First, I must confess that Rodney Alexander is my favorite Illini player this year, and it's not even close. And the last two games against Ohio State and Northwestern confirmed my thoughts about needing to find more minutes for Rodney.
Let's just look at some statistics on this year. Rodney Alexander averages 5.6 points per game, and plays an average of 14.1 minutes per game, so his scoring efficiency is .397 points per minute played. Now, if Rodney was able to play 33 minutes per game, like a "utility" player named Frazier, he would be averaging 13.1 points per game and be the team's leading scorer.
We can do the same math on rebounding. Rodney averages .234 rebounds per minute played, so if he played 33 minutes per game, he would average 7.7 rebounds per game. That would place him in a tie with Shaun Pruitt for team rebounding statistics.
To be fair, the knock on Rodney Alexander is his defense, which apparently is not as good as the other starting players. But my point is that his scoring and rebounding make him extremely valuable to have on the floor. Alexander is the most athletic guy the Illini have on their roster this year (although some would say Brock or Randle). Plus, his three alley oop dunks against Northwestern made me remember the Flying Illini of 1989, and that's a much more pleasant thought than this year's team.
1 comment:
If only he could guard his shadow...
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