As college basketball takes a multi-day break for the holidays, I thought it would be a fun exercise to go "shopping" for a new squad in the spirit of a post-Christmas themed article. Because obviously, it's impossible for programs to actually go acquiring new players mid-season. Right?... Right?
All jokes and realities aside, I've put on my general manager hat and attempted to create a team that wouldn't absolutely bankrupt a school's athletic department. Obviously the most ideal team would have the game's top superstars, but I've aimed for semi-practical if this hypothetical exercise were to become a reality.
Other than that, there are no rules here. I've considered fit, scheme, and play style with my nine-man rotation. We also have a balance of under and upperclassmen, in the name of hopefully keeping some continuity with this fake roster in the coming years. While I didn't consider positions in the traditional sense, I used pretty common archetypes for guards, forwards, and bigs to help explain each player's role.
Lastly, as coach, I would just like to state that I will be playing my guards through two first-half fouls, and I will not be using my challenge until the final two minutes of the game.
Starting Five
On-Ball Guard: Ebuka Okorie, Stanford
Though Okorie is just 10 games into his college career, I would feel more than comfortable with him running my team. There are just two players in the country with a sub-10% turnover rate while leading their team in assist rate: Okorie, and Ohio State superstar Bruce Thornton, one of the sport's most efficient offensive guards in decades. When Okorie sits, Stanford turns it over on 19.9% of possessions. When he plays, that number plummets to 11.2%.
He's also an elite rim attacker for a 6-foot-2, 185lb guard. 45% of his attempts are at the hoop, and his 63% free throw rate is Top 100 nationally. Okorie has an explosive first step in the halfcourt, and if you don't have an elite perimeter defender, he'll blow by you and create for himself and others.
Putting pressure on the rim is a very important quality in a lead guard. If the two most efficient shots in basketball are layups and open catch-and-shoot threes off of kicks, then a guard that can create both of those with his penetration is the easiest way to unlock them both in one swoop. With the shooting and passing I plan to add throughout this roster, it makes a defense's decision to help off the weak side to challenge Okorie much more difficult.
Okorie is not an elite floor spacer, but he has hit five of his 11 open threes on the year, and is a strong free throw shooter, suggesting he'll have no issues when he doesn't have the ball in his hands, which is pretty much a constant in his current situation. His ability to both create and execute in transition will also allow the team to play with pace when desired.
Combo Guard Guard: Skyy Clark, UCLA
Likely seen as a castaway after playing for a Kenny Payne-led Louisville squad, Skyy Clark quietly had an awesome junior season at UCLA last year, and has been even better early this season. And yet he's still somehow flying under the radar. Across his 47 games with the Bruins, Clark is shooting 81/188 (43%) from deep, and has 120 assists to 53 turnovers, adding 63 steals on the defensive end.
And yet, what I like most about Clark's game is his malleability in the backcourt. When he plays next to electric point guard Donovan Dent, who like Okorie is a blur getting downhill, Clark serves as an excellent floor spacer, and he's shooting 48% on spot-up threes this year.
With Dent off the floor, Clark is responsible for significant on-ball duties, where he's averaging a bonkers 1.17 points per possession out of the pick-and-roll, the No. 8 mark nationally amongst those with at least 40 attempts.
The on-off numbers tell a similar story about Clark's value. UCLA is outscoring opponents by 28.6 points per 100 possessions with the guard on versus off the court after outscoring them by 10.5 points last year. Clark's offensive versatility and efficiency mixed with defensive ability make him a seamless fit on every roster, but he'd be a masterful pairing with Okorie and this rest of the group I've assembled.
3-and-D Wing: Eian Elmer, Miami (OH)
With two guards that can dribble, pass, and shoot and play on the ball, and a playmaking forward on deck, I need someone who can be a true wing defender, make their off-ball threes, and bring strong positional size and physicality. Those qualities fit Elmer to a tee, as an elite defender with a strong 6-foot-6 frame and a 39.5% 3-point shooter on 238 career attempts.
