College BB '15 - First Look

From the moment in late November 2010 that I saw them pictured as part of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's preview of the 2010-11 Milwaukee area high school basketball season, I have been looking forward to the day I would be writing about Elgin Cook and Jameel McKay in this blog. Little did I expect that day wouldn't come until more than 4 years later. Although the preview was the first I had ever heard of McKay, I was a little bit familiar with Cook from the previous season, when he was named City Conference player of the year while playing for Hamilton HS. Led by the 6-foot-6 Cook (top two photos on right from March 2010) and 6-8 Darnell Harris (lower left photo on right from the same game), both juniors, Hamilton was pretty much an all-star team in 2009-10, winning the conference championship and making a rare (for Hamilton) appearance in the state tournament. But neither of them was around a year later, when Hamilton made a repeat trip to the tournament; and neither they nor McKay, the 6-7 forward from Pulaski HS (lower right photo from a February 2011 game) would begin their college careers at Division 1 schools in the fall of 2011, as they (and I) had hoped.


Cook, the son of former NBA star Alvin Robertson (who played 4 of his 13 NBA seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks from 1989-1993) had a verbal commitment to sign with Iowa State and was averaging 19.7 PPG as a senior for Hamilton when he suddenly left school in January 2011. Not only school, Cook left Milwaukee altogether, fleeing town shortly after - as rumor has it - somebody riddled the car he was in with bullets in an attempt to kill him. Elgin escaped the attack unscathed and headed to Houston to enroll at a prep school, where he finished his senior year and stayed on for the fall semester in 2011. He then transferred to junior college, at Northwest Florida State, in the spring of 2012 and redshirted the rest of that season. He finally suited up for NWF for the 2012-13 season; but by then, sadly and much to my great disappointment, his dreads were gone.
 
If you're a serious college basketball fan, you probably noticed that Cook made his Division 1 debut last season in an Oregon Ducks uniform (left photo below from the NCAA Tournament last March - details of that game on link below) and is a junior with the Ducks this season.
http://www.si.com/college-basketball/one-and-one/2014/03/20/oregon-ducks-beat-byu-cougars-ncaa-tournament

I'm still a big fan, even if Elgin - just like his dad - seems to have a lot of trouble staying out of trouble. But without dreads ...... well, we turn our attention to Harris and McKay. Thankfully they both still have their dreads. They also both had to wait even longer than Cook before finally making it to Division 1 this season. 

Harris was already gone from Hamilton HS even before the 2010-11 season began, electing to spend his senior year at a prep school. He then switched to another prep school the following year, the brand new LaJolla Prep in California. Unfortunately for Darnell and a bunch of his teammates there, LaJolla Prep turned out to be poorly financed, with the end result being (I think this is what happened, but I'm not certain) the NCAA not allowing any of the players to be eligible to play at D-1 schools the next year (2012-13). Harris, who previously had a verbal commitment to Cleveland State and later to FIU, instead ended up at UW-Whitewater (right photo above), a Division 3 school about 50 miles southwest of Milwaukee. After averaging 11.4 points and 5.9 rebounds for the Warhawks, he transferred to junior college for his sophomore year, to none other than Northwest Florida State (the year after Cook left), and averaged 12.0 points and 5.7 rebounds.

This season Darnell made his Division 1 debut in a Middle Tennessee State uniform, totaling 7 points and 9 rebounds (and also fouling out) in 21 minutes in the Blue Raiders' 77-60 season-opening win over Ohio Valley (photo on left). Billed as a good outside shooter for a big man, he missed his first 8 3-point FG attempts for MTSU but has shot close to 50% on his next 43 threes. (btw, the stats I'm listing for this season in this report are through games of either Jan. 30 or 31.) When he was at Hamilton, his coach had high praise for his talent, even predicting that. "I think you will see him in the NBA some day." Well, you don't see many players in the NBA who averaged 6.8 PPG in their junior season in college, which is what Harris has done so far. But Darnell (also in left photo below, from Nov.25) did give us a glimpse of his talent three weeks ago, when he scored 24 points in 24 minutes in an 82-58 victory over FAU. If we see more performances like that for the rest of this season and next, maybe he really will have a chance for a pro basketball career.

