The Sweet 16: Ranking Baltimore’s best college basketball players
The 2010 basketball recruiting class in Baltimore was one of the most highly touted groups in the history of this city, and for good reason. Those players are now seniors in college, and the 2013-14 edition of The Baltimore Sun’s Sweet 16 features 12 of them.
The Sweet 16, which highlights the best Division I men’s college basketball players from this area, is based on prior accomplishments and projected success for this season. Eligible athletes are returning players and transfers who can play right away.
There are 89 local players on DI rosters this season. After the jump, we’ll look a little closer at the top 16, and address some who just missed the cut.
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Name: Ryley Beaumont
College: Elon
Position: Forward
Year: Senior
Local high school: Mount St. Joseph
Hometown: Millersville
2012-13 stats: 11.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 47.5%
Beaumont’s emergence as a double-digit scorer and his team’s top rebounder last season coincided with a big year for the Phoenix, who finished 21-12 and earned a spot in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. Beaumont, who started all 33 games as a junior, is a preseason All-Southern Conference first-team selection heading into this senior year.
Jeff Blake/USA TODAY Sports
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Name: Antonio Barton
College: Tennessee
Position: Guard
Year: Senior
Local high school: Lake Clifton
Hometown: Baltimore
2012-13 stats: 5.6 points, 1.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 40% shooting from 3
Barton graduated from Memphis in just three years, which allowed him to take advantage of the NCAA’s graduate transfer rule and join Tennessee without sitting out a year. Though his playing time dwindled over the course of his career with the Tigers, and he dealt with some injury issues, the Volunteers are expecting major contributions from the former Lakers star. Barton is the heavy favorite to start at point guard and, according to a source close the program, “play a big, big role.”
Tennessee Athletics/UTsports.com
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Name: Isaiah Philmore
College: Xavier
Position: Forward
Year: Senior
Local high school: John Carroll
Hometown: Bel Air
2012-13 stats: 7.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 49.7% shooting in 24.9 minutes per game
It took some time for Philmore to get acclimated to Xavier after he transferred from Towson, but the former John Carroll star appeared to hit his stride late last season. Over the last 11 games, the 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward averaged 10.6 points and shot 56.3 percent from the field. Philmore will likely play a bigger role this season for a Musketeers squad picked to finish seventh in the new Big East.
Frank Victores/USA TODAY Sports
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Name: Davon Usher
College: Delaware
Position: Guard
Year: Senior
Local high school: Digital Harbor
Hometown: Baltimore
2012-13 stats: 18.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 41.7% shooting
After two years at Polk State College in Florida, Usher transferred to Mississippi Valley State for his junior season and promptly led the SWAC in scoring. When the Delta Devils were placed on NCAA probation, Usher was able to transfer without penalty to any school of his choosing. At Delaware, the 6-foot-6, 200-pound wing will step into a starting role and provide another scoring option for the Blue Hens in addition to former Aberdeen star Devon Saddler.
University of Delaware athletic department
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Name: Roscoe Smith
College: UNLV
Position: Forward
Year: Junior
Local high school: Walbrook
Hometown: Baltimore
2011-12 stats: 4.4 points, 3.4 rebounds in 18.2 minutes per game at UConn
Smith sat out the 2012-13 season after transferring from Connecticut, where he helped the Huskies to the national championship as a freshman. The 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward is expected to play a major role for the Rebels. “Roscoe has the ability to play inside and out,” UNLV coach Dave Rice told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “He’s a perimeter guy with size who can guard in the post but also can guard on the perimeter.”
Josh H. Holmberg/USA TODAY Sports
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Name: Allan Chaney
College: High Point
Position: Forward
Year: Graduate student
High school: New London (Conn.)
Hometown: Baltimore
2012-13 stats: 14.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 51.3% shooting, 80.3% free throw
Chaney played sparingly as a freshman at Florida during the 2008-09 season and then transferred to Virginia Tech, where he sat out the next three years after doctors discovered that he had a heart condition. Chaney was medically cleared to play in 2012 and landed at High Point, where he immediately became the Panthers’ top player and earned second-team All-Big South honors. Chaney, CBSSports.com’s Comeback Player of the Year, was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA.
High Point athletic department
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Name: Isaiah Armwood
College: George Washington
Position: Forward
Year: Senior
High school: Montrose Christian
Hometown: Baltimore
2012-13 stats: 11.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, 50.6% shooting
After sitting out the 2011-12 season following his transfer from Villanova, Armwood quickly lived up to his four-star billing by becoming George Washington’s best player. The 6-foot-9, 208-pound forward led the Colonials in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots, finishing second in the Atlantic 10 in the latter two categories. Armwood’s 68 blocks were second in program history behind former New Jersey Nets first-round pick Yinka Dare.
George Washington athletic communications
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Name: Dylon Cormier
College: Loyola
Position: Guard
Year: Senior
Local high school: Cardinal Gibbons
Hometown: Baltimore
2012-13 stats: 16.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 41.2% shooting
As a junior, Cormier was the Greyhounds’ leading scorer, helping the team to its second consecutive postseason appearance (CIT in 2012-13, NCAA tournament in 2011-12). The 6-foot-3, 184-pound combo guard was a first-team All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference selection as a junior. As a senior, Cormier will lead Loyola in its first season of play in the Patriot League, where he was named to the preseason all-conference first team.
Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun
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Name: Nick Faust
College: Maryland
Position: Guard
Year: Junior
Local high school: City
Hometown: Baltimore
2012-13 stats: 9.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 40.2% shooting
The Terps’ third-leading scorer last season, Faust finished his sophomore year strong by averaging 12.4 points (46.7 percent shooting, 44 percent from 3-point range) over the last 12 games. The 6-foot-6, 205-pound wing connected on five 3-pointers and scored 17 points in Maryland’s loss to North Carolina in the ACC tournament. Faust led the Terps with 37 steals.
Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun
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Name: Anthony Lee
College: Temple
Position: Forward
Year: Junior
Local high school: West Oak Academy (Fla.)
Hometown: Columbia
2012-13 stats: 9.8 points, 6.8 rebounds in 23.9 minutes per game. 53.7% shooting
Considered the top returning player on a Temple team that made its sixth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance last season, Lee was one of the top rebounders in the Atlantic 10 as a sophomore. The 6-foot-9 forward is one of two returning starters on an Owls squad picked to finish fifth in the American Athletic Conference. Lee averaged 12.8 points and 7.3 rebounds during Temple’s four-game European exhibition tour in August.
Debby Wong/USA TODAY Sports
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Name: Damion Lee
College: Drexel
Position: Guard
Year: Junior
Local high school: Calvert Hall
Hometown: Baltimore
2012-13 stats: 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 42.5% shooting, 82.9% free throw
Lee, the 2011-12 Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Year, followed up his standout freshman season with a significantly better sophomore campaign. The 6-foot-6, 200-pound wing increased his scoring average by five points, earning second-team All-CAA honors as a sophomore. Lee, who reached double figures in scoring in 23 out of 27 games last year, is a preseason first-team All-CAA selection this season.
Howard Smith/USA TODAY Sports
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Name: Cleveland Melvin
College: DePaul
Position: Forward
Year: Senior
Local high school: Lake Clifton
Hometown: Baltimore
2012-13 stats: 16.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 47.9% shooting
Three years ago Melvin was named Big East Rookie of the Year. Since then, the former Lakers star has established himself as one of the conference’s steadiest performers and a double-double threat every night. Though DePaul has struggled mightily over the past three years, Melvin will leave the university next spring as one of the program’s all-time leaders in scoring (currently 12th with 1,458 points) and blocked shots (tied for eighth with 100).
Rob Grabowski/USA TODAY Sports
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Name: Brandon Young
College: DePaul
Position: Point guard
Year: Senior
High school: Friendship Collegiate Academy (D.C.)
Hometown: Baltimore
2012-13 stats: 16.7 points, 4.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 43.8% shooting
The 6-foot-4, 192-pound point guard will graduate from DePaul next year as one of the most productive Blue Demons ever. Young is the only player in DePaul history with 1,200 points, 400 assists and 100 3-pointers. He’s also the first Blue Demons player to have 100 assists in three consecutive seasons since longtime NBA guard Rod Strickland (1985-88), and is sixth all-time in the category with 408.
Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports
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Name: Devon Saddler
College: Delaware
Position: Shooting guard
Year: Senior
Local high school: Aberdeen
Hometown: Aberdeen
2012-13 stats: 19.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 42.8% shooting, 82% free throw
Just 361 points shy of Delaware’s career scoring record, Saddler will leave Newark this spring as one of the most decorated Blue Hens basketball players of all time. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound shooting guard is the second-leading active Division I scorer (behind just Creighton’s Doug McDermott) with 1,670 points. A first-team All-Colonial Athletic Association player as a junior, Saddler is expected to challenge for conference Player of the Year honors this season.
Photo courtesy of University of Delaware athletics
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Name: Eric Atkins
College: Notre Dame
Position: Point guard
Year: Senior
Local high school: Mount St. Joseph
Hometown: Columbia
2012-13 stats: 11.2 points, 5.5 assists, 2.6 rebounds, 43.9% shooting (41.5% from 3)
One of the top returning point guards in the country, Atkins has guided the Irish to three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and 20-win seasons. The former Gaels star has started 73 out of 101 career games, and has been named to the 2014 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award watch list. “He is steady and rock solid,” Notre Dame coach Mike Brey told reporters at ACC Media Day. “I really value his opinion and feedback because he has the pulse of our team.”
Al Bello/Getty Images
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Name: C.J. Fair
College: Syracuse
Position: Forward
Year: Senior
Local high school: City
Hometown: Baltimore
2012-13 stats: 14.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 47% shooting (46.9% from 3)
The leading scorer and rebounder on Syracuse’s 2013 Final Four team, Fair put off the NBA draft one more year to take another shot at a national title. Fair, a second-team All-Big East selection, averaged 15.4 points in five NCAA tournament games, including a team-high 22 in the Orange’s semifinal loss to Michigan. Fair enters his senior season as the Preseason ACC Player of the Year, and an easy pick as the No. 1 player for The Baltimore Sun’s 2013-14 Sweet 16.
Jonathan Ernst / Reuters photo
Greg Whittington, the former Oakland Mills star, is the most notable omission this year. The Georgetown junior would have ranked high on this list, but he tore his ACL in the offseason and could miss the entire season recovering. He’ll likely be a Top 5 pick on next year’s Sweet 16.
Stanton Kidd, meanwhile, would have been an easy pick had he stayed at North Carolina Central for his senior year. But the former Edmondson star transferred to Colorado State, where he’ll sit out this season as a transfer. He’s a good bet for next year’s list as well.
Others who just missed the cut include UNC-Greensboro’s Kayel Locke (McDonogh), South Alabama’s Antoine Allen (Lake Clifton), Troy’s Antoine Myers (Forest Park), Pittsburgh’s Durand Johnson (Lake Clifton), Gardner-Webb’s Naji Hibbert (Baltimore native, DeMatha grad) and Central Connecticut State’s Malcolm McMillan (John Carroll). There will be 12 new faces on next year’s list, and the aforementioned returners – Allen, Myers and Hibbert will all graduate – all have a great shot.
Any questions about the list? Email me at mbracken@baltsun.com. Click through the gallery for a look at each player.
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