2024 Men's College Basketball: Early Report Card Grades for Top Freshmen
Many of the top freshmen in the 2023 men's college basketball recruiting class have gotten out to a great start to what may well be their only season in the NCAA.
USC's Isaiah Collier and Colorado's Cody Williams are thriving in the final year of the Pac-12, while Baylor's Ja'Kobe Walter and North Carolina's Elliot Cadeau are looking great for title contenders.
Other highly touted freshmen haven't been nearly as successful (or healthy), but it's still early.
While not everyone gets an "A" for their first two weeks of college hoops, by no means are we writing off any of the players who received lower grades.
247 Sports gave 5-star grades to 17 players in the 2023 recruiting class, 15 of whom decided to play college basketball instead of going the G League route to the pros.
And now we've got grades for how those 15 5-star freshmen have fared through one month of the season.
To some extent, the grade depends on the player's recruiting ranking. If No. 2 Collier and No. 17 TJ Power were putting up the same stats, Power would have the better grade. But we're mostly grading on whether the young player looks the part of a 2024 NBA lottery pick, regardless of where he was initially rated.
Players are presented in descending order of 247 Sports ranking, aside from grouping the two Duke players and the three Kentucky players together at the beginning.
Duke's 5-Star Duo (Jared McCain and TJ Power)
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Jared McCain, Duke (247 Sports Rank: 14)
23.5 MPG, 7.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.0 SPG, 13-32 3PT (41%)
TJ Power, Duke (247 Sports Rank: 17)
11.0 MPG, 4.0 PPG, 0.8 RGP, 6-12 3PT (50%)
Of Duke's star-studded four-man freshman class, Caleb Foster has, arguably, been the most impressive thus far. However, neither he nor the lesser-used Sean Stewart quite got that fifth star from 247 Sports, so we'll be focused on the other two.
McCain has started all eight games for Duke, leaving his fingerprints all over the stat sheet. The 6'3" guard ranks second on the team in rebounds, has made more three-pointers than any other Blue Devil and is pitching in a good number of assists and steals.
That said, Duke could use some more aggression from him, especially if Tyrese Proctor is out (lower leg injury) for any considerable length of time.
McCain is just 8-for-26 (31 percent) on two-point attempts and has attempted eight free throws in 188 minutes played. He was an outstanding free-throw shooter in high school, and more slashing and seeking out contact would help pretty much everything Duke is trying to do on offense.
As far as Power is concerned, the 6'9" forward can definitely stroke the three ball, but he's not playing much because he's such a liability on defense.
Power does average more three-point attempts per 40 minutes than anyone else in the primary 10-man rotation, so at least he knows what he's out there for. But the Blue Devils need him to be more than just Ethan Wragge 2.0.
McCain: B+
Power: C-
Kentucky's 5-Star Trio (Justin Edwards, Aaron Bradshaw and DJ Wagner)
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Justin Edwards, Kentucky (247 Sports Rank: 3)
27.8 MPG, 10.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.0 SPG, 7-27 3PT (26%)
Aaron Bradshaw, Kentucky (247 Sports Rank: 5)
One game: 13 minutes, 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block
DJ Wagner, Kentucky (247 Sports Rank: 6)
26.0 MPG, 13.1 PPG, 3.3 APG, 1.9 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 7-28 3PT (25%)
Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham have been Kentucky's freshman sensations thus far. Neither was a 5-star recruit, but both would be graded at an A+ for sure.
The three highest-rated Wildcat recruits haven't been nearly as dominant, though.
Both Wagner and Edwards are averaging better than 10 points per game, but they struggled mightily in the Champions Classic loss to Kansas, shooting a combined 1-for-18 from the field.
Then, Wagner suffered an ankle injury in the first half against Miami, playing just 10 minutes in that one before missing the subsequent loss to UNC-Wilmington. He was great in the wins over Saint Joseph's and Marshall, going for a combined 50 points, 11 assists, four steals and four turnovers in those two games. But we're still waiting to see what he can do in a big game.
Edwards was a full participant in the win over the Hurricanes and did have a decent game, but he certainly wasn't Kentucky's MVP or anything. And when the Wildcats needed him to step up against UNC-W, he didn't. The four offensive rebounds against the Seahawks were nice, but 11 points on 14 shots left a lot to be desired from what was supposed to be a top-10 draft pick.
