Top Departing #4: Kyle Bullinger

With the throes of the offseason all around us, I thought it would be fun to take a look at the 20 best players that are departing from the Big Sky, either due to graduating, declaring for the draft, or transferring.

If you look solely at last season, you might say that Kyle Bullinger is ranked a little too high on this list. If you look at the basis of his whole career, you might say that Kyle Bullinger is ranked a little too low on this list. So it goes.

Bullinger had a great career for Weber State, but unfortunately his senior year probably did not go exactly how he would have planned, as he missed some time due to injury, and was clearly still affected by the injuries even when he was able to return. After averaging 11.2 PPG and 6.3 RPG as a junior, his averages dipped to 6.2 PPG and 4.7 RPG as a senior.

Perhaps the biggest effect of injuring his elbow was the fact that he never got his shooting back. After shooting 43% from downtown in 2010-11, he was at just 30% last season. He was less comfortable going to the basket as well, and he went from being a great third option (behind Damian Lillard and Scott Bamforth) to being almost an afterthought on offense. That is a shame, because it definitely did not represent his talent or what he meant to the team.

Even with the injuries, it is probably fair to say that Bullinger was the toughest player in the Big Sky. He was only 6'6'' but he was a very good defensive rebounder. He had games with 16, 13, and 10 rebounds in his first five games of the year before he got injured. There was nobody better from the three spot in the conference at that. He was also a hard-nosed defensive player, which continued to be true after he returned. He did a lot of intangible things for Weber State.

Kyle Bullinger did not have a dream senior season, but he was a fantastic player for Weber State during his time there as well as being the consummate student-athlete. He got better as an offensive player in his first three seasons, and could always be counted on for defense, rebounding, and toughness from the three spot. He twice earned All Big Sky Conference honors during his career.

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