1. Paul Millsap (Louisiana Tech): junior forward, 6’8”, 243

Millsap is the only player in Western Athletic Conference history to win the NCAA rebounding title even once: in fact, he has led the nation in rebounding during both his freshman and sophomore seasons.  The preseason Wooden Award candidate had some recent legal troubles (after being arrested for aggravated assault on October 16), but he can always look to his older brother John as a role model (John led UT-San Antonio in both scoring and rebounding last year).  Rather than playing second-Beatle to John, Paul is the more dominant Millsap, averaging a double-double last season (20.4 PPG and 12.4 RPG) and shooting over 57% from the field.  He also plays some defense, with over 1 steal/game and just under 2 blocks/game.

2. Caleb Green (Oral Roberts): junior forward, 6’7”, 240

Green was the Mid-Continent Conference Player of the Year last season, leading his team to its first outright conference title in over 2 decades, and is the preseason favorite to repeat as Conference Player of the Year.  An AP Honorable Mention All-American, Green averaged 19.4 PPG and 9.3 RPG last year.  He shot over 55% from the field, played a little defense (with over 1 steal/game), and did not rack up all of his gaudy stats against no-name competition (as he had 23 points and 16 rebounds in a loss to Maryland in the NIT last spring).

3. Keydren Clark (St. Peter’s): senior guard, 5’9”, 170

He’s small, but he can put the ball in the basket: Clark is the two-time-defending NCAA scoring champion (25.8 PPG last year and 26.7 PPG the year before that).  He made a ton of three-point field goals last season (almost 4 per game), and set a school record for steals in a season (93: third in the nation).  Clark’s 2,218 career points is also a school record, and he needs 84 threes to break the all-time Division I record of 413 (by Curtis Staples of Virginia).  He shot 83.5% from the free throw line, and even averaged over 4 RPG last season despite his small stature.

4. Tim Smith (East Tennessee State): senior guard, 5’9’, 155

Despite the fact that he is 15 pounds lighter than Clark, Smith was still able to score 22.2 PPG last year, placing him among the top-10 in the country.  ETSU fans are glad that Smith decided to return for his senior season, as he is the preseason choice for Atlantic-Sun Player of the Year and is on pace to become the school’s all-time leading scorer.  Smith averaged over 4 RPG and 4 APG, made 2 three-point field goals/game, and collected over 2 steals/game as well. 

5. Steven Smith (La Salle): senior forward, 6’9”, 225

Like the “other” Smith above…only a foot taller, Steven also considered entering the draft but decided to return to college.  Smith averaged over 20 PPG and 8 RPG last year, and shot over 80% from the free throw line, which helped him earn AP Honorable Mention All-American and Atlantic-10 Co-Player of the Year honors.  A preseason Wooden Award candidate this year, Smith should not have any problems handling the future millions he will earn in next year’s NBA draft, as he has already earned his degree in business management.

6. Alan Daniels (Lamar): senior forward, 6’6”, 175

While the 2 Smiths above are not related, Daniels has some good genes of his own, as he is the nephew of former Arkansas star Lee Mayberry.  Lamar has been waiting a long time for some of Daniels’ talent, as he became the first Lamar player to lead his conference in scoring in 40 years last season (19.9 PPG).  Daniels averaged 5.3 RPG, 2 steals/game, and made 2.7 three-point field goals/game as well, so he is as multi-talented as any of the other guys on this list.

7. Yemi Nicholson (Denver): senior center, 6’11”, 260

The giant of this group, Nicholson was an AP Honorable Mention All-American last year, as well as the Sun Belt Player of the Year, so it is no surprise that he is also the preseason Sun Belt Player of the Year for this season.  Nicholson averaged 18.1 PPG and 8.4 RPG last season, which is easy to do when you shoot almost 60% from the field.  However, do not think that Nicholson is simply a 1-dimensional player: he also blocked 3 shots/game on the defensive end.

8. Jose Juan Barea (Northeastern): senior guard, 5’11”, 170

Unlike the U.S. natives above, Barea is one of many foreign-born players who are making their own “American Dream” in this country.  Born in Puerto Rico, Barea has adjusted well to this country, as he finished in the top-10 in the nation in both scoring (22.2 PPG) and assists (7.3 APG) last season, while making almost 80% of his free throws and over 2 three-point field goals/game.  Despite all this offensive success, he still found time to hit the boards (4.3 RPG) and play some defense (1.8 steals/game). 

9. Harding Nana (Delaware): senior forward, 6’8”, 230

Nana is another foreigner (from Cameroon), yet was 1 of only 7 players in this country to lead his conference in scoring and rebounding last year (18.5 PPG, 10.4 RPG).  While his huge size leads to some expected stats (1.4 blocks/game), Nana put up some impressive numbers farther out from the basket as well (1.7 three-point field goals/game). 

10. Ivan Almonte (Florida International): senior forward, 6’6”, 219

Rounding out the list of foreign phenoms, this native of the Dominican Republic just missed averaging a double-double last season (17.2 PPG and 9.9 RPG).  With 1.4 steals/game and a field goal average a shade under 53%, Almonte will try to continue his family’s fabulous professional sports tradition, as he has 2 brothers who play professional baseball.

HONORABLE MENTION: Bo McCaleb (New Orleans): junior guard, 6’, 180

His numbers are spectacular (22.6 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.8 steals/game), but with major changes to his team’s schedule/psyche as a result of Hurricane Katrina, it’s impossible to predict what effect the devastating event will have on his game.