This article is part of our Conference Preview series.
Roster turnover is a fact of life in college basketball. It would seem that programs would have plans in place to restock after players left via transfer or graduation, but that rarely happens because hoops is a sport that relies on stars. For Tier 2 conference such as the American Athletic, we tend to overrate teams that have some consistency from the previous year. Although Cincinnati, SMU and Wichita State are dealing with largely new roster, players will bubble up and perform.
That said, Central Florida has the most returning talent in the conference. The Knights are buoyed by 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall and guard B.J. Taylor with plenty of nice role players, including Aubrey Dawkins, the son of the coach. Injuries curtailed UCF's effectiveness last year. Fall and Taylor only played in one game together. In that game, the team only managed 38 points in a Jan. 16 loss to Cincinnati. If the two can manage to stay on the court together, coach Johnny Dawkins team could take the Knights dancing for the first time since 2005.
Center: Tacko Fall, UCF Knights
The giant Fall makes UCF appointment television. Unlike Manute Bol, he is not thin despite his height. He is so much taller than any opponent that he makes basketball look relatively easy. The problem has been keeping him on the court. As a junior, Fall only played 21.9 minutes in 16 games before injuring his shoulder in that loss to the Bearcats. He also fouled out twice
Roster turnover is a fact of life in college basketball. It would seem that programs would have plans in place to restock after players left via transfer or graduation, but that rarely happens because hoops is a sport that relies on stars. For Tier 2 conference such as the American Athletic, we tend to overrate teams that have some consistency from the previous year. Although Cincinnati, SMU and Wichita State are dealing with largely new roster, players will bubble up and perform.
That said, Central Florida has the most returning talent in the conference. The Knights are buoyed by 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall and guard B.J. Taylor with plenty of nice role players, including Aubrey Dawkins, the son of the coach. Injuries curtailed UCF's effectiveness last year. Fall and Taylor only played in one game together. In that game, the team only managed 38 points in a Jan. 16 loss to Cincinnati. If the two can manage to stay on the court together, coach Johnny Dawkins team could take the Knights dancing for the first time since 2005.
Center: Tacko Fall, UCF Knights
The giant Fall makes UCF appointment television. Unlike Manute Bol, he is not thin despite his height. He is so much taller than any opponent that he makes basketball look relatively easy. The problem has been keeping him on the court. As a junior, Fall only played 21.9 minutes in 16 games before injuring his shoulder in that loss to the Bearcats. He also fouled out twice in games against St. John's and Alabama. Fall had three straight double-doubles in mid-December. He will anchor the Knights' defense again and could be conference Player of the Year, if he can play close to the 26.3 minutes he did as a sophomore. Center options are limited in the AAC, so Fall is an easy pick to make.
Also Considered: Ernest Aflakpui, Temple; Jaime Echinque, Wichita State; Josh Carlton, Connecticut
Freshman: Nate Hinton, Houston Cougars
As a freshman, Hinton will have to find a role on the Cougars who have an interesting mix of returning players. The 6-5 guard can do a lot of things and should help coach Kelvin Sampson's team defensively. As a high school senior, Hinton provided 19.9 points, 7.7 assists, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.0 steals, and took his team to the Class 2A North Carolina state semifinals. It remains to be seen how much playing time he will get since Houston has Corey Davis, Armoni Brooks, Galen Robinson, and UMass transfer DeJon Jarreau already competing for minutes. If Sampson goes small (which is an option with an untested frontcourt), Hinton could soak up minutes as a stretch-four and make the most of his opportunities.
Also Considered: Sidney Wilson, Connecticut; Kevin Zhang, Tulane; Rod Brown, Wichita State; Antwaan Jones, Memphis
Scoring: Jalen Adams, Connecticut Huskies
Coach Dan Hurley has an excellent scorer to work with in his first year with the Huskies. Adams was expected to share the backcourt last season with Alterique Gilbert, but injuries kept Gilbert off the court again. The 6-3 senior led the Huskies for the second straight season with 18.1 points. He was held to single-digit scoring just three times and put up 20 points or more 11 times, including a season-high 31 points in an overtime win against Monmouth. Hurley had plenty of high-scoring guards at Rhode Island and he should allow the 6-3 senior to score in bunches again.
