OK. Let's see. Where were we? Oh, that's right, DG166 .....After I finished DG166, it was the middle of last November, which meant another season in College Basketball was about to start. And since I never did a First Look post from the previous season (2015-16), I decided to start the new (2016-17) season with a look back at 2015-16 - just so you could get caught up with all of the new players with dreads. At the time it seemed like a good idea, but then .....
I blew it. Instead of being satisfied with the photos I already had saved, I decided to go back and save some more. Actually there were a lot of players I didn't have any photos of; so I needed to save some more. But instead of looking for photos of only those players, I decided to get more photos of everybody. Time passed - weeks. After finally saving enough pictures, I had to go through them all to see which ones were worth posting. Usually for me that doesn't take very long; but this time it took an eternity.
When I started, it was at about the time I went into a haze for at least a week after the Falcons blew a 25-point lead in the Super Bowl. Then there were the days (lots of them) I decided I'd rather watch television than spend any time on the computer. Then I realized I had to get started on my NFL Draft preview if I was going to get it done on time. There went another three weeks. And after finally going through all the pictures, I realized some of them weren't very good; so I had to go searching for some more.
So here we are, more than 6 months later, and at last I'm ready to post photos from two seasons ago. I know, it's pretty pathetic; and I'm sorry to do this to you, but honestly I haven't been working on anything else. And I wasn't going to spend all that time for nothing.
Sorry, but the photo above of Shaq Goodwin celebrating after hitting a shot against Houston on Feb. 10 is only a tease. You'll have to wait for a future DG to see any more photos of the Memphis forward and his sick dreads from his senior season. Dread gallery #167 is all about the newcomers. We'll look at most of the players with dreads who were new to their teams in 2015-16 and at returning players who started their dreads after not having them the previous season. Several players waited until they were seniors before starting to grow their dreads. There were a dozen of these one-year wonders, and the best player among them .....
1. ..... arguably was Austin Peay F Chris Horton. In his first season with dreads the 6-8, 220-pounder increased his scoring average from 13.1 to a career high 18.8 PPG and earned 1st team all-OVC honors. Horton reaches for a rebound along with Vanderbilt C Josh Henderson (left photo) in the season opener on Nov. 13. He had 14 rebounds but only 7 points - one of just two games all season he didn't score in double figures - in the 80-41 loss. Chris did much better at Indiana 3 days later, finishing with 17 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 blocked shots - including one by G James Blackmon (right photo) - in a 102-76 loss. He had 63 blocked shots for the season, increasing his career total to a school record 325.
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2. After going 7-9 in the OVC and barely making it into the conference tournament as the #8 seed, the Governors incredibly won games four days in a row to take the title. Chris Horton shoots against Tennessee Tech F Mason Ramsey (left photo) in the 1st round game on Mar. 2. I'm guessing he made the shot because he hit 13 for 16 in the game, finishing with 37 points (tying his career high) and 21 rebounds in 92-72 blowout of the #5 seeded Golden Eagles. After the Governors defeated #4 seed Tennessee State and #1 Belmont the next two days, Horton takes his turn cutting down the net (right photo) after the 83-73 victory over #2 Tennessee-Martin in the championship game, the school's first OVC crown in 8 years.
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3. The 4 wins in the OVC tournament got Austin Peay over .500 for the season at 18-17 and into the NCAA Tournament as one the #16 regional seeds. So on Mar. 17, Chris Horton had a lot of close encounters with F Jamari Traylor (both photos) and the other Kansas big men as the Governors took on the top-seeded Jayhawks. Horton finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds in the season-ending 105-79 loss.
Unfortunately Horton's success in his first season with dreads wasn't enough to convince him that there should be a second season with dreads, as he had normal hair as he played the 2016-17 season for Grand Rapids in the NBA's D-League.
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4. Although not quite as successful as Chris Horton, 6-4, 210-pound G Chris Smith also earned conference honors in his first season with dreads and his second season with Utah State. Smith got a 3rd team all-MWC selection after averaging 15.0 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 2.1 APG. He shot a MWC-best 45.0% from 3-point range. Smith battles Duke star F Brandon Ingram for a rebound (left photo) on Nov. 29, a game in which he made 3 of 5 3-pointers and scored 13 points but which the Aggies lost 85-52 to snap their season-opening 4-game winning streak. Then on Jan. 16 Smith drives against Colorado State G John Gillon (right photo). That was the afternoon he had career highs of 35 points and 13 rebounds to lead USU to a 96-92 road win over CSU.
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Smith's dreads turned out to be short-lived. He was back to normal hair as he played this season (2016-17) in the top pro league in Hungary.