Bradshaw gets a pass, though, because he just made his season debut Saturday. The seven-footer missed the first few weeks with a foot injury and is going to need some time to get up to speed.
Edwards: D+
Bradshaw: Incomplete
Wagner: B
Isaiah Collier, USC
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Isaiah Collier, USC (247 Sports Rank: 2)
30.3 MPG, 17.3 PPG, 4.5 APG, 3.0 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 8-20 3PT (40%)
Let's start with the bad news with Collier, which is the sky-high turnover rate. He has been a bit better in that department in his last two games, but he had at least four giveaways in each of his first six contests, averaging 6.8 turnovers per 40 minutes.
But that will happen when you hand the keys to a freshman and ask him to run the offense against a schedule in which five of your first eight games are against potential NCAA tournament teams.
And aside from those turnovers, the 19-year-old has been special.
He wasn't able to beat UC Irvine by himself on a night when both Boogie Ellis and Kobe Johnson—USC's only other scoring threats at the moment—were unavailable, but he gave it the old college try and finished with 23 points.
In the other seven games in which he actually had some help around him, Collier has averaged five assists while shooting 57 percent from the field.
And there could be more help coming with Bronny James recently cleared to play. Should be one heck of an entertaining backcourt once he's back up to speed, and he couldn't ask for a better talent to run point for that offense.
Collier entered the season as a strong candidate to be taken No. 1 in the 2024 NBA draft. While USC hasn't lived up to the preseason hype, its young star certainly has.
Grade: A
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Cody Williams, Colorado
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Cody Williams, Colorado (247 Sports Rank: 4)
28.0 MPG, 14.0 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.9 SPG, 6-10 3PT (60%)
Williams was allegedly going to be a bit of a project; an uber-talented athlete who would potentially need a second season of college basketball in order to really tap into his potential, a la Dillon Mitchell's breakout this year.
But Williams only needed, like, two weeks to hit his stride, already blossoming into maybe the best player on the Buffaloes roster and one of the best freshmen in the nation.
Over his last four games, the 19-year-old has averaged 17.8 points, shooting 68.3 percent from the field. Colorado came up just short in the losses to Florida State and Colorado State, but he led them in scoring in the former and almost orchestrated a furious comeback in the latter, scoring all 21 of his points against the Rams in the second half.
The fun part is going to be when Williams starts to become a more consistent factor on the defensive end of the floor, as he has both the build and the skill necessary to be one of those 3-and-D wings the NBA cherishes so dearly. He has jumped the occasional passing lane thus far, but he can be a one-man eraser in due time.
Grade: A
Ja'Kobe Walter, Baylor
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Ja'Kobe Walter, Baylor (247 Sports Rank: 8)
27.3 MPG, 14.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 1.1 APG, 19-50 3PT (38%)
Despite losing Keyonte George, Adam Flagler and LJ Cryer from what was a great offense in 2022-23, Baylor entered Tuesday's game against Seton Hall with the most efficient offense in the nation, per KenPom—even better than it was last season.
That isn't all because of Walter, but the freshman leading the team in scoring sure has played a huge role for the Bears.
Foul trouble rendered the 19-year-old a complete non-factor in the second half of Baylor's 95-91 NIT Tip-Off championship victory over Florida, but he had 10 points in the first 10 minutes as the Bears opened up an early 10-point lead in that one.
That came two days after he lit up Oregon State for 24 and about two weeks after he opened the season with a 28-point effort in the win over Auburn.
As long as the refs let him play, Walter's limitless range has made him basically unstoppable on offense.
He's also making a legitimate impact on defense, already twice recording four steals in a contest. And he's still just getting his feet wet on that end of the floor. Not sure he'll quite reach Davion Mitchell levels of defensive excellence, but Walter could be elite as both an on-ball and off-ball defender.
Baylor's next two games are big ones against Michigan State and Duke. They're great opportunities to watch this young phenom if you haven't done so already.
Grade: A+
Stephon Castle, Connecticut
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Stephon Castle, Connecticut (247 Sports Rank: 9)
18.3 MPG, 10.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.3 SPG
Sadly, we've only gotten to see Stephon Castle play in three games, the first two against overmatched opponents in Northern Arizona and Stonehill, and only sparingly in the third against North Carolina.
