After a strong sophomore season for Boston College last year Rakim Sanders was expected to emerge as the leading scorer in 2010. Instead, Rakim was suspended for the first two games and then missed six games in a row after spraining in ankle in the opening minutes of the Paradise Jam Tournament.
So far this year his statistics are down in nearly every category including FG%, 3p%, and FT%. His notable drop in field goal shooting percentage is startling( just 35.5% from the field this year compared to 45.5% last year).
Of course Rakim could just be in a major funk but at ten games in at this point that seems a bit unrealistic. He could also still be feeling the lingering effects of his ankle injury, which is a distinct possibility. Perhaps the added muscle mass and size he put on during the off-season is affecting him in a negative way. He may be struggling to adjust to his new playing weight. Or it could just be a case of missing a top quality point guard in Tyrese Rice.
Whatever the case may be the Eagles desperately need Rakim to find his game again. He seems to lack the same explosiveness he had last year when he regularly wooed the crowd with high-flying dunks and blocks. We have not seen much of either from him yet this season.
Rakim's best fit in the offense may be when he posts up smaller guards in the paint. He can exploit this frequent mis-match and either attack the basket or find an open teammate. This is exactly what he did so often last year and what makes him such an offensive weapon.
