NCAA Division I MBB - Off to a Good Start
Once all of the Fall sport honors have been determined, we will cycle through the sports and divisions with lots of great information. We are also starting Basketball. Here is the beginning.
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Most of the Fall competition has been completed. We have national champions in some sports while we await for the remaining contests. You won’t want to miss our “It’s a Wrap” series. That is where we provide the season statistics for every local athlete competing in DI, DII, or DIII. Those who attain specified award or statistical achievements will be highlighted. Season statistics for thousands of athletes. And award recognition for hundreds. All will be broken down by sport and by division. You will get the lists of awards, the numbers, the photos, and many comments from the collegiate coaches about the athletes you know. It’s a great way to Wrap Up the season for those who have Played On. But, you won’t see it if you don’t have it. Get your free subscription now:
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A Shout Out
If you are reading this, you are someone who is interested in the current exploits of past Missouri and Kansas high school athletes. Two states full of counties! However, if your focus is Wyandotte County, “Dotte Sports” will give you the best high school sports coverage, in addition to great photography. You can find “Dotte Sports” here.
Tip Off! The Start of Basketball Coverage.
Some colleges are entering a holiday pause in competition. Others are taking to the hardwoods for seasonal tournaments. All of that is good and part of the progression of the basketball season. Most teams have played about ten games. That is enough to have some meaningful numbers. So, let’s take a look at what our local DI MBB talent has been doing on the court. Here are the Top Fives.
Most MVP awards go to players who score lots of points or get lots of rebounds. While that can be valid, just how do you identify the “Most Valuable” characteristics? Many statistics can be involved. But, why is a player out on the court? That is because the coach wants that player on the court. Why? Because the coach believes that is what is best for the team at that moment. That sounds like a valuable player to me. So, here are the Top Five local athletes in Minutes Per Game. Demarcus Sharp (Charleston/Austin Peay Univ.) has averaged 37.0 of the 40.0 minutes of the games. And he did that without getting playing time in overtimes. His play and the leadership that comes from being a graduate student make Demarcus very valuable to his team. Providing abundant value already as a sophomore is Kellen Boylan (Bishop Miege/Air Force Academy) who is averaging over 35 minutes per game. And that is at a service academy where leadership is instilled into every cadet.
Average Minutes Per Game (Min. of 8 Games)
37.0 - Demarcus Sharp - Guard - Graduate Student - Charleston - Austin Peay University - Atlantic Sun Conference
35.3 - Kellen Boylan - Guard - Sophomore - Bishop Miege - Air Force Academy - Mountain West Conference
35.0 - DaJuan Harris - Guard - Junior-RS - Rock Bridge - University of Kansas - Big 12 Conference
34.8 - Zeke Mayo - Guard - Junior - Lawrence - South Dakota State University - Summit League
34.3 - Alston Mason - Guard - Junior - Blue Valley Northwest - Missouri State University - Missouri Valley Conference
The three point shot certainly changed college basketball forever. The attraction to the shot goes all the way back to a one game experiment in 1945 between Columbia and Fordham. It became a permanent part of the college game in the 1986-87 season. Every child who has ever entered a gym with a basketball has attempted a three. We remember the ones that found their way through the net, but conveniently lose memory of the others. Most shouldn’t bank their careers on the three. But, a select few become very good at the shot. Some achieve early college success such as Grant Stubblefield (Blue Valley Northwest/Nebraska-Omaha) who has made nine of his first 16 collegiate three’s. In only his second year of collegiate competition, Trevon Brazile (Kickapoo/Univ. of Arkansas) is knocking three’s down at a .438 clip.
