Athlon Fantasy Draft

Leslie is a human highlight reel.

The staff of Athlon sports recently held their fantasy college basketball draft and asked me to provide a quick recap of the proceedings. The draft took place during the last week of October and first week of November and featured eight Athlon writers and two writers from College Fantasy Hoops Insider (me — Perry Missner, editor and lead writer for the site, and Asa Tysseling, who covers the Big 12 and designed the site we used for the draft — the FBL Zone). The draft was 14 rounds and each team needed to field a starting roster of three guards, three forwards, a swingman (guard or forward) and two centers with five bench slots. The scoring is a point for each point, rebound, assist, steal, and block with a point taken away for each turnover.

Round 1

1 bhochman Kyle Singler, Duke, SR, F
2 asatyss Trey Thompkins, Georgia, JR, F
3 mitchlight Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech, SR, G
4 nathanrush Harrison Barnes, North Carolina, FR, F
5 nathankarp Klay Thompson, Washington State, JR, G
6 michaelmccracken Jacob Pullen, Kansas State, SR, G
7 Snowman Tracy Smith, North Carolina State, SR, C
8 Big Chief John Shurna, Northwestern, JR, F
9 charliemiller Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt, JR, G-F
10 bradengall Talor Battle, Penn State, SR, G

As I’ve written before, fantasy leagues are rarely won in the first round, but they can be lost. If your first-round pick busts, you can be in considerable trouble. None of the first round picks were really outlandish, but you could question Charlie Miller at number nine for his pick of Jeffery Taylor. He’s a fine player, but probably could have had a few rounds later. Kyle Singler has received a lot of press as a potential Player of the Year, but I think Duke has so many offensive options that Singler won’t be a top fantasy producer. His past numbers — 17 points, seven rebounds — are ok, but not outstanding. Snowman was wise to take a center because finding two starting centers in any league will be quite a chore. The league also seemed to shy away from the Big Ten, allowing me to get John Shurna and Braden Gall to select Talor Battle with two of the last three picks of the round.

Round 2

11 bradengall JaJuan Johnson, Purdue, SR, F-C
12 charliemiller Augustus Gilchrist, South Florida, JR, F-C
13 Big Chief Kemba Walker, Connecticut, JR, G
14 Snowman Travis Leslie, Georgia, JR, G
15 michaelmccracken LaceDarius Dunn, Baylor, SR, G
16 nathankarp Demetri McCamey, Illinois, SR, G
17 nathanrush Brandon Knight, Kentucky, FR, G
18 mitchlight Herb Pope, Seton Hall, JR, F
19 asatyss Jordan Williams, Maryland, SO, F-C
20 bhochman Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall, SR, G


Three more centers went in the second round, and all three should be top producers. Gall doubled up on Big Ten picks by taking the conference’s top center to go along with its top guard. Perhaps Gall was showing his Midwestern roots. I was strong proponent of Walker prior to last year and he had a good season. He should continue his ascent as a junior. Snowman’s pick of Leslie may turn out to be a gem if first-round pick Trey Thompkins is out for any length of time and McCracken took a sound flyer on Dunn who will only be out for three games. Herb Pope was a bit of a risk as well, but should be a solid combo for Light with Delaney (who was my top fantasy Tier 1 option prior to the season).

Round 3

21 bhochman Jared Sullinger, Ohio State, FR, F-C
22 asatyss Jimmy Butler, Marquette, SR, G-F
23 mitchlight Marshawn Powell, Arkansas, SO, F
24 nathanrush Isaiah Thomas, Washington, JR, G
25 nathankarp D.J. Kennedy, St. Johns, SR, G-F
26 michaelmccracken Derrick Williams, Arizona, SO, F
27 Snowman Alec Burks, Colorado, SO, G
28 Big Chief Perry Jones, Baylor, FR, F-C
29 charliemiller Enes Kanter, Kentucky, FR, C
30 bradengall Jon Leuer, Wisconsin, SR, F

If I were able to question Hochman’s first pick, he more than made up for it with his back-to-back picks. Hazell’s points will lift him to the top of the league, and Sullinger looks like the beastly center that the Buckeyes lacked last year (for the first time in ages). While Powell had a great freshman season, the fact that he broke his foot in the offseason would have kept me away. I really liked McCracken’s pick of Williams who should progress as a sophomore and be the main man for the Wildcats. Burks should be another excellent sophomore who controls the ball a great deal for the Buffaloes. Snowman’s forecast shouldn’t be too chilly. I needed a center, my name is Perry, and there was Perry Jones. I couldn’t resist. Hopefully, the Baylor freshman has more game than I do. While the Dunn risk will likely work out, Miller’s pick of Kanter will not. I would have been surprised had Kanter been allowed to play, but Miller apparently thought he was worth the flyer. Gall goes 3-for-3 for the Big Ten and it is hard to argue with his Leuer pick.

