College Hoops Video

I have to admit, I thought Patrick Patterson would go pro in the 2009 NBA draft when he started being projected to be a first round pick. He stayed in college for one more year to finish his degree and spend a year under new Kentucky Coach, John Calipari’s tutelage to help enhance his “away from the rim” skills. Patterson may see his overall numbers dip a bit now that the Wildcats have a few more options than have Jodie Meeks shoot the 3ball and Patterson shoot it inside, but he enters the 2009-10 season as one of the best inside-men in college basketball. The defending champion North Carolina Tar Heels, however, have Ed Davis coming back to help lead their national title defense. Two freshmen make my “top ten ” of power forwards based on their pedigrees entering their freshman seasons: Kentucky’s DeMarcus Cousins, and Georgia Tech’s Derrick Favors. Yes, Cousins would be labeled a center at most colleges, but don’t be surprised to see him listed as a second PF on the lineup. Favors will get more touches at Tech, and look out for these two highly touted Frosh.

Top 10 2009-10 NCAA Basketball Power Forwards

#1 2009-10 NCAA Basketball Power Forward - Patrick Patterson, Kentucky

Now that Kentucky has two big time post players to complement Patrick Patterson in DeMarcus Cousins and Daniel Orton, we’ll finally get a chance to see what Patterson can do this season. Not that his 17.9 points per game last season were any small effort, but by making Patterson free to not have to guard the opposing center every game, Patterson could quickly become one of the Naismith Player of the year candidates this season at Kentucky. Expect to see him go high in the 2010 NBA draft.
#2 2009-10 NCAA Basketball Power Forward -Ed Davis, North Carolina
For the Tar Heels to have a decent shot at defending their 2009 NCAA Tournament title, Ed Davis will need to have a huge year. He’s capable of doing so, and now that he’ll be one of the primary focuses of the North Caroline offense, regular double-doubles out of Davis may become the norm when watching the Tar Heels play this season.

#3 2009-10 NCAA Basketball Power Forward -Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest
It was surprising to see both Aminu and Patterson pass up a chance to go to the NBA in the 2009 draft. WIth Aminu returning for another season at Wake, expect to see his numbers increase and for Wake Forest to be in the thick of the ACC race.
#4 2009-10 NCAA Basketball Power Forward -Devin Ebanks, West Virginia

Devin Ebanks really started to grow-up as a basketball player last season at West Virginia. Over the last third of the Mountaineers season, he averaged more than 10 rebounds a game. He’ll be playing a key role in West Virginia’s Big East title hopes this season.
#5 2009-10 NCAA Basketball Power Forward -Craig Brackins, Iowa State
Craig Brackins has continued to increase his scoring and rebounding production over the past two seasons. Now he just needs to show he can help his team win more ball games this coming season.
#6 2009-10 NCAA Basketball Power Forward -Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech
One of two incoming frosh on my top ten. It was a toss-up to me on whether to list Favors or Cousins in this spot, but since Favors figures to get more touches on offense, at first glance it apears as though his numbers will be higher this season than Cousins.

#7 2009-10 NCAA Basketball Power Forward -DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky
If you keep up with Kentucky basketball news, then you’ll know that Coach Cal has nothing but great things to say about Cousin’s inside game. Since it doesn’t seem to be “en vogue” to be listed as a center now-a-days if you’re under 7′ tall, expect to see Cousins listed as a second PF on Kentucky’s roster this season next to Patterson in the starting lineup.

#8 2009-10 NCAA Basketball Power Forward -Trevor Booker, Clemson

If Clemson can reliably get him the ball game in and game out, we’ll see a huge season out of Booker this year in the ACC.

#9 2009-10 NCAA Basketball Power Forward -Lance Thomas, Duke
I know, if you’re not a Duke fan you might be like ? Well, Lance Thomas didn’t crack the 6 ppg mark last season, but he nailed over 60% of his field goals and now that he’s entering his senior year, he’s primed to have a big season for the Blue Devils at the PF position.

#10 2009-10 NCAA Basketball Power Forward -Lazar Hayward, Marquette
Hayware averaged 16.3 points per game last season without ever really being the primary focus for the offense. Expect a big year from him this season.

Close to Making my list:

Renardo Sidney, Mississippi State - If we ever get to see him play alongside Vernado, then he enters the top 10 somewhere near Favors and Cousins….but we’ll just have to wait and see.
Daniel Orton, Kentucky – Its just not right to list 3 bigs from the same team. I don’t see Cal getting all three of his premiere bigs enough touches this season to list Orton, Cousins, and Patterson on the same list. It won’t surprise me, however, to see some big games out of Orton this season.

Kentucky Coach John Calipari

Now that the majority of the 2009 NCAA recruiting classes are set and we know who is going into the 2009 NBA draft, I figured it was time to put out my pre-season Top 25. We’ll see a little movement over the next few months depending on what Lance Stephenson decides to do and where the USC recruits end up, but the 2009-10 NCAA basketball  season does prove to be an exciting one!

