November 18, 2009

Most college basketball fans know by now to keep an eye on John Wall’s exploits at Kentucky, or John Henson at North Carolina, or any number of other highly-touted prospects and transfers around the nation. But what about some under-the-radar guys whose contributions could mean major improvements for their teams? Here are five players who could have a major impact this season, but are only known regionally or locally at this time:

1. Jakub Kusmieruk, C, UCF – The Golden Knights are bound to have a spike in national attention due to incoming freshman Marcus Jordan, but a major improvement by 7’4 center Jakub Kusmieruk would probably do just as much for the team’s win percentage. The star of several Youtube videos a few years back, Kusmieruk can now prove to the basketball world he’s finally able to contribute to a team. No one expects nightly double doubles, but a defensive presence and some rebounding would be a major boost for a program looking to break through in CUSA.

2. Roburt Sallie, G, Memphis – It is easy to forget that coming out of high school, Roburt Sallie was a major recruit with some future-pro buzz due to shooting ability and height. His first season at Memphis, Sallie was the prototypical role player, but that may have changed on March 19th with Sallie’s 35-point performance in the NCAA tournament. Following up that game with 13 and 12 in the next two rounds, and shooting a scorching 67% on threes for the NCAA tournament, Sallie announced he is ready for bigger minutes and an expanded role. On a Memphis team gutted by graduation, early departures, and bailing recruits, Sallie is the ultimate wild card. No doubt he will be given every opportunity to finally fulfill his early promise.

3. Arsalan Kazemi, F, Rice – As the Owls look to build on a promising first season under new coach Ben Braun, several highly-regarded recruits are expected to break into the rotation. The most intriguing is easily the 6’7 Iranian import Kazemi, who was rated a top 100 prospect by several publications. Kazemi may have the kind of star power unseen at Rice since Morris Almond, coupled with the obvious political angle to his unique story. How Kazemi will be treated by the media and hostile road crowds – especially if he turns into a key player for the Owls – is one of the season’s most open ended questions.

4. Todd O’Brien, C, Saint Joe’s – O’Brien’s move up in competition from the Patriot League to the Atlantic 10 is a testament to two things: the Hawks overwhelming need for size in the post, and O’Brien’s intriguing potential after a very solid freshman season at Bucknell. At 6’11, O’Brien is the biggest Hawk since NBA player Dwayne Jones, and could be a huge asset in the suddenly big-bodied Atlantic 10. Competing against highly regarded players such as Kenny Frease (Xavier) and Aaric Murray (La Salle), O’Brien will be expected to provide rebounding, defense, and interior scoring, and could turn out to be the surprise newcomer in the league.

5. Matthew Dellavedova, G, Saint Mary’s – Expectations at Saint Mary’s may not be as sky high as they were last season, given the early departure of star guard Patrick Mills to the NBA. However, a fresh crop of Australian imports waits, led by national team rising star Dellavedova. While not the same kind of player as Patty Mills, Dellavedova comes to the Gaels with a wealth of recent international competition success, in which he showed poise beyond his years. Do not be surprised if by mid-season the Gaels have a new Australian backcourt star on the roster.


THE OLD COLLEGE TRY

At some point, you have to wonder if Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor has made a terrible career choice. Watching him play quarterback this season has been like watching Hugh Laurie sing – sure, he can carry a tune and play some guitar, but does that mean he should quit “House” and go on tour with Band From TV? Pryor was a big-time basketball player not long ago. How big-time? Consider that as a small forward in the senior class of 2008, he was ranked ahead of Klay Thomson, Ralph Sampson III, Sylven Landesberg, Isaiah Thomas, and Brad Tinsley to name a few. Pryor may well have developed into an NBA prospect, as have so many of Thad Matta’s recent Buckeye recruits. Pryor’s passion may well be football – and there’s nothing wrong with that. Allen Iverson’s first love was always football. But, from a financial standpoint, does it make sense for Pryor to chase the NFL, which is looking less and less likely?

Realistically, NFL scouts will likely insist that Pryor change positions to wide receiver to enhance his draft status (hard to not think of Matt Jones at Arkansas when watching Pryor scamper around the field for huge gains on busted plays). Would Pryor be happy playing wide-out in the NFL? If not, maybe it’s time to give college basketball a try. Ask former FSU star Charlie Ward – sometimes you can have the best of both worlds. It’s not too late for Pryor to do the same.

PLAYOFF DOMINOS IN PLACE?

Sticking with college football, as the season wraps up, I believe the dominos are potentially falling into place for the creation of, at long last, a college football playoff - or at least a 4-team “plus 1” set up to determine the champion. Stay with me on this: The first domino is the end of the Charlie Weiss era at Notre Dame. Weiss has done his part – he has returned the Irish to the status of recruiting powerhouse – but the wins on the field never came, and the time for a change appears to be here.

Next, the Florida Gators need to win the National Championship, or at least make the title game. Not a definite, by any means, but certainly it could happen. If it does, Florida will have won 3 titles in 4 years, and will see the departure of the most decorated college football player ever in Tim Tebow. At that point, the Irish will make an offer to Urban Meyer that will be too tempting to refuse. If Meyer takes the ND job and repeats his success at Florida, a playoff will absolutely, positively happen, and here’s why: The six BCS leagues have done a great job keeping the big bucks and access to the mythical national championship within their group, so a playoff has never been necessary. While the SEC and ACC, and several high profile coaches (Carroll, Paterno) have campaigned for a playoff, four of the BCS leagues have been vehemently against it, led by Jim Delaney of the Big 10. The recent push by the MWC and WAC to receive BCS bids has been a nuisance, but those leagues can be assuaged by one or two at-large bids each season without major impact to the Big Six financial windfall. But an Urban Meyer era at Notre Dame would be a game-changer.

Imagine if Meyer would produce, year after year, championship level teams at Notre Dame? Without the rigors of an SEC schedule or a league championship, there is no reason he can’t. Recruits would flock to the Irish in record numbers, and the team would return to its role as The Yankees of college football. And here’s the kicker – with only 2 teams in the championship game, and one of them Notre Dame, suddenly the status quo won’t be good enough for 5 of the 6 BCS leagues each year. The Big Ten and Big East would be virtually locked out of the championship game, and the Big 12 and PAC10 would have to launch annual campaigns explaining why their leagues are on par with the SEC and Big 12. It’s one thing for an undefeated Utah or TCU to get denied a championship game slot. It’s a whole other matter for an undefeated Texas, or Miami, or Ohio State to get denied, year after year.

The irony is delicious – the SEC, Plus-1 proponents as they were, would be in the ultimate position of strength, with powerhouses at Alabama and LSU and rising teams at Tennessee, Arkansas, Auburn, etc. The other BCS leagues would have no choice but to reexamine the Plus-1 debate, whether they want to or not. Remember, when the BCS was created as a 6 league + Notre Dame cabal, the Irish were a non-factor on the national picture. A Notre Dame superpower led by Urban Meyer would force the BCS members to take a long overdue look at the process they have put in place, a process that would no longer work in their favor.

Ehud Knoll is a sfaff writer for collegeinsider.com. EMAIL EHUD