Damian Lillard

Damian Lillard (Photo. Weber State)

After Jeremy Lin emerged from relative small school obscurity at Harvard, everyone is looking for the next player to make a similar splash. Look no further than the snow-covered mountain town of Ogden, Utah.

Damian Lillard may be the best player in college basketball that you’ve never heard of. The 6-3 guard is second in the nation in scoring at 24.5 point per game, and leads the Weber State Wildcats (24-5) in the Big Sky Championship game tonight in hopes of earning the league’s automatic qualifying bid.

Although flying below the national radar for most of the season due to the Wildcats’ limited exposure, NBA scouts have taken notice. Lillard is currently projected as a mid-first-round pick, and is arguably the best point guard in the 2012 draft class – even with a year of eligibility remaining. After a season-ending foot injury early last season forced him to medical redshirt, Lillard has recovered magnificently and is primed for a look at the NBA next year.

An excellent penetrator, Lillard is the best player the Big Sky has seen since Rodney Stuckey was at Eastern Washington; and if the Wildcats can crack the field of 68, they will not be an easy out. Check him out tonight at 9 p.m. EST on ESPN2 and see for yourself.