  



















Needing to boost his grades, McKay also left Milwaukee before his senior year in HS, enrolling at a prep school in South Carolina. But when the starting date for classes there kept getting pushed back later and later, he got scared and decided he couldn't afford to wait for that date to come, instead heading back home to Pulaski HS. He then spent the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons at Indian Hills Community College (right photo above from his freshman season) in Ottumwa, Iowa, where he was named 1st team NJCAA All-America in both seasons. Next he returned to Milwaukee again, signing with Marquette for his junior season. He enrolled and seemed set to make his D-1 debut last season until all of a sudden, a couple of weeks before preseason practice began, he decided he didn't want to play for Marquette. So at the end of the fall semester, he went west to Iowa again, transferring to Iowa State. And the wait began.

Even though he never practiced for Marquette, the NCAA wouldn't allow him to be eligible to play until the end of the fall semester this season. He was allowed to practice, of course, and reports coming from those practices got the mouths of Cyclones fans watering in anticipation. Just to calm some of that anticipation down the Des Moines Register had an article (first link below) two days before his first game warning fans not to expect a savior (actually ISU didn't need saving - they started off 8-1 without him). Jameel had 8 points and 5 rebounds in 13 minutes in his debut in an Iowa State uniform (photo on right, and story on second link below) on Dec. 20 as the Cyclones defeated Drake 83-54.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/sports/college/iowa-state/randy-peterson/2014/12/18/randy-peterson-jameel-mckay-iowa-state-cyclones-basketball/20606187/

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/sports/college/iowa-state/randy-peterson/2014/12/20/jameel-mckay-iowa-state-debut-drake-big-four-classic-randy-peterson/20709769/

Since then he has performed pretty much as expected. Now up to 6-foot-9, his greatest asset is that he's good at blocking and altering opponents' shots. And on offense, since most of his shots are short shots or dunks, he's shooting a high percentage from the field (56.9%). In his first 11 games McKay (also photo below, from Jan. 24) has averaged 9.4 points and 5.2 rebounds and already has taken over the team lead in blocked shots with 24 (2.2 per game). Jameel has several teammates even more talented than he is. If everything comes together at the right time, the Cyclones very well could make their fans very, very happy come March (dare I say April too?). But whatever happens I've become a huge Jameel McKay fan, and ISU games have become must-see TV for me.

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In case you were wondering, yes, there are some players not from Milwaukee that I wanted to mention too. As usual, what has become my annual First Look post focuses on the dreads in Division 1 that we haven't seen prior to this season, whether they be on the heads of D-1 newcomers or returning players that just began growing dreads this season. And a player from the latter of those two groups leads off this dread gallery. He just happens to be one of the best players in the nation. 

1. Indeed the biggest news so far in the 2014-15 season by far is that I've welcomed Louisville F Montrezl Harrell to the house. It was a most pleasant surprise seeing the 6-8, 240-pound junior and All-America candidate with beginner dreads for the Cardinals' season opener on Nov. 14 (left photo). He scored 30 points in his first official game with dreads as Louisville defeated Minnesota 81-68. Actually it's only fitting he now has dreads. Anyone whose playing style is as energetic and animated as Harrell should have dreads. I just wish he had started growing them before now. This, of course, is great news for the future as well as for this season, because Montrezl (the 'l' is silent) is expected to be an NBA draft choice after his Louisville career is over. Harrell, who btw is from Tarboro, NC - the same hometown as former Georgia football star Todd Gurley - and is shown here (right photo) trying to get a rebound against Pittsburgh on Jan. 25, is currently averaging 14.9 points and 8.9 rebounds.

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In addition to Harrell there are several other players who did not have dreads last season but have them now.

2. Having just as productive a junior season as Harrell is 6-8, 275-pound Baylor F Rico Gathers, shown here dunking against F Chris Thomas for 2 of his 23 points during 1st half of a 75-49 win over Texas Southern on Dec. 1. Like Harrell, Gathers is looking very good to take one of the spots on the all-America with dreads team. He was a prolific rebounder in limited minutes in his first two seasons with the Bears. Now that he's playing a lot (29 minutes per game) ..... well, he's currently 2nd in Division 1 in rebounding, grabbing 11.9 per game, including a game with 28 rebounds a couple of weeks ago! He's also scoring 10.7 PPG.

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3. You can find another star player with new dreads hanging out in the MAC. The Buffalo Bulls are one of several good teams in the MAC this season, and their best player is 6-7, 240-pound junior F Justin Moss, shown here putting up a shot against F Frank Kaminsky during 1st half of a 68-56 loss to Wisconsin at Madison on Dec. 28. Moss leads the MAC in both scoring (18.3 PPG) and rebounding (9.5 RPG) and has recorded 10 double-doubles so far this season.

