Analysis of the 2006 power forwards

Unlike their counterparts at small forward, the juco class of 2006 at power forward is loaded with potential high-major stars. Thirteen players at this position signed with Division One schools in one of the six "power" conferences. On to the analysis of the four men for the Class of 2006.

Dynamic Duos

There are two different duos in this class worth watching. One is a pair of junior college teammates who split up for their Division One destinations and one is a pair that will be teaming up at the next level.

Southeastern Illinois had one of the most talented frontcourts in the land last season. Takais Brown was among the elite players in the land and signed with Georgia over Purdue. Teammate Demar Dotson was also very highly regarded and committed early to Southern Mississippi and Larry Eustachy. Both have the potential to be very good players very quickly.

The Indiana Hoosiers struck gold with juco power forwards after hiring Kelvin Sampson. Mike White of Lee College and [/db]Lance Stemler[/db] of Southwestern Illinois were both rated among the top 40 junior college players in the land by this site.

Five to Watch

Outside of the four players mentioned above, here are five players who will be on college basketball's big stage next season. Each could lead their teams to solid improvement next year.

Frantz Dorsainvil: The Vincennes big man was Everick Sullivan's go-to guy in his first year at the juco power. He made a late decision to head west and sign with the Oregon Ducks.

Cyrus Tate: Tate took the suspense out of things committing early to the Iowa Hawkeyes. He was on a talent laden team at Northeast Nebraska and may have to carry a little more of the load next season. Not that the Hawkeyes are bad by any means. They were a three seed in the NCAA tournament, but more will be expected out of Tate at the next level.

Engen Nurumbi: Nurumbi slid into the final spot in our top 100 rankings at the end of the year. The Golden Gophers are looking to make their way back up the Big Ten standings and Nurumbi could help lead the way.

Fabio Nass: Nass played in the shadow of Sonny Weems this season. He will join the guard-laden Hurricanes of Miami and try to move up the ladder in the ACC.

Othello Hunter: Hunter is an interesting case. He is a very good juco player and a nice sign for Ohio State. Of course, the Buckeyes are bringing in one of the best recruiting classes ever to Columbus and it will be interesting to see where Hunter fits in.

Five Sleepers

These guys may not be going to the major programs or getting all the ink, but they should be worth watching: Stuard Baldonado at Duquesne, B.J. Benning at Chattanooga, DeAngelo Garrett at Pacific, Josh Love at Texas-San Antonio and Ryan Pettinella at Virginia.