Elmer's baskets have been assisted 73% of the time this season, and honestly, that number should be higher. He's shooting just 1-of-15 on dribble jumpers this season, and 41/75 (54.7%) on everything else, threes included. He's hit at least 40% of his catch-and-shoot threes and 60% of his rim attempts in all three college seasons. On this roster full of dynamic offensive players, all Elmer will need to do is hit his open jumpers and execute on straight-line drives, which are both in his wheelhouse.
That said, the biggest draw to Elmer is his defense and rebounding on the wing. In each of the last two seasons, Miami Ohio has been at least six points per 100 possessions better defensively with Elmer on the court, and their defensive rebounding rate has improved with him on the floor at least 3% in both campaigns. Last year, Elmer was one of 39 players to have at least a 3% block and steal rate, and this year, he's 13th amongst all non-bigs in defensive rebounding rate.
As cliche as it sounds, Elmer will be responsible for doing all the little things. Consider him our prime PJ Tucker. With so much talent and on-ball usage throughout the roster, a good team needs someone like Elmer who can plug the gaps.
Versatile Forward: Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State
Make no mistake about it, Jefferson is our superstar and highest-paid player. Second in KenPom Player of the Year, fifth in EvanMiya.com's BPR, sixth in Win Shares, seventh in WARP, it really doesn't matter what metric you use. If you're making a list of five most valuable players in the country, Jefferson must be on it.
There is nothing on the floor that Jefferson cannot do. The only players that have matched his rebounding, passing, scoring efficiency, and defensive counting stats in a power conference in the Basketball Reference era are Duke's Cameron Boozer this season, and LSU's Ben Simmons in 2015-16.
Offensively, Iowa State uses Jefferson as a screener, a ball handler, a spot-up guy, and post-up player. He runs high-low action at the top of the key and runs the floor in transition. He's even hitting 43% of his catch-and-shoot threes after struggling on those looks throughout his career. Jefferson has taken a gargantuan leap as a passer as well. In a two-game stretch against Syracuse and Alcorn State, he had 20 assists to zero turnovers. Zero! Look at some of the stuff Jefferson is doing with the ball in his hands at 6-foot-9, 240lbs, and tell me how anyone in the college game could stop him.
I mean, come on people. With Okorie's downhill attacking as a pick-and-roll partner, along Clark and Elmer as spacers, Jefferson's ability to do a little bit of everything in a jumbo frame is the perfect role for a non-ball dominant star to have. This is all before mentioning his top-tier and well-proven defensive and rebounding abilities that have seen all three of his years as a college starter be for a Top 15 KenPom defense.
Admittedly, it would be pretty hard to be a bad team with Jefferson on the roster. But for the sake of this exercise, if you told me I could only have one superstar on my squad to start a team from scratch with, Jefferson would be my pick.
Inside-Out Big: Devin Williams, Florida Atlantic
I've already spent a significant portion of my cap on Okorie, Clark, and Jefferson, so I'm looking for more of a role player at the 5-spot, especially since Jefferson could slide down as a big in a pinch. I need someone who can protect the rim defensively, provide second chance opportunities, be a great roller, and be able to space the floor when Jefferson is working in the mid-post.
As it turns out, that's a really challenging set of parameters! But perhaps no one fits it better than Williams - one of just four true bigs with at least 10 threes and 20 blocks on the year. Williams flew under the radar in the transfer portal after being rarely used as a freshman at UCLA and redshirting last year. But his Top 100 recruiting pedigree as a super long, athletic, and skilled big has been on full display in Boca Raton.
Williams is sixth nationally in block percentage, and already has nine games of at least three swats. He's also using his long arms to grab over 10% of all possible offensive rebounds when he's on the floor. Offensively, he's a major weapon as a screener, even going 4-for-10 on pick-and-pop threes this season. His 26% dunk rate at the rim also shows his above-the-rim athleticism, a major factor when projecting the rim efficiency of a big man moving up in level.