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4. From a player in the MAC we go to a player who began his career in the MAC. Delino Dear, 6-9, 220-pound F, did not have dreads in his two seasons at Toledo but does now in his first season for Bethune-Cookman. After starting for UT as a freshman and then getting much less playing time as a sophomore, Dear transferred to B-C and has been in the starting lineup for 16 of the Wildcats' 21 games. Shown here defending against G Zavier Turner during a 51-48 road loss to Ball State on Jan. 3, Dear is averaging 5.6 points and 4.9 rebounds in 21 minutes.

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5. Hmm. Forrest Robinson was growing his hair last season at DePaul; but he didn't have enough to make dreads this long. So just maybe this isn't all his own hair. Whether it is or not, Robinson, a 6-10, 220-pound senior F, has played a meaningful role in the Blue Demons' surprisingly respectable season. Pretty much the doormat of the Big East for most of last 9 years since joining the league in 2005, DePaul decided their M.O. this season would be to bomb away from 3-point range. And Robinson, shown here battling for a rebound against Colorado F Josh Scott on Dec. 22, is the lead gunner, taking and making the most 3-point shots on the team. He's hit 32 threes so far and is averaging 6.4 points and 3.7 rebounds in 21 minutes.

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6. 6-0, 195-pound sophomore G Quinton Ray, currently one of two players with dreads on the Campbell roster, defends against G Kendall Williams during 2nd half of a 70-55 road win over Delaware State on Dec. 11. Ray, the Camels' reserve point G, doesn't score much (1.5 points in 16 minutes per game) but his assists (82) far outnumber his turnovers (50).

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7. Steven Thornton, 6-4, 215-pound senior F for UC-Riverside, defends against a driving D'Erryl Williams (left photo) during 2nd half of a 61-33 road loss to San Diego State on Dec. 22 and blocks a shot by F Josh Ritchart (right photo) during 1st half of a 74-61 home loss to UC-Davis on Jan. 15. Thornton has started every game for the Highlanders and is averaging 10.3 PPG and 3.4 RPG in his first and only season with dreads.

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8. Damien Wilson, 6-7, 190-pound junior F, snaps the ball ..... I mean, loses the ball to Syracuse G Kaleb Joseph (left photo) in his first game with dreads and his first game for Kennesaw State on Nov. 14. In the right photo, Wilson goes up to shoot against G Kendrick Nunn during a 93-45 loss to Illinois on Dec. 27. Wilson had 10 points and 11 rebounds against Illinois, the first of 7 games he has scored in double figures. The good news for Damien, who transferred after playing for Memphis the last two seasons so that he could get more playing time, is that the NCAA granted him a waiver to be eligible to play this season; the bad news is that even though he indeed is getting much more playing time, his new team isn't anywhere near as good as his old one - KSU is 6-16.

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9. Greg Alexander, 6-4, 200-pound sophomore G for East Carolina, debuts his partial dreads in the Pirates season-opening 99-81 win over North Carolina Wesleyan. After hardly playing at all last season (38 minutes all season), Alexander is playing even less this season. He has appeared in only 6 games so far, scoring 3 points in a total of 14 minutes.

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I'm also welcoming to the house a couple of players who had their hair in braids prior to this season but look like they now have changed over to dreads. Both are key players for their teams.

10. I kept this photo of North Carolina State sophomore G Anthony Barber in its original size; so if you save it, you'll get a good look at what I think are his dreads. I can only think they are dreads because I really haven't gotten a good look at them yet. Even though they aren't very long, Barber needlessly has kept them bunched together for every game this season. Last season he had his hair braided in several different styles, but it sure looks like he's got dreads now. Barber, a 6-foot-2, 180-pounder, shown here losing the ball in a Jan. 7 loss at Virginia, has started all but two games this season for the Wolfpack and is averaging 10.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 3.5 APG.

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11. Jamee Crockett had long hair when he first came to DePaul 4 years ago. But he always either had it braided or kept it natural, so I had already given up hope he would ever convert to dreads. And then he shows up for his senior season looking like this. The same as with Barber, Crockett has kept this look for every game, so not even once have I seen them hanging loose so that I can better determine if these really are dreads. It certainly seems like they are, so I've welcomed him to the house until I see something that makes me change my mind. Jamee, a 6-4, 200-pound F, shown in left photo battling for a rebound against Lehigh F Justin Goldsborough on Nov. 26, has bounced back strong from an injury-plagued junior season, starting every game this season and averaging a career best 10.8 PPG.

