The Emergence of Saint Mary’s Forward Brad Waldow
The Saint Mary’s Gaels have jumped out to a 5-0 start for the 2014-2015 season, due to the strong play of senior forward Brad Waldow.
Waldow is playing out of this world through five games, in which he is averaging 21.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. On top of that, he is shooting 65.7 percent from the field.
He is one of only three players on Saint Mary’s to average double digit points and is the only one of those three to top the 20+ points per game plateau. He leads the team in rebounds with a 2.4 rebounds per game average over Kerry Carter.
Waldow leads the team in blocks per game too with 1.0. He is also averaging under 30 minutes per game of playing time, putting him at fourth on the team in minutes played. Talk about efficiency. The fourth year Gaels stud hasn’t always been the go-to guy however.
March 11, 2013; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Saint Mary’s Gaels fans hold a photo of forward Brad Waldow (00) during the first half in the finals of the West Coast Conference tournament at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
In his freshman year, he wasn’t very sure-handed and was still a raw big man. He only averaged 18 minutes per game in his first season, finishing with 8.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He did shoot a career high 66.7 percent however, so the efficiency was still there.
During his second year, progress could be seen in his basketball IQ as he began to make smarter plays in the paint and challenged opposing big men more on the boards. Waldow racked up 10.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game that year while shooting 61.8 percent.
With the departure of now Cleveland Cavalier Matthew Dellavedova and fellow big man Mitchell Young, the 2013 season looked promising for Waldow to continue his growth. He did not disappoint as he posted career high numbers in every category: 15.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 0.6 steals per game. However, as he was called on to be a bigger catalyst in the offense, his offensive efficiency dipped a bit as the season wore on, shooting a career-low 56.5 percent in his junior season.
March 11, 2013; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Kelly Olynyk (13, left), Saint Mary’s Gaels forward Brad Waldow (00, center), and Bulldogs forward Elias Harris (20, right) pose for a photo after being named all-tournament team after the game in the finals of the West Coast Conference tournament at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
With offensive efficiency being the key focus for Waldow heading into his senior season, he sure has answered the bell. Compared to his his junior season, he is playing only 0.7 more minutes while hitting 9.8 percent more of his shots from the field, pulling down 2.3 more boards, and scoring 6.5 more points per game. If that isn’t offensive efficiency, then I am not quite sure what is.
Waldow is currently ninth in the nation in points, 22nd in points per shot, 26th in the nation in PER at 33.59, 29th in rebounds, and 38th in field goal percentage. If Waldow can continue his early season greatness, he could very well lead the Saint Mary Gaels to a very successful season.