Summer vacation…

I will be stepping away to embark on a road trip for my summer vacation starting at 3AM tomorrow morning, and thus I will likely be unable to update the site until I return, which will be towards the end of July – around the 25th. To all my faithful readers: please return then!!

Until next time…

Aggressive underneath…

Now we’ve made it to minutes per free throws attempted. This again should be dominated by forwards and aggressive guards. However, the main difference here is that free throw percentages aren’t as relevant, but instead the turnover rate is key. This category measures how aggressive these players are in the paint and if this aggression is working in their favor by free throw attempts heavily outweighing their number of turnovers.

MINUTES PER FREE THROWS ATTEMPTED

While the aim is for this number to be low, it’s best combined with a solid free throw percentage and low turnover rate.

1. A.J. Ogilvy, Vanderbilt (3.9) – As if this phenomenal freshman hadn’t done enough, he leads yet another statistical category, this time in how often he gets to the stripe. His aggression and assertiveness under the basket is unmatched offensively, and he improves upon that with a very solid 76.9% touch – although his 10.5 m/to rate could be improved upon.

2. Elgin Bailey, Mississippi State (5.2) – Bailey seems to have a lot of potential under the basket, with solid shooting percentages and rebounding figures as a freshman. His aggression in the paint, however, goes unrewarded as he hit an absolutely abysmal 39.0% from the stripe with 41 attempts (he hits a much better 47.4% from the field). If Bailey wants to step into the shoes of graduating forward Charles Rhodes, he absolutely must improve from the charity stripe.

3. Cameron Tatum, Tennessee (5.3) – Very similar to Bailey but with much less playing time is Tatum, who shot well from the field but managed just a 42.9% effort from the free throw line in 14 attempts. Similarly, he must improve that stroke before he looks to contribute for the Vols. A 9.3 m/to rate also should improve.

4. Korvotney Barber, Auburn (5.6) – Shockingly, Barber is the 3rd out of the top 4 in this category to shoot less than 45% from the free throw line (43.8%), although Barber’s misses made a much larger impact on his team, as he started 29 of 32 games for the Tigers. Auburn simply doesn’t have a choice, with limited options inside., although his 11.5 m/to ratio is at least decent.

5. J.P. Prince, Tennessee (5.8) – Although his shooting touch is still terrible at 55.7%, Prince’s m/to rate is an acceptable 11.3 and his touch from the field is a solid 49.7% – especially for a guard. Prince should continue to improve his free throw shooting and outside mark (15.4%) if the Vols are to seriously filter him into the starting lineup.

6. Nick Calathes, Florida (5.9) – Calathes is simply beneficial to his team regardless of what he is doing. Included is his knack for attacking the lane and drawing fouls, shooting 72.4% from the charity stripe as a freshman. This dynamic guard should join A.J. Ogilvy as preseason SEC Player of the Year favorites.

7. Zach Graham, Ole Miss (6.3) – The third-straight guard in the category, Graham would have been an absolute star if he had started every game last season, with incredible numbers from long range (43.3%) and his aggressive floor-play. A 13.9 m/to ratio is also impressive for a freshman guard.

8. Tyler Smith, Tennessee (6.4) – Smith, possibly the most dynamic player in the conference, got to the line 160 times and hit 70.6% of those shots. His 11.3 m/to ratio is especially impressive considering the amount of time in which he handled the ball.

8. Alonzo Gee, Alabama (6.4) – Gee’s touch from the charity stripe is far from impressive for a guard (67.9%), but his 15.8 m/to ratio is excellent considering his role as perhaps the most aggressive player in the conference.

10. Tasmin Mitchell, LSU (6.6) – Mitchell only saw three games, but excelled in those games from the free throw stripe, hitting 8 of 10 of his attempts. However, his ball-handling was nothing short of poor, as he turned the ball over every 7.3 minutes. In perspective, he would have given the ball up an average of five times if he had played 40 full minutes.

