CBB Draft Kit: "Tier 2" Mock Draft

When I wrote up the Tier 1 Mock Draft earlier this week, I was fairly confident. I knew a fair amount about all of the players and thought that the six people did a nice job in assigning value. When we dig down to Tier 2, I am somewhat less confident. We change the Tier 2 leagues each season and this year the seven conferences are the A10, American Athletic, MAC, MAAC, Mountain West, Sun Belt and WCC. If centers and freshmen are gold in Tier 1, they are diamond-encrusted platinum in this league. In this draft, I had the third pick and the draft snaked. The categories again are points, rebounds plus blocks, and assists plus steals. Rosters had to contain one center and one freshman.

Round 1
1. Jock Landale, St. Marys, C, SR
2. Brandon McCoy, UNLV, C, FR
3. Tacko Fall, UCF, C, JR
4. Landry Shamet, Wichita State, G, SO
5. Jordan Caroline, Nevada, G-F, JR
6. Jaylen Adams, St. Bonaventure, G, SR

Getting a productive center early allows teams to worry about other, more easily fillable, slots later in the draft. Landale was one of the most productive centers in the nation last year. There is little reason why he should not be able to repeat his 16.9 points and 8.5 rebounds. McCoy is the top freshman in Tier 2 and he fills that center role as well. It's win-win. The McDonald's All-American will have to produce with a team that had a great deal of roster turnover. I selected the 7-6 Fall who nearly averaged a double-double as a sophomore last season. If he continues his career progression, he will be a monster for the Bulls. I don't much care for the Shamet pick, particularly this early. He is rehabbing from a broken foot and will likely miss the beginning of the season. Even if he were fully healthy, I don't think he has enough statistical upside to be picked in the first round. The same cannot be said of Caroline and Adams. The Wolfpack wing is a monster rebounder who could be in for a bigger role. Adams is the top assist man in Tier 2 and scored more than 20 points per game last season.

Round 2
1. Peyton Aldridge, Davidson, F, SR
2. Chandler Hutchison, Boise State, G, SR
3. Bryce Washington, Louisiana-Lafayette, F, SR
4. Kevin Hervey, Texas-Arlington, F, SR
5. Tookie Brown, Georgia Southern, G, JR
6. Kellan Grady, Davidson, G, FR

Aldridge is a nice pick, particularly when paired with Adams. With Jack Gibbs no longer on the Wildcat roster, Aldridge should get even more shots. He averaged a cool 20.6 points last year, so mid-20s are possible. Hutchinson is the odds on favorite to be the Mountain West Player of the Year. He was one of last season's nicest surprises. A pair of forwards from the Sun Belt were selected next. Washington was seventh in the nation in rebounding and should bring more double-doubles to my home base of Lafayette, LA. I took Hervey, who appeared to be past his knee issues that curtailed his sophomore season. The Sun Belt run continued with Tookie Brown from Georgia Southern. He produces points but not much more. Kellan Grady is a freshman who could take some of Gibbs' possessions.

Round 3
1. Shakur Juiston, UNLV, F, JR
2. Joseph Chartouny, Fordham, G, JR
3. Malik Milton, SMU, G, JR
4. Jordon Varnado, Troy, F, JR
5. Gary Clark, Cincinnati, F, SR
6. Matt Mobley, St. Bonaventure, G, SR

UNLV has a lot of incoming talent. McCoy was drafted in the first round an Juiston is considered by many to be the top junior college transfer. He averaged 17.3 points and 12.1 rebounds for Hutchinson Community Collge. While Chartony only averaged 11.9 points and 5.0 assists, he provided 3.4 steals to boost his assist+steal tally to make him a top notch guard. I took Shake Milton, who should have the command of the SMU offense even if he gives up some of his offensive facilitation duties to Jimmy Whitt. Varnado has produced during his last two seasons and should continue to do so as a junior. Clark and Mobley are solid producers for teams with NCAA tournament aspirations. Mobley averaged 18.9 points to augment the Adams-led backcourt.

Round 4
1. James Demery, St. Josephs, F, SR
2. Shaquille Morris, Wichita State, C, SR
3. Rob Gray, Houston, G, SR
4. B.J. Johnson, La, Salle, G-F, SR
5. Kentrell Barkley, East Carolina, G-F, JR
6. Shavar Newkirk, St. Josephs, G, SR

Demery is the type of player I probably wouldn't bother with in a mock draft. He averaged 14.0 points and 6.1 rebounds, which isn't terrible. He is a high-floor, low-ceiling player. Morris could get more shots while Shamet and Marcus McDuffie recuperate. Gray and Johnson are mostly in the lineup for their scoring prowess. They could lead the American and A10, respectively, in scoring. Barkley is a solid all-around producer for the Pirates. He is a plus rebounder for a guard and can be switched to forward if the schedule necessitates it. Newkirk suffered through an injury-plagued junior season, but he could be a sweet grab if he can stay healthy.

