Top 5 Big East players heading into the 2022-23 season
NEW YORK CITY (BVM) – The Big East is entering a new era for the 2022-23 season where any team can reign supreme. Four programs (Villanova, Seton Hall, Xavier and Butler) will all have new head coaches with big expectations in front of them. There will also be some interesting storylines to look out for. Can Kyle Neptune sustain the success Jay Wright saw? Will Shaheen Holloway’s magic in March follow him to The Hall? Is Creighton a legitimate championship contender this year? When is Connecticut going to get over the hump?
While all those storylines will be interesting to follow, the conference can still look forward to the talent looking to show out in 2022. Here are the five best players in the Big East heading into next season:
Honorable mentions:
Colby Jones, guard, Xavier
Jones took a leap his sophomore season, averaging 11.6 points-per-game for the Musketeers. In the NIT, he elevated his play even more, averaging 15 points and 6 rebounds en-route to a tournament championship and NIT MVP honors. With Paul Scruggs graduating, Jones will now serve as the team’s lead guard. He should expect more ball-handling duties and his ability as both a scorer and playmaker should grow as a result.
Cam Whitmore, forward, Villanova
It’s rare for a freshman to get serious minutes in the Big East, but Whitmore is the exception to the rule. Ranked as the third-best prospect in program history according to 247Sports, the 6-foot-6 forward should have an instant impact from the jump. He has the skills of a modern-day forward. He’s great attacking the rim, shooting from behind the arc and is a terror on the defensive end. With Collin Gillespie and Jermaine Samuels graduating and Justin Moore suffering an Achilles tear, there will be plenty of opportunities for Whitmore to shine on the Wildcats.
Kadary Richmond, guard, Seton Hall
The Pirates will be drastically different from the 2021-22 season. One of the few players returning is the former top 100 prospect. Richmond struggled to find his role early into the season, but once Bryce Aiken went down with injury in late January, Richmond found himself more with the ball in his hands. He was always a lockdown defender and prolific passer, but his scoring was lagging behind. Shaheen Holloway will serve as a great mentor for Richmond who has the potential to cement himself as a true number one option next season.
5. Caleb Daniels, guard, Villanova
2021-22 Stats: 10.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.2 BPG (42/37/85)
With Collin Gillespie out of the picture at Villanova, the fifth-year senior will now be asked to run the show for the Wildcats. Daniels has shown to be a prolific scorer, doing most of his damage coming off the bench. Despite only being listed as 6-foot-4, he has a big frame that allows him to finish through contact inside and post-up smaller defenders. He has also been elite as a 3-point shooter since joining Villanova, shooting 37.9-percent from behind the arc across two seasons. In the NCAA tournament, he was named to the All-Region Team for the South Division. Now as a starter, he will have more responsibility on his hands. This isn’t unfamiliar territory for the senior who starred during his time at Tulane. In 2018-19 (his last season at Tulane), he averaged 16.9 points per game on solid efficiency. The only concern for Daniels offensively is his playmaking ability. Despite having the ball in his hands often, he has struggled to play make for others as he has averaged more turnovers than assists the past two seasons. If he can keep his turnovers down, there’s no reason why Villanova can’t be in the running for another Big East crown, even with Jay Wright and Gillespie gone.
4. Ryan Nembhard, guard, Creighton
2021-22 Stats: 11.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 4.4 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.0 BPG (40/31/73), 2022 Big East Rookie of the Year
Nembhard is one of the many great players from Crieghton’s 2021 recruiting class that featured four four-star recruits. If the last name sounds familiar, his older brother Andrew was a standout at Gonzaga last year and was taken by the Indiana Pacers with the 31st pick in the NBA draft. Ryan averaged over 11 points per game in his freshman campaign before it was cut short due to a wrist injury. Despite that, he still managed to take home Big East Rookie of the Year honors. In his first year with Creighton, he displayed more scoring prowess than was apparent in high school at Montverde Academy. Ryan’s main calling card coming out of high school, his playmaking, was still on display. He led the team in assist-per-game at 4.4, but there is room for that number to improve especially with fifth-year senior Alex O’Connell graduating. He does need to tone down his turnover numbers, but given his past success facilitating an offense, there’s no real concern for him in that department going into 2022-23. The big thing for Ryan is improving his efficiency and taking care of the ball better. If he fixes those two problems, he will slot himself as one of the best players in the Big East next season and potentially lead Creighton deep into March.
