Top WAC Juniors

Fresno State: Fresno State has some transfers eligible this year so we can discuss those in a couple days.

Guard Garrett Johnson was Fresno's third best 3-point shooter in terms of percentage (32) and his 141 attempts were the second most on the team by far. Johnson started 11 WAC games last year. Not sure what new head coach Rodney Terry will do, but he has three good WAC guards in Johnson, Steven Shepp and Kevin Olekaibe.


Hawaii:
Forward Joston Thomas and center Vader Joaquim combined for 20 points and 13 rebounds last year. Joaquim averaged 9.5 ppg and 8.2 rpg last year and those numbers will likely increase. He was third in the league in rebounding last year with nine per game in WAC play while shooting 55 percent and blocking two shots per game.

Idaho:
Center Kyle Barone led the league in field goal percentage at 61 percent last year despite averging just 10.5 ppg. You would think that number would have to be more if the Vandals want to move into the top half. At 6-10, I think Barone is the top center in the WAC from an offensive skill standpoint, but his numbers don't back me up yet because he came off the bench last year, starting just nine games (4 WAC). Maybe this year.

Louisiana Tech:
Guard Brandon Gibson was limited to 15 games due to injury but was still the Bulldogs third-leading scorer with 9.2  per game. Gibson and Kenyon McNeaill form a decent backcourt but new coach Michael White also has a couple transfers that could cut into playing team.

Nevada:
Guard Malik Story is a Top 10 player in the league. He's a streaky player though and a volume shooter. His 400 field goal attempts last year were nearly 100 more shots than second place on the team and yet he ranked just seventh in the WAC with 1.9 made 3s per game. He attempted 102 3s in WAC play but his 30 percent didn't even rank him in the top 10. My personal opinion on Story is that he was still kind of figuring it out last year and he could have a huge season as a junior.

NMSU:
I think Tyrone Watson will increase his all-around game even more this year when he doesn't have to spend as much time playing power forward. He can play three positions and has guarded four positions for the Aggies. He's solid all around but he's a great passer (Third last year in assists) and probably one of the most underrated players in the WAC. BJ West is kind of caught up in a numbers game at center but is a good shot blocker and Bandja Sy is in the same boat on the wing