TheDemonsDen.net - Beasts of the Big East

September 10, 2009

Tim Lang
TheDemonsDen.net Editor

If you ask any coach in the Big East to describe the conference's style of play over the years, words you probably will hear include: physical, violent, tough, rugged, fierce, etc. Simply put, finesse teams are quickly smothered in this league by the teams who are willing to play suffocating defense and crash the offensive and defensive glass with reckless abandon. In order to play this style of basketball though, it is imperative to have a player capable of matching up night in and night out with the biggest bruisers in the Big East. While not an assured indicator of success in the conference, there is probably no player more important to achievement in the Big East then that of the big man. With that being said, here is an early look at the top ten returning big men in the Big East for the 2009-2010 season.

10. Stanley Robinson (Connecticut) - While some would be tempted to say Stanley Robinson plays more of a combo forward role, there is no denying this Huskies' remarkable athletic ability and propensity for crashing the glass. His 5.9 Reb/g was not one of the tops in the Big East; however, when you take into account that he only logged 25 Min/g, its easy to see that Stanley is the type of player who can immediately change the flow of a game. Besides his tremendous rebounding skills, Robinson also shows flashes of brilliance on defense. Whether it's his freakishly long wingspan that enables him to block shots, or his ability to guard multiple positions, Stanley Robinson possesses the necessary physical tools that NBA teams covet greatly. The above might read like a description for a player much higher on this list; however, Robinson's shortcomings on offense keep him from rising above the tenth spot on this list. His nonexistent midrange game coupled with limited low-post moves makes Stanley a one-dimensional offensive threat. If he can improve his outside shot to the levels reached as a sophomore (41% from 3PT), the Huskies should have a good chance at filling the void in their frontcourt, impacted by the departure of veterans Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien.

9. Greg Echenique (Rutgers) - Entering Rutgers at just 17 years of age, Echenique proved instantly he had the grit and determination to compete against the Big East's finest. Besides recording 268 rebounds (which was a Rutgers freshman record), Echenique ranked third in blocks (2.4 Blk/g) and fourth in rebounding (8.4 Reb/g) among freshman nationally. Not content to rely on his freshman laurels, the freshman star journeyed to Las Vegas for a few days to work with prominent trainer Joe Abunassar of Impact Basketball. Besides these training sessions, Echenique also partook in the FIBA Americas Championship in Puerto Rico as a member of the Venezuelan Senior National Team where he was one of the youngest players in attendance. Both of these invaluable experiences allowed the talented Scarlet Knights power forward to work on an array of new low-post moves which will prove beneficial to Rutgers' frontcourt next season. Too many times last season, Echenique relied on his brute strength to back defenders down instead of finding a suitable counter-move in the post. That same brute strength though allowed Echenique to become a force on the glass; moving opposing big men around the paint with his wide frame. If Greg Echenique can develop a "go-to move" in the post, and work on adding a variety of shots to his repertoire, other teams in the Big East will struggle to guard both this emerging big man and his talented teammate Mike Rosario.

8. Yancy Gates (Cincinnati) - The Bearcat faithful have fallen on hard times over the last few years, seeing their program transition from an NCAA powerhouse to a perennial doormat in the Big East. With that being said, Mick Cronin seems to finally have assembled the right pieces to fix the disjointed puzzle, beginning with gifted sophomore Yancy Gates. Deonta Vaughn receives most of the accolades, but the Bearcats will rise and fall with the success of the Big East All-Rookie Gates, who in his first season illustrated why he was such a coveted recruit. Displaying obstinacy in the post and violence on the glass, Yancy Gates quickly brought back memories of Bearcat great Kenyon Martin. The Cincinnati big man possesses incredible physical strength, which coupled with his quick feet and surplus of low-post moves should indicate an unstoppable frontcourt force. However, Yancy has a tendency to disappear in games which, in fairness to Gates, is not rare for an 18-year-old freshman. If Yancy Gates can improve his consistency and feel for the game in his sophomore campaign, the Bearcats should be poised for a run at the field of 65 in March.

7. Arinze Onuaku (Syracuse) - Arinze Onuaku did not put up flashy stats last season (10.3 ppg/7.3 rpg); however, when healthy the Syracuse center has the ability to dominate a game. After missing his sophomore season to injury, Onuaku has been plagued the last two seasons by knee injuries which have undoubtedly prevented Arinze from reaching his true potential. While not overly athletic, the Syracuse big man is very active in the paint, utilizing his muscular frame to clear out space in the post. This size and strength have allowed Arinze to not only become an effective rebounder, but more importantly, one of the most efficient post players in the NCAA where he sports a gaudy 66.7 field goal percentage. While this extremely high percentage can be partly attributed to Onuaku having limited skills from outside 5 feet, and thus taking an inordinate number of shots around the basket, there is no doubt Onuaku and his arsenal of post moves wreak havoc on most opponents he squares off against. Unfortunately, one high percentage must be offset by an equally low percentage which, in Arinze's case, is his outlandishly low free throw percentage. At 29.8%, Onuaku is the worst free throw shooter in the NCAA, and if the Syracuse star has any aspirations of playing in the NBA, he must raise this percentage to at least Shaquille O'Neal levels. Arinze Onuaku might have some glaring holes in his game (free throw shooting), but he does have an unbelievable touch around the rim and an NBA caliber physique which should provide the Orange with a formidable frontcourt this season.

6. Lazar Hayward (Marquette) - When you think of Marquette the last few years you envision Dominic James slicing up defenses, Jerel McNeal stymieing other teams' best players, and Wesley Matthews pouring in jump shots from anywhere within 25 feet of the basket. A memory that probably is lost in translation is the consistent, unselfish play of senior Lazar Hayward, who might be the most under appreciated player in the Big East. Finishing the season with 16.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, Hayward will be hard pressed to duplicate that performance seeing as his aforementioned partners in crime have moved on to greener pastures, the NBA. The big question mark for Hayward will be how he reacts to becoming the number one scoring threat on the Golden Eagles; having to deal with coaches designing their game plans around stopping the 6-6 wing forward. A jack-of-all-trades on offense, Hayward's biggest asset is his shot, which is effective inside and even more effective beyond the arc. Offensively, one knock on Hayward is his ability to get to the rim. With James and McNeal, Hayward was afforded the opportunity to catch and shoot or crash the offensive glass. How David Cubillan, Maurice Acker, and Jimmy Butler perform in the backcourt will go along way to not only indicating the success of Hayward, but more importantly, the success of the Golden Eagles.

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