Mountain West Wire Top 25 Basketball Countdown: Honorable Mentions
We begin the Top 25 Basketball Countdown with honorable mentions
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MWC Wire Top 25 Countdown: Honorable Mentions
The 2018-19 Mountain West Wire Top 25 Basketball Countdown begins with players who just missed the cut, landing on our honorable mentions list.
Ryan Swan, Air Force
Swan will pair with Lavelle Scottie as the only returning Falcons to average over nine points per game a season ago. At 43.8 percent from three-point range, Swan is Air Force’s most efficient threat from the perimeter.
Roderick Williams, Boise State
Boise State was in major need of scoring help with the loss of Chandler Hutchison, and the Broncos picked up a good one in Williams. The 6-7 slashing forward averaged nearly 20 points and seven rebounds a night at East Los Angeles College.
J.D. Paige, Colorado State (21st last year)
A member of last year’s Top 25 Basketball Countdown, Paige averaged 10.4 points per game, starting in 22 of his 23 appearances. Paige broke his hand in January and was suspended in February for a violation of team rules.
Kris Martin, Colorado State
The Oral Roberts transfer brings a great deal of scoring firepower to the Niko Medved-led Rams. Martin scored 13.7 points per game as a sophomore in ’16-17 and converted over 40 percent of his three-pointers.
Zo Tyson, Colorado State
Tyson figured to be a valuable asset of the ’17-18 CSU squad, but a broken foot caused the JUCO transfer to miss the entire season. Now healthy, Tyson is an athlete who will provide quality minutes off the bench with his bucket-getting ability (shot 65.2 percent from the field in his sophomore year at Cape Fear C.C.).
Noah Blackwell, Fresno State
Fresno State continues to bulk up in the transfer market with the addition of Blackwell, an ex-Long Beach State 49er. Blackwell significantly upped his scoring efficiency as an LSBU sophomore, improving his shooting slash line from 33.3/36.4/69.2 to 48.1/38.0/85.7.
Carlton Bragg, New Mexico
Bragg is the biggest question mark in all of Mountain West basketball this season. The former five-star recruit and Kansas and Arizona State transfer has applied to be eligible on opening day. His talent is undeniable, but a relatively quiet two years at Kansas (five total starts, 4.4 PPG) and never suiting up for ASU has left some MWC pundits scratching their heads.
Dane Kuiper, New Mexico (25th last year)
The Alaskan native started 26 games for the Lobos in ’17-18, averaging a career-best 6.4 points per game. Kuiper’s shooting numbers took a bit of a dip last season, but the lengthy wing will provide 20-25 solid minutes on a nightly basis.