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I might welcome Rutgers F Kadeem Jack and/or Oklahoma State C Anthony Allen to the house before the season is over; but not unless I can confirm they have dreads and not braids.
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It seems like every team has at least one player who is letting his hair grow longer. Obviously they aren't all planning to start dreads (most aren't) and I have no idea which ones are. So I have to keep a close watch, because at any moment there might be another new player with dreads. In fact, a couple have popped up in the SEC in the past couple of weeks .....

12. I'm posting this photo of Auburn F Jordon Granger not because the great defense he's playing against South Carolina F Laimonas Chatkevicius on this play during 1st half on Jan. 17, but because it's a good look at the baby dreads he debuted that night. The 6-8, 210-pound junior had 5 points and 6 rebounds in his first game with dreads in the Tigers' 71-68 home win over the Gamecocks, numbers slightly better than his season averages of 5.9 PPG and 3.2 RPG.

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13. Then a week later freshman F Oliver Black of Mississippi State debuted his dreads. Shown here in his second game with dreads on Jan. 28 defending against Mississippi G Stefan Moody, the 6-9, 224-pound Black is just getting his feet wet this season, averaging 1.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 15 minutes per game.
And yes, btw I'll have more on Moody a little later.

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Among those players letting their hair get longer are several who are letting it grow uncombed. Sometimes this leads to nothing, but every so often it leads to dreads. Either way these players require special attention, because if and when they actually do convert to dreads, it's difficult to tell unless you get a good, up-close view. So far this season there are 6 such players whose hair looks enough like dreads for me to welcome to the house, and the best of those is an outstanding guard for a team in the Pac-12 .....

14. Don't know why he waited so long before he started growing dreads, but it's still a pleasure to be able to welcome senior G Chasson Randle to the house. The 6-2, 185-pounder is one of the best players Stanford has ever had. Shown about to get his shot blocked by Washington State F Josh Hawkinson on the first possession of the game on Jan. 2 (right photo) and celebrating his dunk during 1st half against Washington two days later (left photo), Randle has scored in double figures in every game this season except the game on Dec. 13 in which he scored 9 points against Denver. Not only has he started every game this season, he's nearly played every minute, averaging 20.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 36 minutes. Unless he goes into a slump, he's likely to be this year's leading scorer among all players with dreads.

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15. DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell averaged 20.9 PPG in junior college last season and wasted no time becoming a key player for Illinois State this season, posting a double-double in a season-opening 60-55 loss to Utah State. The 6-5, 194-pound junior, shown here looking to pass the ball against VCU on Dec. 2 (left photo) and defending a shot by Drake G Jordan Daniels on Jan. 20 (right photo), leads the Redbirds in rebounding (5.6) and is 2nd in scoring (12.3).

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16. Freshman G Omega Harris of UTEP defends against G Alex Hamilton during a 58-45 home loss to Louisiana Tech on Jan. 8 on a night on which the Miners wore their throwback Texas Western jerseys. A true freshman who was one of the best HS players in Oklahoma last year, the 6-2, 170-pound Harris has been in the starting lineup for 14 of UTEP's first 21 games and is averaging 7.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 2.2 APG. His assists outnumber his turnovers; but just barely, so he knows where he needs to improve.

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17. Just like Chasson Randle, Landon Drew is a starting guard for a school in California that usually wears red jerseys on the road. But although he's no slouch, he's not quite as good a player as Randle. Drew, a 6-1, 175-pound junior, shown (on left) fouling C Dusan Ristic during 2nd half of an 86-68 loss to Arizona on Nov. 16 and (on right) having a hard time while trying to drive past Elgin Cook during a 79-56 loss at Oregon on Dec. 17, has started all 23 games for the Matadors, scoring 5.7 PPG and averaging a 2nd best in the Big West 4.6 APG.  

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18. What's this? Dreads from down under? I've seen lots of basketball players from Australia, but I don't remember ever seeing one with dreads - until this season. Actually I'm not sure if these really are dreads that Winthrop F Xavier Cooks has; but they're close enough for me to welcome him to the house. Cooks, a 6-8, 185-pound freshman, having his shot smothered by Maryland forwards Damonte Dodd (#35) and Jake Layman (right photo, Layman was credited with the block) during 1st half on Dec. 6 and watching G Austin Ajukwa shoot a layup (left photo) in a 77-74 road win over Clemson on Nov. 17, has started 15 of Winthrop's 20 games and is the team's leading rebounder at 5.8 per game. He's also averaging 6.9 PPG.

