michael snaer

College Basketball Awards: Aden, Cohen, Snaer, Kansas

Greg Mengelt — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:13:53 -0800

A review of the week that was in college basketball focusing on the best (and worst) performances. Check in every Monday morning for our weekly awards.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Faisal Aden, Washington State Senior Guard: Aden came off of the Washington State bench to lead the Cougars to wins over two of the Pac-12’s top two teams with a combined 57 points.

In an 81-69 victory over Stanford on Thursday, Aden made 10-of-17 shots and all 13 of his free throws for 33 points. He also had five rebounds and two assists.

On Saturday, the Cougars upset league-leading Cal, 77-75 behind 24 points, two rebounds and a steal from Aden. In the victory, Aden hit nine of his 12 field goal attempts and was 6-of-7 from the foul line.

“He had a great weekend,” Washington State Ken Bone said. “He obviously played extremely confident. He was outstanding on the offensive end. Most coaches would start him.”

For the season, Aden is averaging 15.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 90 percent from the charity stripe.

Last week's winner was Matthew Dellavedova of Saint Mary's.

MID-MAJOR PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Jake Cohen, Davidson Junior Forward: Cohen helped Davidson to a pair of Southern Conference with 29- and 20-point performances last week.

On Thursday, Cohen scored 29 points and grabbed 14 boards in the Wildcats’ 87-69 win over the College of Charleston. He connected on 9-of-17 field goals, including 2-of-5 from the 3-point line, and all nine of his free throws.

The junior forward then made eight of his 11 field goal attempts and 4-of-7 free throws for 20 points as Davidson blew out The Citadel 80-51 on Saturday. Cohen also had four rebounds, three blocks and two steals as the Wildcats improved to 14-4 overall and 8-0 in league play.

“I think Jake Cohen is playing at an unprecedented level for a front court player for us,” Davidson coach Bob McKillop said. “He’s doing just about everything we’re asking of him.”

For the season, Cohen is averaging 14.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. He’s shooting 50.3 percent from the field and 90.5 from the foul line.

TEAM OF THE WEEK

Kansas: The No. 7 Jayhawks earned their two best wins of the season last week.

First, they knocked off previously-unbeaten and third-ranked Baylor 92-74 at Phog Allen Fieldhouse.

Kansas shot 57.4 percent from the floor, 54.5 percent from behind the 3-point arc and out-rebounded the Bears 36-21. Thomas Robinson and Jeff Withey each earned double-doubles. Robinson had 27 points and 14 rebounds, while Withey had 10 and 10, including nine offensive boards. Tyshawn Taylor had a game-high 28 points and handed out six assists, and all five Jayhawks scored in double-figures in the win.

“I think we made a big statement tonight,” Taylor said. “I don’t know if people are sleeping on us. They know we’re good. But I don’t know if people knew what we could do.”

On Saturday, Kansas earned a big 69-66 road win at Texas. The Jayhawks led 46-34 with 15 minutes to play despite a poor shooting night. Taylor finished with 22 points, five rebounds and four assists in the victory.

“This is the best win we have had all year,” Kansas coach Bill Self said.

With the two wins, Kansas improved to 16-3 overall and 6-0 in the Big 12.

SINGLE-GAME PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK

Colt Ryan, Evansville Junior Guard: Ryan had the best performance of his career with 39 points, nine rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals in the Aces’ 90-67 Missouri Valley triumph over Bradley.

Ryan, who had 20 points and five rebounds in Saturday’s win over Illinois State, was 12 for 21 from the field, including 8-of-14 from deep, and 7-of-8 from the free throw line in the win over the Braves.

Ryan is sixth in the nation with a 21.1 scoring average. He’s shooting 44.8 from the floor, 45.3 from the 3-point line and 85.3 at the foul line. He’s also averaging 4.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.7 steals per contest for the 10-9 Aces.

UPSET OF THE WEEK

Notre Dame 67, Syracuse 58: The 12-8 Irish took an 11-2 lead and never looked back. They led as much as 35-17 late in the first half and handed the top-rated Orange their first loss of the season.

“I can’t even describe this,” said Notre Dame junior center Jack Cooley, who had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the win. “They were 20-0. I can’t put into words how amazing this is.”

Syracuse – playing without Fab Melo, who is dealing with an unspecified academic issue – shot 34 percent from the field, including 7-of-23 3-pointers, and were out-rebounded 37-24, allowing Cooley six offensive rebounds.

The Orange stay on the road tonight when they will try to avoid their first losing streak against 15-5 Cincinnati.

WIN OF THE WEEK

Missouri 89, Baylor 88: Most prognosticators figured Baylor would dominate inside and Missouri would have to hit perimeter shots to have a chance in Waco.

The Tigers and senior forward Ricardo Ratliffe had a different idea. Ratliffe hit 11-of-14 shots and grabbed eight rebounds – six on the offensive end – to help Missouri to a critical 89-88 road Big 12 road win.

The Tigers shot 54.5 percent from the field and made 10-of-12 free throws in the final minute to improve to 18-1 overall and 5-1 in the Big 12.

“Obviously, this was a great win for us,” Tiger first-year coach Frank Haith said. “Our guys showed tremendous poise down the stretch. Throughout the game, we played with great toughness.”

Missouri, which also got 18 points, seven assists and six steal from Flip Pressey, overcame a 29-point performance by Bears freshman Quincy Miller.

