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

Bryce Hamilton has been through a lot in his time at UNLV: Entering his fourth year with the Runnin’ Rebels, he’s seen three different head coaches lead the program. Yet, he has been consistent and resilient. Hamilton made the 2020 Mountain West All-Conference First Team, then followed it up with Second Team honors in 2021, playing well across the board. Last season, he averaged nearly 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists per game; So it was understandably a big deal when UNLV announced that their rising senior and leading scorer was returning to Las Vegas.

Hamilton is great on both sides of the ball – He’s accumulated 1076 points, 369 rebounds, and 136 assists in his three years at UNLV (per SportsReference) – And with new head coach Kevin Kruger assembling a completely re-tooled roster, Hamilton is more than likely to add to his career totals as the piece this team will build and game-plan around. He will undoubtedly be in the race for Mountain West Player of the Year.

The Colorado State Rams burst onto the scene in 2021. They challenged for the Mountain West title and nearly made their first NCAA tournament in several years, going on to take fourth place in the NIT… And David Roddy is a huge reason why.

The bulky Roddy was a nightmare both offensively and defensively. He averaged 15 points per game, maintained solid field goal and free throw percentages, and posted 204 defensive rebounds (good for fifth in the nation) last season.

Roddy has plenty of help around him with a young and talented Rams squad that returns all of its key pieces from the previous season. With a player of his class, Colorado State has conference title, AP Poll, and NCAA Tournament-run aspirations for 2022.

I had a difficult time in choosing between David Roddy and Grant Sherfield for the #1 spot in these rankings. But these are the facts – Grant Sherfield held the following distinctions in the Mountain West last season:

1st in total points scored (483)

1st in total assists (158)

1st in steals (42)

1st in free throws made (130)

2nd in points per game (18.6)

3rd in free throw percentage (85%)

Etc., etc. Need I go on?

Grant Sherfield did all of this in a shortened season, as a sophomore, while also sharing the ball rather effectively. He is a fantastic player. Sure, stats aren’t everything, but Sherfield’s stats are far too impressive to overlook. The former Wichita State Shocker averaged nearly 19 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds per game in his debut season with the Wolf Pack. He displayed the ability to completely dominate games, and also played particularly well in moments of pressure.

The Wolf Pack has had a lot of exceptional players recently (The Martin brothers, Jordan Caroline, and Jalen Harris all come to mind) – But Grant Sherfield might just have the highest ceiling of any of them. That should be a scary thought for opposing teams in the Mountain West Conference.