Three Point Percentage (Min. 15 Attempts)
.563 (9 of 16) - Grant Stubblefield - Guard - Freshman - Blue Valley Northwest - Univ. of Nebraska-Omaha - Summit League
.533 (8 of 15) - Tyem Freeman - Guard - Graduate Student - Parkview - Kent State University - Mid-American Conference
.458 (11 of 24) - DaJuan Harris - Guard - Senior-RS - Rock Bridge - University of Kansas - Big 12 Conference
.438 (14 of 32) - Trevon Brazile - Forward - Sophomore-RS - Kickapoo - University of Arkansas - Southeastern Conference
.438 (14 of 32) - Luke Kusubke - Guard - Senior - Chaminade - Illinois State University - Missouri Valley Conference
Every basketball player wants that wide open shot. The one with no defender in front of the basket. But, it isn’t easy when it is a free throw. You have time to shoot. But, everyone in the gym is focused on you. If it was an easy shot then college players would make more than 68% of their attempts. That rate is true for both men and women. However, some get very good at getting their teams those “free” points. Dezmond McKinney (Raytown South/Bellarmine Univ.) has a .926 average. Cougar Downing (Olathe West/Univ. of Little Rock) and Brennan Watkins (Kearney/Virginia Military Institute) are close behind at .912.
Free Throw Percentage (Min. 25 Attempts)
.926 (25 of 27) - Dezmond McKinney - Guard - Junior - Raytown South - Bellarmine University - Atlantic Sun Conference
.912 (31 of 34) - Cougar Downing - Guard - Senior - Olathe West - University of Little Rock - Ohio Valley Conference
.912 (31 of 34) - Brennan Watkins - Guard - Junior - Kearney - Virginia Military Academy - Southern Conference
.844 (27 of 32) - Caleb Love - Guard - Senior - Christian Brothers - University of Arizona - Pac-12 Conference
.829 (34 of 41) - Xavier Bell - Guard - Junior - Andover Central - Wichita State University - American Athletic Conference
A lot of things go into winning a basketball game. Defense. Ball handling and control. Rebounds. Being aggressive. Being in control. But, you gotta score points, too. Leading the way in scoring among our local collegiate athletes is Tyon Grant-Foster (Schlagle/Grand Canyon University). The former Stallion is dropping in 21.2 points per game as he prepares for Western Athletic Conference play. Zeke Mayo (Lawrence/South Dakota State) continues shredding the nets as a junior with 18.5 points per game.
Points Per Game (Min. of 8 Games)
21.2 - Tyon Grant-Foster - Guard - Senior - Schlagle - Grand Canyon University - Western Athletic Conference
18.5 - Zeke Mayo - Guard - Junior - Lawrence - South Dakota State University - Summit League
18.2 - DaMarcus Sharp - Guard - Graduate Student - Charleston - Austin Peay University - Atlantic Sun Conference
17.1 - Alston Mason - Guard - Junior - Blue Valley Northwest - Missouri State University - Missouri Valley Conference
16.3 - Keshon Gilbert - Guard - Junior - Vashon - Iowa State University - Big 12 Conference
Rebounds aren’t easy to get. There is a finite opportunity to get rebounds. There has to be a missed shot. But there are opportunities. Over half of field goal attempts result in a rebound opportunity. Even 32% of supposedly “free” free throws are followed by a rebound. Rebounds are so important. Each one means a possession. That is an opportunity to score. And no opponent has ever scored without the ball. Some players are better at getting those rebounds than others. Currently leading the collegiate rebounders from this area is Harlan Obioha (Hoxie/Niagara University). At 7’0”, Harlan is a force on the court. Just last Saturday, against New Jersey Institute of Technology, he scored 20 points to go along with his 15 rebounds. He now averages 7.8 per game. I think you will be hearing more of this fellow’s name. Also rebounding well is Dalen Ridgnal (Lincoln College Prep/Wichita State) who is averaging 7.3 boards per game.
Rebounds Per Game (Min. of 8 Games)
7.8 - Harlan Obioha - Forward - Sophomore - Hoxie - Niagara University - Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference
7.7 - Garry Clark - Forward - Junior - Cardinal Ritter - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi - Southland Confernce
7.5 - DeMarcus Sharp - Guard - Graduate Student - Charleston - Austin Peay -Atlantic Sun Conference
7.3 - Dalen Ridgnal - Forward - Graduate Student - Lincoln College Prep - Wichita State University - American Athletic Conference
7.3 - Cam Manyawu - Forward - Freshman - Staley - Wyoming - Western Athletic Conference
It is true what young players are told. No player can do it all by himself. Yes, some will score more than others. But, many times that is because a teammate passed the ball at the right time, to the right player, in precisely the right way. The word “assist” doesn’t do the end result justice. There would be far less scoring if there were no assists. It would also result in a very boring game. Few in the country are as good at assists as DaJuan Harris (Rock Bridge/Univ. of Kansas). He leads the grads from this area with 75 assists. That puts him in the top ten nationally. DaJuan’s assists have led to a lot of Jayhawk success over the last three years. There are about 1,000 high schools in this two state area. One of them produced two of the top six in total assists. Caleb Love (Christian Brothers/Univ. of Arizona) has 39 assists while his fellow former Cadet, Rob Martin (Christian Brothers/Southeast Missouri State), has 37.