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 1 Kansas
Bill Self is heading into the 200910 season fully loaded with his talent from last year as well as another great recruiting class headlined by star shooting guard, Xavier Henry. Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich are back for another shot at the NCAA title, and the Jayhawks should repeat as Big 12 champions next season.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 2 Kentucky
Its debatable on what the impact of Jodie Meeks not coming back to Kentucky for the 2009-10 season is going to be. He led the Wildcats and the SEC in scoring last season, but if the number 1 recruiting class of 2009 performs as expected, Coach John Calipari will have the Wildcats heading deep into the 2010 NCAA tournament next year! The Wildcats will have one of the strongest front courts in the country with Patrick Patterson, DeMarcus Cousins, and Daniel Orton to go with the top rated point guard prospect in the country, John Wall.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 3 Villanova
Scottie Reynolds returning to Nova with a great recruiting class is making the Wildcats the Big East favorite and a threat for the 2010 NCAA title!

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 4 Michigan State
The Spartans have three starters returning but will have a fight for the Big Ten title with Purdue and Ohio State.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 5 North Carolina

Ed Davis and Deon Thompson are back along with prize recruits John Henson and Leslie McDonald. This might be a bit high for the defending champs, but something tells me they’re going to be going deep again in the 2010 tourney!

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 6 Purdue
Purdue will be challenging Michigan State for the Big 10 title. They have all of their starters back along with JaJuan Johnson and will be a regular in the Top Ten during the 2009-10 season.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 7 Texas
The Long Horns have a great recruiting class headed by Avery Bradley and Jordan Hamilton. They’re going to give Kansas a run for the Big 12 Title and will be a force to be reckoned with in the post season.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 8 Duke
Duke is bringing back a solid core from last season’s team. Gerald Henderson will be missed and they may have a bit of trouble at the point initially, but the Blue Devils will be a top ten team next season.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 9 West Virginia
West Virginia is led by point guard Joe Mazzulla and Devin Ebanks will be a first round pick in the 2010 or 2011 NBA draft. The mountaineers should go deeper in the post season in 2010 than last year and will be one of the powerhouses in the Big East in 2009-10.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 10- Ohio State
Ohio State lost B.J. Mullens to the 2009 NBA draft, but they have Evan Turner back as well as a number of other starters to go with David Lighty.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 11- Washington
Washington was able to sign the second best point guard in the 2009 NCAA basketball recruiting class in Abdul Gaddy who will complement Thomas at the 2 guard position while leading Washington in the 2009-10 season.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 12 Oklahoma
Oklahoma had a strong recruiting year in 2009 and with Willie Warren coming back they will push Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma State in the Big 12.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 13 Tennessee
With Tyler Smith returning, Bruce Pearl has an experienced team heading in to the 2009-10 season. The Vols will be looking to keep Kentucky from going undefeated in SEC play next season and will be a top 15 team heading into the season.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 14 Cal
The Cal Bears will be competing with Washington for the PAC-10’s top spot next season. UCLA could come into the mix as well depending on how quickly their 2009 recruiting class performs as well.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 15 Miss State
If Renardo Sidney can gain his eligibility, Mississippi State will be a Top 20 team all season and will be trying to give Kentucky a run for their money for the SEC overall and tournament titles.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 16 Connecticut
Stanley Robinson, Ater Majok, and Kemba Walker will be leading the Huskies to another season atop the Big East and a national ranking.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 17 Dayton
Dayton almost has their entire team back from last season’s that won 27 games and a NCAA tournament game. They will be vying for the A-10 championship and we’ll see them ranked the majority of the season.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 18 Minnesota
Former Kentucky Wildcat coach Tubby Smith has his starters returning with a decent recruiting class. He’ll have a tough time trying to get past Ohio State, MSU, and Purdue, but the Gophers will be in the thick of the Big 10 race for the majority of the season.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 19 Butler
Butler could easily be ranked higher. They have everyone back from last season to include star Matt Howard.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 20 Oklahoma State
OSU has a great 2009 basketball recruiting class inbound in Travis Ford’s run and gun offense. They’ll score a lot of points, have fun, and just might pull some upsets along the way!

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 21 Michigan
DeShawn Sims and Manny Harris will be two of the leaders on the Wolverines squad next season. They could play up in the rankings once the season gets going.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 22 Missouri
The Tigers have a deep bench and will be dangerous again next season. Look for the team to take a bit time to gel after losing Leo Lyons and DeMarre Carroll, but will be clicking by tournament time.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 23 Louisville
Samardo Samuels and Terrence Jennings are going to be the “go to” players for Coach Rick Pitino next season. They have to perform to keep the Cards afloat in the Big East and the 2010 NCAA tournament.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 24 Memphis
Coach Josh Pastner has been putting together a pretty impressive recruiting class after taking over from Coach John Calipari. Many have counted the Tigers out, but with their current recruiting crop, look for them to win more than 25 games next season!

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 25 Siena
Siena has a majority of their core players coming back from last season. Losing Kenny Hasbrouck drops them a bit, so they eeked by Illinois to make Nr 25 on my rankings.

Close to Being Ranked:

Florida State – Solomon Alabi, Jordan Mercy, and Chris Singleton lead the Seminole front court along with incoming recruit Michael Snaer.

