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 take a look at conference co-sixth man of the year, Saint Bonaventure forward, Denzel Gregg.
What He’s Done:
Gregg shocked experts and analysts alike last year, improving all but one of his per game stats. With just a 7-minute increase Gregg jumped from 3.7 points per game (ppg) to 9.3 ppg, a 5.6 point increase. He also went from averaging just under 1 block per game to 1.4 per game, good for 6th best in the conference. However, his biggest jump came at the three point line. After never making a three in his college career Gregg shot 33% from behind the arc. These improvements won Gregg a share of the conference’s sixth man of the year award with UMass’s Jabarie Hinds.
With Marcus Posley, Dion Wright, Jordan Tyson and Derrick Woods all departing, Gregg will be looked upon as a leader and should see starting minutes at the forward spot.
What He’ll Do:
Gregg’s consistent improvement under head coach Mark Schmidt has been impressive. Going by the average of statistical jumps Gregg has made each year, he projects to score 14+ ppg, 1.5+ assists per game, 1.8+ blocks per game and 8+ rebounds per game. If Gregg hits those numbers, he’ll easily finish as a top 20 player in the conference.
Even more so, if Gregg’s three point shooting improves just to 36%, he’ll elevate a group that already finished as the top three point shooting team in the conference at 37%. If that number jumps to 39 or higher — the Bonnies will give teams fits.
Despite Saint Bonaventure’s losses from last year, players like Gregg can keep this team in the running to win the A-10 championship and finally capture that elusive NCAA Tournament bid every Saint Bonaventure student, fan and alumni crave desperately. .
Previously De’Riante Jenkins
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