NCAA Basketball: Top college basketball players at each height for 2018-19
By Brian Foley
6-foot
JR Cassius Winston, Michigan St.
2017-18: 12.6 ppg, 6.9 apg, 3.2 rpg
Winston steered the Spartans to 30 wins and a top-15 offense last season as the Big Ten’s assists leader. This year, with Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson Jr. off to the NBA, look for Winston to take on more of the scoring load. The junior point guard knocked down 49.7 percent of his 151 three-point attempts last season, tops among all high-major players (min. 100 attempts).
HM: JR Anthony Cowan Jr., Maryland
6-foot-1
JR Carsen Edwards, Purdue
2017-18: 18.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.8 apg
Edwards was the engine behind the Boilermakers’ first-ever 30-win campaign last year. He is a sniper from the outside – he hit at least four three-pointers in a game 12 times in 2017-18 – and he is skilled at worming his way to the free throw line. Edwards opted to return for his junior season after testing the NBA Draft waters, and could very well lead the Big Ten in usage rate. Purdue only returns 42 percent of its minutes from last year’s team.
HM: JR Shamorie Ponds, St. John’s
6-foot-2
JR Payton Pritchard, Oregon
2017-18: 14.5 ppg, 4.8 apg, 1.4 spg
Pritchard drives the Ducks’ high-powered offense. The junior guard knocked down over 41 percent of his 206 three-point attempts, but his specialty is his wizard-like passing. Pritchard dropped at least seven assists 13 times a year ago, pushing Oregon to a 10-3 record in those contests. The Ducks are projected to feature four double-digit scorers this year (including Pritchard himself), so the all-conference second-teamer should have plenty of weapons to key Oregon’s push for a Pac-12 title.
HM: SR Matt Morgan, Cornell
6-foot-3
SR Jon Elmore, Marshall
2017-18: 22.7 ppg, 6.8 apg, 5.8 rpg
Elmore turned in a classic performance in Marshall’s tournament upset victory over four-seeded Wichita State in March, but he is more than just a one-hit wonder. Elmore dropped five double-doubles and two triple-doubles last season, and has posted double-digit scoring totals in 71 consecutive games.
HM: SR Marcquise Reed, Clemson
6-foot-4
SR Fletcher Magee, Wofford
2017-18: 22.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.7 apg
The reigning Southern Conference Player of the Year surprised some by returning to Wofford for his senior campaign, but he instantly makes the Terriers a conference contender as they look to make the tournament for the first time in the Magee era. As for the honorable mention, Davidson’s Jon Axel Gudmundsson was the only player in the country to average at least 13 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal per game last year.
HM: JR Gudmundsson
6-foot-5
SO Kellan Grady, Davidson
2017-18: 18.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.9 apg
As a freshman, Grady piloted Davidson to its first tournament appearance since 2014-15 with high-level scoring throughout A-10 play. The Wildcats are losing nearly half of last year’s minutes, shifting even more weight onto Grady’s shoulders. Gonzaga’s Zach Norvell Jr. is another extremely talented rising sophomore, but because Mark Few has constructed such a deep roster, the Bulldogs are less reliant on Norvell’s game-to-game performance. Grady and Norvell both posted similar usage rates last season (roughly 22 percent), but Grady’s superior scoring output gives him a slight edge.