MMBOW #7: Paul Millsap, Louisiana Tech

Power forward Paul Millsap of Louisiana Tech is our seventh Mid-Majority Baller Of The Week. Last Monday, he scored 19 and took down 15 rebounds as the Bulldogs beat Memphis at Memphis.

Without a doubt, Millsap's calling card is the rebound, and I mean that literally. He should pass out cards that say: "Paul Millsap: Glass Cleaning Services." As a freshman last season, he had 374 of 'em (12.5 a game), leading the entire nation. He was only the second frosh to lead Division I in that category since the NCAA started keeping stats in 1951, and the first-ever Western Athletic Conference player to win the title. Not bad for a guy who was considered a 3-of-5 star player out of high school and was rated in the fifties by most recruiting sites, or one who stands 6-8 and weighs 243 pounds. He also was 15th in the nation in field goal percentage during his first college season, which helped him greatly to obtain his jaw-dropping 20 double-doubles. In addition, he obtained the seven-slot on the school's all-time shot-block list with 52.

"The Nation's Best Kept Secret," who is once again leading D1 in rebounding, has his own website (not surprisingly, it's a PR thing - a Whois search for the domain leads directly back to the school) where you can see quotes by opposing coaches, read a full bio and stats, and thumb through a photo gallery of Paul doing what he does best. Rebounding and dunking.

Mid-major conferences have been won single-handedly by players like this (and yes, kids, the WAC is a mid-major league... just two regular season games will be nationally televised this year, neither of which involve LaTech). With Tulsa taking a vacation in Oblivionville, Nevada losing most of the scoring from its Sweet 16 team and Hawaii a prime candidate for a crash after overachieving with their traditional homecookin'-heavy start, the Bulldogs' primary competition would seem to be Texas-El Paso and Rice. Louisiana Tech's success will depend on how much magic Millsap can cast to mask his team's inefficiencies: shooting from the free-throw line and from any distance over 10 feet out.

His brother John is a senior forward at Texas-San Antonio, a team that split a home-and-home in the early season that was dubbed the "War of the Millsaps". Paul was recruited by Arizona, Mississippi State and Indiana, but was named "The Best Player Not Headed to a Major Conference" by USA Today after choosing Louisiana Tech. He averaged 25 points, 15 boards and three blocks during his senior year at Grambling (La.) High School, a team that went 28-1 and reached the state semis despite the school's diminutive nickname - the Kittens. So let's give a big "meow" to our latest Mid-Majority Baller Of The Week.