In this, the final installment of The Wisdom of Crowds series, our assignment is to figure out how Coach Wright will replace 56% of last season’s offense produced by departed players Corey Stokes, Corey Fisher and Antonio Pena. In today’s post we focus on 6-9 260 pound forward Markus Kennedy. Use the voting buttons, below, to predict the points per game you think Markus will score this year and the comment section to explain your thinking. To help you come up with your prediction, we have provided below the freshman stats of recent Wildcat bigs, Markus’ offensive stats from the Euro Jam tournament in August, a "third party expert" player assessment, and highlight video.
Past Freshman "Bigs’" Offensive Stats
Player | GP | MPG | PPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% |
Antonio Pena | 35 | 19.4 | 6.9 | 47.0 | 33.3 | 69.8 |
Mouph Yarou | 21 | 15.0 | 4.5 | 58.3 | 0.0 | 70.6 |
Isaiah Armwood | 29 | 11.0 | 2.3 | 47.2 | 50.0 | 60.0 |
Dante Cunningham | 33 | 19.1 | 2.2 | 46.8 | 0.0 | 39.4 |
Shane Clark | 25 | 11.4 | 2.2 | 40.9 | 50.0 | 58.6 |
Dwayne Anderson | 14 | 3.9 | 1.5 | 41.2 | 45.5 | 50.0 |
Euro Jam Stats:
Opponent | Min | Pts | FG% | 3FG% | FT% |
Israel | 7.1 | 0 | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Netherlands | 22.8 | 8 | 75% | 0% | 0% |
Georgia | 19.4 | 2 | 20% | 0% | 0% |
Avg | 16.4 | 3.3 | 45% | 0% | 0% |
Player Assessment by Rivals.com
"This burly frosh has a nice blend of inside-outside offensive game for a big man of his age.
Strengths: Kennedy can score in a variety of ways using good hands, good footwork and a nice feel for the game of basketball. He has some face-the-basket game and the ability to knock down jump shots as well. Showed the dedication to Prep for a year and work on every aspect of his game, maturity, academics, etc. as asked to by Coach Wright and his staff.
Weaknesses: He has athleticism but still needs to get his body in better shape. He could benefit from improved conditioning. His leaping ability and quickness will improve as he loses weight.
Summer School: Conditioning and becoming acclimated to life at Villanova are the primary items on his to-do list.
What next: Expect Kennedy to be able to contribute off the bench rather early in his career. He has the size and strength to bang in the paint at the Big East level and the skill set to score opportunity baskets and stretch defenses as an "alternate look" to running Pinkston out as the 4-man."
Highlight Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRdRGOvpy1Y
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