Captains-Brent Carney (Winner in 7) vs. Brian Eskildsen
Mike Hite-#1 Overall to Brent Carney
11.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.4 apg, 29.7 FG, 37% PRO
Grade-C
I'm not going to get much into Hite and he was very difficult to grade. He shot terribly and responded by insisting the offense run more through him, leading to a lot of off balance shots and turnovers. However, he was always in attack mode and puts a significant amount of pressure on the defense all the time. Regardless, 29.7% shooting and a 37% PRO is not enough from the #1 overall pick.
Chase Hardin-#2 Overall to Brian Eskildsen
6.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.9 apg, 26.6% FG, 9% PRO
Grade-F
Although Chase showing up out of shape should have been a surprise to no one, there was no way for Eskildsen to know in the last two years Chase changed his approach to shooting on his way down, throwing bullet passes to the defense and kissing his girlfriend in between plays. He looked out of place on the court, something you never want from a first round pick.
Ben Wilson-#3 Overall to Brian Eskildsen
12.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 2.6 apg, 33.7% FG, 82% PRO
Grade-B
You can't argue with a guy that was #3 in ppg, #2 in rpg, #3 in apg and #4 in productivity. Although Wilson has garnered a reputation as a boom or bust guy each game, when he gets hot, he is a tough player to stop. What's most impressive is him adding almost 3 rpg to his stat line from PCTI-I to PCTI-II, helping clean up the boards and utilize his 235lb frame to his advantage. The 33.7 FG% and 21 3PT% took him down a grade but overall his performance was worthy of a unanamous All-Tournament Team selection.
Josh Stephens-#4 Overall to Brent Carney
14.7 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 1.6 apg, 36.8% FG, 87% PRO
Grade-A
#4 Overall for the tournament MVP is a no brainer A. Stephens led PCTI in points, rebounds and turnovers, and was barely edged out for productivity. He has been criticized extensively for turning it over, but fact of the matter is the guy makes plays. Sometime the end result isn't perfect, but given the past two PCTI's, he should have shed that reputation by now. He moves without the ball better than anyone, runs the floor, can shoot it from deep, and has a quality post up game, making him a tough matchup for anyone. Great value selection.
Joe Thompson-#5 Overall to Brent Carney
11.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, 43.8% FG, 75% PRO
Grade-A
My choice for MVP, Thompson came into PCTI-II completely re-invented, focusing on hustling, instinctive plays and on-court leadership. He was one of four people to have a FG% in the mid-40's, took over game 6, and moved without the ball, constantly catching the defense asleep. Although he has taken heat for his affinity for the camera, the best part of the video was his intro yelling "WET" and then making the girly pose with his hand on his hip. None of his stats jump out, but he put together a solid all around performance.
Ian Van Horne-#6 Overall to Brian Eskildsen
9.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg, .7 apg, 40.7% FG, 67.5% PRO
Grade-B
Great value here, Bruise came into PCTI-II chiseled up and in much better shape than the year before. He increased his rebounding output from 4.3 to 7.9 from PCTI-I to II, helping his team in a huge way as his squad was extremely undersized. His tough, physical defense had him nearing the DMVP, and some say had everyone not wanted to see Sabin in a captain role (Something I bet most are regretting now) that Bruiser would have been the recipient of the award. One thing that deserves more credit than anything is that when Bruise did something positive, the authority at which he did it had everyone recognizing.
Michael Orr-#7 Overall to Brian Eskildsen (Rights traded to Carney in exchange for Sabin)
3.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.7 apg, 36.4% FG, 52.5% PRO
Grade-B
Smo will be graded based on BC's decision to trade for him. In a very shrewd move, BC unloaded Sabin on Eskildsen, and in one move shoared up his frontcourt defense and tore apart the opposing team's chemistry all at once. While the only time Smo was speaking on the court was communicating screens, Sabin was mad at his team for them not being interested in getting him in the flow of the offense more. Smo has received a lot of praise for his affinity for protecting the rim, and although some laugh, when watching the tapes there is nothing that stands out more obvious than his utter hatred for when people get an uncontested lay up. The addition of a garbage man was perfect fit for a team full of shooters, and it could be argued that this was the savviest decision of the weekend.