There's nothing complicated about Williams' game, and that's exactly what we're looking for next to Jefferson in the frontcourt. Williams is still a bit raw and thin, and could serve to improve on the defensive glass, but Elmer and Jefferson being elite on the boards defensively should help remedy the concern, and we'll think about that as we make our way down to our bench guys.
Bench Rotation
Scoring Guard: Michael Cooper, Wright State
First off the bench, I need a pure bucket-getter who won't play outside of our offensive structure. There are only three players in the country with at least a 55% effective field goal percentage on dribble jumpers and a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio: Bennett Stirtz, Christian Anderson, and Cooper. And you can only get one of those guys at a bargain!
Unbelievably, Cooper is doing this as a unranked freshman with the fourth-highest shot percentage in the Horizon League. Cooper is always in control with the ball in his hands, and has fantastic touch from all three levels.
Power conference athleticism hasn't bothered him either. Cooper is 8-of-10 from inside the arc against Cal and Butler this season, with seven assists to four turnovers. Cooper is a bucket who doesn't make many mistakes, and one can only imagine how good he'll be with more college experience under his belt. Cooper's defense leaves a lot to be desired right now, but as a spark plug off the bench, that's more of a nitpick.
Combo Guard: Peter Bandelj, Cal Poly
Playing in one of the most unique offensive schemes in the country, Bandelj is an absurd shooter who can also take it to the rack and play as a pure point guard when needed. He's a ridiculous 49% on 33 dribble threes, and he's 9-for-13 from deep when left open. He had a wild stretch earlier this season where he went 13-of-15 from deep in a two-game span.
On-ball, off-ball, bucket-getter, floor-spacer, pure point guard, Bandelj can do it all with a filled-out 6-foot-4 frame. He also boasts a 96th% on/off rating for Cal Poly this year, with the Mustangs outscoring teams by 28.4 points per 100 possessions more when he's on the floor versus off. Look at how Bandelj bails his team out in tough spots.
Bandelj could work at the two next to Okorie, the one next to Cooper, and even the three next to two of our guards with his solid size. He's a super versatile offensive weapon, and an automatic shooter at the guard spot.
Defensive/Rebounding Athletic Forward: Kaden Cooper, Louisiana Tech
Neither Cooper or Bandelj are good defenders, and our backcourt in general is a bit small. To compensate, we're adding perhaps the best defensive non-big in all of mid-major hoops with our second Cooper on the roster.
Kaden Cooper is the former No. 58 prospect in the 2023 class, and spent his freshman year at Oklahoma before dropping down to the C-USA. He's a career 65% free throw shooter and 28.7% 3-point shooter, which is problematic as a 6-foot-6 wing. He has just 36 assists in 52 D-I games. But my goodness, can the guy defend.
This is all before mentioning Cooper is the leader amongst all players 6-6 or shorter in defensive rebounding rate this year, while also being nationally ranked on the offensive glass. With the amount of shooting and scoring in the backcourt, someone like Cooper who can do everything else will prove vital off the pine.
Low-Usage Versatile Forward: Jake Ensminger, Santa Clara
Nearly everyone on our roster needs the ball in their hands to succeed. Adding Ensminger ensures there is absolutely one player that does not. Ensminger's 10% usage rate is one of the lowest in the country, and he has the best RAPM of anyone with his usage or lower, per CBB Analytics. He's taken just 41 shots in 259 minutes on the floor. And yet, you absolutely cannot question the 6-foot-9 German's value.
Most notably, prior to getting hurt against Saint Louis on Nov. 27, the frontcourt player had an absurd 29 assists to just two turnovers. He's not a great shooter, but is shooting 81% at the rim on limited attempts. He's an elite two-way rebounder, with Santa Clara registering a defensive rebounding rate 10.2% higher with him on the floor. And the Broncos' defense has been demonstrably better with him on the floor in all three of his college seasons.
More than perhaps any player in the country, Ensminger does the little things that add value towards winning, without having to do any of the big things. Every good team needs someone like him. And though I'm likely biased as the creator of this fake squad, I think we have a pretty good team on our hands.
