8. F Jayden Gardner (East Carolina)
Gardner is one of the most talented players in the conference but is unfortunately stuck on one of the worst teams. Gardner had a fantastic freshman season averaging 16 points per game 8 rebounds. Gardner was voted to the AAC All-Freshman Team last season.
East Carolina had a dreadful year but Gardner was a huge bright spot and the fact that he stuck around at ECU says a lot. Gardner can get to the basket and finish, he’s able to draw fouls and get to the free-throw line. He doesn’t shoot the ball very well from the outside but that’s not his game.
It’ll be interesting to see what kind of numbers Gardner can put up this season as he starts his sophomore campaign and whether he can lead ECU to a better finish in the AAC.
7. F Alexis Yetna (South Florida)
The 2019 American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year also had a monster freshman campaign and is one of several key players coming back for South Florida. Yetna is a bully down low but at 6-8 can step out and knock down the three-ball making him a well-rounded player.
Yetna averaged almost ten rebounds per game for the Bulls last season. If Yetna and the Bulls have a good season and Yetna improves on his scoring numbers there’s no reason he can’t earn an All-Conference First Team spot. He’s capable of putting up some big-time numbers.