Not too much surprising on this front, as few would argue that these 10 players are the most aggressive in the conference. Some to their remorse, and others to their own benefit. To coaches, it’s absolutely vital for a player with lots of talent and potential to get to the basket, while those who only think they have that talent should know when to back off.

Next, we move on to the ever-important rebounding category with minutes per rebound.

UGA is imploding…again…

More loss for Felton at Georgia, this time in the form of Jeremy Jacob – a sophomore-to-be that saw six games before enduring a stress fracture in his left foot and missing the rest of the season who has decided to transfer out of the program.

Jacob, a 6′7″, 210lb. forward, averaged 5.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per those six games in just 14.8 minutes per game.

Jacob was set to serve as the sixth/seventh man in the lineup this coming season and likely moving into the starting lineup as a junior.

This leaves Felton with just seven scholarship players returning next season, and just three of those upper-classmen. While this seems like an unfortunate circumstance for the Bulldogs – I’ll imply this again…this has been nothing short of a trend with Felton’s program and eventually the blame has to be put squarely on his shoulders.

This man’s lack of success has simply been his fault, and things need to change at that program.

And this begs the question…was Georgia’s miracle run in the SEC Tournament good for that program in the long-run, or was it a hinderance in the form of allowing Felton another year at the helm?

I’m inclined to believe the latter.

Free throw gurus…

Up next is minutes per free throws made. While obviously inside men have the advantage here, the forwards and centers tend not to shoot as well from the free throw stripe as the guards do, and so there’s always a chance the more aggressive guards will show up in the lists.

MINUTES PER FREE THROW MADE

This number should be as small as possible for effective free throw shooters, especially forwards. For guards, the number is only okay to be small if the player can hit their free throws and get into the lane without turning the ball over.

1. A.J. Ogilvy, Vanderbilt (5.1) – It’s rare to find a reliable big man who shoots 76.9% from the stripe, but Ogilvy once again shows his level-headed approach to the game by leading his second category thus far. Leading the SEC in this category as a freshman is very impressive.

2. Nick Calathes, Florida (8.2) – And yet another fabulous freshman leading the category. Calathes not only shot 72.4% from the free throw line and got to the line 199 times, he led the Gators in scoring and had a better than 2/1 assist to turnover ratio, proving his excellent decision-making.

3. Tasmin Mitchell, LSU (8.3) – This is a bit of an outlier, considering Mitchell only saw 3 games. However, he played 22 minutes per game in those three games, and hit 8 out of his 10 free throw attempts.

4. Tyler Smith, Tennessee (9.0) – The ever-dynamic and talented Smith was a force inside for the Vols this season, including at the stripe, where he hit 70.6% of his attempts.

5. Alonzo Gee, Alabama (9.4) – This is a case of Gee’s affinity to avoid an organized offense and instead charge the lane, as Gee only shot 67.9% from the free throw line but got there 156 times in 994 minutes.

5. Jodie Meeks, Kentucky (9.4) – Another way in which Meeks shows his very high potential is at the charity stripe, where he shot 79.4% and got there a lot for a guard without turning the ball over much.

7. Joe Duffy, Vanderbilt (9.5) – Another skewed stat, as Duffy only saw 19 minutes and hit both of his two attempted free throws.

7. Zach Graham, Ole Miss (9.5) – Much like Gee, Graham has a tendency to drive the ball too often, turn the ball over too much, and only hits 66.2% of his free throws.

9. Patrick Patterson, Kentucky (10.3) – Patterson is again much like Ogilvy, just less so. He’s insanely talented in the paint and gets to the stripe effectively, where he hits a solid 73.1%.

10. J.P. Prince, Tennessee (10.4) – And yet another overly aggressive guard, as Prince shoots a miserable 55.7% from the free throw line and turned the ball over at a very high rate.

I’m somewhat surprised at the number of guards (5) in this list, and three of them shouldn’t be shooting as many as they are.

Next up will be minutes per free throw attempted.

It’s raining threes – and the offensively inept…

Now we’re to minutes per three pointers attempted. This list includes talented shooters, but also some that would rather toss up a bomb instead of trying to work within the reigns of an offensive scheme.