Round 4

31 bradengall Marcus Morris, Kansas, JR, F
32 charliemiller Cory Higgins, Colorado, SR, G
33 Big Chief Brad Wanamaker, Pittsburgh, SR, G
34 Snowman Mike Tisdale, Illinois, SR, C
35 michaelmccracken Mike Singletary, Texas Tech, SR, F
36 nathankarp Chandler Parsons, Florida, SR, F
37 nathanrush JaMychal Green, Alabama, JR, F
38 mitchlight Kevin Jones, West Virginia, JR, F
39 asatyss Fabricio Melo, Syracuse, FR, C
40 bhochman William Buford, Ohio State, JR, G

Gall finally left the Big Ten and, again, it is hard to argue with Kansas’ best player. Marcus Morris was often the best player on the court for the Jayhawks even when Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich were there last year. He figures to improve as a junior. If I praised the pick of Burks, I have to do the same with Higgins, who should continue to be a nice value from Colorado. Wanamker had a nice first week that made me feel good about him as my second guard. I really liked the seventh and eighth picks of the Round 4. Green should progress in his junior year at Alabama and gives Rush a solid basis with Barnes, Knight, and Thomas. Light took his third straight forward, and Kevin Jones may be the most consistent of the three (Pope and Powell being the others). Freshmen centers are sometimes fool’s gold, but Melo should progress as the season does.

Round 5

41 bhochman Nolan Smith, Duke, SR, G
42 asatyss Kyrie Irving, Duke, FR, G
43 mitchlight Reggie Jackson, Boston College, JR, G
44 nathanrush Tristan Thompson, Texas, FR, F-C
45 nathankarp Vernon Macklin, Florida, SR, F-C
46 michaelmccracken Maurice Creek, Indiana, SO, G
47 Snowman Tobias Harris, Tennessee, FR, F
48 Big Chief Sam Muldrow, South Carolina, SR, F-C
49 charliemiller John Jenkins, Vanderbilt, SO, G
50 bradengall Kris Joseph, Syracuse, JR, F

The league finally got over its collective Blue Devil dislike in Round 5. Hochman led the round off with Smith, and Tysseling followed up with his backcourt mate, Irving. It will be interesting to see who has more value at year’s end. Jackson could easily have more value than either Dukie because he scores, rebounds, and passes. Nice pick, Mr. Light. We had three centers go in the next five picks. Thompson figures to get a lot of minutes for the Longhorns, Macklin returns to Florida, and I took the Gamecocks’ top option. Creek was a nice pick by McCracken. I boldly predicted Creek would lead the Big Ten in scoring. Miller showed his Commodore roots with a second Vanderbilt player. Any guess in which round he took Festus Ezeli? Actually, someone stole Ezeli away from Miller. Stay tuned. Gall made another nice pick with Joseph who should be the Orange’s leading scorer.

Moore could be a steal in round 6.

Round 6

51 bradengall E'Twaun Moore, Purdue, SR, G
52 charliemiller Nikola Vucevic, USC, JR, F
53 Big Chief Mike Davis, Illinois, SR, F
54 Snowman Austin Freeman, Georgetown, SR, G-F
55 michaelmccracken Verdell Jones III, Indiana, JR, G
56 nathankarp Tim Abromaitis, Notre Dame, JR, F
57 nathanrush Jarrid Famous, South Florida, SR, F-C
58 mitchlight Rick Jackson, Syracuse, SR, F-C
59 asatyss Chris Warren, Mississippi, SR, G
60 bhochman Jeff Allen, Virginia Tech, SR, F

Gall sewed up the Boilermaker pair with his selection of Moore. I really like his team so far (and it is not just because he asked me to write this article.) Miller made a nice pick with Vucevic, who should be a double-double machine again for the Trojans. I also needed some beef down low and selected rebounder Davis from Illinois. Rush and Light went with second tier centers who were each the second pivotman on their respective teams. Jackson could outproduce Fab Melo, while Famous played well when Augustus Gilchrist was out. Tysseling made a very nice value pick with Chris Warren. His turnovers may limit his value somewhat, but he should control the ball for the Rebs.

Round 7

61 bhochman Draymond Green, Michigan State, JR, F
62 asatyss Jeremy Green, Stanford, JR, G
63 mitchlight John Roberson, Texas Tech, SR, G
64 nathanrush Josh Selby, Kansas, FR, G
65 nathankarp Chris Wright, Georgetown, SR, G
66 michaelmccracken Christian Watford, Indiana, SO, F
67 Snowman Kalin Lucas, Michigan State, SR, G
68 Big Chief David Lighty, Ohio State, SR, G-F
69 charliemiller Erving Walker, Florida, JR, G
70 bradengall Markieff Morris, Kansas, JR, F-C

Hochman began Round 7 with a nice pick. Green has a lot of talent and could provide a triple-double or two before the season is over. Tysseling continued to stock his backcourt with nice values in shooter Green from the Cardinal. Rush took his first flyer on Selby, who is not currently eligible. If he is able to play sooner rather than later, he could be the best value of the round. I haven’t commented on Karp’s team much and that signifies that he is making solid, unsurprising picks in each round. Wright should combine with Klay Thompson and Demetri McCamey to be one of the top backcourts in the league. Snowman continued the value picks of the round with the second Spartan. Lucas, if healthy, should provide a wealth of stats. Gall now has a pair of Morrises and Boilermakers.

Round 8

71 bradengall Mouphtaou Yarou, Villanova, SO, F-C
72 charliemiller Larry Drew II, North Carolina, JR, G
73 Big Chief Ben Hansbrough, Notre Dame, SR, G
74 Snowman Tyler Zeller, North Carolina, JR, F-C
75 michaelmccracken Bilal Dixon, Providence, SO, F-C
76 nathankarp Joe Trapani, Boston College, SR, F
77 nathanrush Terrence Jones, Kentucky, FR, F
78 mitchlight Michael Thompson, Northwestern, SR, G
79 asatyss Marshon Brooks, Providence, SR, G-F
80 bhochman Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh, JR, G

Gall took his third center with Yarou from Villanova. The Wildcats are generally perimeter-oriented, but Yarou was the first player from his team to go. Miller hopes Drew can figure out the point guard position in his third try, and I figured Hansbrough would get plenty of assists for the Irish. The Zeller and Dixon picks indicate the dearth of centers available. Dixon was McCracken’s first center chosen. Based on his first game, Jones may have been a sweet value pick for Rush. With Kanter out of the picture, Jones should have plenty of rebounding and scoring opportunities. Thompson is a solid, quiet pick for Light. Based on the first week as well, Gibbs was a great pick for Hochman.

Round 9

81 bhochman Renardo Sidney, Mississippi State, SO, F-C
82 asatyss Antonio Pena, Villanova, SR, F
83 mitchlight Mike Scott, Virginia, SR, F
84 nathanrush Durand Scott, Miami, SO, G
85 nathankarp Malik Cooke, South Carolina, JR, F
86 michaelmccracken Ralph Sampson III, Minnesota, JR, F-C
87 Snowman John Henson, North Carolina, SO, F
88 Big Chief C.J. Leslie, North Carolina State, FR, F
89 charliemiller Alex Tyus, Florida, SR, F
90 bradengall Jordan Hamilton, Texas, SO, G-F

Hochman took a calculated risk with Sidney who will miss the first nine games of the season. When he returns, he should be the top option for the Bulldogs. After watching Scott against Memphis, I think he was a great pick for Rush. He is a valuable two-way player for the Hurricanes. Based on early returns, McCracken and Snowman got good value in Round 9. Sampson and Dixon may be a decent pivot combo for McCracken, and Henson may just break out in his sophomore season. Hamilton has also looked good and has never seen a shot he didn’t like (which is a great comment for fantasy value).

Round 10

91 bradengall Kenny Boynton, Florida, SO, G
92 charliemiller Marshall Moses, Oklahoma State, SR, F
93 Big Chief DeAngelo Casto, Washington State, JR, F
94 Snowman Dane Miller, Rutgers, SO, F
95 michaelmccracken Corey Fisher, Villanova, SR, G
96 nathankarp Patric Young, Florida, FR, F-C
97 nathanrush Storm Warren, LSU, JR, F
98 mitchlight Luka Mirkovic, Northwestern, JR, F-C
99 asatyss Chris Singleton, Florida State, JR, F
100 bhochman Curtis Kelly, Kansas State, SR, F

Boynton was somewhat disappointing as a freshman, but he may be one of those players who progresses in his sophomore season. I like the Moses and Casto picks (yes, I am patting myself on the back). Moses should control the boards for the Cowboys, and Casto, if healthy, could be the best player for the Cougars. Karp may have taken the first player who is not slated to start. Young should see time in relief of Alex Tyus and Vernon Macklin, but he might be a better pick next year. Warren is the only established player for the Tigers and opened 2009-10 very strongly. Singleton is another player who was highly touted as an underclassman, but things may click as a junior.

