There are a few freshmen that stand above the crowd as the college basketball season moves within three and a half weeks of starting. From Kevin Durant to Andrew Wiggins, every year these hyped newcomers dominate the conversation in college basketball. Let’s take a look at the next batch of soon-to-be household names.
1. Jahlil Okafor, Duke
In all of college basketball, this could be the player who gives Mike Krzyzewski a new level of pop at Duke. The Blue Devils did win the national championship in 2010, but in subsequent seasons, they haven’t gone back to the Final Four and have made the Elite Eight only once. Duke looked like a very beatable and vulnerable team last March, losing to Mercer as a number three seed in the Midwest Region. The Blue Devils were slow on defense and not very powerful in the paint, and Mercer was able to take advantage of this. Okafor could be the guy who makes Duke a lot more physical and athletic in the paint, and when the Blue Devils have a strong man near the basket, that’s when their guards are able to function a lot better, because they know they don’t have to do everything on offense or defense.
2. Cliff Alexander, Kansas
The Kansas Jayhawks always seem to get a young and raw big man who becomes a special shot blocker and rebounder, a player who makes life miserable for the rest of the Big 12. The Jayhawks have won 10 straight Big 12 regular season championships, and that doesn’t happen by accident. It happens in large part because KU always gets its hand on a really good player in the pivot. Alexander is likely to be that latest star, following Joel Embiid last year and Jeff Withey before that. Alexander has the tools of a next-level player, putting Kansas in front of the Big 12 yet again.
3. Myles Turner, Texas
The wave of young big men continues to sweep through the Big 12. Turner has excellent shot-blocking instincts, but what separates him from a lot of other centers is that Turner can hit a medium-range jump shot. If you can take a center and put him near the free throw line so that he can hit a 15-foot jump shot on most nights, opposing defenses are going to have an impossible time defending all of the court. An opposing big man will have to step out and defend that shot, leaving the paint wide open for drives and cuts. This is how Turner can lead Texas past Kansas in the Big 12.
4. Stanley Johnson, Arizona
The Wildcats suffered on offense last season, but Johnson, a 6-7 wing, has a talent for shooting and scoring. He can take Arizona, a defensive team, and make the Wildcats a lot more credible and competent on offense. This is exactly the kind of player Arizona head coach Sean Miller coveted in the offseason.
5. Kevon Looney, UCLA
The 6ft. 9in., 220 pound Looney is rangy and long, and his footwork is the attribute that enables him to be listed as one of the better candidates for a breakout season among the nation’s freshmen. UCLA sent a number of players to the NBA draft. Looney will fill a void in Los Angeles and enable the Bruins to pick up where they left off in March, when they made the Sweet 16.