MINUTES PER THREE-POINT ATTEMPTS

1. Troy Brewer, Georgia (3.3) – After seeing 32 games of playing time, this sophomore-to-be proved that he was unafraid to take a long-ranged shot, and that he couldn’t hit over 30% of them.

2. Kelvin Lewis, Auburn (3.7) – As has already been established, Brewer and Lewis are very similar in their ability to jack up too many shots and hit less than 30% from long range. Both should either work on their stroke or stop shooting.

3. Chris Warren, Ole Miss (4.2) – Warren solidifies his spot as the most prolific and efficient three-point shooter in the SEC with this ranking. Warren shoots 38.9% from three on 265 attempts.

4. Marcus Thornton, LSU (4.4) – Thornton is the scariest overall scorer in the conference, and this is just another layer of his ability. A 37.7% long-range shooter, Thornton put up 239 attempts from behind the arc.

4. Trevor Gaskins, Ole Miss (4.4) – Gaskins is another Rebel sharp-shooter, shooting 38.7% from three with 119 attempts and 8 starts.

4. David Huertas, Ole Miss (4.4) – Huertas is the third Rebel player in the top five three-point shooters in the conference, hitting 36.1% of his 208 three-point attempts.

7. Jodie Meeks, Kentucky (5.1) – Although Meeks only saw 11 games, and started 5 of those, he showed potential as a shooter. While only hitting 32.0% of his threes, his stroke should greatly improve with more playing time.

8. Terry Martin, LSU (5.3) – While Martin showed some ability as a scorer, hitting 37.2% of his shots overall, he only brought down 30.5% of his three-point attempts. He did, however, attempt 141 of them in 752 minutes. Don’t look for Martin’s shot to improve, considering he’s entering his senior season.

9. Evaldas Baniulis, South Carolina (5.6) – As I stated in my previous post, Baniulis has tremendous potential as a shooter entering his junior season. He brought down 44.2% of his 95 attempts last season, and if I were Horn I’d be increasing those attempts as much as possible.

10. Zam Fredrick, South Carolina (5.8) – Fredrick rounds out the Top 10 as a mediocre 35.2% shooter from long range, although he attempted a high 193 shots from that range.

One thing of note is the fact that Ole Miss and South Carolina will be high-octane offenses next season, with five members of the Top 10.

Next is minutes per free throws made.

Some news updates…

As was suspected, Billy Humphrey was kicked off of the Georgia hoops team by embattled coach Dennis Felton. Losing the upperclassman shooter will mean youth in the Bulldogs’ guards and could hurt the team’s free throw shooting, as Humphrey hit 83.1% of his to lead the team (outside of Brewer, who only attempted nine). I’ve updated the excel file to include this change – Georgia now returns 50.22% of their scoring moving them to 6th while Auburn moves to 4th and Ole Miss moves to 5th. UGA also now returns 54.17% of their rebounding, dropping the team to 7th while Kentucky moves to 5th and Tennessee moves to 6th.

The Dallas Mavericks have picked up Charles Rhodes from Mississippi State, avoiding the European league…for now.

In other Mississippi State news, word has it that junior-to-be shooting guard Barry Stewart has broken his foot in a pick-up game, although word is that he will be fully healed by season’s start. Stewart’s shooting touch suffered last season – much like Beverly’s – and his lack of practice over the summer could hurt the Bulldogs.

Also on the MSU front, Jamont Gordon has apparently “verbally committed” to Mike Conley and will join the 76′ers summer camp soon, effectively eliminating him from any discussion for next season SEC talk.

Three SEC teams will begin, or have begun, breaking ground on new basketball facilities in the near future. Ole Miss’ building looks to span over 51,000 square feet and cost over $11 million, LSU’s will be 58,960 square feet and cost over $14 million, while there aren’t any firm details on plans for Mississippi State’s, but the building is in the works and there is an artist rendering on how it should look.

More to come soon…

Shooting specialists…

Next up is minutes per made three-pointer. While the SEC lost its top five shooters in this category, including the likes of Foster, Lofton, Riley, Ole Miss’ Rodney Jones, and JuJuan Smith, newcomers like Tennessee’s Scotty Hopson should bring shooting prowess back to the SEC.