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6. It's a good thing Sacred Heart played UConn on Dec. 2, or I probably wouldn't have known that 6-7, 215-pound F Tevin Falzon had started growing dreads. Falzon along with teammate Chris Robinson challenge a shot by F Shonn Miller (left photo) in a game the Pioneers lost 82-49 to fall to 1-5. Three weeks later Falzon looks to score against his little brother, Aaron Falzon, in Sacred Heart's game at Northwestern (right photo). Fittingly, Tevin and Aaron both scored 9 points as the Pioneers dropped to 1-9 with a 103-67 loss.
Tevin finished with career-high averages of 10.9 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 1.4 BPG in his only season with dreads. He too was an ex-dread as he played his first pro season in 2017 in a minor league in Spain.
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7. In his only season with dreads, Northern Kentucky F Jalen Billups' dreads were so short that you would've needed binoculars to see them if you were in attendance at any of his games. If you save either of these photos, you'll get a close enough look at them. The 6-6, 245-pound Billups defends against Michigan F Ricky Doyle (left photo) on Dec. 15, a game in which he scored 16 points in 17 minutes but which NKU lost 77-62. That wasn't an unusual occurrence for Jalen, as he ended up leading the team in scoring (12.2 PPG) despite only playing an average of 20 minutes per game. On Feb. 1 (right photo) Billups decides which move to make as Oakland C Percy Gibson defends. He had 6 points and 6 rebounds in that game, which the Norse lost 85-74. This season NKU won the Horizon League tournament and played in the NCAA Tournament; but in Billups' last season with the team they finished 9-21.
Jalen must really want to play basketball for a living, because right now he's playing for a team in the semi-pro Western Australia basketball league - but unfortunately without dreads.
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8. East Tennessee State didn't have any players with dreads when the season began; but by the time it ended they had three - and they happened to be the team's top three scorers. 6-2, 180-pound G Ge'Lawn Guyn was the leading scorer, averaging 18.6 PPG in his only season for ETSU after playing his first three seasons for Cincinnati. He's also the first of the three to twist his hair into dreads, starting them sometime in December. With the shot clock winding down early in 1st half on Feb. 27 (left photo), Guyn drives against F Justin Gordon (#24) and G Jalen Allen of Wofford - and gets fouled by Allen (according to the game play-by-play) before shooting. Guyn scored a team high 20 points in the Buccaneers' 71-66 victory. On Mar. 7 Guyn slams home two of his 11 points (right photo) to bring ETSU within 9 of UT-Chattanooga at 40-31 early in 2nd half of the Southern Conference championship game.
Ge'Lawn still had his dreads as recently as last Thanksgiving, but I saw a tweet of his asking if he should keep them. He decided not to. He has not landed a pro contract with any team yet but is still hoping to.
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Looking for more playing time - more time for his highlight-reel slam dunks, that is. The picture on his senior day poster is of one of them, against Western Carolina on Feb. 15 .....
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10. ..... And here is that picture (left photo), as Deuce flies in for one of his two dunks against WCU. He scored a career high 20 points (6-9 FG) and had 7 rebounds to help the Buccaneers to an 83-77 home victory. Deuce was both prolific enough and flashy enough as a dunker to be invited to and participate in the College Slam Dunk Contest at the end of the season - but he didn't win. On Mar. 7 (right photo) Bello drives to the basket against Chattanooga F Justin Tuoyo. Bello scored 9 points as the 2nd seeded Buccaneers fell one game short of making it to the NCAA Tournament, losing 73-67 to top seeded UTC in the championship game of the SoCon tournament.
This season Bello was second on his team in scoring in his first pro season, playing for a team in Denmark; but ..... that's right, just like everybody else mentioned this DG so far, he doesn't have dreads anymore.
As for the third ETSU player with dreads, we'll look at T.J. Cromer in DG168.
You know, there we're a few seniors who actually did keep their dreads for more than just one year .....
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11. One of them is Latrell Love, 6-5, 218-pound F for Mississippi Valley State. On Nov. 23 (left photo) Love has G Gerard Martin (#42) and F Matt Jackson hindering him as he tries to get up a shot against Grand Canyon. He scored a team high 16 points that night, but the Delta Devils lost 94-60. Still out west two nights later, Love defends a shot by BYU F Jamal Aytes (right photo). Latrell had the third of his 8 games in double figures, finishing with 13 points; but MVSU lost to BYU 75-68 to fall to 0-5. The Delta Devils would go on to start 0-14 before finally winning a game on Jan. 4. In his first season with dreads Love averaged 6.3 PPG and 2.0 RPG, playing 16 minutes per game. These days you can find the Minneapolis native hanging out in the Midwest Basketball League (the what?) in a Minnesota Rangers uniform.
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12. For 6-8, 245-pound F Josh Smith, his first and only season with dreads for Clemson didn't include as much playing time as he would've liked - just 7 minutes per game. He averaged 1.2 PPG and 1.8 RPG; and after shooting 52% from the field as a junior, he dropped to 35.3% as a senior - in part because after attempting 0 3-point shots in his first three seasons, he tried 11 in his final season, making only 3. Smith drives to the basket against USC-Upstate F Ramel Thompkins (left photo) on Dec. 2, which was the night he hit 4 of 5 from the field and scored a season high 9 points in 17 minutes in Clemson's 76-56 win. Bothered by North Carolina F Brice Johnson, Smith can't get a handle on the ball (right photo) on Dec. 30. The caption doesn't say so, but maybe this a shot of when Johnson fouled Smith while going for a rebound with 1 second remaining in 1st half. Smith finished with 2 points, 3 rebounds, and his 1st assist of the season but couldn't help Clemson break its 0 for forever streak at UNC. The Tigers lost 80-69 to drop to 0-58 all time in road games against the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill.
With his dreads still coming along nicely, Josh played his first pro season in 2017 for a 3rd division team in Germany.
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13. DeMondre Harvey, 6-7, 210-pound F for Louisiana-Monroe, can't block a shot by Minnesota C Bakary Konate (right photo) during 1st half on Nov. 15 at Minneapolis. After scoring 14 points in the season opener against cupcake McMurry two days earlier, Harvey had 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 turnovers in 19 minutes in his first road game with dreads as ULM lost to Minnesota 67-56. On Dec. 13 (left photo) Harvey defends as West Virginia C Devin Williams tries to get to the basket. In 25 minutes Harvey shot 0-4 from the field, finishing with 2 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots as the Warhawks finished a three-games-in-four-days road trip at 0-3 with a 100-58 loss to WVU.
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14. The Warhawks were 6-11 in mid-January but then got hot all of a sudden, winning 14 of their next 15 games. The last of those 14 wins came in the semifinals of the SBC tournament. DeMondre Harvey, going to the basket against UT-Arlington on Mar. 12 (left photo), starred in that game, shooting 9 for 9 from the field for a career high 21 points and adding 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and a season high 3 blocked shots in 33 minutes to help lead the Warhawks to an 82-71 victory; but they lost by 20 the next day in the conference championship game.
That meant a trip to South Carolina for a 1st round game in the CIT. Harvey can't get a hand on a shot by Furman G Stephen Croone (right photo) on Mar. 15. DeMondre shot just 1 for 6 from the field, finishing with 4 points and 6 rebounds in 36 minutes, as ULM blew a 57-47 lead with 2 minutes to play and lost to Furman 58-57. The 5 missed shots were the most Harvey had in a single game during a season in which he shot 57.0% from the field to lead the team. He averaged 7.8 points and 5.6 rebounds for the season. DeMondre certainly knew his limitations. In his entire 3-year career for ULM he didn't attempt a single 3-point shot.
In his first pro season in 2017 Harvey - still with dreads - led his team in scoring; but that was a team in the 2nd division in Finland. Hopefully he can move up to a better league next season.
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15. After three seasons as Penn State's only player with dreads, Brandon Taylor had some company in 2016, as 7-1, 245-pound C Jordan Dickerson debuted his dreads. Dickerson, a force defensively but not much of a threat on offense, averaged 2.8 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 1.6 BPG in 18 minutes per game. On Jan. 13 Dickerson defends as F Caleb Swanigan goes up to shoot (left photo) during Purdue's 74-57 victory. Then on Mar. 3 Dickerson has Northwestern C Dererk Pardon in his way (right photo) as he tries to drive to the basket. Jordan had 0 points and 6 rebounds that night during Penn State's 71-61 home loss. In his 88 career games for Penn State (he played at SMU as a freshman) Dickerson didn't score in double figures even once; but his 133 blocked shots ranks 3rd most in school history. Jordan still had his dreads this season while playing for pro teams in Kosovo and Greece..
16. For 6-4, 210-pound G Xavier Pollard, his first season with dreads was also his first season in a Kent State uniform (after three seasons at Maine). He averaged 11.6 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and a team high 2.8 APG in 22 games and probably would have done better had he not broken his foot on Jan. 29 and missed just about the rest of the season. Pollard drives to the basket against G Terrell Hales (left photo) during a 66-62 victory over Cleveland State on Dec. 5. He had 8 points and 3 assists in that one. On Dec. 22 (right photo) Xavier looks to pass the ball against the defense of G Sterling Brown during Kent State's 90-74 loss to SMU. Pollard scored only 9 points in that one but did score in double figures in 14 of his 22 games.
It would seem a player of Pollard's ability would be playing pro ball somewhere; but if he played with anyone this season, I can't find any record of it.
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There is one more senior who began his dreads in 2015-16, and we'll look at Damion Lee in DG168.
As for the underclassmen who began their dreads .....
17. 5-10, 180-pound junior G Darius Graham was named honorable mention All-Big West in his first season with dreads after starting all 30 games for the Aggies and averaging 10.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, and a team high 2.7 assists. Graham has the ball stolen by Boise State G Mikey Thompson (left photo), one of his season high 6 turnovers during a 64-56 road loss on Dec. 30. Two nights after scoring a career high 21 points in a win over UC-Riverside, Graham tries to get to the basket against 6-11 F Stefan Jankovic of Hawaii (right photo) on Jan. 23. Darius had just 6 points and 3 assists in that one as UC-Davis lost 78-62 at Honolulu.