It would have been great to watch him take on Indiana, Texas and Kansas, but the likely one-and-done star has been out with a knee injury. He was originally targeting a Dec. 1 return for that game against the Jayhawks, but that didn't happen. And he clearly wasn't close to full strength Tuesday night against the Tar Heels.
From what little we saw of Castle before the injury, though, he appears to be both real and spectacular, going for 29 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and four steals in just 43 minutes of action.
Maybe he'll be back to 100 percent in time for the big showdown in Seattle, Washington with Gonzaga on Dec. 15. The head-to-head matchup with Zags freshman wing Dusty Stromer should be fun.
But until we see him as a full participant again—and against some actual competition—we can't give him a real evaluation.
Grade: Incomplete
Mackenzie Mgbako, Indiana
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Mackenzie Mgbako (247 Sports Rank: 10)
21.3 MPG, 8.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.6 APG, 4-22 3PT (18%)
Two weeks ago, Mgbako would have gotten an unflattering grade here.
The 19-year-old was held to four points or fewer in four of his first five games, including making basically no impact whatsoever while playing 23 minutes in Indiana's lone marquee game against Connecticut. In those first 90 minutes of college basketball, the 6'8" forward recorded just 12 rebounds, only one of which came via the offensive glass.
And while he struggled, Indiana simply did not even look like a candidate to reach the NCAA tournament.
All of a sudden, though, something clicked.
In the 13-point win over Harvard, Mgbako went for 18 points and eight rebounds, playing with a fire he had not previously shown. Within four minutes and 10 seconds, he had matched his season high for two-point attempts in a game.
He kept it going in the 12-point win over Maryland in the Big Ten opener, finishing that one with 13 points, seven rebounds and three dimes. He also played a key role in the close road win over Michigan, finishing with 11 points and four boards.
Most importantly, he shot 3-for-9 from distance in those games after opening the year 1-for-13.
The versatile wing with great court vision is starting to deliver as the stat-sheet stuffer we were anticipating. Those types of 13-7-3 box scores should be standard fare moving forward.
Grade: B
Xavier Booker, Michigan State
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Xavier Booker, Michigan State (247 Sports Rank: 11)
10.5 MPG, 2.8 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 3-13 3PT (23%)
Booker has been nonexistent against good competition, and not particularly effective against weak opponents, either.
On the good competition front, the big man logged a combined total of 16 minutes against Arizona, Butler, Duke, James Madison and Wisconsin, going for five points and two rebounds between those five games. He didn't even touch the floor against Arizona or Wisconsin, and in five minutes against Duke, all he did was take (and miss) one shot.
If Booker was at least playing well against no-name schools, we could write off his minimal contributions in bigger games as head coach Tom Izzo opting for more experience in the more important games.
However, in the three games against Southern Indiana, Alcorn State and Georgia Southern, Booker logged 47 minutes for 12 points (on 17 shots), nine rebounds, three blocks and seven fouls. He had a sub-85 O-rating in each of those contests.
Suffice it to say, this top-15 recruit is nowhere near the instant impact that Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson were in 2016-17. Izzo tried to preach patience about Booker during the preseason, but no one expected this.
At this point, it's fair to wonder if we'll really see him again outside of frontcourt foul trouble, as MSU has Mady Sissoko and Carson Cooper as the tandem at the 5 and can go with Malik Hall in that spot for small-ball stretches.
Grade: D-
Elliot Cadeau, North Carolina
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Elliot Cadeau, North Carolina (247 Sports Rank: 12)
23.8 MPG, 7.1 PPG, 4.1 APG, 1.6 RPG, 3-11 3PT (27%)
As expected by everyone, it did not take very long for Cadeau to become North Carolina's starting point guard.
He was initially sort of forced into the starting lineup by Cormac Ryan's ankle injury in the Battle 4 Atlantis loss to Villanova, but even with Ryan back in the fold, Cadeau's starting gig isn't going anywhere.
Nor should it after he messed around and had 10 assists against zero turnovers in the win over Tennessee.
That's a bit of a ridiculous stat line for anyone, let alone a freshman going up against that physical Volunteers defense.
