Now that we’ve taken a quick run through the guards of the American Athletic Conference, it’s time to look at the wings and bigs, a list that is noted for its versatility.
1. Octavius Ellis, Cincinnati Bearcats
Ellis was rewarded for his efforts last season by being voted to the AAC second-team All-Conference list, as well as being a finalist for the Riley Wallace Award, given to the top transfer in college basketball. As everyone who paid attention last season knows, UC was incredibly offensively balanced–or challenged, if you ask some. Ellis was the team’s leading scorer at just 9.9 points per game, but he did throw in 7.2 rebounds and two blocks per game as well. He is a true double-double candidate every time he takes the floor, making him a pretty clear selection for the top spot on this list. If his offensive skill set continues to expands, and the role he’s allowed to have on that end does as well, he could average that double-double over the course of the season.
2. Markus Kennedy, SMU Mustangs
As good as Kennedy was last season, almost all of his major statistical averages took a dip from the year before. Yet, he’s still the anchor to the Mustang’s defense, their second leading scorer, and the second best wing or big in the conference. While he missed the first half of last season due to academic ineligibility, his presence was most felt down the stretch run of the season, where the lowest point total that he put in March out was 15 points in a a dominating win over East Carolina. He’s another walking double-double threat, like Ellis, who should see his role increase even more with some of the departures from SMU.
3. Daniel Hamilton, UConn Huskies
Last season’s AAC Rookie of the Year is the most “true” wing on this list, and easily the best in the conference. The 6 ft. 7in. Los Angeles native put forth a much more concerted effort to affect the game in the rebounding department than many anticipated, which helped make up for his paltry shooting percentages throughout the season, something that should have been expected if anyone watched him in high school. With Ryan Boatright gone, Hamilton will take on the primary scoring role next to Jalen Adams for Kevin Ollie next season, and it will be interesting to see if he can get his shot selection in order.
4. Gary Clark, Cincinnati Bearcats
If GMS was to have picked a Rookie of the Year for the AAC, it would have been Clark, as his production was both more efficient and more surprising than Hamilton’s. Not only did he average 7.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, but he did so while shooting 52.4-percent from the field, turning the ball over just 1.1 times per game, and establishing himself as a shot blocking threat at the rim. He and Ellis form the conference’s best frontcourt duo, but another question will be whether or not Clark can expand his game and add a mid-range jumper to the repertoire, giving Ellis (and others) more space to operate in driving lanes and on the block.
5. Amida Brimah, UConn Huskies
Brimah enjoyed a much expanded role as a sophomore for head coach Kevin Ollie. Not only did he more than double his offensive production–going from 4.1 points to 9.1 points per game–but he continued his work as a rebounder and shot blocker, averaging 3.5 blocks per game. Now, we’d love to see him commit more to rebounding the ball, but given how much he improved his skill set from his freshman season, we have no reason to believe that he won’t put in the necessary work to get there. He’s also got a chance to lead the nation in blocked shots per game.
