Where have all the NSIC big men gone?

[Stanger86]

Re: Where have all the NSIC big men gone?

But the fact that Werner, Flack, etc. are listed as bigs when they are 6'6" shows how game has changed. There is an argument that a true great big man should be a rim protector in addition to a low post scoring threat, etc. That may be the main difference between being a true D1 big or not.

That's fair. I was just going through roster archives trying to find guys who I thought would maybe go to a current NSIC school if not for the lure of Division I.

[vikingfaithful]

Re: Where have all the NSIC big men gone?

There is an increase of D2 schools moving to D1 in BB and FCS in FB, many NAIA schools moving to D2. There are only so many big men to go around. My theory is D1 schools hoard most post players hoping they will develop into starting talent and when they don't, some transfer to D2.

[MrMustang]

Re: Where have all the NSIC big men gone?

There is an increase of D2 schools moving to D1 in BB and FCS in FB, many NAIA schools moving to D2. There are only so many big men to go around. My theory is D1 schools hoard most post players hoping they will develop into starting talent and when they don't, some transfer to D2.

I was going to post this same theory. Spot on in my opinion.

More D1 schools. More big guys going D1 to start and less going D2.

Perfect example is Logan Doyle. Belonged in D2 where he is great.

[MrAugustana]

Re: Where have all the NSIC big men gone?

I'm really hoping Augie's big man transfer, Dykman, will be competitive on Doyle's level right out of the gate. Would be huge if he was able to step up and make an impact right away. Not sure what type of player he is (true on-the-block big man or more of a stretch-4 type of big), but I know he was highly regarded out of high school and has mostly just been stuck behind two really good low-major D1 players above him on the depth chart in Daum and, to a slightly lesser extent, Theisen.

Other than Dykman (recognizing I have no idea how good he actually is), I don't currently see a potentially dominant big on Augie's roster at this point. Certainly no one at Jansen/Schilling's level from what I can tell. But who knows...Sevlie went from a 5 points and 1 rebound per game near-nobody his sophomore year to a 1st Team All-Conference player his junior year for Moorhead. Maybe some of Augie's young bigs (Kerkman or Behrends) will make a jump like that in a year or two. I won't complain if they do.

[Augieholic]

Re: Where have all the NSIC big men gone?

1.) It's only been 15 months since Danimal, Sevlie, and Schilling wrestled each other at the ever neutral Pentagon. Any inquiries into big man extinction are just acts of the most recent SMALL SAMPLE SIZE THEATRE.
2.) Ted Brown has been mentioned as a shining beacon of hope and I whole heartedly agree. Physically he's got some Danimal in his blood but he needs some polishing. I'm surprised to not be reading about Tommy Gathje from Winona. He was impressive vs Augie in Winona last winter. Or how about Tyler Rudolph from Minot? He only averaged 21-10 last year.

Overall the talent is slightly down and oddly focused on mediocre to atrocious teams but it's still there. I view it as more of a blip than a trend.