Total Assists
75 - DaJuan Harris - Guard - Senior-RS - Rock Bridge - University of Kansas - Big 12 Conference
64 - DeMarcus Sharp - Guard - Graduate Student - Charleston - Austin Peay University - Atlantic Sun Conference
43 - Keshon Gilbert - Guard - Junior - Vashon - Iowa State University - Big 12 Conference
39 - Caleb Love - Guard - Senior - Christian Brothers - University of Arizona - Pac-12 Conference
37 - Zeke Mayo - Guard - Junior - Lawrence - South Dakota State University - Summit League
37 - Rob Martin - Guard - Sophomore - Christian Brothers - Southeast Missouri State University - Ohio Valley Conference
To have your shot blocked not only destroys your attempt to score, it is intimidating. The effects can linger. Blocked shots get a big rise out of the court. Deservedly so. Ryan Kalkbrenner (Trinity Catholic-MO/Creighton University) has done a lot of intimidating since arriving in Omaha a little over three years ago. He already has 25 blocked shots this year. Interestingly, the next four most prolific shot blockers are all sophomores. Aidan Shaw (Blue Valley/Univ. of Missouri), Trevon Brazile (Kickapoo/Univ. of Arkansas), Nate Barnhart (DeSoto-KS/South Dakota State), and Connor Turnbull (Fort Zumwalt North/Butler) have established their intimidation early in their collegiate careers.
Total Blocked Shots
25 - Ryan Kalkbrenner - Senior - Center - Trinity Catholic-MO - Creighton University - Big East Conference
22 - Aidan Shaw - Forward - Sophomore - Blue Valley - University of Missouri - Southeastern Conference
18 - Trevon Brazile - Forward - Sophomore-RS - Kickapoo - University of Arkansas - Southeastern Confernce
17 - Nate Barnhart - Forward - Sophomore - De Soto-KS - South Dakota State University - Summit League
16 - Connor Turnbull - Forward - Sophomore - Fort Zumwalt North - Butler University - Big East Conference
Not only does DeMarcus Sharp (Charleston/Austin Peay Univ.) lead his conference in steals, he is fourth in all of Division I with 33 steals. Just behind DeMarcus is Kinyon Hodges (Central-Cape Girardeau/Tennessee State) with 32. Tied for third from this area with 19 is DeMarcus’s collegiate teammate, Dezi Jones (Hannibal/Austin Peay Univ.). Not only does Tyon Grant-Foster (Schlagle/Grand Canyon Univ.) lead in scoring, he is tied for third in steals. Also tied for third is Keshon Gilbert (Vashon/Iowa State Univ.) who is also third in assists.
Total Steals
33 - DeMarcus Sharp - Guard - Graduate Student - Charleston - Austin Peay University - Atlantic Sun Conference
32 - Kinyon Hodges - Guard - Senior - Central-Cape Girardeau - Tennessee State University - Ohio Valley Conference
19 - Tyon Grant-Foster - Guard - Senior - Schlagle - Grand Canyon University - Western Athletic Conference
19 - Keshon Gilbert - Guard - Junior - Vashon - Iowa State University - Big 12 Conference
19 - Dezi Jones - Guard - Senior - Hannibal - Austin Peay University - Atlantic Sun Conference
The attached spreadsheet contains 24 statistics for each of the 111 athletes from Missouri and Kansas competing in NCAA Division I. They are sorted by average points per game and are as of 12/16/2023.
Coming soon are the Fall Sport postseason reviews along with the Men’s and Women’s Basketball seasons. Up next for basketball will be Women’s Division I Basketball. Get your free subscription now!