Some of college basketball’s smallest players are putting up some of its biggest numbers.
One of the funkier quirks of a season full of them is that four of the country’s top five scorers entering Friday’s games were 6 feet tall or shorter. At 5-foot-11, Howard guard James Daniel led the way with 27.9 points per game, followed by 5-foot-9 Oakland star Kahlil Felder (25.3), 6-foot Davidson standout Jack Gibbs (24.8) and Stefan Moody, all of 5-10, of Ole Miss (24.3).
The only player in the top 10 of the scoring race who’s taller than 6-3 is Oklahoma star Buddy Hield, with 25.9 points per game.
“You’ve got to be a special player to be under 6 feet tall and excel at this level. You’ve got to have an explosiveness to your game,” Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said. “For us, we’re not overly concerned with if you’re 5-10, 6-0 or 6-1. It’s really your package and the skill set you bring.”
For Daniels and the Bison, scoring in bunches has become a necessity.