Also Considered: Jeremiah Martin, Memphis; Corey Davis, Houston; Quinton Rose, Temple; Jarron Cumberland, Cincinnati
Rebounding: Jarrey Foster, SMU Mustangs
Other than Fall, there are no clear candidates in the American Athletic who are going to dominate the glass. Foster a 6-6 wing for the Mustangs who was having a breakout season before tearing his ACL on Jan. 17. The senior could be back for the start of the season and he should be the leading board man for SMU. He grabbed seven or more boards in five straight games before getting hurt and averaged 5.9 rebounds to go along with 13.2 points and 2.7 assists for the injury ravaged Mustangs. Coach Tim Jankovich will likely be careful with his star until the flip of the calendar, but he should continue cause to matchup problems in conference play.
Also Considered: Tacko Fall; Ernest Aflakpui; Breaon Brady, Houston; Tre Scott, Cincinnati; Martins Igbanu, Tulsa
Playmaking: Isaac Fleming, East Carolina Pirates
Fleming is the rare player to leave the paradise of Hawaii. He traveled east and appears to have found a home in Greenville. New coach Joe Dooley should increase the team's tempo, which means more production for the 6-3 senior. Fleming led the Pirates with 4.8 assists to go along with 12.5 points and 3.8 rebounds. He authored a pair of triple-doubles in conference play and tallied double-digit assists in four games. Fleming and sophomore Shawn Williams (12.4 points) should be one of the best backcourts in the AAC. The ECU frontcourt is an open question. If Dooley can find some rebounders, the team could be a pleasant surprise.
Also Considered: Sterling Taplin, Tulsa; B.J. Taylor, UCF; Laquincy Rideau, South Florida; Jimmy Whitt, SMU; DeJon Jarreau, Houston
Sleepers
Simon Falokun, Tulsa Golden Hurricane
The Golden Hurricane sweep into the new season looking for someone to replace some of Junior Etou's production. The 6-8 forward led Tulsa with 15.0 points and 7.9 rebounds. Falokun could be that player. The junior college transfer provided 15.5 points and 9.9 rebounds at Dawson Community College. He scored in double digits in all but one game and accumulated 15 double-doubles. Coach Frank Haith has center Martins Igbanu to man the post, but Falokun is a much more aggressive rebounder and a more agile defender. The 6-8 sophomore should start next Igbanu and may help the Tulsa faithful forget Etou.
Rashawn Fredericks, Cincinnati Bearcats
Like Falokun, Fredericks comes from the ranks of junior college players and could fill in for an outgoing player of excellence. Jacob Evans left the Bearcats and was drafted by the Golden State Warriors. The team also lost Gary Clark and Kyle Washington, so there are huge frontcourt holes to fill. The 6-6 Fredericks snatched double-digits rebounds over two seasons with Motlow State Community College in Tennessee. As a sophomore, he provided 17.7 points and 10.3 rebounds and was the TCCAA Player of the Year. Evans provided a team-high 13.0 points and 4.7 rebounds for coach Mick Cronin. Fredericks could provide similar numbers.
Also Considered: Wilson; Seth LeDay, East Carolina; Quentin Jackson, Temple; Ricky Torres, Wichita State; TJ Lang, South Florida
Top-10
1. Tacko Fall, C, UCF
2. Jalen Adams, G, Connecticut
3. Isaac Fleming, G, ECU
4. Jarron Cumberland, G, Cinncinati
5. B.J. Taylor, G, UCF
6. Quinton Rose, F, Temple
7. Jeremiah Martin, G, Memphis
8. Laquincy Rideau, G, USF
9. Sterling Taplin, G, Tulsa
10. Jarrey Foster, G, SMU
