Understandably much focus is being placed on the Big Ten Conference’s strong sophomore class. As of February 22, the top three scorers are sophomores- Battle (17.3), Harris (17.2), and Turner (17.2). Four seniors are in the top 15 scorers- NU’s Moore (14.9), Cornley (14.6), Landry (12.8), and Pringle (12.7). Seniors generally have worked hard to hone their skills and they have a deep portfolio of game experiences and knowledge of their respective team’s defenses and offenses that enable them to step up with big plays at critical points in must win games.
Last Year’s Model
Last year, D. J. White and Jamal Butler both epitomized the role of seniors. White had every reason to throw in the towel given the coaching changes he experienced throughout his career at Indiana. But he continued to develop his game skills and toughened up his athletic body for a great senior season that ended ugly with the Sampson exploison in late February.
The Butler story is somewhat different in that he had been the point guard prior to the arrival of the fabulous freshmen (Oden, Conley, and Cook) who took the Buckeyes to a NCAA title game against Florida. Conley assumed the point guard role on that team and Butler stepped aside in a supporting role as the shooting guard without a complaint. Conley bolted for the NBA early and Butler was asked to step back into the point guard position, which he did quite effectively.
After re-toning his body during the off-season, Butler led the Buckeyes to a good season and a NIT Championship. Other notable seniors last year were Neitzel and Nymick (MSU); Butch, Stiemsma, and Flowers (Wisc.); Tollackson, McKenzie, and Coleman (Minn.); Coleman (Mich.); Hunter and Terwilliger (OSU); Crump (Purdue); Johnson, Looby, and Gorney of Iowa; and Pruitt and Randle (Illinois). Geary Claxton would have been a key member of this group had he not blown out his knee in January 2008.
While the current class of seniors is smaller, a number of them are in the category of White and Butler. Let’s take a look!
All Senior First Five
For starters, we could go with the four top scorers- Moore, Cornley, Landry, and Pringle. One could make a case for these four to be First Five picks, but let’s try to put a group of five that could be an effective team. So our picks for this senior five are as follows:
Craig Moore (NU) The best scorer among the seniors and an “on the floor” leader and coach for his team’s Princeton offense. Craig has had a number of big games this season, but his role in the upset of Florida State in December stands out as one of his best games. He has improved dramatically in his final two years and now is a very effective three-point shooter. He also is in top physical condition following a strict diet that is important for optimal athletic performance. The bottom line for Moore is that he probably has achieved as much with his physical basketball abilities as any other player in the Conference. He is the shooting guard for this senior five, but also has good ballhandling skills.
Jamelle Cornley (PSU) Cornley has a very consistent career at PSU. He plays much bigger than his 6′5″ length, but is a powerful force in the paint. He can score of the easy lay-up as well as score off the short range jump shots in the paint. Cornley has been a critical member of the three key players (Battle and Pringle) responsible for the great success Penn. State is having this year. He is the power forward on this all senior five.
Chester Frazier (Illinois) Frazier is considered one of the best defensive players in the Conference, if not the best. He always takes the toughest defensive assignement for the Illini and has had great success in shutting down big scorers throughout the year. He often guards scorers 5 and 6 inches taller, but is an effective defender no mater who he shadows. In addition, he is a good ballhandler, sharing the point guard duties on the Illini team. He is not a great scorer, but he does hit open shots when they present themselves. He is picked for this team for his superior defensive skills. Travis Walton (MSU) is a similar type of player- a strong defender with good ballhandling skills. Walton does not play as many minutes per game as Frazier and is not quite as crucial to the Spartan team as is Frazier to the Illini.
Marcus Landry (Wisc.) Landry has been a key Badger Player for four years. While very quiet at times, his athletic skills stand out on the Badger team and he is called on to use them at crucial times in close games. He rebounds, can score inside, and also is an effective three point shooter. His recent play has been critical to the Badger recent string of wins this season.
Goran Suton (MSU) Goran is the center on this senior five. He has had to recover from knee surgery earlier in the season, but is critical to the Spartan half-court game. He is a strong rebounder, can step out and hit the three, and is a very good free thrower.
Off the Bench
For two guys off the bench, take Calvin Brock (Illinois) and Joe Krabbenhoft (Wisc.). Brock is a good leaper for his size, energetic, and has good shooting range. Krabbenhoft has made a career of doing many of the little things that are crucial for wins including diving for balls, getting critical rebounds, and playing hardnosed defense. Neither of these guys are fearful of putting their bodies at risk including diving for loose balls, taking the charge in the paint, and going up strong for rebounds. Brock is the more athletic of these two, but both of them have heart and strong game motors.
And the Coach
For the Coach of this group, our pick is Ed DeChellis of Penn State. His team has performed very well this year, making a dramatic improvement over last year with essentially the same players plus or minus a few injuries. At this point, DeChellis has guided this team to the NCAA tournament.
Later we will pick the All Conference team, but we wanted to give the Seniors their time in the light. Given the extremely strong Sophomore class in the Conference, it will be difficult to make a case for most of these seniors in the First and Second All Conference teams. But senior leadership is very important and teams that do not have a strong senior leader usually pay with critical losses in close games, particularly early in the season. Ohio State probably suffers more than any other teams in the Conference from the absence of a strong senior player. Illinois has three strong seniors in Frazier, Meacham, and Brock. Iowa has Cyris Tate, but his role has been limited by injuries. Michigan St. has Suton, Gray, and Walton, another threesome who have played roles of strong seniors in various games. Senior Calasan has made consistent contributions to the Boilermakers throughout the year.
We probably will be talking about the great work of Coach DeChellis when we make our all conference picks. He certainly is high on the list of candidates for Conference Coach of the Year.
Original Story:
http://hoopraker.com/2009/02/22/role-...