Round 5
1. Kyvon Davenport, Memphis, F, JR
2. Johnathan Williams, Gonzaga, F, SR
3. Cameron Reynolds, Tulane, G, SR
4. Rashaan Holloway, Massachusetts, C, JR
5. B.J. Taylor, UCF, G, JR
6. Tony Washington, La Salle, F-C, SR

Memphis is a blank slate with almost nothing returning from last season. A player like Davenport, who averaged a double-double in junior college last season, could be a very nice value. The Tigers have a lot of moving parts. Williams should take on a bigger role for the Zags with Zach Collins and Przemek Karnowski gone. I kept my Louisiana leaning going with Reynolds who grabbed 6.7 rebounds to go with 17.0 points as a guard. The picks of Holloway and Washington show how shallow center is in Tier 2. Washington averaged just 5.2 points and 4.1 rebounds for the Explorers, but did so in just 15.9 minutes. There's upside there. Taylor is a high-scoring guard who provides a handful of rebounds and assists.

Round 6
1. Hayden Dalton, Wyoming, F, SR
2. Jordan Goodwin, Saint Louis, F, FR
3. Alterique Gilbert, Connecticut, G, FR
4. Koby McEwen, Utah, State, G, SO
5. Lamarr Kimble, St. Josephs, G, JR
6. Travis Munnings, Louisiana-Monroe, F, JR

Dalton is a nice rebounder for the Cowboys. Goodwin could play a decent role for the Billikens. In Blue Ribbon, coach Travis Ford compared Goodwin to Marcus Smart, who had an excellent freshman season. He should be able to score and rebound. Gilbert retained his freshman status after missing most of last year with a shoulder injury. He was a McDonald's All-American and should be able to play next to Jalen Adams. McEwen was one of the best freshman in the Mountain West and should progress as a sophomore. Kimble is like his teammate Newkirk: high upside but injury issues. Munnings averaged 13.2 points and 7.9 rebounds for the Warhawks.

Round 7
1. KJ Feagin, Santa, Clara, G, JR
2. Jaron Hopkins, Fresno State, G, SR
3. Keith Fisher, San Jose State, F, FR
4. Yoeli Childs, BYU, F, SO
5. Jalen Adams, Connecticut, G, JR
6. Kostas Antetokounmpo, Dayton, F, FR

In Round 7, we looked west. Feagin is a nice all-around guard who missed games last year due to a concussion and a foot injury during the summer. Hopkins is a Colorado transfer who averaged 15.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.2 steals. I finally took my freshman in Fisher, who may get more opportunities since Brandon Clarke transferred to Gonzaga. He is a 6-7 guard who can help on the boards. I really like the Childs pick because the Cougars will rely on him after Eric Mika left school. It is telling that Adams was taken after Gilbert. The incumbent Husky point guard should outproduce the redshirt freshman across the board. The name Antetokounmpo may have magical basketball properties. It remains to be seen how much Kostas plays like Giannis, but the redshirt freshman was a nice pick here.

Round 8
1. Ike Smith, Georgia Southern, G, JR
2. Jalen McDaniels, San Diego State, F, FR
3. Tulio DaSilva, South Florida, F, SO
4. Josh Linder, Georgia State, F, FR
5. Frank Toohey, Air Force, C, SR
6. Justin Tillman, VCU, F, SR

Smith and Brown form the best scoring backcourt in the Sun Belt. Usually. redshirt freshmen have an advantage of practicing in the system for a season before hitting the hardwood. McDaniels is a 6-9 forward, but he is playing for Brian Dutcher rather than Steve Fisher. The new coach should have a similar system to the guy who took the Aztecs to the top of the Mountain West. DaSilva could have some upside after putting up 9.8 points and 6.7 rebounds to be the Bulls' leading returner in both categories. At this point, we are looking for centers and freshmen who will simply get minutes. I took Linder who may start for the Panthers. Toohey provided 10.8 points and 4.1 rebounds for the Falcons: not terrible for a backup center. Tillman should be a constant with the Rams who also have a coaching change in Mike Rhoades.

Round 9
1. DaQuan Jeffries, Tulsa, G-F, JR
2. Melvin Frazier, Tulane, G-F, JR
3. De'Monte Buckingham, Richmond, G, SO
4. Trey Kell, San Diego State, G, SR
5. Jacob Evans, Cincinnati, G-F, JR
6. Evan Fitzner, St. Marys, C, JR

Tulsa and Tulane always seem to go together. Jeffries is a junior college transfer who played at Oral Roberts as a freshman. Frazier is a decent number two next to Reynolds for coach Mike Dunleavey's team. In the last two rounds, I showed that I actually believe the things that I write. I took my two sleepers from the A10 that I profiled in my conference preview. Buckingham is a high-upside guard for the Spiders. Kell and Evans both averaged 13.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and nearly 3.0 assists. Fitzner is a backup center. If anything were to happen to Landale, Fitzner makes a nice handcuff.

Round 10
1. Malik Pope, San, Diego State, F, SR
2. E.C. Matthews, Rhode Island, G, SR
3. Erick Neal, Texas-Arlington, G, SR
4. Yuta Watanabe, George Washington, G-F, SR
5. Stanford Robinson, Rhode Island, G, SR
6. Eli Scott, Loyola Marymount, F, FR

I remember taking Pope in a league as a freshman. He was supposed to have nice passing skills for a forward, but those skills have not showed up in his assist totals. Matthews is a great pick in the last round of the draft. He should have a big place in the Ram offense and was the first URI player selected. Neal is a top assist man and is another great find at this point. I took the upside of Watanabe, even if his best skill is perimeter defense. Robinson is an Indiana transfer who played just 18.2 minutes last season. The draft finished with Scott, who lived with the LaVar Ball family for the past three years. The 6-5 forward has an inside-outside game and could prosper in the WCC.