Every two weeks, we'll dig deep into the stat books and pick a DII men's basketball starting five based purely on the best numbers at each position, with a few shoutouts to some honorable mentions as well. It's not always as simple as picking the statistical leader in a specific category, mind you. Sometimes we look across the stat sheet, finding players who are amongst the DII leaders in a wide range of categories.
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This week has some new faces from the first starting five of the season, including a guard and forward who run the floor with the best of them in DII.
The DII men's basketball all-stats starting five (all stats through 1/16/2020)
G — Adam Dworsky, Southeastern Oklahoma State
Last week, we went with two shooters at the guard position. This week we welcome a floor general amongst the best at what they do. Dworsky leads DII in assists with 9.3 per night while chipping in 14.3 points per game. He's very efficient from the floor shooting 50.1 percent from the field, 40.8 percent from 3 and 87 percent from the free-throw line. He's also top 15 in assist-to-turnover ratio, which is always good.
Also considered: Brian Harper, Young Harris; Trevor Hudgins, Northwest Missouri State; Tommy Schmock, Findlay
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G — Jhonthan Dunn, Southern Nazarene
This was a tough pick, and will probably be met with some debate. Jordan Floyd of King is leading DII men's basketball with 28.9 points per game and Harrison Cleary of Minnesota Crookston has been lighting up scoreboards all season long. But Dunn has proven to be one of the most prolific scorers in DII, recently scoring his 2,000th career point. He's third in the Division at 27.8 points per night, and he's also extremely efficient: he's hitting 55 percent of his field goals, 47.3 percent from 3 and 86 percent from the charity stripe. Dunn also chips in 5.5 rebounds per game.
Also considered: Arlen Brooks, Delta State; Harrison Cleary, Minnesota Crookston; Jordan Floyd, King; Jalyn Hinton, Florida Southern
F — Mark Matthews, Nova Southeastern
This was a tough spot as there were a lot of deserving forwards out there. Here, we decided to go with the top scorer for the top-scoring team in DII men's basketball. What is most impressive about Matthews isn't his 23.2 points per game (14th-best in DII), but that he's shooting 65.7 percent from the field. He's also pulling down over eight rebounds per game to lead the Sharks.
F — Sekou Sylla, Saint Rose
Let's welcome back Sylla for a second-straight appearance, but it was a tight one. Bryan Griffin of Mercy leads DII men's basketball in rebounds, with Sylla not far behind in third with 11.9 points per game. What separates him is his overall effectiveness, shooting an impressive 57.6 percent from the field. He also averages 22.4 points per game (a top-20 mark) and is tied for the most double-doubles in DII with 13.
Also considered: Phil Bledsoe, Glenville State; Riley Farris, Fort Lewis; Bryan Griffin, Mercy; Ryan Hawkins, Northwest Missouri State; Selom Mawugbe, Azusa Pacific
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C — Andrew Sischo, Daemen
This one is pretty easy. Sischo returns for another week as the sixth-leading scorer in DII men's basketball with 25.6 points per game, tops amongst all centers, while shooting just about 65 percent from the field. He also is second in rebounding (first at his position) with 12.3 per night. It seems like basketball is too easy for him sometimes, as he's been among the DII leaders for nearly two years running now.
Also considered: Joseph Allen, Elizabeth City; Luka Majstorovic, Embry-Riddle (FL)