This is something I did the first couple years I was on the board, and the other thread about Power Rankings from the Tim Miles era got me thinking alot about this years roster. Who is the best player? The most important? Etc. Below is a 1-15 Power Ranking of our current roster (walk ons and RS included):
15. Karrington Davis 6'6 Fr G/F: Not much is known about him due to injuries and playing his senior season on a stacked super team. Add in his potential academic issues and its hard to predict what his role will be on a very experienced and talented team.
14. Johnny Trueblood 6'4 Jr G: Great team guy but does not do any particular thing well. Because of that he will most likely be Bench Mob Captain.
13. Brady Hieman 6'10 Fr F/C: Likely redshirt candidate. Not big enough to play the 5 and not talented enough to warrant minutes at the 4 over Copeland/Roby.
12. Justin Costello 6'2 RFr G: Excels at shooting. May be lacking else where but theres always a need for dead eye shooters. Spent last year redshirting and hopefully getting stronger, faster, and more explosive. Outside shot of playing.
11. Tanner Borchardt 6'8 Sr C : Contributed last year and had some bright moments. More than likely lacks the mobility and lift to play an increased role but is a great practice body and emergency back up for a team lacking centers.
10. Dachon Burke 6'4 RJr G: Sitting out this year as a transfer. Has huge potential to help the team from the scout team.
9. Amir Harris 6'5 Fr G: Late addition to the team but still a very good player. His impact depends on how the staff uses Thomas Allen. Could play off the ball. Improved outside shooting would enhance his role.
8. Thorir Thorbjarnarson 6'5 So G: Last years late addition. Really liked what i saw from him in limited action last year. Crafty basketball player. Gets the nod over Harris due to an extra year in the system.
7. Nana Akenten 6'6 So G/F: Has the potential to be an Evan Taylor type defender with a much better stroke from deep. Should be able to slide in and take some of 50+ minutes open at the 2/3. *7-9 are pretty close to being interchangeable.
6. Jordy Tshimanga 6'11 Jr C : At the least Jordy will be a useful big body to rebound and defend the paint for 15 MPG. If he can improve some combination of hands, footwork, and passing he could have a huge impact.
5. Thomas Allen 6'1 So G: Looks to have one of the largest gains in terms of impact. Should get alot of Anton Gills shot attempts and will hold up better defensively with more size/strength from another offseason.
4. Isaac Copeland 6'9 Jr F: Cope coming back was icing on the cake. I look for him to really focus/improve on outside shooting and rebounding this season. It will be interesting to see how he improves with a healthy off season.
3. Glynn Watson 6'0 Sr G: Got the nod over Copeland because of his PG position. I think Glynn struggled as a third and fourth option on the team last year. Expect him to have a bounce back year. He will excel at breaking down opposing teams defenses and be a solid defender himself. Also expect him to return closer to his sophomore shooting numbers.
2. James Palmer 6'6 Sr G: Legitimate candidate for Big Ten Player of the Year and sneaking onto an All-American team (3rd team maybe even 2nd if we really kickass). James is a great player that excels at attacking the rim and drawing contact and his size makes him more than adequate defensively. Gets number two though because he is close to his ceiling and we know what we are gonna get with him (which is a damn good player). Dont be surprised to see last years Palmer plus a modest improvement of his 3 pt percentage.
1. Isaiah Roby 6'8 Jr F: Hands down choice for number one bc of his unique size and skillset. He is close to the best, if not the best, at almost every facet of the game on this team. Look for him to be our second leading scorer and team leader in blocks and rebounds. Will terrorize teams on both sides of the ball.
Feel free to list your own or provide any comments/feedback. Hope you enjoyed.
