Busting Brackets
Fansided

Big East Basketball: 2018-19 breakout candidates from each team

By Lukas Harkins

PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 10: Sean McDermott #22 of the Butler Bulldogs drives to the basket against Collin Gillespie #2 of the Villanova Wildcats at the Wells Fargo Center on February 10, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 10: Sean McDermott #22 of the Butler Bulldogs drives to the basket against Collin Gillespie #2 of the Villanova Wildcats at the Wells Fargo Center on February 10, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 11
Next
KANSAS CITY, MO – NOVEMBER 20: Alexander of the Creighton Bluejays reacts. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO – NOVEMBER 20: Alexander of the Creighton Bluejays reacts. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

Ty-Shon Alexander, Creighton Bluejays

Sophomore | Guard | 6-foot-4 | 195 lbs

Creighton, to the say the least, has a couple of holes to fill in the backcourt. Both Khyri Thomas (NBA) and Marcus Foster (graduation) are now gone and it would be a mistake to say that they would be easy to replace. During this past season, Thomas and Foster accounted up 41.8% of Creighton’s scoring, 30.8% of the team’s assists, and 22.6% of the rebounds. These roles will not be filled easily. However, with two budding stars in Ty-Shon Alexander and Davion Mintz leading the way in 2018-19, the drop-off might not be too dramatic.

While Mintz (another breakout candidate) will become the primary playmaker for Creighton, Alexander will be asked to take on a much bigger scoring role as a sophomore. Considering the Bluejays need to replace a ton of scoring from last season, Alexander’s ability to fill up the basket will be vital. As a freshman this past year, Alexander averaged 5.5 points on 41.8%/33.3%/70.7 (FG/3P/FT) in 17.7 minutes per game last season. While this is far from great, he exhibited one of the lowest usage rates on the team.

With Foster and Thomas gone, Alexander will see an expanded role on the offensive end of the floor. While it is expected that Martin Krampelj and Mitchell Ballock will lead the team in scoring next season, Alexander could be a solid third option for the team. Remember, he averaged 14.1 points on 48.1%/46.3%/87.5% (FG/3P/FT) as a high school senior on a stacked Oak Hill Academy team in 2016-17. Alexander might not have shown much of it yet at the college level but ha e is capable scorer.

Others considered: Jacob Epperson and Davion Mintz.

Home/Big East