Danny Krow-#8 Overall to Brent Carney
3.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.7 apg, 39.4% FG, 50% PRO
Grade-C
This grade is not soley based on performance, but moreso based on right team right guy. The numbers don't speak highly and Krow's on the ball defense left a lot to be desired, however given the fact that he was on a high scoring, volume shooting roster, the last thing the team needed was a guy that would demand a lot of shots. Although not playing very well, Krow was #2 in assists, a/to and steals-All important stats given the role he was supposed to play, hence why his grade was not lower.
Scott Donley-#9 Overall to Brent Carney
6.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg, .8 apg, 38.2% FG, 33% PRO
Grade-B
Regardless of the criticism Donley received for leaving early, what he managed in Game 1 of his first PCTI performance was nothing short of legendary. 10 points and 5 boards in 12 minutes was not only incremental to the team's expected success, but he provided a huge lift to his team during what appeared to be a slow start to the 2nd half. He energized his teammates and caught the other team sleeping with an assortment of 3's, catch and shoot buckets, and put backs. He cooled off after a while but his overall performance given the circumstances were much more than expected from a replacement pick
Anthony Hopkins-#10 Overall to Brian Eskildsen
6.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.6 apg, 37.3% FG, 54% PRO
Grade-B
Let me begin by saying the majority of this grade was earned over a one game explosion, when Hops got loose for 23 points and 9 boards in 25 minutes in what was one of the most out of control outbursts we have witnessed thus far through two years. He put what appeared to be the most apathetic team in a given game I have seen on his back and willed them to victory. As most people do coming off a game in which they hit 6 3's and shot it 67% from deep, he cooled off and followed that up with a few colder games. However, in a 7 game series if you can dominate one game, you have earned your keep.
Wes Murray-#11 Overall to Brian Eskildsen
3.3 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.3 apg, 25.8% FG, 17% PRO
Grade-D
I'm not interested in beating a dead horse and trying to be funny, so I will just speak the facts.. Murray showed up unprepared for PCTI-II. Coming off a few big games in PCTI-I, Eskildsen thought he was getting a superior glue guy that would mark up, knock down open shots, and play hard. He played hard but his lack of basketball experience and conditioning made it difficult for him to get enough minutes to get in a groove.
Jeff Sabin-#12 Overall to Brent Carney (Rights traded to Eskildsen)
10.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, 41.8% FG, 90% PRO
Grade-Incomplete
There is literally no way of grading this pick. In what could go down as one of the most confusing performances in the history of PCTI, Sabin played hard on both ends and gave his team the best effort he could churn out, all the while being the most productive player in PCTI. However, alientating some teammates/being alientated by teammates lead to some character issues, which in turn lead to some internal Team Eskildsen bleeding. There is literally no way to evaluate this properly so I'm done trying.
Bryan McKinney-#13 Overall to Brent Carney
6.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.0 apg, 40.9% FG, 56.5% PRO
Grade-B
This was nowhere near McKinney's best performance, however given his draft spot he outperformed five of the six guy's ahead of him from a statistical standpoint. McKinney also played the least amount of minutes on his team, 10 less a game than Stephens and Hite, respectively so that probably had something to do with his low scoring output for himself. He didn't light anything up, but crashed hard, moved without the ball, and hit some key shots.
Josh Pitto-#14 Overall to Brian Eskildsen
13.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.1 apg, 47.8% FG, 87% PRO
Grade-A
His defense obviously left a lot to be desired, but fact of the matter is offensively his numbers were head of the class, while being drafted dead last. 2nd in ppg, 2nd in FG%, 3rd in 3pt%, all the while shooting 100% from the line (9 of 9). You can't argue the production given the draft slot, so he despite his shortcomings, he earned the right to receive a high grade.
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