LOSS OF THE WEEK

Tennessee 60, Connecticut 57: The defending national champions dropped a pair of 3-point decisions this week, including a 60-57 loss to 9-10 Tennessee on Saturday.

The Huskies, who were playing without freshman point guard Ryan Boatright for the second straight game, made just 20 of 55 shots and got exactly zero points from their bench.

The Volunteers didn’t shoot much better at 42.3 percent, but freshman Jernell Stokes, who joined the squad following the first semester, had 16 points and 12 rebounds in the first start of his career.

“They made some big plays and defended us pretty well,” UConn coach Jim Calhoun said. “Mainly, they just dug, scratched and clawed. They played harder than we did. That’s how they won the game.”

The Huskies are now 14-5 overall. They are 4-3 in the Big East and returned to league play at home against Notre Dame next Sunday.

PLAY OF THE WEEK

Snaer’s 3 silences Cameron: Snaer, who banked in a 3-pointer from the corner to end the first half and made a floater in the lane to give the Seminoles the lead just 55 seconds earlier, sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Seminoles a 76-73 road victory over Duke, snapping the Blue Devils’ 45-game winning streak at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

After Austin Rivers hit a layup to tie the game at 73-apiece with 4.9 seconds left, Luke Loucks found a wide open Snaer, who drained the 3 to give Florida State its fourth straight win.

“When it went in, I didn’t know what to think,” Snaer said. “It was amazing.”

“The kid hit a beautiful shot,” Devils’ coach Mike Krzyzewski said.

Snaer, who leads the Seminoles at 13.5 points per game, had 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal as Florida State knocked off ACC powers North Carolina and Duke in a 7-day span. The Blue Devils and Seminoles are now tied atop the league standings, a half-game ahead of North Carolina and North Carolina State.

Florida State Basketball Preview: #52

Joel Welser — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:08:06 -0700

Overall Rank: #52

Conference Rank: #7 Atlantic Coast Conference

2008-09: 25-10, 10-6

2008-09 postseason: NCAA

Coach: Leonard Hamilton (131-95 at Florida State, 331-305 overall)

Florida State reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 11 years and there is reason to be excited about the future. However, the future will not include Toney Douglas. As a senior last year Douglas led the team with 21.5 points and 2.9 assists per game. Nobody else on the team even averaged over nine points per game. This year might be a little less successful without Douglas, but the future looks bright.

Key Losses: G Toney Douglas, F Uche Echefu

Key Newcomers:

Shooting guard Michael Snaer should be a big part of the future, and even the present, success of the Seminoles. The 6-5 Moreno Valley product was named the 2009 Gatorade Player of the Year in California and is expected to immediately step into a starting role and help fill the scoring void left behind by Douglas. Terrance Shannon is a little more of question mark. The 6-8, 220 pound power forward missed his senior year of high school with a knee injury and it may take him some time to get adjusted to life in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Backcourt:

Snaer will join Derwin Kitchen in the backcourt and together those two should be a dynamic duo. Kitchen missed the first semester of the season last year and it took him some time to get into the swing of things. Still he managed to average 7.9 points per game. Kitchen should be much more productive with a half of a year playing under Coach Leonard Hamilton and the team will need him to emerge as a leader. However, Luke Loucks could end up being the most important player on the perimeter. The 6-5 point guard dished out 2.1. assists per game in limited action as a freshman and could take over the starting job this year. If Snaer and Kitchen can score as well as they should be able to, Loucks will have a successful year simply giving them the ball and letting them do their thing.

Frontcourt:

By the end of the 2008-2009 campaign, the FSU frontcourt was dominated by freshmen. Solomon Alabi was second on the team in scoring with 8.4 points per game and first in rebounding with 5.6. Although he started all 35 contests, Alabi got better with every single game. And even though his offense is good, it is on the other side of the floor where Alabi really shines. Even as a freshman playing just over 22 minutes per game, he averaged 2.1 blocks per contest and he is already considered one of the best shot blockers in the conference. Chris Singleton was one of the players by Alabi’s side. He needs to get a little stronger if he wants to play the four spot on a consistent basis, but Singleton proved to be a dynamic scorer both inside and out.

Who to Watch:

Depth should not be much of an issue with the return of Ryan Reid, Jordan DeMercy and Deividas Dulkys. Reid and DeMercy, both forwards, started 16 games last year and are more than capable of filling in at the four or five spots, especially if Singleton is moved to the wing. Reid is the better scorer and rebounder around the basket, but DeMercy can stretch the defense with his mid-range jumper. Dulkys will provide much of the depth on the perimeter and the 6-5 sophomore is full of potential.

Final Projection:

This could be another NCAA Tournament team, but the loss of Douglas is huge. Where are the points going to come from and who is going to take the big shots? Eventually those questions will be answered, but this is a group that might struggle to find their identity early in the season and that could be the difference between the NCAA Tournament and the NIT.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NIT

Projected Starting Five:

Luke Loucks, Sophomore, Guard, 3.1 points per game

Michael Snaer, Freshman, Guard, DNP last season

Derwin Kitchen, Junior, Guard, 7.9 points per game

Chris Singleton, Sophomore, Forward, 8.1 points per game

Solomon Alabi, Sophomore, Center, 8.4 points per game

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College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews