Since the NBA instituted a minimum age (19) for its players, college basketball has seen an influx of impact freshmen players who greatly affect the game.
In recent years, players such as Michael Beasley of Kansas State, Greg Oden of Ohio State, and Kevin Durant of Texas have made huge impacts as freshmen on college basketball as a whole and on their teams for one season before jumping to the NBA.
Based on recent history, it's reasonable to think that a few impact freshmen will carry their teams to unexpected heights during the college basketball season. Here are ten freshmen to watch in 2009 who could have the biggest impacts on the sport this season. Watch them close; they might only play college basketball for one season before entering the 2009 NBA Draft.
- Aminu, Al Farouq (Wake Forest, 6-foot-9): Aminu gives the Demon Deacons a great mixture of a strong inside game and a fluid outside game. He runs the floor very well.
- Babbitt, Luke (Nevada, 6-foot-9): Babbitt is an intriguing freshman to watch. He'll a rare impact freshman who will play at a non-BCS school after lighting up the scoreboard during his record-setting high school career in Nevada. Can he make the leap to becoming an equally successful Division I scorer?
- DeRozan, Demar (Southern California, 6-foot-7): At 6-7, DeRozan possesses amazing ball-handling and shooting skills. Because of his lack of mass, some observers worry about whether he'll hold up against Pac-10 talent for a full season, however.
- Evans, Tyreke (Memphis, 6-foot-5): After losing a few key players to the NBA Draft, Memphis has a freshman to watch in Evans, who will receive immediate playing time. Although he'll score plenty, he might give the Tigers their greatest impact on the defensive end, where his long arms will disrupt opposing offenses' passing games.
- Holiday, Jrue (UCLA, 6-foot-3): The Bruins are loaded with returning talent, but Holiday figures to receive significant playing time at the point guard position, where he'll match up well against larger guards. His coaches rave about his basketball intelligence, making him a freshman to watch.
- Hopson, Scotty (Tennessee, 6-foot-7): With a big scoring hole in the Volunteer lineup after the graduation of Chris Lofton, Hopson should step in as an impact freshman and provide some scoring punch.
- Monroe, Greg (Georgetown, 6-foot-11): In the rugged Big East, Monroe is a rare true freshman who should be able to hold his own physically. He might be the best rebounder among true freshmen this season.
- Mullens, B.J. (Ohio State, 7-foot-0): Most schools have a difficult time finding one passable big man. With Mullens, Ohio State has its second elite big man in a three-year span. Most observers say Mullens will follow in Oden's footsteps and jump to the NBA next season as the #1 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.
- Singleton, Chris (Florida State, 6-foot-9): Singleton's all-around game should make him a quick favorite among Seminole fans. FSU coaches are counting on him to score inside and outside, rebound like a bigger player, and provide intangibles beyond his experience level.
- Warren, Willie (Oklahoma, 6-foot-4): Warren should step in immediately for the Sooners, providing a badly needed long-range shooting threat. If he's as good as advertised, Oklahoma could win the Big XII.
The copyright of the article College Baskeball Impact Freshmen in College Basketball is owned by Kyle Schurman. Permission to republish College Baskeball Impact Freshmen in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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Dec 12, 2008 12:07 PM
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