These grades are based on each player's overall play through the entire season, not just how they were playing towards the end of the season. I also used other Big 12 players at the same position as a comparison for each player. For instance, I would give Pierre Jackson an A and Ben McLemore an A.
Clyburn- Carried us offensively for big stretches this year, including in the tournament against Ohio State. Looked like a first round pick when he was on. When he was off, like against Iowa, he looked like the dude McDermott wouldn't take unless he redshirted. Was much better defensively than he gets credit for, especially in terms of his versatility on that end.
He isn't an A because- he disappeared offensively for long stretches and averaged 2.6 TO's a game
B+
Ejim- I hate to be hyperbolic, but Ejim played with more effort than just about everybody in college basketball this year. How else do you explain his almost constant double doubles and leading the conference in rebounding despite being undersized? He will always have difficulties on the offensive end creating his own shots and handling the ball, but his effort under the basket won us a few games (think Oklahoma in the Big 12 tournament). If he continues to improve his shooting and plays with the same kind of effort next year there is no doubt he will be an All Big 12 first team type player.
He isn't an A because- he still struggled to finish around the rim and in some late-game situations
B+
Mcgee- The most exciting player we've had in awhile. Best 3-point shooter and sixth man in the country. Played extremely hard on both ends, even when he was struggling defensively. Will be sorely missed next year. Probably should have gotten a few more minutes than he did.
He isn't an A because- He fouled more jump shooters than anybody in the country
B+
Niang- The consistent low post offensive scorer every team wants. When we needed a basket and he was in the game Hoiberg ran a play for Niang almost every time. Doesn't get enough credit for his ability to shoot from the outside. His shooting and ability to stretch the floor allowed us to do the things we did on offense with our spacing and drive and kicks. Defended like an undersized freshman with jumping issues but absolutely dominated defensively out of nowhere against Notre Dame.
He isn't an A because- Rebounding and defense
B+
Babb- Our MVP. Finally starting getting the credit he deserves for what he did for us on the defensive end. More than any other thing we will miss his defensive ability next year. Shot the ball amazingly well towards the end of the season and made more "dagger" type shots than anybody else on the roster. I will never forget him making McGruder and Pledger look like children whenever we played them. Would have beat Ohio State if he played the second half.
He isn't an A because- Had a mild shooting slump to start the year
A-
Lucious- Like Clyburn was very inconsistent offensively. Unlike Clyburn, he didn't have the defensive game to make up for it. 10 and 6 is nothing to complain about for a PG in the end though. Kept us in the Ohio State game with his shooting. Despite some struggles with turnovers and on ball defense, he kept his head up and never lost his confidence.
He isn't an A because- He averaged 3.3 turnovers a game and was a liability on defense because of his size
B-
Palo- Played some of our best basketball with him on the court because of his steadying affect on offense and his on ball defense. Very impressive season from him despite the personal issues and having to join the team during Big 12 play. Exactly what you want from a backup PG and will do a solid job holding down the job until Morris is ready next year.
He isn't an A because- He didn't shoot well and fouled a lot
C+
Gibson- The definition of a sophomore slump. Had some nice games earlier in the year, but lost almost all of his playing time by the end of the year. Starting to think his freshman year was the best we will see from him.
He isn't an A because- Horrible on defense and missed most of the shots he made last year
C-
Booker- Very up and down year. Was a very fun player to watch when he could stay in the game, but didn't do that for the most part because of constant fouling. Continued to shoot the 3 ball ok and rebounded very well. It was great to see him finally figure things out toward the end of the year in a couple games and play awesome for us.
He isn't an A because- Frequent fouls and inconsistency
C+
Hoiberg- We are very very lucky to have Fred at Iowa State. Has improved in about every area since his first year. Even if we take a slight step back next year I have no doubt we will end up in the Sweet 16 and beyond in the next 3-4 years. The best coach I watched this year at diagramming plays out of timeouts and his ability to handle guys like Korie and Booker that struggled mightily at times tells you a lot about his relationship with the players.
He is an A because- He got the most out of the team
A
Overall Team Grade- We were not a 10 seed. There is no doubt in my mind we were one of the top 20 teams in the country, but because we had to improve our chemistry on the go, play a difficult Big 12 schedule, and get royally screwed by refs on 2 or 3 occasions we were relegated to playing a top 5 team in the second round (where he also got royally screwed and unlucky).