The Aggies lost 7 of their final 8 games to finish at 11-19; but 2017 went much better, as Graham and his teammates made it to the NCAA Tournament.
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Paris Lee, Ben Moore, Johnathan Motley, and Jonathan Williams also were underclassmen who had dreads for the first time in 2015-16; but we'll look at them in future dread galleries.
You are now entering the ex-dread section of dread gallery #167.
These are the players who had dreads throughout the 2015-16 season but then cut them off for the start of 2016-17. Just like the seniors in the first 10 photos of this DG, most of these players had dreads for only this one season.
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And who is that with the dreads in the background of this shot, you ask? .....
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23. ..... It's none other than Quadri Moore, 6-8, 220-pound sophomore F for the Cincinnati Bearcats. Moore was letting his hair grow long as a freshman and put it into dreads in time for the start of his sophomore season, although early in the year they still didn't look well-formed (left photo), as he dunks in two of his season high 10 points in a 106-44 blowout of Robert Morris on Nov. 15. But by the end of the season his dreads were looking more like dreads, as he attempts a 3-pointer against St.Joseph's G Aaron Brown (right photo) during 1st half of a 1st round game in the NCAA Tournament ......
24. ..... Moore missed that shot, but it was the only one he missed. He was on the way to his best game of the season, scoring 6 points in 8 minutes in the 1st half, until disaster struck with 1:20 to play until halftime. Coach Cronin and trainer Robb Williams try to comfort Quadri as he deals with the pain after injuring his ankle. He missed the rest of the game.
After St.Joseph's hit a 3-pointer with 9 seconds to play to take a 2-point lead, the Bearcats scored on a dunk but it was ruled to have come just after the buzzer, and their season ended with a 78-76 defeat. Moore averaged 2.3 points and 1.3 rebounds in 7 minutes per game. It's really too bad he didn't keep his dreads for another year.
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25. Two members of New Mexico State's starting backcourt had beginner dreads in 2015-16, including 6-5, 180-pound sophomore Matt Taylor - one of three players from Toronto on the Aggies' roster. Taylor battles Wichita State G Fred VanVleet for a loose ball (left photo) during 1st half on Feb. 15 at Wichita. In a game that was supposed to be played in December but wasn't because bad weather prevented the Aggies from traveling to Wichita, Taylor 6 points and 5 rebounds in a 71-41 blowout loss, their only loss during a 14-1 streak from mid-January until early March. In the last of those 14 wins on Mar. 11, Taylor battles UMKC F Kyle Steward for possession during a semifinal game of the WAC tournament. Matt had 3 points and 3 steals in the Aggies' 78-64 victory. But the Aggies lost the championship game the next day and then lost their 1st round game in the NIT on Mar.15. For the season Taylor averaged 5.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 2.5 APG.
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26. Of the 14 players listed on New Mexico State's 2015-16 roster only 5 are from the USA, and the only one with dreads is 6-0, 180-pound junior G and Washington, DC, native Ian Baker. Before going back to normal hair for his senior year he was the Aggies' second best player in his only season with dreads, earning 1st team All-WAC honors after averaging 13.8 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 3.7 APG. With his dreads even shorter than Taylor's, I included photos from the same game because these shots give you a good look at them. They're from New Mexico State's 54-52 road loss to UC-Irvine on Jan. 2, a game in which Baker had 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 turnovers.
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27. Latrell Love (photo #11) was not the only player with dreads for Mississippi Valley State. Appearing in all 35 games (10 minutes per game) for the 8-27 Delta Devils was 6-4, 188-pound junior F Jabari Alex. In the season opener on Nov. 14 (left photo) Alex and F Ta'Jay Henry double team G Benny Parker during a 97-51 loss to Nebraska; then on Nov. 25 Jabari can't prevent F Kyle Davis from scoring a layup during the 75-68 road loss to BYU. Alex shot 66.7% from the field for the season - but took only 63 shots. He averaged 2.5 points and 1.7 rebounds, and oddly enough (or should I say evenly) in each game he scored either 0, 2, 4, or 6 points.
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28. Tahjere McCall, 6-5, 195-pound junior G for Tennessee State, couldn't make up his mind - some games he had his hair in dreads, some he didn't. I guess he finally decided after the season: the dreads were out. Fittingly the left photo shows him going for a steal against Morehead State G Brent Arrington on Feb. 18, because due in large part to his 2.3 steals per game he was named OVC defensive player of the year (he won the award again this season). In his first season for TSU after transferring from Niagara he averaged 14.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 3.0 APG in his only season with dreads.
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29. 6-7, 220-pound freshman F Samson Oyediran, was one of three Tennessee State players with dreads in 2015-16. In the right photo he throws a pass past F Chris Horton and G Jared Savage of Austin Peay on Jan. 14, the night on which he had 2 points and 2 rebounds in the Tigers' 66-52 home win. In his only season with dreads Oyediran played just 7 minutes per game, averaging 1.3 PPG and 1.2 RPG; but at least he was one of 248 athletes (and one of only two men's basketball players) to win the OVC Academic Medal of Honor - which in his case meant that his GPA was more than three times as high as his PPG average.
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30. The team that denied New Mexico State a trip to the NCAA Tournament had two players with dreads; but Cal State-Bakersfield went down to one player with dreads in 2017 after Jaylin Airington cut his off after one season. Airington, a 6-4, 190-pound junior G, handles the ball as G Jalyn Pennie defends (left photo) during the WAC championship game on Mar. 12. Airington had 12 points and 5 rebounds, and the Roadrunners hit a 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds on the clock to win 57-54, beating the Aggies for the first time ever after 11 straight losses to them. Airington was named to the all-tournament team after hitting 14 of 24 shots from the field and averaging 14.7 points in the 3 games.
Next up was a game against Oklahoma - in Oklahoma City - in the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament. Airington defends a shot by G Isaiah Cousins in the 1st half (right photo) on Mar. 18. For most of the game Jaylin, who played 32 minutes, was matched up against the great OU G Buddy Hield.
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32. Ausar Madison, a 5-9, 150-pound junior G for Howard, played only 37 minutes all season. Luckily 7 of those came in the 93-55 loss at Purdue on Dec. 9, so I was able to find a couple of photos of him. Madison tries to not let G Rapheal Davis steal the ball from him (left photo) and drives to the basket against G Johnny Hill during 1st half (right photo). According to the game play-by-play, Hill blocked Madison's shot, and the ball went out of bounds. It would be Ausar's last FG attempt of the season. He finished the season with 2 points (0-4 FG), 1 rebound, and 4 assists. Actually he still had his dreads at the start of his senior season but not for long.
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33. Lawrence Cooks, 6-1. 175-pound G, debuted his dreads during his junior season for Hampton but cut them off after just one year. According to the caption, G T.J. Carpenter was called for a foul on this drive by Cooks (left photo) during Nicholls State's 84-81 win on Dec. 22. Then on Mar. 3 (right photo) Cooks looks to pass the ball back out after driving under the basket against Norfolk State G Preston Bungei. Cooks had 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists; but Hampton, having already clinched 1st place in the MEAC, got blown out by 2nd place NSU 83-63 in the final game of the regular season.
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34. Lawrence Cooks goes to the basket for a shot against G Khalen Pinkett (left photo) during 1st half of a MEAC tournament semifinal game on Mar. 11. Lawrence had 10 points (the last of the 11 games he scored in double figures), 3 rebounds and 2 steals in an easy 89-55 win over Savannah State. After taking the championship the next day, the Pirates drew #1 seeded Virginia in the NCAA Tournament, and not surprisingly it was no contest. Cooks, battling for a rebound against 7-0 C Mike Tobey (right photo) on Mar. 17, had 2 points and 7 rebounds in his final game with dreads, which Virginia won 81-45. Cooks was in the starting lineup in 21 of the 31 games he played and averaged 7.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 27 minutes per game.
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35. 6-3, 170-pound freshman G Geno Crandall has his dreads completely loose as he plays his first game in a North Dakota uniform on Nov. 17, driving the to basket against Wisconsin G Bronson Koenig (right photo) and between forwards Khalil Iverson (#21) and Nigel Hayes (left photo). Crandall shot 6 for 6 from 3-point range (mostly in garbage time) and finished with 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists, but it wasn't enough to keep Wisconsin from winning 78-64.
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36. For most of the season, however, Crandall looked like this, with his dreads banded together. UC-Irvine G Luke Nelson just stays out of the way as Geno flies in for a slam dunk to pull UND within 31-30 late in 1st half on Mar. 16. Crandall was outstanding in his final game with dreads, finishing with a season high 22 points, 7 rebounds, and a season high 8 assists; but North Dakota lost a thriller at home to UC-Irvine 89-86 in OT in a CIT 1st round game.
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Shane Rector and Ty Charles also were included on the ex-dread list after the season. We'll look at them in later dread galleries.
Continuing with the ex-dreads .....
Several players didn't wait until the end of the season to either cut their dreads off or untwist them back to normal hair. I'll mention their names now but won't include any stats. Here is the list:
- G Benji Bell (right photo above) - Florida State
- G Derreck Brooks - Central Arkansas
- G Halice Cook - Iowa State
- G Julian DeBose (left photo above) - FGCU
- F Charleston Dobbs - Prairie View A&M
- G Marquel Ingram (left photo below) - Bethune-Cookman
- F Tavario Miller (right photo below) - Texas A&M
- G Corey Sanders - Rutgers
- G Miles Seward - Northern Colorado
- F Nick Stover - South Alabama
- G Isaiah Washington - Penn State
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37. Probably I was the most disappointed to have to add Corey Sanders to the ex-dread list. Probably because he's a very good player. After being suspended for the season opener (for playing in a game he wasn't supposed to during the summer) Sanders, a 6-2, 175-pound freshman G, had 15 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals (the first of the two in the left photo against G James Daniel) in an 82-70 home win over Howard on Nov. 15. Sanders later had a huge game against Illinois on Feb. 3, as he shoots a layup past G Malcolm Hill (right photo). He finished with 39 points (14-33 FG), 8 rebounds, and 12 assists - all season highs - in a 110-101 loss in triple OT. Corey scored 28 at Nebraska three days later, and then for his next game a week later his dreads were gone. Just like that. What a shame.
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Interestingly, both Washington and Sanders cut off their dreads during losing streaks. Penn State had lost 4 straight when Washington cut his, while Rutgers hadn't won since Dec. 28 (11 straight Ls) when Sanders lost his.
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OK. No more ex-dreads. For the rest of DG167 let's look at the freshmen with dreads who made their Division 1 debuts in 2015-16. That is, the freshmen who had dreads at the start of the season, the end of the season, and all through their sophomore seasons too.
40. While Landon Drew (last seen in DG159) started the season with his dreads cut off and ended it with his unfortunate decision in January to quit the team at Cal State-Northridge, his little brother, Lindsey Drew, was beginning his career at Nevada - and beginning it quite nicely, at that. Lindsey, a 6-4, 180-pound freshman G whose dad played for 10 seasons in the NBA, drives past UNLV G Jerome Seagears (right photo) on Jan. 23. He scored 8 points in the game, including a FT with 1:01 remaining to put the Wolfpack ahead to stay in their 65-63 home win over UNLV. On Jan. 6 (left photo) Lindsey blocks a layup by G Cezar Guerrero during 2nd half of an 85-63 road loss to Fresno State. He finished 2nd on the team with 31 blocked shots, getting at least one in 23 different games.
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41. With their record at 19-13 after losing in the semifinals of the MWC tournament, Nevada accepted a bid to the CBI; and they made the most of it. Lindsey Drew celebrates (left photo) after his 3-pointer with 1:35 to play gives the Wolfpack a 70-68 lead over Montana and puts them ahead to stay. After trailing by 13 early in the 2nd half, Nevada won their 1st round game 79-75, and Drew scored a season high 16 points - one of three times he scored in double figures. In round 2 on Mar. 16 Lindsey gets to the basket for an easy layup past guards Sir Washington (#4) and Austin McBroom (right photo) of Eastern Washington. Drew finished with 7 rebounds, 6 points, 3 assists, 2 blocked shots, and 1 steal in 31 minutes in Nevada's 85-70 victory.
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42. It's always a good thing if you're still playing in April, and it was no April Fool's joke when the Wolfpack celebrated their CBI championship on Apr. 1 after defeating Morehead State 85-82 in OT to win the best-of-three final series 2-1. Well, maybe the CBI itself is a joke. But it was the school's first-ever championship in basketball, and that's better than nothing, I guess. Lindsey finished with 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists in 41 minutes in Game 3.
Except for shooting (35.9 FG%), Lindsey had a solid freshman season, starting every game but two and averaging 5.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and a team-leading 1.5 steals in 29 minutes per game.
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44. C.J. Bobbitt, teammate Marcus Byrd, and F Mike Daum of South Dakota State all battle for the ball (left photo) during a semifinal game of the Summit League tournament on Mar. 7 at Sioux Falls, SD. The 6th-seeded Pioneers scored the first 18 points of the 2nd half as part of a 33-8 run that turned a 28-16 deficit late in the 1st half into a 49-36 lead with 5 minutes remaining. But the Jackrabbits came back to tie the game at 53, and Bobbitt reacts (right photo) after being called for a foul in a scramble for the ball after the Pioneers turned the ball over with 2 seconds left while holding for the last shot. After South Dakota State made 1 FT, they (stupidly) fouled Denver's best FT shooter (an 88 percenter) with 1.2 seconds to go, only for him to miss the front end of the one-and-bonus. Bobbitt finished with 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and a season high 4 steals in the season-ending 54-53 loss. For the season he averaged 8.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 1.7 APG and shot 44.9% from the field. DU went 16-15.
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45. Having been named Alabama's Mr. Basketball during his senior year in high school, Dazon Ingram was expected to make an immediate and significant contribution as a freshman for the Crimson Tide - and he was doing exactly that early on. Ingram, a 6-5, 205-pound G, drives past Kennesaw State F Nigel Pruitt (right photo) in the season opener on Nov. 13 then gives the fans a chance to see his unusual-looking dreads up close as he exits after the game (left photo). Ingram had 16 points (8-11 FG), 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals in 28 minutes in his first game in an Alabama uniform as the Tide broke out to a 21-5 lead midway through the 1st half and cruised to a 77-64 win.
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46. Things didn't go quite as well in game #2 on Nov. 17. Dazon Ingram (left photo) drives to the basket against Dayton's 6-11 C, Steve McElvene, during Alabama's 80-48 road loss. Ingram scored just 2 points in that one as the Tide were outscored 40-24 in both halves. Dazon battles Wichita State F Markis McDuffie for a rebound (right photo) on Nov. 27 during 2nd half of a game played at Orlando. Ingram had 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists as the Tide upset the Shockers 64-60 - their first win over a top 25-ranked opponent in 5 years.
Unfortunately Ingram's freshman season ended in early December after he broke a bone in his foot during practice. Fortunately he suffered the injury early enough in the season that he was able to redshirt the season, and he got to do his freshman season over again in 2016-17. His first freshman season lasted 7 games, in which he averaged 7.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists and shot 54.1% from the field in 25 minutes per game. But I'll admit it, I wasn't a big fan of those dreads. There's just too much of the surface of his head where there's no hair. I guess once they get longer they'll look better.
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47. It was not easy finding photos of Shaun Kirk, even though he played for North Carolina State, where there's no shortage of photographers at every game. The problem with the 6-8, 195-pound Kirk is that he played only 56 minutes all season. I cheated and went to the preseason for the photo on the left of Kirk dribbling against Cal State-Los Angeles in an exhibition game on Nov. 8. The most minutes he played in a game were the 8 he played against Duke on Feb. 6. He later played 7 minutes when the Wolfpack met Duke in the ACC tournament on Mar. 9, where he got a chance to guard the great Brandon Ingram (right photo). Shaun had 1 rebound and 1 blocked shot in that game, which NC State lost 92-89. For the season he totaled more fouls (12) than points (10), had 8 rebounds, and shot 30.8% from the field. Sadly, he was glued to the bench for most of his sophomore season too, so just maybe he should be thinking about transferring.
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48. Although he didn't play a lot, at least Christian Davis, a 6-6, 205-pound F, got into almost every game in his first season for Arkansas State. Davis and G Sean Gardner harass F Chris Boucher (left photo) during a 91-68 loss to Oregon on Nov. 25. Davis scored 4 points in the game, which turned out to be his season high (which he scored in three other games also). On Jan. 21 Davis tries to box out UT-Arlington G Kaelon Wilson (right photo). Christian had 2 points and a season high 5 rebounds that night, but again the Red Wolves got blown out, 91-64. A season-ending 9-game losing streak dropped Arkansas State's final record to 11-20. In 28 games Davis averaged 1.5 points and 1.4 rebounds in 8 minutes per game.
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49. 6-2, 180-pound G Kalin Fisher played in all 32 of Hampton's game, averaging 12 minutes per game. Fisher tries to knock a rebound away from F Greg Malinowski (left photo) during an 86-67 road loss to William & Mary on Nov. 25. Then on Dec. 17 in a close encounter between two players who played for high schools in the west suburbs of Chicago, Fisher tries to stop SMU F Ben Moore on a drive to the basket (right photo). Moore had 16 points and Fisher had 3 as SMU won easily 105-72. That was about 6 weeks before Moore converted his hair into dreads.
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51. The dark background is making it hard to see the dreads of Quinnipiac G Andrew Robinson as he has the ball stolen by Oregon State G Gary Payton II (left photo) during 2nd half on Dec. 21. If you save the photo and enlarge it, you can see the dreads much better. Robinson, a 6-6, 215-pounder, had his best game of the season to that point, finishing with 10 points and 4 rebounds in 18 minutes in the 82-61 loss to Oregon State. On Feb. 4 Robinson takes a shot against Marist G Kristinn Palsson (right photo). Robinson taking a shot was a very good thing for Quinnipiac fans on that night. He led the Bobcats with 15 points - all on 3-pointers and all in the 1st half as Quinnipiac took a 47-25 halftime lead and cruised to a 79-53 victory. Andrew scored 54 points for the whole season, with 45 of them coming on the 15 3-point FG he made. He averaged 2.2 points and 1 rebound in 26 games. Andrew's twin brother, Aaron, is also on the team; but for some reason he doesn't have dreads. What's the matter with him?!
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53. Josh Delaney tries to drive past Nicholls State F Luka Kamber (left photo) during 1st half of a quarterfinal round game in the SLC on Mar. 10. Josh was scoreless but had 3 assists in 21 minutes. The Bearkats hit a layup with 2 seconds remaining to win 60-59. In the semifinals the next night Delaney tries to get a bounce pass past ex-dread G Hameed Ali of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (right photo) during 1st half. Leading by 2 with 14 seconds left, SHSU missed 2 FT, then Ali came down and hit a 3-pointer with 7 seconds to go to win it for TAMU-CC. Three days later Delaney played a season high 34 minutes and scored 10 points, but the Bearkats lost their 1st round game of the CIT at home to Jackson State, ending their season at 18-16. Delaney averaged 5.2 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 15 minutes per game. Josh's twin brother, Cameron - who does also have dreads - sat out the season after transferring from Denver; but they both were in action for the Bearkats this season.
