class. We did worry that relatively average athleticism might hurt him some in the Big Ten. So far, he’s been better than even the most ambitious projections could have predicted. His ability and willingness to play all over the floor -- he event played some at center in this week’s triple OT win over Rutgers -- has allowed him to be quite productive and he’s a shining light in what has been a pretty dim season for the 11-12 Illini.
Josh Hart, SF, Villanova (4-star, No. 84 overall)
This season: 15.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.
How he got here: Hart’s recruitment stretched into the fall of his senior season. He had a final three that included Rutgers and Penn State along with Villanova. Villanova won out due to playing time and having built a strong relationship.
Analysis: What we loved about Hart in high school was that he was a tough as nails grinder. He rebounded exceptionally well for a guard, took tough defensive assignments and did the dirty work. He’s still done all of that at Villanova. However, he has scored the ball much better than ever expected and much of that has to do with him becoming a much more capable jump shooter than he was in high school.
Monte Morris, PG, Iowa State (4-star, No. 96 overall)
This season: 14.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game.
How he got here: Morris also considered programs like Illinois, Arizona State and Butler. But Iowa State was involved early and often with his recruitment and their relationship along with the ability to offer significant early playing time got the job done.
Analysis: Looking back, we can’t do anything but wonder why we didn’t rank this guy higher. He had good size for the position, was an outstanding penetrator and took care of the ball. We did worry that “Man-Man” would have some issues with lack of strength and we wondered about his jump shot but he’s not much of a problem in either area. What has been most impressive is the way he takes care of the ball as evidenced by his absurdly good career assist to turnover ratio of 4.36 to one.
Mike Young, PF, Pittsburgh (4-star, No. 102 overall)
This season: 17.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
How he got here: A native of the Pittsburgh area who played his high school ball in New Jersey, the chance to play college ball at home was too much for Young to pass up.
Analysis: Young was pretty skilled as a high school player but he was just a so-so athlete and at times settled too much for the jump shot. At Pittsburgh he’s really filled out his frame and most of all he’s found the proper balance between facing up and trading blows inside the paint. Because he found that nice balance, Young has been able to have a college career. Young should eclipse both 1,200 points and 600 rebounds by season’s end and is on track to finish top 10 all-time in both categories at Pitt.
Jordan Woodard, PG, Oklahoma (NR 3-star)
This season: 14.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists per game.
How he got here: Woodard was heavily recruited by Lon Kruger as soon as Kruger took over the OU job in March of 2011. That persistence paid off when Woodard selected the Sooners. Memphis had offered and Kansas (head coach Bill Self attended Woodard’s high school) had nibbled but nobody made Woodard a priority the way the Sooners did.
Analysis: For a while, we kind of had it right by ranking Woodard in the Rivals150 for much of his high school career. But, in the final rankings, concerns over his lack of a jump shot or elite quickness won out over his toughness and leadership. It’s too late to save the ranking mistake, but it isn’t too late to appreciate how Woodard has helped lead the Sooners to a No. 1 ranking. After shooting in the neighborhood of 36 percent overall from the field his first two years, Woodard is up to 44.9 percent overall from the field, including an incredible 51 percent from three, as a junior.
Jack Gibbs, PG, Davidson (NR 3-star)
This season: 25.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.
How he got here: A native of Ohio, Gibbs took visits to Creighton and Akron before selecting Davidson and canceling a planned trip to Wichita State.
Analysis: As a high schooler, Gibbs looked like a good upper level mid-major prospect. He was a bit more of a natural shooting guard than true point and had also suffered a torn ACL as a junior. When he picked Davidson it looked like he had picked a place where he would be productive and competitive. He’s been that and so much more. Gibbs has developed into a straight up scoring machine with a fearless and fun to watch style.
Nigel Hayes, PF, Wisconsin (NR 3-star)
This season: 17.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
How he got here: A native of Toledo, Ohio, Hayes spurned the hometown Buckeyes and picked Wisconsin after the Badgers made him more of a priority recruit.
Analysis: Watching Hayes as a high school, we loved his toughness. But, he looked closer to 6-foot-6 than his listed 6-foot-8. He was rough and tumble but we looked at him as more of a SPF (shoulda played football) than legitimate Big Ten power forward. Those thoughts now seem foolish. Hayes was the conference sixth man of the year as a freshman and has proven to be a much more skilled scorer than expected. His efficiency has gone down a bit as a junior without NBA first-rounders Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky to share the front line with him, but he’s going to have a very good shot at cracking 2,000 career points assuming he doesn’t leave early for the NBA.
Josh Hawkinson, PF/C, Washington State (NR)
This season: 15.9 points, 11.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.
How he got here: Lightly recruited out of high school in Seattle, Hawkinson took visits to Santa Clara and San Diego. Washington State finally offered him shortly before the end of his official visit. Washington (where his mother played) was never involved.
Analysis: We were able to review one high school game film of Hawkinson’s and didn’t find it sufficient enough to rate him and he looked like he would be over his head in the Pac-12. After one year that assessment looked correct as he barely touched the floor and looked slow and out of shape. Once Ernie Kent took over, things changed drastically. Under Kent, the Cougars have slimmed Hawkinson down and turned him into a sharp shooting, floor stretching and high volume rebounding big man who is playing at an All-Pac 12 level. Were the Cougars better than 9-13, his story would be better known.
Justin Robinson, PG, Monmouth (NR)
This season: 20.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
How he got here: Lightly recruited out of high school in the Hudson Valley region of New York, Robinson had interest from Wagner, Quinnipiac, Sienna and Binghamton before Monmouth finally offered him a scholarship.
Analysis: How far off the radar was Robinson? He didn’t even have a Rivals.com profile coming out of high school and didn’t finally get his offer to Monmouth until after his senior season. In the here and now, Monmouth has been one of the best stories of the 2015-16 season and the sensational play of Robinson has been a big reason. Just 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds, Robinson is quick, athletic, tough, shoots well from deep and is a nuisance on the defensive end.
Kay Felder, PG, Oakland (NR)
This season: 25.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game.
How he got here: Despite being an All-Public League player in Detroit, Felder was passed over by bigger programs due to his lack of size before he chose to play at Oakland.
Analysis: Like Robinson, Felder was a player that Rivals.com did not see or hear about in high school. We will never know what type of numbers he could have put up or impact he could have made at a high major program, but he’s sure found a home at Oakland. Burly, fast and tough, he’s a complete player who is currently leading the country in assists and top five in scoring. He’s not an unknown any longer and has a legitimate shot to play his way into the NBA.