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Over the weeks leading up to the season Mountain West Wire will be looking at the best players at different aspects of the game. As basketball has become more and more positionless it’s more about being the best at specific skills than it is being the best at a certain position.
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A great former Mountain West basketball player once exclaimed that “The board man gets paid.” For what it’s worth, that player will be earning over 49 million dollars in the NBA this season, so he may have had a point. Scoring gets all the highlights, but elite players and coaches constantly talk about how defense and rebounding are key to winning championships. Every fan knows a game that their team would’ve won if they had simply grabbed a rebound at a key moment. The players listed below understand how important rebounding is to winning games.
5. Jared Coleman Jones, San Diego State –
Last year’s Aztecs team had the worst defensive rebounding rate of any Aztecs team since 2019. The Aztecs lost a couple games due to being unable to end a good defensive possession with a rebound. Jared Coleman Jones should help correct that weakness this season. His defensive rebounding rate of 24% ranked 70th nationally. He really knows how to get after the ball. He didn’t do much offensive rebounding at Middle Tennessee, and he may not be asked to at San Diego State, although it’s not out of the question and there’s reason to believe he could be better on that end if he wanted to.
4. O’Mar Stanley, Boise State –
O’Mar Stanley is better overall, but is also somewhat the opposite of Jared Coleman Jones. Defensively, Stanley’s rate of 17.5% is really good, but the offensive end is where he truly impacts games. His offensive rate of 12.3% ranked 76th nationally last season. Almost 18% of Stanley’s total points came off of putbacks. His aggression on the offensive end will continue to lead to easy points for the Broncos.
3. Aubin Gateretse, Utah State –
Gateretse has shown to be an elite rebounder on both ends of the floor. His offensive rebounding is a central part of his offense, which bodes well because his offensive rebounding rate ranked 40th nationally last season. His defensive rebounding rate ranked 219th nationally. There is no question he knows how to get after it on the glass. His numbers may take a dip this season though. Partly because he will spend a lot of time playing next to a true 7-footer in Isaac Johnson, who is a great rebounder himself. Secondly, the Atlantic Sun conference doesn’t have the same level of competition as the Mountain West. His numbers last season took hits against top-100 teams, so it is not out of the question that he may not be quite as elite.
2. Nelly Junior Joseph, New Mexico –
NJJ had great rebounding numbers his first year at New Mexico. He collected 8.2 rebounds per game and had double digits rebound rates on both ends of the floor. Nationally, his offensive rebounding rate of 11.3% ranked 128th, and defensively his rebounding rate of 21.2% ranked 154th. What is even more impressive is he could’ve gotten more rebounds if he didn’t have J.T. Toppin playing next to him. This season he will be asked to get even more rebounds, and he should be able to do it. No one should be surprised if Nelly Junior Joseph averages a double-double this season.
1. Robert Vaihola, San Jose State –
It is pretty hard to argue that Robert Vaihola isn’t the best rebounder in the conference. The 6’8 Big man plays bigger than his size would suggest and gets after it on the glass. He plays as if rebounding is the most important aspect of playing the game. He sat out last season after having season ending foot surgery, but is expected to be ready to go this season. His defensive rebounding rate of 20.1% is great, but he really excels on the offensive end. In 2023, his last healthy season, he led the conference with an offensive rebounding rate of 17.7%. Nationally he had the 5th best rate. He is elite on that end of the floor, which leads to second chance points for the Spartans. Defensively Vaihola should be able to collect a lot of rebounds after Diongue forces misses at the rim.