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19. DayJar Dickson, 6-9, 205-pound freshman F for Niagara, defends a shot by F Jamel Artis during a 78-45 loss to Pittsburgh on Nov. 14. After going scoreless in 11 minutes in the season opener at Pitt, Dickson has spent most of the rest of the season on the bench. He's played a total of 64 minutes so far and has 2 points and 8 rebounds.

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If you've seen any Louisiana Tech games at all this season, surely you've noticed that star G Raheem Appleby is letting his hair grow uncombed. But right now it still looks more like a mess than it does dreads, so it's doubtful if I'll be able to welcome him to the house before the end of the season.
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20. At this point last year star G Korey Billbury of Oral Roberts was one of those with the hard-to-tell dreads; so I was eager to see what he would look like a year later. Well, to say the least I was very pleased when I saw this photo of him from ORU's game at Oklahoma on Dec. 16. Most definitely those look much more like dreads than they did a year ago. But then all of a sudden, about 4 weeks later ......

"I saw a guy with a letter jacket, and I didn't know who it was" .....

Those were the words of ORU Coach Sutton, and the reason he couldn't recognize his best player was that his best player had just cut off his dreads. Sad but true, and without any warning, Billbury decided to trade his dreads for a headband. Here are the details from the Tulsa World: http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/oru/mensbasketball/oru-s-korey-buillbury-hits-court-naked-scores-in-win/article_f06d5f47-01c4-5485-8270-7d6d71708ba3.html

Averaging 14.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, Billbury was looking very good to make a repeat appearance on my all-America with dreads team - before this. Not to worry, there is no shortage of candidates to take his spot on the team. But still, it hurts more than usual to have to put his name on the ex-dread list.
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Last season Lamar was one of the rare basketball teams with 3 players with dreads. That number figured to drop to 2 this season since F Amos Wilson was a senior last year. But in fact it has dropped even lower than that .....

"Because I got dreads, I can't play in the Red vs. White tonight" .....

That was the tweet posted on Nov. 4 by Lamar G Donnell Minton, lamenting that he wouldn't be allowed to play in the team's intrasquad scrimmage. And it's troubling in a couple of ways. First of all, it's sad that Coach Price - who took over for the final 5 games last year after Coach Knight was fired - thinks that banning dreadlocks has anything to do with how a team performs on the court. It's like he's blaming the dreads for the Cardinals' poor record the last two seasons. And secondly, if you're not going to comply with the new team rule, Donnell, then why the heck are you still hanging around? This just in: most teams don't ban dreads; so why didn't you just transfer? Along with his tweet Minton posted another tweet that includes a link (below) to an article in the Beaumont Enterprise showing that sophomore G Marcus Owens decided he wanted to play this year and went on and cut off his dreads.

http://blog.beaumontenterprise.com/inthecards/2014/11/04/hair-today-gone-tomorrow/

Minton is still on the roster on the team's website (it's weird that Price didn't just tell him to transfer), and in a later tweet he wrote that he was redshirting this season. But then what about next season? You gonna lose the dreads then, Donnell? Heck, if you do that I'll be seriously disappointed, because then you would have sat out this year for nothing. I don't know; maybe he's hoping the no dreads rule will be eliminated by then.
I admire that Minton really wants to keep his dreads. Hopefully he'll be able to continue to keep them, whether it be at Lamar or somewhere else.

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21. When the 2014-15 season began, Campbell was one of the rare basketball teams with 3 players with dreads. Along with returnee Reco McCarter and the new dreads of Quinton Ray, there was also F Rod Days, who redshirted last season after transferring from UCF. Unfortunately though, Days' dreads didn't make it past Thanksgiving. Shown here defending a shot by Ohio State C Trey McDonald on Nov. 26, Days was without dreads by the time the Camels played their next game on Nov. 30.
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Here now is the whole list of players who had dreads when last season ended but don't anymore:

ORU G Korey Billbury
Northwestern G JerShon Cobb
Montana State G Marcus Colbert
Campbell F Rod Days
Lamar G Marcus Owens
Texas Tech F Aaron Ross
Vanderebilt F James Siakam
Tulane G Johnathan Stark
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Along with Oliver Black, Omega Harris, DayJar Dickson, and Xavier Cooks, there are four other freshmen with dreads that I know of this season .....

