DePaul Progress Report: Week 2

The Blue Demons are off to their hottest start in years at 2-0. As sad as that stat is, we'll move past it and take a look at the six players that have gotten them to this point.

Tommy Hamilton:  B

This first week of the season has been the tale of two varied performances from Tommy Hamilton.  In his first game against UIC, Hamilton played great, scoring 17 points and pulling down 8 rebounds.  The Drake game was, however, a different story, as Hamilton was caught in foul trouble all night.  Hamilton has been in foul trouble in both games this season, which has been disappointing to see; it limits his abilities to defend well in the post, something he does well.  Lehigh has done a horrible job at rebounding this year, so the matchup with them could prove very instrumental in helping Hamilton's confidence and statline.

Myke Henry:  C+

Henry has managed to make an impact in both games this season, logging some solid minutes.  He has done a good job of getting to the rim and converting on some great dunks, but he hasn't necessarily been able to find any semblance of a long-range shot.  His inability to avoid foul trouble hasn't helped either, one reason his rating isn't extremely high.  He's got some good numbers right now, but they're just that:  good.  If he is to be a better player and get higher grades, he has to find a way to boost his shooting percentages.

Forrest Robinson:  A-

Forrest Robinson deserves an A for the fact that he has provided an extremely positive presence off the bench, making up for questionable play from other big men.  As an added note, Robinson has had a hot shooting hand, knocking down threes at critical points in the game, as well as shooting a combined 6-of-11 from behind the arc.  His scoring numbers have been high, and if he can just get the other statistics to follow suit, then he may be able to eventually find a spot in the starting lineup.  If that doesn't unfold, he will become one of the best sixth men in the Big East.

Billy Garrett Jr.: A-

The week the season started, I (Robert) criticized Bill Rafferty for putting Garrett on his All-Big East First Team. I thought there were at least eight players in the conference better than Garrett. Through the first two games, he has absolutely proved me wrong. He was a bit streaky in the Demons' first game, shooting 5-11 for 12 points, but he made up for it with six assists and two steals. Then in their second game, he was much more efficient, scoring 15 points on just six shots. He did a great job drawing fouls and getting to the line, hitting five of his six free throws

Durrell McDonald: B-

McDonald was practically a non-factor in DePaul's first game, in which they faced the UIC Flames. He only tallied four points, an assist, a block, and a steal, in 30 minutes of play. Then the second game came along, and he flirted with a triple-double. 4-4 from the field, including 2-2 from beyond the arc gave him 10 points. Then he added seven rebounds and six assists. McDonald will have to continue to be a solid offensive player as the season goes on, so Billy Garrett and Tommy Hamilton can have some of the load taken off their shoulders.

Jamee Crockett: B-

Aside from putting this song in my head every time he steps on the floor, Crockett has done some other things, both good and bad. Let's begin with the good. He's eating up minutes so far, averaging 29 a game. That's good for third behind McDonald (31) and Garrett (29.5). He's also averaging 10 points per game, which is serviceable. Onto the bad things. He has taken seven threes this year, and made... zero. That's a 0% three point percentage, for all of you out there who aren't great with math. Crockett isn't a terrible three point shooter, as 14 of his 23 field goals made last season were from long range, so this may be just a dry spell. It's still something to monitor.