D’Angelo Russell
Freshman D’Angelo Russell had a pair of standout performances this week and proved that he’s a legitimate one-and-done prospect. The Louisville, Kentucky native has been named NetScouts Basketball’s National Player of the Week for games from January 19th to January 25th.
Russell started the week with a dazzling 33 points, seven rebounds, and six assists against Northwestern while shooting 12-of-17 from the field and 6-of-11 from three-point range. The 6-foot-4 guard scored almost half of his team’s 69 points in the win. He followed with an equally impressive 22 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds on 9-of-15 shooting and a 2-of-7 display from deep in a win over Indiana. Russell averaged 27.5 points, 8.0 assists, and 6.5 rebounds per game on the week while shooting 65.6 percent (21-of-32) from the floor and 44.4% (8-of-18) from three-point range.
While Russell was a highly touted high school prospect coming into the season, few saw him as a potential lottery pick in the upcoming draft. Although he usually plays off the ball for the Buckeyes, he’s shown the ball skills and passing ability that should translate to the lead guard position. Russell will push for a top five selection in this year’s NBA draft, likely falling in the 4-8 range.
Maurice Daly Ndour
Elsewhere in Ohio, senior Maurice Daly Ndour led the Ohio Bobcats to a pair of victories. The native of Mbour, Senegal has been named NetScouts Basketball’s International Player of the Week for games from January 19th to January 25th.
The 6-foot-9 forward contributed 17 points, eight rebounds, and three assists in an 82-73 win at Ball State. He was 6-of-10 from the field and 1-of-2 from three-point range. Daly Ndour responded with a career-high 31 points, six rebounds, and three blocks including a game-winning dunk in a 63-61 victory against Buffalo. He was 10-of-15 from the field, 10-of-10 from the free throw line, and nailed his only three-point attempt. On the week, he averaged 24.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting 64 percent (16-of-25) from the floor and 2-of-3 from deep.
Daly Ndour has been the star for Ohio this season, averaging team-highs in minutes (33.6), points (16.0), rebounds (8.4), and blocks (2.2) per game. The senior has looked like a talented overseas prospect thus far as he hopes to continue the momentum throughout his senior year.
2014-15 Players of the Week
Brad Waldow (St. Mary’s) and Youssou Ndoye (St. Bonaventure) – January 18th
Bobby Portis (Arkansas) and Przemek Karnowski (Gonzaga) – January 11th
Sterling Gibbs (Seton Hall) and Buddy Hield (Oklahoma) – January 4th
Christian Wood (UNLV) and Kevin Pangos (Gonzaga) – December 28th
Denzel Livingston (Incarnate Word) and Egidijus Mockevicius (Evansville) – December 21st
Montrezl Harrell (Louisville) and Amida Brimah (UConn) – December 14th
Tyrone Wallace (Cal) and Patricio Garino (George Washington) – December 7th
Perry Ellis (Kansas) and Venky Jois (Eastern Washington) – November 30th
LaDontae Henton (Providence) and Domantas Sabonis (Gonzaga) – November 23rd
You can subscribe to our RSS feed from the upper right corner of our home page, follow NetScouts Basketball on Facebook, or on twitter.
Any international players interested in coming to the USA to play in college, prep school or high school can contact us here. We are looking for interns and sales associates. If you’re interested contact us and forward your resume.
