Best Thing I Saw: Winthrop has one of the nation’s most efficient basketball scorers

I’ve been a numbers guy for as long as I can remember.

Ever since I picked up math, I’ve been in love with it. Combine that simultaneously with my love for sports and you have someone who dives into sports data like an anchor at port.

So when I saw that Winthrop junior big man Kelton Talford is tops in the Big South and fourth among NCAA players in field goal percentage this season -- at 71.2% -- I wanted to get a closer look at the season he’s having.

According to SportsReference, Talford is one of 37 Division I college basketball players since 1992-93 to have a season shooting percentage of 65% or better from the field, on at least nine shots per game.

When, you raise the threshold to 70%, Talford’s goes from being one of 37 to just one of three.

It’s a testament to the Great Falls native that despite being a bit small to play center (he’s 6-foot-7, 195 pounds), he’s gets good looks at or around the basket. But Talford has prepared for what others people may see as a challenge.

“I’ve been in the post my whole life,” Talford said recently. “But I’m undersized for a post guy, so just being smart and making smart decisions down there, even with my footwork and just getting a good angle on the shot. So I think that’s really helped me a lot.”

Being smart in the post means a few things for Talford.

First, it means the first available shot may not always be the best shot. Next, it means converting his opponent’s strengths to a weakness.

“Ever since I was younger, I’ve had bigger, stronger guys on me, but they tend to be slower than me,” Talford said. “So it’s quick, fast moves, trying to shift their weight and just go in the opposite direction, and just get them moving one way to go the other, and things of that nature.

“I’m just making quick moves. Or, as the game going, just keep wearing them down and down with moves and eventually, since they’re bigger and stronger guys, they’ll start to break down.”

Talford’s commitment to improving his game has long been recognized by head coach Mark Prosser. When he was the head coach at Western Carolina, Prosser tried to recruit Talford. Prosser became Winthrop’s head coach just before Talford’s sophomore season.

“He’s just gotten better and better as he’s continued to get more experienced in Division I basketball,” Prosser said. “I think he’s seeing now what that brings, and he’s sort of the focal point defensively for teams that are game planning against him. And he’s still finding ways to be highly effective and highly efficient, and that just says a lot about him.”

Talford has improved his scoring and his efficiency every season, from averaging six points a game on 61% shooting his freshman year to 17 points a game on 71% shooting this season.

“He’s got a great way about him,” Prosser said. “He’s progressed into somebody that’s a leader on this team. He’s part of the fabric of this program. He’s been around championships. So, you know, watching that leadership process grow, and he’s got years of captainship ahead of him, we look forward to watching that happen and being a part of it.

Talford and the Eagles are 7-11, 2-3 in the conference, and currently sit eighth in the Big South standings.