After reading this article from Cougfan on Deangelo Casto's shot blocking prowess, I was inspired to look at the tempo-neutral stats to find out just how awesome Casto really is when it comes to swatting shots.
Here is a look at the Pac 10 leaders in block% (from kenpom):
| 1 Taj Gibson | 9.17 |
| 2 Jordan Hill | 6.25 |
| 3 Michael Dunigan | 5.15 |
| 4 Aron Baynes | 4.22 |
| 5 Roeland Schaftenaar | 4.22 |
| 6 Jeff Pendergraph | 3.67 |
| 7 Josh Owens | 3.54 |
| 8 Jordan Wilkes | 2.73 |
| 9 Caleb Forrest | 2.41 |
| 10 Omari Johnson | 2.37 |
So where is Deangelo? To qualify for these rankings a player must play 40% of his team's total minutes. Deangelo just misses the cut at 39.6. For argument's sake, we will round up (like they taught us in third grade). Right now, Deangelo is posting a robust 9.8 block percentage. From the table above, you can see that would easily move him ahead of Taj Gibson for first in the Pac 10 in blocking efficiency.
I watched on television during last year's 4A state title game as he was sending away a state championship record eight shots and wondered if it was because he just outmanned the competition or if he truly was a skilled shot blocker. We've seen so far this year, and the numbers prove, this guy truly does have a knack for protecting the rim.
How old is he again? Oh that's right (drools on keyboard).
Be very afraid Pac 10, be very afraid.