22. Unless you're a really serious college basketball fan, you probably don't know about 6-3, 200-pound G J.T. Jones of Southeast Missouri State. He has played in just 5 games for a total of 30 minutes all season, including 5 in this game against Hannibal-LaGrange on Nov. 18. Jones has totals of 9 points and 8 rebounds for the season and hasn't played at all since SEMO began OVC play in January.

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23. What's this? More dreads from down under? You wouldn't be surprised to see somebody named Marley with dreads; but you wouldn't expect him to be from Australia. Marley Biyendolo, 6-3, 180-pound redshirt freshman G for Pepperdine, handles the ball against Cal Lutheran on Nov. 17 in one of his infrequent appearances this season. Actually Biyendolo has played twice as much as J.T. Jones, but has just 8 points, 5 assists, and 5 turnovers in his 60 minutes of action (in 11 games) so far this season.

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24. The award for the freshman with the best dreads goes to 6-0, 170-pound G Tyvoris Solomon of South Carolina State, shown in both photos from a 75-55 road loss to Virginia on Nov. 18. Solomon is more than just another player with great dreads. He has been a major contributor for the Bulldogs, averaging 2.5 points and a team-leading 3.0 assists in 19 minutes per game.

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25. Shaq Preston, 6-3, 190-pound G for UT-Chattanooga, also was in the running for the freshman with the best dreads. But after appearing in 8 of the Mocs' first 9 games, including this one against Hiwassee College in the season opener on Nov. 14 in which he scored 11 points, he decided to leave the team. Hopefully we'll see these dreads turn up on some other Division 1 team in the future.

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I've already mentioned Jameel McKay, Darnell Harris, and DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell. Now let's meet the other 11 junior college transfers with dreads that I know of who are making their D-1 debuts this season .....

26. Technically only 10 of the 11 JC transfers are debuting in D-1 this season. You may remember that 5-10, 179-pound G Stefan Moody played his freshman season in D-1 for FAU in 2012-13. After averaging 15.7 PPG for the Owls, Moody wanted to play against better competition than the Sun Belt Conference. But instead of transferring to a school in a major conference and sitting out for a year, he transferred to JC, averaging 17.7 PPG last season for Kilgore, before transferring to Mississippi this season. Shown here missing a shot during the Rebels' season-opening 66-65 loss to Charleston Southern on Nov. 14 (I know he missed it because he shot 1 for 9 in the game, and the 1 was a layup), Stefan has started every game and leads the team in scoring (15.4 PPG) and shots attempted, along with averaging 3.2 RPG and 2.1 APG. No doubt a lot more people began to take notice of him after he dropped 25 points on Kentucky on Jan. 6 as Ole Miss nearly handed the Wildcats their 1st loss of the season. The Rebels bounced back quickly from their opening-night defeat and very possibly could be on their way to the NCAA Tournament. And btw I really like those red tips, which he didn't have when he was at FAU. 

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27. Unfortunately Mississippi's other JC transfer with dreads has not enjoyed the same success as Moody. Expected to be a contributor, 6-5, 185-pound G Roderick Lawrence has been on the bench for all but 5 minutes since Ole Miss began SEC play. Lawrence, defending against G Aaron Wheeler on Nov. 14, played a total of 48 minutes in the first 3 games of the season but pretty much played himself out of the lineup. Since going 0 for 6 from the field against Southern U in the 3rd of those 3 games, he has been on the court for only 57 more minutes in the team's next 18 games. Hopefully he'll do better next season. He's supposed to be a lot better than he has shown. 
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28. These dreads just might earn Jordan Goodman a spot on this season's dread all-America team. Unfortunately though, fans at New Mexico games have seen these dreads on the bench much more often than on the court. Goodman, a 6-9, 205-pound F, averaged 18.1 PPG in JC last year to earn 1st team all-America honors; but so far this season he's been on the floor for only 13 minutes per game, averaging 6.6 PPG and 2.3 RPG. Shown here driving to the basket against F Johnathon Wilkins during the Lobos' 69-67 road win over New Mexico State on Dec. 20, Goodman has shown flashes of his talent at times; and you get the feeling if he got regular minutes every game, he'd be a productive player. But evidently Coach Neal thinks his team is better with Jordan on the bench.

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29. Justin Edmonds, 6-4, 220-pound junior G for Marshall, goes to the basket during a 78-71 home win over UTEP on Jan. 24, a game in which he scored a season high 20 points. Edmonds had to redshirt last season while recovering from a serious knee injury he suffered in late December 2012 during his sophomore season in JC. While taking nearly two thirds of his shots from 3-point range, Edmonds is averaging 8.8 PPG and 2.8 RPG so far in his first season with the Thundering Herd.