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54. I can't remember anyone before him, and I'm too lazy to go back and find out for sure; but I'm guessing 5-11, 175-pound G Harris Brown was the first player with dreads to ever put on an Evansville uniform. Brown drives to the basket against Alabama State F Bobby Brown (left photo) on Dec. 1. If that's the number 10 on the scoreboard under the letters ASU, then this is a photo of a layup Harris missed with 11:33 remaining in 1st half. He missed his three other shots in the game too, finishing with 1 point and 2 assists in 19 minutes in Evansville's 88-56 home win. On Dec. 17 Brown passes the ball as G Charles Oliver defends (right photo). Brown scored a season high 5 points that night and had 2 rebounds and 2 assists in an 84-70 home win over Norfolk State.
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After playing 11 minutes against Drake on Jan. 12, Brown played in only 7 games for a total of 22 minutes the rest of the season. That's probably why he transferred to a junior college for his sophomore season. After averaging 1.3 PPG in his only season for Evansville, he averaged 13.8 PPG this season for Dodge City.
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56. To find the freshman with (arguably) the best dreads you needed to go to Chicago. Most of the time he was sitting on the bench at DePaul games. Develle Phillips, a 6-9, 210-pound F, played only 30 minutes all season, with 11 of those coming in the two games against Xavier. Phillips can't block a shot that, according to the caption, was made by G Trevon Bluiett (left photo) during 2nd half at Cincinnati during Xavier's 84-64 win at Cincinnati on Jan. 12. Then on Jan. 30 (right photo) he grabs a rebound during DePaul's 86-65 home loss to the Musketeers on Jan. 30. In 5 minutes that afternoon he had 2 points and 2 rebounds - both season highs.
After not playing and suffering through the Blue Demons' 9-22 season, Develle had a much happier 2016-17 season after transferring to junior college. He started and averaged 5.6 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 1.3 BPG for Odessa, which went 28-6.
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57. Kentrell Barkley, a 6-5, 205-pound G/F, drives past Grambling F Michael Bethea (left photo) during his first game in an East Carolina uniform on Nov. 13. Barkley debuted with 8 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 steals in ECU's 61-53 home win. Barkley had 2 blocked shots vs. South Carolina State on Dec. 22 but can't get this shot by G Ed Stephens (right photo). Barkley had just 3 points that night, along with 6 rebounds, and 3 assists as ECU won easily 98-71; but I'm including this photo because with the way he has his dreads banded together, the best look you can get of them is from the rear.
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Although he usually didn't start, Barkley was a major contributor as a freshman, leading the team in rebounds and steals. He averaged 10.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.2 steals in 28 minutes per game ..... And as a sophomore he developed into the team's best player. Now let's see if he can lead them to a winning season. The Pirates haven't had one since 2013.
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Chris was out for 6 weeks after breaking his foot while working out at home during the Christmas break.
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If you want to see this dunk, click on the link below, and then click on the 2nd video in the column on the right - the one that says "C.Clarke made driving dunk (1:01)." And be sure to watch the whole video, because it also shows Clarke deflecting a pass that results in a steal on the next UVA possession before showing replays of the dunk.
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/video?gameId=400839178
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62. I guess you could say Chris Clarke is in the eye of the Hurricanes on this play (left photo), surrounded by Miami Hurricanes as he tries to get to the basket during a quarterfinal game in the ACC tournament on Mar. 10. Clarke had 4 points and 3 rebounds in 17 minutes, but the Hokies' 6-game winning streak came to an end with the 88-82 loss to Miami. In the 1st round of the NIT on Mar. 16 Clarke lays in 2 during 1st half (right photo), part of a 17-3 run by the Hokies that wiped out Princeton's 9-0 lead. Clarke hit all of his shots (2-2 FG, 2-2 FT), finishing with 6 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists in 24 minutes in Tech's 86-81 home win in OT. In round 2 Chris had 9 points and 7 rebounds in 12 minutes, but the Hokies lost a tough one at BYU 80-77 to end their season with a 20-15 record.
After averaging 8.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 22 minutes per game as a freshman, Clarke was doing even better as a sophomore before the injury bug bit again. He missed the Hokies final 9 games of 2017, including their game in the NCAA Tournament, after tearing his ACL in mid-February. I'm hoping to see Chris and his dreads in the NBA one day; so it's sad to see him suffer these serious injuries. Hopefully he can come back from this knee injury at full strength next season and then stay healthy from then on.
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The only freshman with dreads not shown is Roland Griffin. You'll see him in DG169.
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