Small Forwards

The main thing players in this group need to do is up their scoring. They're all solid enough on the passing, rebounding and defensive end of things. They're also efficient enough as scorers. A good SF prospect needs to get the scoring average up to at least 18.0 P40, while maintaining some level of efficiency. It might seem like an easy step, but it really isn't. Last year Tyler Smith was in what looked like a perfect position to bust out as a star. But even though his scoring increased, his efficiency fell off dramatically and his play as the Vol's main guy raised more doubts than anything about his ability to make the jump. That's where man of the players listed here are going into 2009-10. This is potentially a pretty solid group. Like the other ones, best to just sit and watch things develop.

1. Kyle Singler, Duke: Possible college POY. His situation seems perfect for him to bust out this year. Singler was at a level last year where all his prospect numbers were strong. This year he could expand on that even more as he's set to play the perimeter more, after a year of basically playing PF. Of course this could also expose him as nothing more than an undersized PF, but I doubt that will happen. The main reason is SF seems like more his natural position. He's a good passer and a decent, if streaky, outside shooter. He's also already where he needs to be at every stat level as a prospect, so it seems highly unlikely that his logging more time at his natural position would have a negative impact on his numbers.
   
2. Robbie Hummel, Purdue: A very solid and unappreciated prospect. Hummel does everything well. Last year he was injured for part of the year and fell a tad short of his great freshman year numbers. He did pick things up at the end of the year though, leading Purdue to the Big 10 championship. He's one of the players who need to step up his scoring. His P40 was at 16.0 as a freshman and 17.3 last year. Problem with his situation is the Boilers return every main player from last year. A shakeup in the scoring hierarchy of a successful team seems unlikely, but he should be able to nudge it up another point or so.
   
3. Damian Saunders, Duquense: Brings monster defensive numbers, solid passing, efficient scoring inside and a decent ability to hit the three-pointer. Now he just needs to up his P40 from 14.7 to 20+. He might be able to do it. The Dukes leading scorer from last year, Aaron Jackson, is gone and Sanders seems like the likely beneficiary of his departure considering his place as the team's 2nd option and his potential scoring prowess.
4. Devin Ebanks, West Virginia: This is a nod to his ability as much as anything. Ebanks has a nice all-around game and is a great athlete, but falls way short as a scorer so far. He hasn't had the opportunity to be the main guy yet, but he also hasn't been very efficient with his chances, especially from the outside. Still, I prefer a young player like this who has the passing and defensive part of the game down, as opposed to a Luke Babbitt who is a decent enough scorer with weak defensive numbers. It seems scoring is a skill that's easier to develop. Playing on a loaded roster doesn't help his cause, but if he has the talent it should rise to the top eventually.
5. Tasmin Mitchell, LSU: He's one of those guys who is in the mix, but the more I look at him the harder he is to ignore. He's not as hyped as some other players, but he's the only player on this list other than Singler who has proven he can score with both the necessary frequency and efficiency and do all the other necessary things to be considered a decent prospect. As a senior on a team that lost their leading scorer, he appears set to step into that role this year. Everything looks good for Tasmin Mitchell in 2009-10.
   
6. Tyler Smith, Tennessee: I liked him a lot more as a sophomore than I did last year. Smith was given an opportunity to be the main guy last year and his efficiency took a big hit. He needs to push his FG pct. back over .500 like it was his soph year while continuing to score 20 P40. It wouldn't hurt if he also got his defensive numbers back to where they were his soph season too. He's talented, so there's a chance he can get back to where he was.
   
7. Gordon Hayward, Butler: Another soph who needs more scoring opportunities, he seems unlikely to get those on this team where balanced scoring and a disciplined attack has been a big part of their success. Hayward is a player though and I hope he's unleashed every now and then.
8. Luke Babbitt, Nevada: Babbitt is a scorer and that's good. He needs to be more efficient, but that should happen with time. The problem is he has some of the weakest defensive numbers of any player on this list and that doesn't bode well for him as a prospect. Because he's only going into his soph season we can cut him a little slack. But this s something he needs to fix before he's a serious prospect.
9. Chris Singleton, Florida State: Singleton has some ability, but also has a long way to go. With the Seminoles starting to stockpile a nice core of talent, Singleton's college ceiling seems almost destine to become nothing more than a defensive stopper on a very good team. He's got enough going for him, including youth and athleticism, but the odds seem stacked against him at this point.
   
10. Kevin Coble, Northwestern: A solid, efficient scorer and the possibly the best passer of all the players listed. He's a poor rebounder and his defensive numbers are barely there, so there biggest concern with him is whether he's strong enough for the next level.