Every year, college basketball sees a turnover of talent, losing some of it to graduation and some of it to early declarations. Every year, there are new expectations placed upon those that are next in line to take over as the next season’s stars. These are just four of the college basketball stars that will be under the most pressure to perform in the 2015-16 season.
Marcus Paige — North Carolina — Senior Point Guard
2014-15 Stats: 14.1 points per game, 4.5 assists per game
Paige is one of the most talented players in college basketball when he’s healthy, as he has a knack of knowing how to score and knowing when he needs to take a game over. That said, Paige was not healthy last year and, despite some good numbers, it showed. He had problems with his right foot during the season, and underwent arthroscopic surgery not long after the Tar Heels loss to Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament. The point guard should be healthy and ready to shine this season, though.
Why The Pressure is On: North Carolina returns everyone that played significant minutes from last year’s team except for forward J.P. Tokoto and the Tar Heels are one of the favorites to win the National Championship this season. Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks are both NBA prospects — in their own, unique ways –in the front court, and both are expected to have good years. Justin Jackson is probably the best pro prospect out of all the Tar Heels, as the athletic forward is a Swiss Army knife on the court. Not to mention a rotation of Joel Berry, Nate Britt, Joel James, Isaiah Hicks, and Theo Pinson all being contributors off the bench. That said, it is Paige who drives the crowded bus, as he balances scoring and distributing with leading the team to the most important part: winning.
Winning has been the difficult part for the Tar Heels the last few years (and every year of Paige’s tenure). The team has recorded ten or more losses in each of the past three seasons, a rarity at a blue-blood program like North Carolina. If the team were to lose ten or more games this year, it would be the first time a class has done so in each year since Class of 1955. Paige’s legacy is going to go hand in hand with how this season plays out. The Tar Heels have the talent, they just need the leadership.
Kris Dunn — Providence — Junior Point Guard
2014-15 Stats: 15.6 points per game, 7.5 assists per game, 5.5 rebounds per game
Dunn was a pretty high-profile recruit for Providence four years ago, as he finished right behind Paige in ESPN’s recruiting rankings at No. 23 in the country. His career did not have a great jump out of the gate, as he injured his shoulder; both injuries sidelined him for most of his freshman season, and all of his sophomore season. Injuries can be a tough circumstance for anyone to deal with, but it can be especially hard for the naturally talented players. Dunn used his time off the best way he could and took the college basketball world by storm last year.
Why The Pressure Is On: After his stat-stuffing season, Dunn had the very realistic opportunity to enter his name in the NBA Draft, and even be selected in the lottery. Dunn decided to go back to Providence instead.
There are a few reasons this move was, eh, ballsy. One, Providence’s other top returning scorer is sophomore Ben Bentil, who averaged a solid 6.4 points per game. The Friars lost LaDontae Henton (19.4 PPG) and Carson Desrosiers to graduation, while also losing Tyler Harris (9.9 PPG) and Pascal Chukwu to transfer. It will not be nearly as easy for Dunn to accumulate the same type of assist numbers that he did last year — Henton alone was one of the best scorers in the country. He will be the number one option — his scoring numbers should go up in theory — but he will also be the main focus of every defense he faces with Henton gone. Night in and night out, a lot of defenses are going to simply say, “we are going to let anyone but Dunn beat us.” It felt like Dunn’s draft stock topped out last year, and it can only go down this year. He is going to have to put up about the same clip from last year without having a disappointing year in any particular area.
As previously discussed, Dunn has not had the best of luck with injuries, either. It is an incredible gamble on himself and, well, his shoulder. It will be interesting to see how well Dunn plays with the weight of the world on what will be giving him the most stress.
Nigel Hayes — Wisconsin — Junior Forward
2014-15 Stats: 12.4 points per game, 6.2 rebounds per game
Hayes became one of the most popular players in the country last year with his fun-loving attitude and an uncanny ability to lighten up the room with a good joke or two. His press conferences were legendary, and his messing with the NCAA’s stenographer was a worldwide hit. This was all fun and games because Wisconsin was winning, of course. Hayes had a huge part in that winning, although he was clearly behind Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker in the pecking order. The forward got noticeably better as the season went on, showing the ability to take the ball to the hoop and step out for the occasional three.
Why The Pressure Is On: Kaminsky, Dekker, point guard Traevon Jackson, and glue guy Josh Gasser are all graduated; they all started last year for a very successful Badgers team. Expectations are not going to be floored that much in Madison, as the fans have come to expect much from their basketball team. Wisconsin is obviously not going to be on the same level as last year’s team, but the conference is pretty open after Maryland and Michigan State. A third place finish is not crazy to think about for the Badgers. Hayes is going to be the main guy for a fairly inexperienced team this upcoming season, and it’s going to be a spot that we have not seen Hayes in, yet. It will be interesting to see how he adjusts to defenses focusing on him. It is also likely that Wisconsin does not play nearly as fast as they have the last couple of years. Hayes may not be seeing the type of production he would like to in terms of statistics and start pressing.
Hayes is a legitimate NBA prospect, too. His range on (way too early) 2016 mock drafts varies, but really, this upcoming season could make Hayes millions of dollars, or force him to come back to get his college degree. That is the risk/reward with being the No. 1 option for a big time college basketball program. Can Hayes can show improvement in his game while being game planned against every game?
Malik Newman — Mississippi State — Freshman Guard
2014-15 Stats: 29.7 points per game, 5.7 rebounds per game, 4.2 assists per game (HS)
Newman was the only freshman that was really considered, but he is going to have a big task on his hands down at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs did not have a great year last season, but that could change under new coach Ben Howland. Howland had his struggles at UCLA, sure, but he is still a better coach than Rick Ray. The plethora of guards that the Bulldogs have is going to be an interesting story line, not only for Howland, but also Newman, a kid that wants to be a professional as soon as possible. Travis Daniels, I.J. Ready, Craig Sword, and Fred Thomas are all guards that deserve quality playing time, and are all guys that will get better this year. The dynamic between the upperclassmen guards and Newman has to be one of the biggest questions for the team going into the year.
Why The Pressure Is On: Newman is a scorer first and foremost, but the next thing you will notice about his game is how much he is always talking, whether it is to other players on the court, or the fans in the stands. He is practically a celebrity in the state of Mississippi, and his popularity and aura grew when he committed to the Bulldogs. He takes any shot he thinks he can make, whether it be a jump shot four feet behind the three-point line or a reverse layup around a defender one foot behind the glass. He has even started to market himself, and has his own website. Now, he has to back it up, with numbers and wins, which is not the simplest job in an improving conference. If Newman is not playing up to the sky-high expectations that he has set for himself, and Mississippi State is not winning, team chemistry could get ugly. Newman’s scorer’s mentality could potentially upset guys like Daniels, Ready, Sword and Thomas, all upperclassmen in the back court.
There will also be speculation of where Newman could have went. The five-star guard was obviously talented enough to go to a blue-blood type of program like Kentucky or Kansas. In fact, those two teams were among his final choices. Once Howland was hired at Mississippi State, Newman say his chance to create his own legacy and liked the reputation Howland had of leading guards to the NBA. That said, it will be hard to not wonder what Newman would look like in either a Wildcat or Jayhawk jersey, and that will be the talk of college basketball fans everywhere, especially if Newman and MSU were to struggle this year.
Honorable Mentions:
Fred VanVleet/Ron Baker — Wichita State — Senior Guards
Perry Ellis — Kansas — Senior Forward
Kyle Collinsworth — BYU — Senior Forward
Kaleb Tarczewski — Arizona — Senior Center