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30. Dreads are back at Loyola of Chicago this season after a 1-year absence. After G Jeff White cut off his dreads prior to the beginning of last season, the Ramblers signed 6-7, 220-pound F Montel James, and he has been in the starting lineup for almost every game. Shown here about to shoot against F John Jones (#10) and G Tony Wills during a 48-45 home loss to Illinois State on Jan. 31, James is averaging 9.0 PPG and 4.1 RPG while shooting better from the field (53%) than the free throw line (50%).

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31. With Rod Days (photo #21) cutting off his dreads at Campbell, that leaves Bethune-Cookman as the only team in Division 1 with three players with dreads this season. And the leading scorer of the three is 6-6, 220-pound junior F Quintin Brewer, shown here defending against G Gerry Blakes in an early-season 49-39 road loss to Arizona State. Brewer is averaging 9.5 PPG and a team-leading 7.1 RPG while playing 29 minutes per game.

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32. Stephen F. Austin played in the NCAA Tournament last season and, aided by the contributions of a player with dreads, is making a strong bid to play in it again this season. Clide Geffrard, 6-5, 220-pound junior F, joined the Lumberjacks this year after playing alongside Darnell Harris at Northwest Florida State last season. Geffrard, shown here helping G Trey Pinkney defend a drive to the basket by G Dee Davis during 2nd half of an 81-63 road loss to Xavier on Nov. 21, is averaging 7.8 PPG and 3.0 RPG as a key reserve for SFA in his first season with dreads.  

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33. 6-10, 225-pound C Charles Jackson has been Tennessee Tech's best player so far this season, this play notwithstanding. Here on Dec. 19 he fouls F Armani Moore for a key 3-point play, allowing Tennessee to extend a 1-point lead to 55-51 with 1:52 remaining. The Volunteers went on to win 61-58. Jackson began the season with 6 straight double-doubles and currently leads the Golden Eagles in scoring (13.2 PPG), rebounding (9.0 RPG), FG percentage (59.0%), and blocked shots (30).

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34. Another prolific shot blocker, SIU-Edwardsville junior F Michael Chandler defends against G Antonius Cleveland during 2nd half of a 75-61 victory over Southeast Missouri State on Jan. 29, the Cougars' 1st road win of the season. The 6-8, 205-pound Chandler ranked #2 in the NJCAA in blocked shots last season, averaging 5.0 per game. And he has 21 so far this season (in 20 games) even though he's playing only 7 minutes per game.

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35. Jameel McKay was not the only player with dreads playing in his 2nd career game when Iowa State hosted Mississippi Valley State on New Year's Eve. 6-2, 185-pound G Jurmelle Hall redshirted last season at MVSU and for some reason did not play in the Delta Devils' first 11 games this season before making his D-1 debut on Dec. 28. Here defending against G Clayton Custer late in ISU's blowout win, Hall has played double figure minutes in 5 of his 9 appearances so far, averaging 2.6 points and 2.1 rebounds.

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36. You can't see the dreads of UAB G Denzel Collins here, but he hardly ever plays and this is the only photo of him I could find, as he defends against G Greg Pryor during an 83-67 loss at UT-Chattanooga on Dec. 22. Collins was MVP at USC-Salkehatchie last season, where he averaged 15.1 points and 4.5 assists. But the 6-2, 200-pound senior (for some reason he has only one season of eligibility remaining) has played only 21 minutes all season for the Blazers and scored 7 points.

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The next (and last) 4 players I have pictures of are not newcomers to Division 1. But they are newcomers to their current teams, now back in action after having to sit out last season due to the NCAA's transfer rule.

37. North Dakota junior G Estan Tyler drives against G DeAndre Mathieu during a 92-56 road loss to Minnesota on Dec. 8. A St. Paul native, Tyler had 8 points, 3 assists, and 4 turnovers in the defeat. Tyler, 6-1 and 180 pounds, has been in the starting lineup for most of his games with UND, and his numbers are very similar to those he had during his sophomore season for UMKC in 2012-13. At UMKC two seasons ago he averaged 11.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG, and 3.1 APG, compared to 11.5 PPG, 2.4 RPG, and 2.3 APG so far this season for North Dakota. He has scored in double figures 9 times.

