NCAA Men: The Stock Report (25 Feb)
Every Thursday, ZOOM will provide The Stock Report for the previous week in college basketball, where we analyse three players whose stock has gone up over the week and three whose has gone down. Of course, the only players who can be featured in The Stock Report are Aussies!
Stock Rising
Matt Donlan
This weeks games:
Feb 21st @ Green Bay (L, 107-90)- 10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal
Feb 23rd @ Milwaukee (L, 87-51)- 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 steal
Matt Donlan enjoyed himself another solid week in his junior season, despite Youngstown State suffering two tough losses. The Victorian native was able to contribute in all aspects of the game, scoring in double digits in both outings, while rounding out his numbers nicely with his passing, rebounding and defence.
After averaging just 2.3 minutes a night in his tenure with South Dakota State, which was plagued by injuries, Donlan has been given the opportunity to shine with the Penguins and has taken advantage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0-gANHlu-s&feature=youtu.be&a
The 6’7 forward is averaging 34.4 minutes a night this season and has been a lone bright spot in a losing season for Youngstown State. With just two games remaining for the season, Donlan will look to close out a strong season with a bang against Wright State and Northern Kentucky.
Anthony Drmic
This weeks games:
Feb 18th @ New Mexico (L, 80-78)- 30 points, 3 rebounds
Feb 24th vs. UNLV (W, 81-69)- 21 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Melbourne born guard Anthony Drmic put on a show this past week with his scoring ability, headlined by a 30-point outburst in a slight loss at New Mexico. Drmic went 6-12 from three-point range against the Lobos, to complement his 11-19 shooting from the field.
In Boise State’s next game against the Runnin’ Rebels, Drmic cooled down a little but still put up an impressive 21 points, while shooting 7-of-16 from the field. Drmic’s long range shooting touch was on display once again against UNLV, knocking down four triples.
https://twitter.com/ESPNBoise/status/702376955681894400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
In what has been a controversial season for the Broncos, they will attempt to make a late run for a NCAA tournament bid with three games remaining- @ San Diego State, vs. Nevada and @ San Jose State. Drmic has tasted post-season play twice in his career, so it is no surprise to see him playing his best ball of the season with the Broncos tournament chances hanging in the balance.
Isaac Humphries
This weeks games:
Feb 19th vs. Tennessee (W, 80-70)- 3 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks
Feb 21st @ Texas A&M (L, 79-77)- 6 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal
Feb 24th vs. Alabama (W, 78-53)- 4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block
Boy, has this guy been in the headlines over the past week.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first with Isaac Humphries. After making a vital stop on the defensive end in the closing moments of an eventual loss to A&M, Humphries slammed the ball onto the court in celebration. The refs thought otherwise, hitting the Aussie with a technical foul, which was met with huge question marks across the nation. The Wildcats would go on to loss the game but despite the hiccup, there is no denying Humphries is playing his best ball of the season.
https://twitter.com/CoachCalDotCom/status/702282222670315523?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Skal Labissiere was one of the country’s hottest prospects coming out of high school and the general consensus was he would help lead Kentucky through this season. Instead, Labissiere has struggled in his freshman season, opening the door for Humphries, who has made his presence known.
Coach John Calipari has moved Humphries into the starting line-up and the big bodied 7-footer has responded with an improved effort on the defensive end and the glass. Humphries grabbed 12 rebounds in the aforementioned loss to A&M and despite the tech, that game could be seen as a turning point for the Aussie. Humphries isn’t going to provide much on the offensive end of the floor but as long as he is doing the dirty work for the Wildcats, he could make a huge difference in the NCAA tournament.
Stock Falling
Tevin Jackson
This weeks games:
Feb 21st vs. Lamar (L, 87-76)- 4 minutes
Feb 23rd vs. Central Arkansas (L, 88-82)- 4 points, 4 rebounds
It was a rough week for Tevin Jackson, as the Perth native played just four minutes for no apparent reason in McNeese State’s loss to Lamar. Jackson came off the bench in the loss and failed to contribute at all, missing his only shot attempt on the night, which came from beyond the three-point line. Jackson had played single figure minutes just once before the Lamar outing, so it was a head-shaking decision from coach Dave Simmons.
Jackson was granted some more of his usual minutes against Central Arkansas but unfortunately; he wasn’t effective, putting up just four points and four rebounds in the loss. He went just 2-5 from the field in the game and wasn’t able to provide his usual impact off the bench.
https://twitter.com/ZOOMSportsTV/status/702621517213884417
His junior season has been quite solid, as Jackson has averaged 6.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game in 18.8 minutes a night. The Cowboys have just managed six wins on the season and with four games remaining, we’ll see if Jackson can regain some of the form he has lost over the past week.
Jack Ocwieja
This weeks games:
Feb 21st vs. Jackson State (L, 61-58)- 3 minutes
Grambling State had just one game on the schedule this week and Sydney native Jack Ocwieja wasn’t given the opportunity to make an impact in the loss to Jackson State. Ocwieja just played three minutes and missed his only shot in defeat.
Before the Jackson State game, Ocwieja had played 15, 10 and 11 minutes, so the sudden drop in court time was unexpected for the Tigers centre. The junior has played 9.5 minutes a night this season, with Grambling State struggling to win ballgames this season. With just four games remaining, Ocwieja may see some extended playing time over the stretch run.
Ocwieja is averaging 1.8 points and 1.1 rebounds per game this season but here’s hoping the Aussie can close the year on a strong note.
Joshua Spiers
This weeks games:
Feb 19th vs. Santa Clara (L, 76-72)- 2 points, 1 rebound
Feb 21st vs. San Francisco (W, 100-87)- DNP
Joshua Spiers hit rock bottom this week, receiving a DNP for no given reason in Loyola Marymount's big win over arch-rival San Francisco in overtime. Spiers’ DNP came out of nowhere, as the forward out of Townsville is playing 14.7 minutes a night this season.
Prior to the San Fran match, Spiers had just two points and a rebound in the slight loss to Santa Clara. Spiers played 18 minutes in the Loyola victory over Santa Clara and his playing time has been very inconsistent this season. 17 times Spiers has played double-digit minutes, while eight times he has played single digit minutes.
Loyola has just one game remaining for the season and that is against Pepperdine and with the way his sophomore season has gone, it is anybody’s guess how much of an opportunity Spiers will receive in that game.
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