Round 11

101 bhochman Alex Oriakhi, Connecticut, SO, F-C
102 asatyss Laurence Bowers, Missouri, JR, F
103 mitchlight Brad Tinsley, Vanderbilt, JR, G
104 nathanrush Reggie Bullock, North Carolina, FR, G
105 nathankarp Gary McGhee, Pittsburgh, SR, C
106 michaelmccracken Reeves Nelson, UCLA, SO, F
107 Snowman Reggie Johnson, Miami, SO, C
108 Big Chief Malcolm Lee, UCLA, JR, G
109 charliemiller Shawn Williams, Texas, FR, F
110 bradengall Tyler Honeycutt, UCLA, SO, F

Oriakhi is a decent second center to get this late in the draft. Tinsley has already submitted a triple-double this season, so he may be the Commodore most worth owning. McGhee and Johnson look like they should be solid center picks at this point, and two of the three Bruins seem like good values in Round 11. The jury is still out on my pick, Malcolm Lee, who did little in the opener and sprained his ankle.

Round 12

111 bradengall Maalik Wayns, Villanova, SO, G
112 charliemiller Josh Smith, UCLA, FR, C
113 Big Chief Gary Johnson, Texas, SR, F
114 Snowman Phil Pressey, Missouri, FR, G
115 michaelmccracken Jeff Robinson, Seton Hall, SR, F
116 nathankarp Dorenzo Hudson, Virginia Tech, SR, G
117 nathanrush Festus Ezeli, Vanderbilt, JR, C
118 mitchlight Drew Crawford, Northwestern, SO, G-F
119 asatyss Devin Booker, Clemson, SO, F-C
120 bhochman Kim English, Missouri, JR, G

Wayns opened the season well and should be another solid option for Gall. Smith was the fourth Bruin taken in the last seven picks. He may the best of the lot. I liked Paul Pressey, and I like his son to do well for coach Mike Anderson. Hudson sometimes hides in Malcolm Delaney’s shadow, but he is a fine fantasy option in his own right. Finally, Ezeli goes in Round 12. Miller must have been unhappy. Hochman took the second Tiger of the round and should get a nice value from English.

Round 13

121 bhochman Durrell Summers, Michigan State, SR, G
122 asatyss Reggie Moore, Washington State, SO, G
123 mitchlight Bruce Ellington, South Carolina, FR, G
124 nathanrush Freddy Asprilla, Kansas State, JR, C
125 nathankarp Matt Gatens, Iowa, JR, G
126 michaelmccracken Brian Williams, Tennessee, SR, C
127 Snowman Ricardo Ratliffe, Missouri, JR, F
128 Big Chief Cade Davis, Oklahoma, SR, G
129 charliemiller Jio Fontan, USC, SO, G
130 bradengall Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin, JR, G

There were a lot of nice values in the penultimate round. Bruce Ellington won’t fill Devan Downey’s shoes, but he will have the ball in his hands a lot for the Gamecocks. Brian Williams could be a decent center option for McCracken, and Ratliffe was just another Tiger to go in the past 15 picks. Neither Gatens nor Fonton will start the season on the court for their respective teams, but they will be solid picks when they return from injury (Gatens has a wrist injury) and transfer time (Fontan transferred from Fordham). Gall now has the top two options at Purdue and Wisconsin.

Round 14

131 bradengall Scotty Hopson, Tennessee, JR, G
132 charliemiller Cory Joseph, Texas, FR, G
133 Big Chief Evan Smotrycz, Michigan, FR, F
134 Snowman Darrell Williams, Oklahoma State, JR, F
135 michaelmccracken Jonathan Mitchell, Rutgers, SR, F
136 nathankarp Frankie Sullivan, Auburn, JR, G
137 nathanrush Doron Lamb, Kentucky, FR, G
138 mitchlight Gerald Robinson, Georgia, JR, G
139 asatyss Vincent Council, Providence, SO, G
140 bhochman Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Washington, SR, F

The final round featured some curious picks. Gall finally took a player from Athlon’s home state, and Hopson could do well for the Vols. Miller made a nice pick with Joseph, who should lead the Longhorn attack. I will cut Smotrycz as soon as I am able. I thought he might be the new version of Kevin Pittsnogle. I don’t think I was right. Williams had a nice preseason game and could be a keeper for the Snowman. Lamb looks like another great freshman for Rush, and Robinson is a solid transfer pickup for Light. Bryan-Amaning looks anything but Mr. Irrelevant and should score plenty of points.