Welcome to A10 Talk’s Top Pre-Season Top 25 Player Countdown for the 2016-17 season. Each day, we’ll be publishing a new article counting down our best 25 players for the coming season. Today, we feature #17 Jarvis Garrett of Rhode Island
What He’s Done
While he may have shocked the college basketball world with his Friday the 13th-esque protective mask last season, Jarvis Garrett has the potential to be even scarier this year – that is to his opponents. A rising junior, Garrett checks in at #17 in our rankings as he is one of the reasons that the Rams are a likely top 25 team to start the year. Having lost star E.C. Matthews for the season early in 2015 and Hassan Martin to injury for a good chunk of the year, URI head coach Dan Hurley turned to the younger Garrett for big-time minutes, and the guard came through.
The then-sophomore averaged 12.5 PPG on 41.8% FG shooting and shot a solid 41.9% from three-point range on the season. This all while playing 34.3 MPG with a facial fracture. There are few questioning Garrett’s toughness after he came in clutch for the Rams in 15-16, and he’ll play a vital role for his team during his junior campaign.
What He’ll Do
URI is a consensus top 2 team in the A-10 and top 25 team in the nation entering the 2016-17 college basketball season, and Garrett is certainly a part of the equation. Starting alongside Matthews and Martin will only give him more passing options and open shots, which obviously should bode well for his game.
It will be interesting to see if Garrett takes even more threes this season. He shot over 50% from beyond the arc in conference play and showed a prolific ability to hit the big shot. With a super athletic rim-attacker like Matthews on the floor, there should be ample opportunity for the kick-out three on the wing or at the top of the key.
Garrett has a legitimate opportunity to be Second-Team All A-10 this season if he continues his progress from the year prior. He still needs to improve a bit as a free throw shooter (69.8% in 15-16) but his assist-to-turnover ratio has been fairly favorable to date. I like him to be a big part of URI’s hopeful NCAA tournament run this coming March.
If the Rams do end up in the Madness, Jarvis Garrett will certainly be a big reason for his team’s success. At to whether the mask will make a reappearance? We’re just gonna have to wait and see.
Previously: #18 Otis Livingston II
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