
CANMORE, Alta. — After finishing in eighth place in the Summit League standings last season, many people were picking against the Western Illinois Leathernecks heading into 2017-18.
In the preseason Summit League poll, they were picked to finish eighth once more. With the departure of the IUPUI Jaguars to the Horizon League, that meant the Leathernecks were projected to finish last. They received 60 points in the poll, whereas the seventh place team received 104.
Based on their start to 2017-18, it’s safe to say that the Leathernecks have used that as motivation early on. Despite the loss of guard Garret Covington, among others, the Leathernecks are 5-2 this season, with a win over the aforementioned Jaguars to boot.
Leading the way is Dalan Ancrum, who is among the nation’s leading scorers with an average of 21.8 points per contest. A player we were high on during the preseason, Brandon Gilbeck, is among the nation’s leading shot blockers once again, averaging 3.2 per game.
However, with Ancrum being a senior, the Leathernecks needed their guard of the future to step up early on in 2017-18. They may have found their next star, in freshman guard Kobe Webster.
The native of Indianapolis, IN opened his collegiate career with a stat line of 19 points, eight assists, five rebounds, and four steals to lead Western Illinois to a season opening win. He sits second on the team in scoring, and has been a big factor in their strong start to the season.
For his efforts this past week, a stretch that saw the Leathernecks split a pair of games to open a four-game home stand, Western Illinois freshman guard Kobe Webster is the College Court Report Freshman of the Week for November 27 – December 3, 2017!
Continue reading College Court Report Freshman of the Week: Kobe Webster, Western Illinois Leathernecks