Not an A because- The Iowa, Texas Tech, and Texas losses.
A-
Clyburn- Carried us offensively for big stretches this year, including in the tournament against Ohio State. Looked like a first round pick when he was on. When he was off, like against Iowa, he looked like the dude McDermott wouldn't take unless he redshirted. Was much better defensively than he gets credit for, especially in terms of his versatility on that end.
He isn't an A because- he disappeared offensively for long stretches and averaged 2.6 TO's a game
B+
Ejim- I hate to be hyperbolic, but Ejim played with more effort than just about everybody in college basketball this year. How else do you explain his almost constant double doubles and leading the conference in rebounding despite being undersized? He will always have difficulties on the offensive end creating his own shots and handling the ball, but his effort under the basket won us a few games (think Oklahoma in the Big 12 tournament). If he continues to improve his shooting and plays with the same kind of effort next year there is no doubt he will be an All Big 12 first team type player.
He isn't an A because- he still struggled to finish around the rim and in some late-game situations
B+
Mcgee- The most exciting player we've had in awhile. Best 3-point shooter and sixth man in the country. Played extremely hard on both ends, even when he was struggling defensively. Will be sorely missed next year. Probably should have gotten a few more minutes than he did.
He isn't an A because- He fouled more jump shooters than anybody in the country
B+
Niang- The consistent low post offensive scorer every team wants. When we needed a basket and he was in the game Hoiberg ran a play for Niang almost every time. Doesn't get enough credit for his ability to shoot from the outside. His shooting and ability to stretch the floor allowed us to do the things we did on offense with our spacing and drive and kicks. Defended like an undersized freshman with jumping issues but absolutely dominated defensively out of nowhere against Notre Dame.
He isn't an A because- Rebounding and defense
B+
Babb- Our MVP. Finally starting getting the credit he deserves for what he did for us on the defensive end. More than any other thing we will miss his defensive ability next year. Shot the ball amazingly well towards the end of the season and made more "dagger" type shots than anybody else on the roster. I will never forget him making McGruder and Pledger look like children whenever we played them. Would have beat Ohio State if he played the second half.
He isn't an A because- Had a mild shooting slump to start the year
A-
Lucious- Like Clyburn was very inconsistent offensively. Unlike Clyburn, he didn't have the defensive game to make up for it. 10 and 6 is nothing to complain about for a PG in the end though. Kept us in the Ohio State game with his shooting. Despite some struggles with turnovers and on ball defense, he kept his head up and never lost his confidence.
He isn't an A because- He averaged 3.3 turnovers a game and was a liability on defense because of his size
B-
Palo- Played some of our best basketball with him on the court because of his steadying affect on offense and his on ball defense. Very impressive season from him despite the personal issues and having to join the team during Big 12 play. Exactly what you want from a backup PG and will do a solid job holding down the job until Morris is ready next year.
He isn't an A because- He didn't shoot well and fouled a lot
C+
Gibson- The definition of a sophomore slump. Had some nice games earlier in the year, but lost almost all of his playing time by the end of the year. Starting to think his freshman year was the best we will see from him.
He isn't an A because- Horrible on defense and missed most of the shots he made last year
C-
Booker- Very up and down year. Was a very fun player to watch when he could stay in the game, but didn't do that for the most part because of constant fouling. Continued to shoot the 3 ball ok and rebounded very well. It was great to see him finally figure things out toward the end of the year in a couple games and play awesome for us.
He isn't an A because- Frequent fouls and inconsistency
C+
Hoiberg- We are very very lucky to have Fred at Iowa State. Has improved in about every area since his first year. Even if we take a slight step back next year I have no doubt we will end up in the Sweet 16 and beyond in the next 3-4 years. The best coach I watched this year at diagramming plays out of timeouts and his ability to handle guys like Korie and Booker that struggled mightily at times tells you a lot about his relationship with the players.
He is an A because- He got the most out of the team
A
Overall Team Grade- We were not a 10 seed. There is no doubt in my mind we were one of the top 20 teams in the country, but because we had to improve our chemistry on the go, play a difficult Big 12 schedule, and get royally screwed by refs on 2 or 3 occasions we were relegated to playing a top 5 team in the second round (where he also got royally screwed and unlucky).
Not an A because- The Iowa, Texas Tech, and Texas losses.
A-
