NCAA Basketball: Projecting the top 25 mid-major stars for 2019-20

COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 22: The bench celebrates as Sam Merrill #5 of the Utah State Aggies looks on as they play against the Washington Huskies during the second half of the game in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

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22. Andrew Kostecka, Loyola (MD)

Guard | 6-foot-4 | 184 lbs | Senior

Perhaps the nation’s best-hidden secret, Andrew Kostecka is a superstar for Loyola (MD). While playing out in the Patriot League, he can absolutely light it up from all around the court and makes the Greyhounds one of the most intriguing teams to watch with his two-way play. He was named to the All-Patriot Team this past season as well as the All-Defense squad for his efforts on both ends of the floor. Over the course of the campaign, Kostecka averaged 21.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.7 steals per game.

This was a sensational breakout campaign for the 6-foot-4 guard as he impressed seemingly every time out. Despite receiving an insane amount of defensive attention and using a ton of energy with his opportunistic play defensively, Kostecka still managed to put up his scoring numbers on relatively high efficiency. He shot 57.6% inside the arc, 38.1% from three, and 81.3% from the free-throw line. If he takes another leap with regard to the charity stripe, we might start talking about Kostecka as a 50/40/90 threat while averaging 20+ points per game and defending at a high level. That would be insanity.

Kostecka is a bona fide star and it will be interesting to see if he can make another leap heading into his senior year. It is hard to imagine that he could put together a better campaign, but who knows? Loyola (MD) is projected to be a middle-of-the-road team in the Patriot League but Kostecka is the type of player capable of carrying a team in a single-elimination tournament. Watch out for the Greyhounds to be dangerous in the regular-season but also a team that nobody will want to see in the Patriot League Tournament.

It is important to mention that Loyola (MD) is also adding a potentially elite running mate for Kostecka this season. While it is never a good idea to place insanely high expectations on a freshman, Santi Aldama is a name that every college basketball fan should know before he emerges as a mid-major star.

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