A10's Best: Centers
Ian Nolan, Columnist
We continue ranking the top players in the Atlantic 10 -- today reviewing the league's top big men who operate in the paint, the centers. While the center position is without question the thinnest position talent-wise around the league, there are still some quality players manning the five spot for their respective clubs.
For those of you who missed the Point Guard, Shooting Guard and Forward articles, click the links below to be taken to Secondary Break, College Chalktalk's Blog, and to the Forward pieces here on the main site:
http://secondarybreak.wordpress.com/2011/10/26/a10s-best-top-5-shooting-guards/
http://secondarybreak.wordpress.com/2011/10/25/a10s-best-top-5-point-guards/
http://collegechalktalk.com/conferencenotebooks/atlantic10/A10-s_Best_Series-_Ranking_the_Players
As always, share your thoughts with us on twitter @cchalktalk.
Top Centers
1. Kenny Frease, Xavier - Frease has battled his way from could-be-bust to premier center in the Atlantic 10 and vital cog for a top 20 Xavier team. Aside from the sheer numbers that the seven foot Frease put up last season (11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 54% from field) Xavier continued to utilize his size by running their guards of his down screens and using Frease in pick-and-roll plays and high-low sets. Frease's ability to set quality screens for Tu Holloway is a critical component for the Xavier offense. Frease took a huge leap forward last year (more than doubling his point total) and will continue to grow this season on a hungry X squad that will demand his best effort. Frease has improved his conditioning and despite a suspension for violating Xavier's team rules earlier in October, Frease will be a major factor in just how deep the Musketeers play into March.
2. Michael Eric, Temple - Unlike Frease, who took one giant leap forward last year after two years of simply mediocre play, Eric has slowly developed his game since his arrival on Temple's campus three years ago. The 6-foot-11 Nigerian big man has improved his scoring, rebounding and block totals for three straight seasons and is due for another increase in those averages. However, it should be noted that Eric won't have the luxury of playing alongside Lavoy Allen, meaning that opposing defenses can now afford to pay Eric more attention. While not a huge scoring threat, Eric will keep defenses honest with a good touch out to 12 feet and improving hands and footwork. Fran Dunphy will certainly want to see Eric out on the floor more than the 20 minutes a game he logged last year, and will expect the same level of production from his five man.
3. Ronald Roberts Jr., Saint Joseph's - In what has become a recurring theme during this series, a Saint Joseph Hawks' player winds up on the list once again; this time it's sophomore center Ronald Roberts Jr.. Roberts joins teammates Carl Jones, Langston Galloway and C.J. Aiken giving the Hawks four players in our series, a number that lends great optimism to fans on Hawk Hill. Roberts (6.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 53% field) at times played like a freshman last season: putting up less than five points in 13 games, and failing to connect on a single field goal in five contests. But, as the season progressed Roberts began finding his feet and adjusted to Atlantic 10 play. In the quarterfinal game on Boardwalk Hall, Roberts stamped his best effort of the season by scoring 19 points and pulling down nine rebounds in Saint Joseph's 93-90 win over Duquesne. Ranked this high based on projected growth over the next three years, Roberts will team will C.J. Aiken to give SJU a quality up and coming frontcourt. As far as this year is concerned, St. Joe's must continue to mesh collectively and develop better bench play before fans expect their parts to be as great as the whole.
4. Sean Carter, UMass - The first UMass player to make our lists, Carter can play both the four and five but belongs here because of his particular role on the UMass team. Carter ranked 15th in the league in rebounding last year (6.3) and lead UMass with 38 blocked shots from the center position. Though not a polished or overly talented offensive player, Carter did lead the Minutemen in field goal percentage in 2010-11 (56%) due in large part to playing within himself and scoring inside of five feet. Carter has improved his field goal percentage 14 percentage points since his freshman season back in 2007-08, but has yet to solve his free throw issues (a 38% shooter). Carter will see increased minutes with Hashim Bailey's departure and with those minutes, should become more comfortable within the UMass offense. At the end of the day he's a high-energy rebounder who has provided Derek Kellogg with quality minutes and a lane presence after transferring from Oregon State... and there's nothing wrong with that.
5. Kervin Bristol, Fordham - A junior college transfer from Broward Community College in Florida, but a Brooklyn native, Bristol came home to the Bronx last year providing the Rams with a quality interior presence, specifically on the defensive side of the ball. Bristol ranked fourth in the league blocks last year (53) and 13th in rebounding (6.8) while starting 23 of the Rams 28 games. Bristol only averaged 3.8 points a game, but his 2.5 offensive rebounds a game ranked 10th in the league and it's those types of plays that keep possessions alive and generally result in points or, at the least, help to wear down defenses. Bristol should find himself a more confident player this year after getting his feet wet in Division 1 basketball last season. While Chris Gaston garners much of an opposing defense's gameplan and effort, Bristol will be able to take advantage of that lack of attention paid to him, grabbing key rebounds on missed assignments. Bristol provides coach Tom Pecora with the type of blue-collar center that every coach loves, even if he's not the most polished player at the position.
* * *
