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ESPN's John Gasaway wrote an article (have to have an insider account) detailing his top 25 players. A few valley players made the list.
If you count Gonzaga there are 6 other players from mid-major schools on the list. Some people don't think Gonzaga qualifies as a mid-major anymore, and they tied with Duke and Kentucky for the most players on the list with 2 apiece.
4. Seth Tuttle, Northern Iowa Panthers
Tuttle has achieved national name recognition while playing for a Missouri Valley program not named "Wichita State," and that in itself is an accomplishment. Yes, Ali Farokhmanesh can claim the same accomplishment, but his recognition was tied to one specific -- electrifying -- feat. What Tuttle has done is arguably all the more remarkable for having been attained cumulatively.
So you know who Seth Tuttle is. I'm here to make the case that he's having one of the four best seasons in all of college basketball. One way to do so might be repetition. If D'Angelo Russell is a taller Trey Burke, the 6-8 Tuttle might fairly be said to be a taller Russell. Like Russell, Tuttle has also recorded a higher assist percentage than Marcus Paige, Melo Trimble or London Perrantes despite not being, strictly speaking, a point guard.
Tuttle has also been raining made shots down on opponents from both sides of the 3-point line all season long as the Panthers' leading scorer. His 2-point percentage is virtually identical to Okafor's, and UNI's star is also connecting on 49 percent of his once-every-game-or-so 3-point attempts. Lastly, Tuttle's amazing season has happened against the backdrop of a dramatic improvement on defense registered by Ben Jacobson's team. The Panthers star has earned his name recognition honestly. If anything, he deserves much more.
10. Ron Baker, Wichita State Shockers
When observers want to find a reason to like a draft pick, they often come up with "the kid's a winner." And when that is said someday about Baker and/or Fred VanVleet, it will surely be justified. The two Wichita State juniors are 90-13 in their college careers together, not to mention 60-4 over the last two seasons.
This season Baker has been asked to take more shots in the Shockers' offense, yet his effectiveness from the field is still almost the mirror image of what it was in 2013-14. And while his accuracy at the line has dropped, Baker's still hitting 77 percent of his free throws while posting the lowest turnover rate of an already low-turnover career. His per-game numbers will continue to be limited by the Missouri Valley's pace, but when the Shockers played a relatively speedy 63-possession contest against Evansville over the weekend, Baker put up 18 points and 15 assists.
If by chance Baker and VanVleet are both still around next season, the twosome may push their win total somewhere north of 125. The kids are winners.
If you count Gonzaga there are 6 other players from mid-major schools on the list. Some people don't think Gonzaga qualifies as a mid-major anymore, and they tied with Duke and Kentucky for the most players on the list with 2 apiece.
4. Seth Tuttle, Northern Iowa Panthers
Tuttle has achieved national name recognition while playing for a Missouri Valley program not named "Wichita State," and that in itself is an accomplishment. Yes, Ali Farokhmanesh can claim the same accomplishment, but his recognition was tied to one specific -- electrifying -- feat. What Tuttle has done is arguably all the more remarkable for having been attained cumulatively.
So you know who Seth Tuttle is. I'm here to make the case that he's having one of the four best seasons in all of college basketball. One way to do so might be repetition. If D'Angelo Russell is a taller Trey Burke, the 6-8 Tuttle might fairly be said to be a taller Russell. Like Russell, Tuttle has also recorded a higher assist percentage than Marcus Paige, Melo Trimble or London Perrantes despite not being, strictly speaking, a point guard.
Tuttle has also been raining made shots down on opponents from both sides of the 3-point line all season long as the Panthers' leading scorer. His 2-point percentage is virtually identical to Okafor's, and UNI's star is also connecting on 49 percent of his once-every-game-or-so 3-point attempts. Lastly, Tuttle's amazing season has happened against the backdrop of a dramatic improvement on defense registered by Ben Jacobson's team. The Panthers star has earned his name recognition honestly. If anything, he deserves much more.
10. Ron Baker, Wichita State Shockers
When observers want to find a reason to like a draft pick, they often come up with "the kid's a winner." And when that is said someday about Baker and/or Fred VanVleet, it will surely be justified. The two Wichita State juniors are 90-13 in their college careers together, not to mention 60-4 over the last two seasons.
This season Baker has been asked to take more shots in the Shockers' offense, yet his effectiveness from the field is still almost the mirror image of what it was in 2013-14. And while his accuracy at the line has dropped, Baker's still hitting 77 percent of his free throws while posting the lowest turnover rate of an already low-turnover career. His per-game numbers will continue to be limited by the Missouri Valley's pace, but when the Shockers played a relatively speedy 63-possession contest against Evansville over the weekend, Baker put up 18 points and 15 assists.
If by chance Baker and VanVleet are both still around next season, the twosome may push their win total somewhere north of 125. The kids are winners.