3. Ryan Kalkbrenner, center, Creighton
2021-22 Stats: 13.1 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.4 SPG, 2.6 BPG (65/25/74), 2022 Big East Defensive Player of the Year; 2022 All-Big East Honorable Mention
Kalkbrenner was the heart and soul of the Creighton Blue Jays and is one of three upperclassmen on the roster this season. After an up-and-down freshman year in 2020-21, Kalkbrenner burst onto the scene last season, earning an All-Big East Honorable Mention. He served as a defensive anchor for a team that ranked inside the top-20 in the entire country and first in the Big East according to KenPom. His 2.6 blocks per game were impressive, but his mobility as a 7-footer makes life difficult for any opposing player. Defense was always Kalkbrenner’s strength, but he showed significant strides as an offensive player last season. He doubled his points-per-game from last year, going from 5.9 in 2020-21 to 13.1 in 2021-22. He did this while also being one of the most efficient players in the conference, ranking first in the Big East in true shooting percentage and effective field goal percentage. He’s an excellent lob threat but can also work it on the low block. Kalkbrenner’s biggest improvement came at the free throw line. He went from a 49-percent free throw shooter in 2020-21 to a modest 74-percent last season. With his shooting form continuing to improve, it wouldn’t be shocking if he expanded his range out to the three-point line more next season.
Ryan Kalkbrenner has a pretty intriguing skillset and he'll probably get more recognition as a draft prospect next season. Provides really good rim protection, and is capable of catching lobs rolling to the basket out of the pick and roll pic.twitter.com/W21dm5lA81
— Zach Milner (@ZachMilner13) July 26, 2022
2. Posh Alexander, guard, St. John’s
2021-22 Stats: 13.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 5.5 APG, 2.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG (50/22/74), 2022 All-Big East Honorable Mention
Posh Alexander had a stellar freshman campaign in 2020-21, taking home the Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year and Big East Rookie of the Year. In his sophomore season, he became more of a focal point in the St. John’s offense, leading the team in assists per game and second in the team in points per game behind Julian Champagnie. He’s excellent at creating his own shot off the dribble, whether that is working in the pick-and-roll or in isolation. Given his stocky frame, he doesn’t back down from contact and is willing to drive inside. Alexander is also one of the best offensive rebounding guards in the entire country as he ranked eighth among all players in the Big East in total offensive rebounds at 76. He was still a threat defensively as he led the entire Big East in steals per game at 2.3 and was named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year watch list. The biggest thing for Alexander is improving his three-point shot. In his two seasons with the Red Storm, he is a career 26-percent shooter from behind the arc. If teams give him the space given his ability to score inside, he simply has to capitalize. When he is hitting his shots, it usually leads to good results as St. John’s is 10-0 in games when Alexander makes multiple threes. With Champagnie leaving the program, all eyes will now be on Alexander to lead the Red Storm back to the tournament.
1. Adama Sanogo, forward/center, UConn
2021-22 Stats: 14.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.9 BPG (50/0/69), 2022 All-Big East First Team
It should be no surprise seeing the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Finalist, and only returning member of the All-Big East First Team, at the No. 1-spot. Sanogo really took off his sophomore season at Storrs as he established himself as a double-double threat every night, racking up 10 total on the season while making himself into a dominant force inside. Sanogo can score against the opposition with pure strength, but he also has a lot of finesse given someone his size (6-foot-9, 240 pounds). When he doesn’t make his first opportunity, he’ll just snag the offensive rebound as he averaged 3.6 offensive rebounds per game which was third in the Big East. The Huskies junior also improved as a rim protector, averaging nearly two blocks a game while anchoring a unit that was top-50 in the country according to KenPom. For Sanogo, he needs to round his game more to adapt to a more speed and perimeter-based game. His jump shot is non-existent so if he can even hit some mid range jumpers next year, he’ll be a much more complete player. On the defensive end, Sanogo needs to work on his lateral quickness when it comes to guarding the perimeter. The pressure will be on Sanogo as he enters next season as the odds-on-favorite to take home Big East Player of the Year. He has the tools to have a dominant 2022-23 season, but will he step up when the lights are the brightest.
