Mountain West Basketball: Top 10 returning players for 2021-22 season

Nathan Mensah has been a solid player for the Aztecs throughout his tenure in San Diego. As a sophomore during the 2019-20 season, Mensah’s play earned him a starting role amongst a fantastic Aztecs roster that went 30-2; However, Mensah was only able to participate in the first half of that special season due to injury.

At the head of the 2021 season, Mensah picked up where he had previously left off, and he has proven especially remarkable through his defensive presence. Nathan Mensah reached his 100th career block in the Aztecs’ NCAA Tournament loss against Syracuse, and one can expect he’ll build on that total in 2022.

Mensah can hold his own offensively as well… According to goaztecs.com, the talented forward led last year’s Aztecs in field-goal percentage, while averaging just over 8 points and 6 rebounds per game (via Sports-Reference.com). It will be interesting to watch how the Aztecs gel and execute in the post-Matt Mitchell/Jordan Schakel era, but Mensah undoubtedly will maintain an important role throughout.

Boise State was one of the favorites to win the Mountain West in 2021… Despite falling short of this and finishing fourth in the conference, the Broncos return most of their talent from last year’s roster. Gone is star player Derrick Alston, Jr., who declared for the NBA Draft. This leaves Abu Kigab as the arguable MVP of this year’s Boise squad. The former Oregon Duck and fifth-year senior announced his return back in April, capitalizing on the NCAA’s extra year of eligibility offered to those competing in last year’s odd, pandemic-shortened season.

Kigab battled injury at times over the 2020-21 season, actually having to miss the Broncos’ appearance in the NIT to have surgery on his shoulder. When healthy, Abu Kigab started each game he appeared in for Boise State, averaging 11 points and 5 rebounds per game, and landing on the Mountain West All-Conference Second Team.

If Kigab can stay healthy and capitalize on an even bigger role within the Broncos’ talented offense, Boise should be right back in the thick of the Mountain West Conference title race.

Fresno State has struggled in recent seasons. The Bulldogs finished with only 11 wins in 2020, before posting a 12-12 record in 2021. Despite this, Orlando Robinson, Jr. has had an impressive showing throughout: The young forward made the 2021 Mountain West All-Conference Second Team after averaging over 14 points and 9 rebounds a game, and when he announced his withdrawal from the NBA Draft and return to Fresno for the coming season, the rest of the Mountain West Conference took note.

Robinson will be rejoined on the court by talented players Deon Stroud and Isaiah Hill, and their combined presence offers hope for the Bulldogs in the 2022 season. Impressive as Robinson’s tenure at Fresno State has been thus far, I would imagine fans can see his play and productivity-improving yet again come November – A scary thought for teams in the Mountain West.

The Mountain West has seen its share of phenomenal freshman/sophomore players over recent years; When considering the topic, Isaiah Stevens should come to mind. The Colorado State guard has had impressive showings in his short time with the Rams, averaging just over 15 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds per game in 2021.

The Rams are pegged to be the 2022 Mountain West title favorite, by fans and analysts alike: They boast a roster full of young talent, and Stevens is at the forefront of that talent… Similar to Desmond Cambridge and Grant Sherfield, David Roddy might take some of the spotlight off of Steven’s play at times, but the young guard’s importance to this Colorado State team cannot be understated. The success of the Rams largely depends on what Isaiah Stevens is able to do when the ball is in his hands, as well as on how he can get the ball into the hands of his teammates.