Cadeau entered Tuesday's showdown with Connecticut sitting at 32 assists with only 10 turnovers, but that was after ending UNC's third game of the season with an 8-to-8 ratio. He was at a 24-to-2 ratio for the next five games, which is just absurd. (He had five dimes with two giveaways in that loss to the Huskies.)
Thus far, he hasn't been much of a scorer, but that's precisely the change from Caleb Love that the Tar Heels needed, as they are going to be at their best when RJ Davis, Armando Bacot and Harrison Ingram are doing the heavy lifting.
It is important that Cadeau doesn't become too passive, though. At 27 percent from three, 45 percent from the field and 55 percent from the free-throw line, opponents will practically be daring him to shoot before much longer.
But for a guy who was always going to be a pass-first point guard, that's a minor concern.
Grade: A
Omaha Biliew, Iowa State
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Omaha Biliew, Iowa State (247 Sports Rank: 13)
11.3 MPG, 3.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG
Biliew was the first 5-star recruit signed by Iowa State in the 247 Sports era, which dates back about a quarter-century.
And considering the Cyclones had to replace five of the six players who started at least six games last season, it was a natural assumption that he would feature prominently from Day 1 in Ames.
Instead, Milan Momcilovic has been the 6'8" freshman playing over 30 minutes per game and ranking among the team leaders in scoring while Biliew has become an afterthought, playing just 27 scoreless minutes over the course of Iowa State's last four games.
Biliew got a good amount of run during the opening stretch against Green Bay, Lindenwood, Idaho State and Grambling State. But once the schedule started to stiffen up, coach T.J. Otzelberger opted for guys he felt were better suited to make an impact on defense.
We should see a good amount of Biliew later this month, though. After Thursday's game against Iowa, the Cyclones wrap up nonconference play against Prairie View A&M, Florida A&M, Eastern Illinois and New Hampshire. That's a good opportunity to find out if he has developed enough to make any sort of impact in Big 12 play.
Thus far, though, his lack of playing time has been a big disappointment.
Grade: D
Aday Mara, UCLA
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Aday Mara, UCLA (247 Sports Rank: 15)
12.9 MPG, 5.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.0 BPG
If you've only watched UCLA's games against marquee competition, you might think Mara is a ghost.
Between the two Maui Invitational games against Marquette and Gonzaga, the 7'3" center from Spain played a grand total of nine minutes with no points, two rebounds, one assist, one turnover and three fouls.
Even against lesser competition, though, the big man remains a work in progress.
Mara did have 10 rebounds in just 15 minutes played against Chaminade, as well as 14 points and four blocks against an undersized LIU squad. But on the whole, he's neither rebounding nor blocking shots as often as he probably should, and the Bruins are still figuring out how to put his massive frame to proper use within the context of their offense.
Part of the problem is that they already have both Adem Bona and Kenneth Nwuba in addition to Mara, and none of the three is even remotely a threat from the perimeter. They'll occasionally play two of them together, but that is hard to get away with in the modern era of basketball.
Maybe Mara will become more of a factor as the year progresses.
Grade: D+
Aden Holloway, Auburn
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Aden Holloway, Auburn (247 Sports Rank: 16)
23.7 MPG, 10.6 PPG, 3.3 APG, 15-43 3PT (35%)
Early on, it looked like Holloway might be the next big thing in college basketball.
Well, not literally. He's only 6'1". But Auburn's freshman point guard showcased great vision, absurd range and the sort of killer instinct it takes to be a star. Through his first three games against Baylor, SE Louisiana and Notre Dame, he went for 45 points and 14 assists with five turnovers, shooting 11-for-21 from downtown.
He has come back to earth painfully from that hot start, though, held scoreless against Virginia Tech before going 2-for-10 from the field in Sunday's loss to Appalachian State. That included a game-sealing sequence late in the second half where Myles Tate drained a dagger three in Holloway's eye, and then he came down and airballed one from about 10 feet beyond the arc.
So, which is the real Holloway? The one who played every bit as well as Ja'Kobe Walter in the opener against Baylor? Or the one who hasn't been able to buy a bucket as of late?
The good news is the recent shooting slump hasn't affected his ball security in the slightest. Holloway has only committed two turnovers in 70 minutes played over the past three games.
Grade: B+
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