2017 NCAA March Madness Preview: NBA Prospects to Watch
There may not be a sure-fire NBA lottery pick like Jamal Murray in this year’s field, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a ton of Canadians poised to make a major impact at the NCAA Tournament beginning later this week.
And while most basketball fans north of the border know about Oregon star Dillon Brooks, who’s in the running for national player of the year, there are plenty more homegrown stars— 24 in total— looking to make an impact and lead their team to the Final Four and beyond.
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Sportsnet’s hoops panel breaks down some of the Canadians to watch during March Madness this year:
Craig Battle: A good reason to watch the play-in games, Elijah Long made a major jump in his sophomore season for the Mountaineers. The sophomore guard scored 15.4 points per game (fourth among Canadian men in the NCAA) and added 4.4 assists (third) this season, and he’ll get to show off his skills against New Orleans Tuesday night.
Donnovan Bennett: Chris Boucher would have been my pick before he was lost for the season with an ACL tear suffered this past weekend. The beneficiary is his teammate Dillon Brooks who has made a name for himself in Eugene, Oregon for taking— and making tough shots. No player in the country is more likely to hit a buzzer beater winner than Brooks.
Michael Hoad: Dillon Brooks really made a name for himself last season. Now in his third year at third-seeded Oregon, the versatile forward and Pac-12 Player of the Year has taken his game to an even greater level. He’s playing significantly fewer minutes, but has seen hardly any drop-off in his scoring output, averaging 16.3 points per game on the season, and over 20 ppg since February. Brooks has also increased his efficiency, shooting 41 per cent from three-point range and 51 per cent overall.
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Dave Zarum: While this season he’s played third-fiddle to teammates Dwayne Bacon and lottery-bound Jonathan Isaac, Florida State’s Xavier Rathan-Mayes absolutely needs to be on your radar. After spending his high-school career playing wingman to star teammate Andrew Wiggins, Rathan-Mayes became a household name after scoring 30(!) points in less than five minutes during his freshman season. Two years later, the Scarborough, Ont., native is making his first March Madness appearance, and has already proven has an explosive game that’s sure to translate to the big stage.
Also, while Brooks (and, until his ACL tear, Boucher) get most of the attention for Oregon, don’t sleep on point guard Dylan Ennis. The older brother of Lakers guard and former Syracuse star Tyler Ennis, Dylan overcame a broken foot (…and watching the team he’d just transferred from, Villanova, win a national title) to return to the Ducks lineup and make a major impact on both ends of the floor.
Steven Loung: There’s obviously Dillon Brooks, the well-deserved Pac-12 Player of the Year. But other than him, I’ll go with Iowa State fifth-year senior Naz Mitrou-Long. The Mississauga, Ont., native was named an honourable mention to the All-Big 12 team this season averaging 15.5 points per game for a fifth-seeded Cyclones team that could make noise coming out of the Midwest after picking up momentum from winning the Big 12 tournament.
