By Adam Kiefaber

I’m a sucker for players like Charron Fisher of Niagara. Fisher leads the nation with his 27.9 points a game. The 6-foot-4 forward plays like Shaq inside, but he can also step outside and drill an open three.

However, I have to remind myself that some of the great players in college basketball lead their team to the Final Four and not to the semifinals of the MAAC’s conference tournament.

Imagine if Kansas guard Mario Chalmers (right), Memphis forward Chris Douglas-Roberts or even Indiana forward D.J. White played in the MAAC - wouldn’t their numbers be inflated to the rate of 30 points a game?

Also, a thank you is in order for NBA commissioner Daniel Stern for making high school seniors choose a college instead of an agent. Because of Stern’s rule (players have to be one year removed from high school before being eligible in the NBA Draft), college basketball is dominated by younger players and more popular than ever.

Four of the ten players that made my All-American list are freshman. There are also a good number of freshman in my honorable mention.

CBR’s Midseason First Team All-Americans

C Kevin Love UCLA (6′10″ 271 lbs.) - Freshman -
Leads the Bruins in scoring (16.8 ppg), rebounding (10.2 rpg) and field goal percentage (60.3). Love is also a great passer and helped carry the team while Darren Collison was out earlier in the season.
F Michael Beasley Kansas State (6′9″ 235 lbs.) - Freshman -
Last season, the BIG-12 had Kevin Durant. This year it has Beasley, who leads the nation in rebounding with 13.1 rebounds a game. Beasley also averages 24.8 points per game, which ranks him fifth in the nation.
F Tyler Hansbrough North Carolina (6′9″ 250 lbs.) - Junior -
Leads the consensus No. 1 team in scoring (21.2 ppg) and rebounding (9.9 rpg). Hansbrough will go down as one of the better players in UNC history when he decides to move onto the NBA. He also had the play of the year at this point (below) when he dunked over Kenny George (listed as tall as 7′9″).
G Brian Roberts Dayton (6′2″ 175 lbs.) - Senior -
No player is as valuable to his team than Roberts is to the Dayton Flyers. Currently, Dayton is ranked in the Top 25 in January for the first time since the late ’60s. Roberts is averaging 20.1 points and 4.5 assists per game. He is also shooting 87.5 percent from the free-throw line and 45.8 percent from the 3-point line.
G D.J. Augustin Texas (6′0″ 180 lbs.) - Sophomore-
Augustin has a phenomenal assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.3, which is among the best in the nation. He also is averaging 20.3 points and 6.3 assists per game.

CBR’s Midseason Second Team All-Americans

C A.J. Ogilvy Vanderbilt (6′10″ 250 lbs.) - Freshman -
I could have gone with a name like Roy Hibbert or the player who could eventually win the honor by year’s end in Brook Lopez (only played in seven games), but Ogilvy has had the biggest impact. Ogilvy is averaging 19.4 points and 7.1 rebounds a game. He is also shooting 63.9 percent from the field.
F D.J. White Indiana (6′9″ 251 lbs.) - Senior -
White’s value is far greater than the numbers he has in the box scores. He is the leader of this Indiana team, which is currently ranked No. 10 in both polls. White is averaging 16.8 points and 10.9 rebounds a game.
G-F Chris Douglas-Roberts Memphis (6′7″ 200 lbs.) - Junior -
When the Tigers need to score, Douglas-Roberts is the man. He is averaging 16.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Douglas-Roberts is the best player on the nation’s best team.
G Eric Gordon Indiana (6′4″ 215 lbs.) - Freshman -
Leads the BIG-10 conference in scoring with 23.0 points per game. Once he limits his turnovers than he’ll be bumped up to the first team.
G Mario Chalmers Kansas (6′1″ 195 lbs.) - Junior -
Chalmers is the definition of a great college basketball player. He doesn’t average a staggering amount of points, but does a little bit of everything. He averages 12.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.9 steals per game. Currently, Chalmers is the leader of a scary well-rounded team.

Honorable Mention:

G Alonzo Gee Alabama, F Richard Hendrix Alabama, G Jerryd Bayless Arizona, G James Harden Arizona State, F Ryan Anderson California, F Jon Brockman Washington, G/F Shan Foster Vanderbilt, G-F Robert Vaden UAB, G-F Courtney Lee Western Kentucky, G Stefon Jackson UTEP, G George Hill IUPUI, G Jamar Butler Ohio State, C Kosta Koufos Ohio State, G Drew Neitzel Michigan State, F Raymar Morgan Michigan State, G Tyrese Rice Boston College, G Sean Singletary Virginia, G-F Charron Fisher Niagara, F Reggie Williams VMI, G Lester Hudson Tennessee-Martin, G Antoine Agudio Hofstra, C Roy Hibbert GTOWN, G O.J. Mayo USC, F Arizona ‘AZ’ Reid High Point, G-F Gary Forbes UMASS, G Ricky Harris UMASS, G Dionte Christmas Temple, G Leemire Goldwire Charlotte, G-F Pat Calathes St. Joesph’s, G Marcelus Kemp Nevada, G A.J. Abrams Texas, F Will Daniels Rhode Island, G-F Damion James Texas, G Jimmy Baron Rhode Island, F Will Thomas George Mason, G J.R. Giddens New Mexico, F Donte Greene Syracuse, F Luke Harangody Notre Dame, G-F Brian Laing Seton Hall, G Rob McKiver Houston, G Derrick Rose Memphis, G Devan Downey South Carolina, F Dior Lowhorn San Francisco, G Jaycee Carroll Utah State, F Reggie Larry Boise State, F Justin Hawkins New Mexico St.

This entry was posted Monday, January 14th, 2008 at 2:32 pm and is filed under CBR All-Americans. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.