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38. From a player with dreads who transferred from UMKC we go to one who transferred to UMKC. After three seasons with Toledo, Kansas City, KS, native Reese Holliday came home for his senior year. A 6-4, 215-pound F, Holliday is shown here tackling .... I mean battling for the ball with G Clayton Custer during a 73-56 road loss to Iowa State on Dec. 9. He has been in the starting lineup in almost every game for the Kangaroos this season, averaging 7.3 points and a team-leading 5.2 rebounds.

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39. My enjoyment of watching San Diego State basketball has been enhanced even further this season with the addition of Angelo Chol to the team, the Aztecs' first-ever player with dreads. A native of Sudan who moved to San Diego when he was 7 years old, Chol was so good a player in HS that Arizona recruited and signed him. But after averaging 12.2 and 8.5 minutes in his his two seasons with the Wildcats, he came home in search of more playing time with SDSU. Shown here battling for the ball with G Vasa Pusica of San Diego during 1st half of the Aztecs' 57-48 win on Dec. 4, Chol, a 6-9, 220-pound F, has split time with the Aztecs' other low post player, Skylar Spencer. Angelo is averaging 5.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in 15 minutes per game and is 2nd on the team in blocked shots (behind Spencer) with 16.

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40. Not to be confused with the New England Patriots RB who also has dreads, this Brandon Bolden is a 6-11, 215-pound sophomore F for the Kansas State Wildcats. After playing only 5 minutes all season as a freshman for Georgetown in 2012-13, Bolden has played only slightly more than that in his first season with K-State - a total of 54 minutes so far, but only 6 since Big 12 play began. Here Bolden snuffs a layup atttempt by Southern Utah F Tyler Rawson during 2nd half of the season opener on Nov. 14, won by K-State 98-68. Bolden had 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots in the game, accounting for nearly half of his season totals in those categories.

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Of the 64 players (that I know of) with dreads who actually played last season, 32 are back with their same teams this season, 7 are back with their same teams but are now ex-dreads, 14 were seniors, 1 entered the NBA draft (James Young, who now is an ex-dread), and 10 are not back with their same teams. Here is what I know (or don't know) about those 10 ......

• G Daveon Balls - at end of last season it was announced he was transferring from Northern Illinois after two seasons there; but I could find nothing on which school he transferred to - whereabouts unknown
• F James Currington - transferred from Mississippi Valley State to Southeastern Louisiana - eligible for his sophomore season in 2015-16
• G Cameron Dobbs - transferred from Mississippi Valley State to Division 2 school American International and is having fine junior season, averaging 16.9 PPG - still has his super long dreads
• G Fred Garmon - knee injuries forced him to forgo what would have been his final season of eligibility this season at Austin Peay but is still with the program as a student assistant coach - still has his long dreads
• G Tevin Moore - was supposed to be a senior at Mississippi State this season but is not on the team - whereabouts unknown
• C Tavares Sledge - sadly, more domestic problems caused him to be dismissed from the team prior to his senior season at Wright State. Here's an article from Dayton TV station WHIO: http://www.whio.com/news/news/crime-law/report-wsu-coach-finds-gun-players-car/nhhtY/ 
• G Richie Spiller - after playing freshman season at FAMU last season, transferred to Garden City (KS) Community College and is averaging 7.0 points and 3.4 assists as a sophomore this season
• G Oliver Wells - after playing 3 seasons for Central Arkansas, he and (almost) all the rest of his teammates were told to transfer at end of last season - transferred to William Penn U, a Division 2 NAIA school in Iowa, and is having fine senior season but no longer has dreads
• F De'Runnya Wilson - Mississippi State football star wisely decided not to join basketball team this season after playing very little for basketball team last winter - now concentrating entirely on football 
• G Russell Wilson - after two seasons at Samford, transferred to Division 2 school Lynn, where he leads team in assists, averaging 5.8 per game in his junior season

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In addition to trying to see every San Diego State and Iowa State game that is televised, there are several other teams I like to watch. To see the best dreads or some of my favorite players with dreads in Division 1 this season you need to tune in whenever teams like VCU, Clemson, Louisiana Tech, William & Mary, Arkansas, Colorado, Nebraska, and Northern Arizona are on. Maybe a miracle will happen and we'll see one of them make it to the Final 4 this April.
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NEXT

I'm truly sorry, but I'm going to have to forgo any coverage of the 2014 NFL season, at least for now. Right now I'm going to start working on my 2014 college football all-America teams. I have no idea how long it will be before I finish them, but it's not going to be anytime soon.