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Kenny Chery following in familiar footsteps at Baylor: Eh Game NCAA basketball roundup

Israel Fehr

It's not easy being the new guy.

It's even harder being the replacement, just ask Kenny Chery (Montreal, Que.).

46 players from NCAA Division I programs were selected in this past summer's NBA draft. Baylor point guard Pierre Jackson was one of them, going 42nd overall to Philadelphia before being re-routed to New Orleans.

Jackson was the heartbeat of Baylor's offence, leading the Big 12 in points and assists per game last season. Tasked with replacing Jackson as Baylor's floor general, Chery has shown he's more than up to it, even if the comparisons are tough to avoid.

They both arrived at Baylor after two years playing at the junior college level. They're both undersized guards (Jackson is listed at 5-10, Chery at 5-11) and they share a tenacious style of play on both ends of the floor.

Through nine games, Chery is the high-minute man for the 8-1 Bears at just under 30 minutes per game, leads the team in assists (4.9 APG), and is third in scoring (11.6 PPG).

In Baylor's biggest test of the season, taking on a loaded Kentucky team at AT&T Stadium, Chery made sure a Canadian left his mark at the home of 'America's Team', scoring 18 points and adding five assists as the Bears pulled off an upset win. The performance led to Chery being named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Dec. 9.

While Cherry follows in his footsteps in Waco, TX, Jackson has moved onto a new adventure. After the draft, he played for New Orleans in the NBA Summer League but didn't stick. He is currently playing with the Idaho Stampede, trying to prove he deserves an NBA opportunity.

It's now Cherry's turn to make an impact at Baylor, and if does, he could follow Jackson again, this time to the NBA draft.

EH GAME NCAA BASKETBALL ROUNDUP

BOX SCORE BOSSES: THE STARTING FIVE (Dec. 5 - Dec. 11)

1. Andrew Wiggins (Thornhill, Ont.) scored 26 points on 7-of-15 from the field and grabbed 11 rebounds in Kansas' 67-61 loss to Florida.

2. Nik Stauskas (Mississauga, Ont.) scored 25 points on 7-of-11 from the field and six three-pointers in Michigan's 107-53 win over Houston Baptist.

3. Melvin Ejim (Toronto, Ont.) scored 22 points on 9-of-13 from the field to go along with seven rebounds in Iowa State's 91-82 win over Northern Iowa.

4. Brandon Bos (Markham, Ont.) scored 22 points on 5-of-16 from the field in South Dakota's 67-66 loss to Wyoming.

5. Kevin Thomas (Ajax, Ont.) scored 19 points on 9-0f-11 from the field and took down 11 boards in Troy's 85-69 win over Alabama State.

HEADLINES FROM THE WEB

1. Huntington Prep basketball team adjusting to life without Andrew Wiggins. [Yahoo Eh Game]

2. Wiggins, Kansas trying to find an identity after second loss in three games and more tests looming. [Yahoo The Dagger]

3. Chery, Brady Heslip (Burlington, Ont.), and Baylor earn a big dose of confidence with victory over Kentucky. [Yahoo The Dagger]

4. Searching for Stauskas: Michigan looks for its leading scorer as defenses clamp down. [Michigan Live]

5. Daniel Mullings (Toronto, Ont.) Reaches 1,000 Career Points for New Mexico State Aggies. [New Mexico State Sports]

6. Comparing Syracuse point guard Tyler Ennis (Brampton, Ont.) to Sixers point guard Michael Carter-Williams. [Fan Sided]

THREE GAMES TO WATCH (Dec. 12 - Dec. 18)

1. Friday, Dec. 13: No. 23 Iowa at No. 17 Iowa State, 9:30 p.m. ET

This intense intra-state rivalry has strong Canadian flavour on the Iowa State side. Melvin Ejim leads the team in scoring with 18 points per game and Naz Long (Mississauga, Ont.) is providing solid minutes off the bench.

2. Saturday, Dec. 14: No. 1 Arizona at Michigan, 12 p.m. ET

Stauskas and the Wolverines have fallen out of the AP Top 25 after a couple of disappointing losses but a strong performance at home against No. 1 Arizona could help vault them back into the national conversation.

3. Sunday, Dec. 15: No. 2 Syracuse at St. John's, 12 p.m ET

Now in the ACC, Tyler Ennis (Brampton, Ont.) and Syracuse face their old Big East rival St. John's at Madison Square Garden in New York. Watch Fox Sports 1's promotional video for the game.

For daily updates on the Canadians playing in the NCAA check out Hasan's Alanam's 2013-2014 stat tracker.