Illinois – The Fighting Illini have a great 2009 recruiting class. They just missed being in the top 25, but can quickly find themselves there once the season gets moving.

Georgetown – Georgetown was one of the disappointing teams of last season. With Greg Monroe back, the Hoyas should be able to build on the 2008-09 season and make it to the NCAA’s at the end of the year.

Refs:

http://kenpom.com/rate.php, http://www.latimes.com/sports/college/basketball/la-sp-renardo-sidney5-2009jun05,0,7406854.story, ttp://beyondthearc.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/04/17/1897733.aspx, http://bleacherreport.com/articles/162509-the-return-of-marcus-ginyard-your-2009-10-north-carolina-tar-heels, http://www.collegesports-fans.com/basketball-previews/2008-2009-previews/kansas-jayhawks-preview.html, http://www.zimbio.com/Chante+Black/news/PDWD71712ST/2009+Duke+Blue+Devils+Basketball+Recruiting, http://www.secsportsfan.com/2009-2010-kentucky-wildcats-basketball-preview.html,

Patrick Patterson

Attempting to guesstimate what Coach Calipari will choose to do with his starting lineup in November can be just that…guessing, but I’ll give it a shot and feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments of the article! First, all Kentucky fans now know that star shooting guard,

Jodie Meeks has declared for the 2009 NBA draft. We predicted that he would likely go in the first round prior to today in the College Hoops Video 2009 NBA Mock draft, but his decision did surprise a number of fans. We also know that Coach John Calipari has landed one of the greatest NCAA basketball recruiting classes of all time with his 2009 recruiting class. So, now that Jodie Meeks will not be returning for the 2009-10 season, who are the favorites for the starting positions for the Wildcats heading into the summer pickup games?Jodie Meeks has declared for the 2009 NBA draft. We predicted that he would likely go in the first round prior to today in the College Hoops Video 2009 NBA Mock draft, but his decision did surprise a number of fans. We also know that Coach John Calipari has landed one of the greatest NCAA basketball recruiting classes of all time with his 2009 recruiting class. So, now that Jodie Meeks will not be returning for the 2009-10 season, who are the favorites for the starting positions for the Wildcats heading into the summer pickup games?

 

2009 Kentucky Wildcats Projected Starter – Point Guard

Most fans have anointed John Wall as the Kentucky Wildcat’s starting point guard for the 2009-10 season. With star point guard Eric Bledsoe also coming in to the Wildcat’s program, there’s going to be some competition for the starting role. Coach Cal likely will have John Wall starting as the Wildcat’s point guard.

2009 Kentucky Wildcats Projected Starter – Power Forward

This one is a no-brainer, Patrick Patterson. We’re going to see him playing out on the wing in the dribble drive more often than he did last season which will help him work on his ball handling and skills away from the basket in preparation for the 2010 NBA draft.

2009 Kentucky Wildcats Projected Starter – Center

I expect that we’re going to see Demarcus Cousins and Daniel Orton battling it out for the starting role in the paint. Based off of assessed performance at the high school and AAU league play, Cousins has the nod heading in to the summer, however, the starting role in the paint is not going to be a gift. Depending on who ultimately wins the starting role, we could likely see the other player trade-off between the PF and Center position depending on how Coach Cal tweaks the offense to match the talent on next season’s team.

2009 Kentucky Wildcats Projected Starter – Small Forward

This is a tough call. In my mind Darnell Dodson and Deandre Liggins are the leading two candidates for the position. Dodson gets the nod based on his experience and track record playing last season at Miami Dade Community College. Liggins is mentioned across the Internet as being seen as a Wing Player under Coach Cal vice the point guard role that he found himself thrust into last season at times. We could see Liggins play a “Point Forward” role when he’s in the game on the wing as well.

2009 Kentucky Wildcats Projected Starter – Shooting Guard

If you read 10 articles on the 2009-10 Kentucky Basketball roster, you’ll likely see 10 different choices picked for the shooting guard role for next season now that Jodie Meeks is remaining in the 2009 NBA draft. My pick is Darius Miller. He showed a lot of promise last season, and with a year under his belt and a coach that lets you make mistakes, he may just surprise folks next year. Jon Hood, Eric Bledsoe, and DeAndre Liggins all get mentioned when looking at the 2 guard spot for next season, and Coach Calipari is on record for saying he’d like to have Wall and Bledsoe on the court at the same time, so we may just have to wait and see how he tailors the line-up for next season.

Projected 2009-10 Kentucky Wildcats Starting Line-Up:

PG: John Wall

SG: Darius Miller

SF: Darnell Dodson

PF: Patrick Patterson

C: DeMarcus Cousins
Haven’t seen John Wall play? Here’s a video of him in action from High School.

Refs:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/150146-kentucky-basketball-recruitingroster-update-current-roster, http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/dawson/2009/06/meeks-stays-in-draft-surprised.html, http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/dawson/2009/06/meeks-stays-in-draft-surprised.html, http://www.collegehoopsvideo.com/2009/06/2009-kentucky-basketball-recruiting-demarcus-cousins/, http://www.collegehoopsvideo.com/2009/06/2009-kentucky-recruiting-darnell-dodson/,