Seven mid-major underclassmen for you to pay attention to - Part II
At this point in the season, the players getting the most notoriety are with high-major programs. You take a look through college basketball Twitter, and you see talk of All-American teams, and NBA Draft picks.
With the recent explosion of North Dakota State junior Grant Nelson and Santa Clara freshman Brandin Podziemski, I wanted to take a look at other mid-major players who are having stand-out seasons.
Here are seven mid-major underclassmen to start paying attention to.
READ Seven mid-major underclassmen for you to pay attention to – Part 1
Fr. SG Andrew Rohde (St. Thomas)
Andrew Rohde is a shooting guard at St. Thomas of Minnesota. The 6-foot-6 freshman is averaging 16.2 points, 3.8 assists, and 1.4 steals this season. The graduate of Brookfield (WI) Brookfield Central played on Nike’s EYBL Circuit with the Phenom U program. Rohde carried other offers from the likes of Milwaukee, Bowling Green, Appalachian State, UIC, and Western Illinois.
Fr. SG Jackson Paveletzke (Wofford)
Jackson Paveletzke is a guard at Wofford College. The 6-foot-3 freshman is averaging 14.7 points and 3.9 assists while shooting 39.8 percent from three this season. The graduate of Kimberly (WI) High played on Nike’s EYBL Circuit with the Phenom U program. Paveletzke chose Wofford over offers that included Bryant, William & Mary, Southern Illinois, and St. Thomas.
Fr. SF Cade Tyson (Belmont)
Cade Tyson is a small forward at Belmont University. The 6-foot-7 freshman is averaging 13.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and is shooting 43.3 percent from three. The graduate of Matthews (NC) Carmel Christian played with the Team Curry program on the UAA Next Circuit. Tyson chose Belmont over other offers that included Coastal Carolina, Charlotte, Wilmington, and Mercer.
So. SG Damian Dunn (Temple)
Damian Dunn is a shooting guard at Temple University. The 6-foot-5 redshirt-sophomore is averaging 14.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists while shooting 38.0 percent from three this season. The graduate of Norcross (GA) Meadowcreek High played with the Stackhouse Elite program on the Adidas 3SSB Circuit. Dunn chose Temple over other offers that included VCU, South Florida, San Francisco, and Georgia Tech.
So. G Javian McCollum (Siena)
Javian McCollum is a guard at Siena College. The 6-foot- sophomore is averaging 15.4 points, 3.6 assists, and 1.1 steals this season. The graduate of Fort Myers (FL) High played with the CP25 travel program.
Fr. PF Ezra Ausar (East Carolina)
Ezra Ausar is a power forward at East Carolina University. The 6-foot-9 freshman is averaging 11.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.1 steals while shooting 56.5 percent from the field in his 11 starts this season. The graduate of Charlotte (NC) Liberty Heights Academy played with the Georgia Stars on Nike’s EYBL Circuit. Ausar chose East Carolina over other offers that included Texas A&M, Wichita State, and UMass.
Jr. C Abou Ousmane (North Texas)
Abou Ousmane is a center at the University of North Texas. The 6-foot-10 junior is averaging 11.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks while shooting 49.6 percent from the field this season. The graduate of Scotland (PA) Scotland Campus played with the PSA Cardinals program on Nike’s EYBL CIrcuit. Ousmane chose North Texas over other offers that included St. Bonaventure, Rhode Island, Georgetown, St. Louis, UMass, and Fordham.