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.
One of my favorite players to watch in the Big Sky this year was Chase Grabau for Idaho State. He was one of the most versatile guys in the conference, and really had some big games (especially during the Bengals nice win streak during the middle of the year).
He is not a guy that jumps out at you athletically or with any one skill. That is not his game. What he did well was everything... he was a solid and efficient scorer when needed, he rebounded well, was an above average passer, and he made things happen on the defensive end. Next to perhaps Portland State big man Chehales Tapscott, he was the premier stat-sheet stuffer in the conference.
He averaged 12.3 PPG, and did it nicely. He shot 58% from twos, and 37% from threes. He made 76% from the charity stripe, and shot over four per game. Simply put, he was a great complementary piece on offense (and occasional focal point), because defenses had to account for him at all times, and he did not take bad shots. His true shooting percentage was a stellar 61.9%.
He averaged 5.2 rebounds per game, with a 13.6 DR%. That is solid for a 6'5'' wing man. On a team without a lot of great rebounding big man, he was huge helping in this department. Another thing that the team lacked at times was guys that could generate offense for others, and he helped there also. He posted a 21.1 ARate, getting over three dimes per game. Defensively, he had almost two steals per game.
Grabau was never a guy that would overwhelm you or take over a game the way a guy like Damian Lillard did. But he was a guy that you knew every night what you were going to get. Even if he wasn't shooting the ball well, he would find ways to impact the game. On a team without much depth, Grabau was huge for them all year long.
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Chase was the heart and soul of the Bengals last season!
ReplyDeleteIf it wasn't for him getting injured during the final part of the season, the Bengals would have finished 3rd in the BSC and he would have been a first team selection.
ReplyDeleteI agree. After the concussion he just wasn't quite the same though he was still outstanding. If he wasn't injured the magic would have continued for the Bengals.
ReplyDeleteA moment which has become one of my favorite memories was when Grabau dished the ball off to Kenny McGowen in the final seconds of the Weber State upset.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of players would have tried to force up a shot in that circumstance, even with defenders rushing in. Grabau was selfless (sometimes too selfless), saw Kenny, and made a great memory! Grabau is one of those players who just seems to have a good picture of everything which is going on -- a lot of smarts upstairs!
No doubt, I remember him passing that off... it was a great play by him and as you said, very unselfish. He was fun to watch.
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