College Basketball’s Best Freshmen
Midseason Report on 2007 – 08 Class
An analysis of the top 10 freshmen in NCAA men's basketball and how the are faring at midseason.
Most college basketball teams have 15 games under their belts and all have entered conference play. Already it has been a season that has featured stellar performances by teams and individuals, as well as some marquee match-ups. Among the most hyped aspects of the 2007 - 2008 season has been the freshmen class, touted by most scouts and analysts as the single strongest group of freshmen in years. So at midseason, are these super frosh measuring up?
The answer is a resounding yes. Among those freshmen most highly ranked and heavily recruited, few are playing like freshmen. Sure, all have their moments of indecision but among the freshmen elite most are earning significant minutes and putting up laudable statistics. Watch the top freshmen—and truly that list can go quite deep, certainly beyond those most frequently ranked in the class top 10—and you see players with ability, game knowledge, and self-control making huge impacts. Most of those players are playing in elite programs already beginning to face stiff competition nightly.
Freshmen Statistics: Witness the statistics at the season halfway mark:
Michael Beasley (Kansas State): Beasley is averaging 24.8 points a game and bringing in 13.1 rebounds, a stunning double-double in 14 of 15 games played. This places him in the top 5 in the nation among all players in both scoring and rebounding. He put in 32 points, including the game winner against Oklahoma and has recorded six 30 point performances. This isn’t exactly the shy freshmen who can’t take pressure. The rest of his numbers: 57.2 field goal %, 35.3 three point %, and 2 blocks a game. Kansas State may not be a top tier program yet, but Beasley is playing with some other dazzling players who can also put up big numbers. Beasley is a player and a pure scorer.
Eric Gordon (Indiana): While Gordon struggles at times with the speed of the college game, resulting in a 31 – 49 assist to turnover number, he can flat out score, averaging 23 points per game while taking the court for an average of 32.5 minutes each contest. He steps up to the line with maturity and confidence, hitting 85%. How many college players, let alone freshmen are hitting 49.2% from the floor and 42.7% from beyond the arc against seasoned opponents?
Derrick Rose (Memphis) Rose entered college as the #1 ranked point guard in the country and has shown mature play for what some argue is the best and deepest team in the country. Rose has offered up 65 assists to his teammates, while turning the ball over 48 times. He is one of three players on this Memphis squad averaging double figures for points per game at 14.7. The freshman leads this deep team in minutes, at 27.9 a game. He is hitting nearly 50% of his shots and draining 39.5% of his three point attempts while pulling in 4 boards a game. Not bad for a team that has already beaten Georgetown, Arizona, and USC.
O.J. Mayo (USC) Playing in what many argue is the toughest conference in college basketball top to bottom this season, and without the luxury of as much depth as Memphis, O.J. Mayo has been asked to step up and play an average of 36 minutes a game and despite a grueling schedule, has averaged 19.9 points per contest. The USC won/loss record may not look as good as they had hoped, but Mayo has done his part, putting in 19 against Kansas and 16 against Memphis. In the latter game, the pundits who billed it as a Mayo/Rose match-up forgot it was really a USC/Memphis match-up and Memphis had the bodies to go deeper and to double team more often. Mayo rebounded from the tough schedule, putting up 34 points in a losing effort against Cal. Mayo has recorded 22 steals and is shooting 44.3% from the floor and 37.6% from beyond the arc. Not bad for a freshmen playing 36 minutes against some of the best in the nation.
Kevin Love (UCLA) Across town, Kevin Love and his UCLA compatriots have already played 17 games this season. Love has proven his toughness, bruising it out against double and triple teams routinely and still has averaged 16.8 points per game. He has added 10.2 rebounds to go along with his point production, has hit an impressive 60.3% of his shots, and has proven as a big man that he can step outside and connect on 36.4%. Add the free throw stat of 78.5% and you have a player who plays in tough conditions with a great deal of poise.
More Top Players: Some quick stats on other top ranked freshmen:
Kyle Singleton (Duke): Singleton is averaging 14.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.1 apg, while shooting 76.9% from the line. The Oregon native put in 25 against a good Marquette squad and plays the Duke expected game of hustle ball, hitting the floor with regularity.
Dante Green (Syracuse): The freshmen at Syracuse have really had to step up on an injury-riddled team and they have. Green is averaging 18.9 ppg in nearly 35 minutes a contest and has already recorded 34 blocks.
Johnny Flynn (Syracuse): Green’s teammate is proving himself too, averaging 13.9 ppg in over 33 minutes on the floor each night while dishing out 94 assists to 49 turnovers.
Jared Bayless (Arizona): Bayless is averaging an impressive 19.7 ppg and being asked to play over 34 minutes nightly. He is 83.7% from the free throw line and 43.6% from 3 point terrain.
Deondre Jordan (Texas A & M): Easing in, comparatively to some of the freshmen at 20.9 minutes a game, Jordan is averaging 10.1 ppg, hitting 74.7% of his shots, though he has taken only 99 shots. The seven footer may develop a bit slower, but don’t be fooled, Jordan will help make Texas A & M an opponent to be feared.
The freshmen are delivering. They hype has proved real. Now, will we have to tune to the NBA to see them next year?
How'd they look early in the season?
