NCAA Basketball: Sensational sophomores of 2016
3. Mike Daum (South Dakota State)
South Dakota State’s Mike Daum is the best player in the country that you’ve never heard of.
Daum is a 6’9”, 245-pound power forward from Kimball, Nebraska who was undervalued and under-recruited coming out of high school.
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In his first year at South Dakota State, Daum averaged 15.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. He shot 55.3 percent from the floor and hit 44.6 percent of the three-pointers he attempted. He was also incredibly consistent at the free-throw line, connecting on 82.4 percent of his shots from the charity stripe.
Keep in mind that Daum only played 20.8 minutes per game. With the numbers he totaled as a freshman combined with the efficiency he displayed, Daum is bound to get more minutes in year two. His stats averaged out over 40 minutes would be 29.3 points and 11.7 rebounds per game. While those numbers are eye-popping, they’re unlikely to happen.
Don’t expect to see Daum log less than 30 minutes a game, though. If he does that, there’s no chance that he isn’t the Summit League Player of the Year.
He’ll try to help SDSU return to the NCAA Tournament this season, as they haven’t earned a berth in the Big Dance since 2013.
Next: 2. Nick Emery