MINUTES PER THREE-POINTER MADE

1. Chris Warren, Ole Miss (10.8) – Warren was a heavily underrated shooter last season, as his ball-handling prowess got most of the publicity. His 38.9% mark from long range should only improve as the sophomore-to-be returns as the SEC’s most dangerous three-point shooter.

2. Troy Brewer, Georgia (11.0) – Surprisingly, Brewer’s most impressive ability is putting up shots. Despite his ridiculously high amount of three-pointers taken (77 in just 253 minutes) and hitting just 29.9% of those, he ranks second in the conference in this category.

3. Trevor Gaskins, Ole Miss (11.3) – A diamond-in-the-rough for Kennedy’s squad, Gaskins is yet another impressive freshman from last season’s Ole Miss team. Gaskins hit 38.7% of his 119 three-point attempts, and should be among the most lethal shooters in the conference this coming season.

4. Marcus Thornton, LSU (11.6) – If you’re not tired of seeing this guy’s name on these lists yet, you will be. Thornton was a do-everything guy for the Tigers last season, including his impressive 37.7%  mark from 239 attempts from three. Thornton is possibly the single most dynamic player in the conference.

5. David Huertas, Ole Miss (12.1) – Seeing a trend here? The Rebels grab three of the top five spots in this category with Huertas, who drained an above-average 36.1% of his well-above-average 208 attempts. Huertas will look to be a leader on next year’s Rebel squad as a junior, who lose a great deal of inside presence and should be a very young team.

6. Evaldas Baniulis, South Carolina (12.7) – Although Baniulis (how do you pronounce that name?) had one of the highest three-point percentages in the conference last season – an astounding 44.2% – he was for the most part unheralded. With just 95 attempts during his sophomore season, there’s no reason this junior-to-be shouldn’t be moved into the starting lineup as a potential break-out star.

7. Kelvin Lewis, Auburn (12.8) – Another case of simply too many poor judgements, Lewis hit just 29.2% of his attempts from long range and attempted 48 of them in just 179 minutes.

8. Adam Allen, Florida (14.3) – Allen was a heavily under-the-radar type last season for the Gators and would have been the team’s best three-point shooter if not for Jai Lucas. With Lucas returning, there’s little hope for this 42.1% long-range shooter to move into the starting lineup, but this sophomore-to-be will have his day as an SEC stand-out.

9. Brandis Raley-Ross, South Carolina (15.1) – Surprisingly, this is a case of an unbelievably high percentage and not from amount taken. Possibly the most efficient shooter in the conference last season not named Shan Foster, Raley-Ross’ only flaw was lacking the confidence to attempt enough bombs. The junior-to-be hit a blazing 51.4% of them (while only shooting 48.8% from the floor) and yet only attempted 72 in 558 minutes. If this young man could shoot some more, he could open eyes not just in the SEC, but the nation.

10. Jodie Meeks, Kentucky (15.9) – Meeks is a under-utitlized shooter with a ton of potential, but will need to see more playing time to fully utitlize it. While ranking among the top ten in the conference in this category, he shoots just 32.0% from behind the arc and attempted 50 in just 255 minutes. If Meeks were to see the floor more often, I suspect his percentages would go up, as he played in just 11 games but started in five of them.

First impression is shock with the Rebels. While the Rebs will be relying heavily upon their young shooters next season with the loss of Williams and Curtis, it looks as if they may be okay to do so, considering the overwhelming impressiveness of their freshmen’s efficiency.

South Carolina, with their huge arsenal returning, could be a hot-shooting team next season as well, and one I would look at as a early pre-season dark horse.

Surprising not to see 2006-07’s most promising freshman shooter and SEC Freshman of the Year Patrick Beverly. Beverly shot effectively from long distance (37.8%) although not nearly as reliably as his first season, and simply didn’t attempt many shots considering the amount of time he saw.

Next up will be three-pointers attempted…