Across America, big men on campus usually get a lot of publicity. At North Carolina, Tyler Hansbrough was considered the preseason National Player of the Year by most experts. Georgetown's Roy Hibbert has been getting lots of exposure, and rightfully so.
There are others across the nation who should be getting more ink. My friends, it is time to look at the Dickie V. Big Men Deserving of More Publicity team.
Let's start out at Provo, Utah. I saw BYU big man Trent Plaisted in person and boy was I impressed. Go ask Rick Pitino and Roy Williams about the premier player in the Mountain West. Plaisted can run the court well, can score inside and rebound. He is a double-double man and he put up impressive numbers recently against Pepperdine (18 points, career-high 18 rebounds).
In the Big 12, fans know about Nebraska's Aleks Maric because he is an All-Conference candidate. Nationally, people may not realize how good the Cornhuskers big man is. He had 23 points and seven boards in a win over nationally-ranked Oregon.
Out in California, coach Ben Braun is happy that DeVon Hardin skipped the NBA draft and returned to the Golden Bears. Hardin is averaging a double-double and posted 16 points and 12 boards against a tough Missouri team earlier this season.
Arizona's Chase Budinger and diaper dandy Jerryd Bayless have received notoriety, but Jordan Hill has been an unsung hero. The 6-10 sophomore had 23 points and 14 boards in a key win over Illinois. Hill also scored 13 points off the bench in a win over nationally-ranked Texas A&M and also had 16 points and 19 rebounds in a big road win at UNLV on Wednesday.
Diaper dandy A. J. Ogilvy out of Australia has made some noise for the surprising Vanderbilt Commodores. Coach Kevin Stallings has to be thrilled with his presence in the paint.
There you have it, five big men who deserve some more publicity, baby!
Dick Vitale coached the Pistons and the University of Detroit before broadcasting ESPN's first college basketball game in December 1979. Send him a question for possible use on ESPNEWS.
