College basketball’s top ten freshmen with the biggest
impact (Continued)
By Joshua Walls
 |
| AP Photo/ Timothy D. Easley |
Archie Goodwin, Kentucky: Mr. Goodwin has put the fresh in freshmen by playing some
really great basketball as of late for the Wildcats. Often with so many great players on one team it is easy for
a young player to get lost in the trenches, but Goodwin has proved experts
wrong. Every night Goodwin hits
the floor, he comes out with a hunger and mission to be the best player on the
court and it is easy to see his tenacity for the game in his stats. Goodwin is averaging almost 16 PPG, 5.4
RPG, and 4.4 APG. Goodwin is being
compared to other good John Calipari alum such as: Tyreke Evans (guard for
Sacramento Kings), John Wall (starting point guard for Washington Wizards), and
Brandon Knight (combo guard for the Detroit Pistons). It will be a sight to see if Goodwin follows the footsteps
of his predecessors and leaves coach Cal after one season.
Ben McLemore, Kansas: The next player is the big time scorer out of Kansas who
has a silky smooth all-around offensive game, Ben McLemore. Ben McLemore is an opposing coach’s
nightmare and his own coach’s dream.
He has all the great attributes of what makes a great shooting
guard. For starters, he has great
size, at 6’5, 200 lbs. McLemore
also is an elite athlete as well as a great shooter with consistent range. Many scouts are comparing him to the
Ray Allen of the Uconn-Milwaukee-Seattle days. Not only is McLemore an offensive force, but he plays the
game under control from tip off to last buzzer. This is often a rarity with young players (i.e Russell
Westbrook and Archie Goodwin). Kansas Head Coach Bill Self described McLemore
as “the most talented kid I ever coached.”
Marcus Smart,
Oklahoma State: Marcus Smart is putting
together arguably one of the best freshmen campaigns of anyone on the
list. Smart has really stepped
onto the scene in a large way having an impact on the game in so many
ways. Whether it be scoring,
getting teammates involved, rebounding, or playing stellar defense Smart has
been accountable. Smart has really
set himself apart from not only freshmen, but also even other point guards in
the nation. ESPN analyst Eamonn
Brennan has compared the Oklahoma State freshman’s campaign to that of NBA
legend Jason Kidd’s freshman year at CAL.
Smart’s biggest attribute probably has nothing to do with his game, but
is more to do with the toughness and desire he wears on his jersey every night
he performs.
Kyle Anderson, UCLA:
This guy has drawn comparisons by many to perhaps having the ceiling of Magic
Johnson. Anderson has great size at
6’9 with an all-around skill set that only the gods of basketball could instill
into a player. At 6’9 Anderson is
an exceptional passer with great court vision and handles like pots and
pans. Although not a stellar
athlete, he finds ways to get the job done. With all these skills one wonders
why Anderson is not a top-3 player in college basketball. This is because he lacks consistency
and he does not look like he fits much into this Bruin’s offensive scheme,
averaging a low 8 points and 3 assists.
Anderson could be one of the top point forwards in basketball on
collegiate and pro level. Anderson
also has the potential to help fellow freshman Shabazz Muhammad to lead the
Bruins team far into the tournament.
Will Anderson ever fulfill the potential or just be that player with all
the tools that could have been?
Rasheed Sulaimon, Duke: Sulaimon has truly shocked the college basketball world
this year. Many scouts and college
basketball gurus thought this guy would truly flop on this level. Sulaimon has not only proved experts
wrong but has been an intricate piece to this pro looking Duke Blue Devils
team. Sulaimon is putting up
impressive numbers against the Nation’s best night in and night out, all while
continually helping Coach K and the Blue Devils stay on top of the college
ranks. It will be amazing to see
if Sulaimon, Curry, and Plumlee decide to wait for Jabari Parker next season to
help assemble one of the better teams in the ACC and college basketball.
