College Basketball Freshmen Poised to Have Breakout Sophomore Seasons
In this new one-and-done era of college basketball, sometimes we all forget that in many cases, greatness takes a bit of time.
In fact, the Jahlil Okafors of this world are rare—more often than not, even the most highly touted college basketball freshman needs some time to develop mentally and physically before he's ready for the next level.
This is a list of current freshmen who are already good but who are poised to be great if they stick around for their sophomore years. Players who are averaging under 10 points per game (so that excludes you, Melo Trimble) who have the potential to do so much more in the NCAA.
Watch out for these guys to make a splash in the 2015-16 season.
Jakob Poeltl, Utah
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I know what you're thinking—Jakob Poeltl has already had a great freshman year, and NBA scouts are interested enough in him that if he declared in the 2015 draft, he'd likely go in the first round.
After all, the Utah freshman started off the season with a hot hand, scoring 18 points in the opener and 24 points a few games later against North Dakota.
However, since December 10, Poeltl's only had one game in double digits. His lack of strength has been exposed, and it would certainly be even more obvious in the NBA.
The Austrian is likely to stay in college for another year. If he does and focuses on getting stronger over the summer, he'd likely be one of the best players in the country in the 2015-16 season. That would make him an early favorite for a lottery pick, at least according to DraftExpress.com's 2016 mock draft.
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, Kansas
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Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk was always going to play two years at Kansas due to his age, and that's a good thing—because the 17-year-old Ukrainian certainly needs another year to get NBA-ready.
Currently, Mykhailiuk isn't even playing for Kansas. He began the year as primarily a starter and showed flashes of brilliance, with three double-digit scoring games before the end of 2014. However, eventually the more seasoned players on the Kansas squad took over, and the teen has been relegated to the bench in six of the last eight games.
On the season, Mykhailiuk is only averaging four points and 1.6 rebounds per game. However, watch for the European to completely break through in his sophomore season after a year of maturation mentally and physically and after a season of watching top-level college basketball.
Chris McCullough, Syracuse
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As you can tell from the picture above, Chris McCullough's freshman campaign didn't go exactly as planned. After a promising start, averaging 9.3 points and 6.9 rebounds, McCullough was lost for the season with an ACL tear in Syracuse's January 11 win over Florida State.
McCullough's struggles began before his injury, though. While he started the season with eight straight double-figure games, by the time the schedule ramped up and ACC play began, his offensive production had nearly disappeared altogether.
But the 6'10", 220-pound power forward has the potential to come back swinging—and shooting—in his sophomore season and be one of the best big men in college basketball and a lottery pick.
Justin Jackson, UNC
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The Tar Heels had a great freshman class this season that was supposed to carry them to great heights, and Justin Jackson was supposed to be the shining star. However, things haven't really worked out as planned.
Jackson hasn't been bad—he's averaging 9.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game—but he hasn't been the difference-maker head coach Roy Williams and the rest of the Carolina staff had hoped he would be coming into the season.
He's had a tough time getting comfortable on court, and his shooting and rebounding have taken a big hit. He's improving, though, which is a good sign for his sophomore season.
“I’m feeling more and more comfortable out there, which with that comes confidence,” Jackson said, as reported by Andrew Carter of The Charlotte Observer. “Seeing the ball go through the net a couple of times definitely helps a lot.”
If Jackson sticks around for his sophomore season, we're really going to see his confidence and comfort pay off, and he's going to go from a wild card to a college basketball superstar.
Theo Pinson, UNC
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Speaking of UNC, Justin Jackson isn't the only Tar Heel freshman who is poised to break out in the 2015-16 season. Watch out for Theo Pinson next year, college basketball fans.
Pinson is yet another highly touted UNC recruit who hasn't yet hit his stride, averaging only 3.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
Unlike Jackson, however, Pinson's not getting a chance to turn that around this year, as he's out indefinitely with a broken foot. (There's still an outside chance he's back for March Madness.)
But by the time his sophomore season rolls around, Pinson should be fully healthy and ready to live up to his potential. His explosiveness, aggressiveness, athletic ability and intelligence are just too elite to be kept down for long. Look for Pinson to become a first-round draft pick in the 2016 draft—DraftExpress.com currently has him at No. 22, and I think that's a conservative projection.
Tyler Ulis, Kentucky
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With all the focus on big men in college basketball these days, it's easy to forget that it is possible for smaller basketball players to succeed. Tyler Ulis is a great reminder of that, though—at only 5'9" and 155 pounds, the freshman is already making a name for himself on the talented Kentucky squad.
So far this year, the guard is averaging 5.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Those stats might not pop out, but they're notable since they're coming from the bench.
According to ESPN Insider Chad Ford, NBA scouts are taking notice already:
"'He might be my favorite point guard in the country,' one GM said. 'I'd love to see him on the floor with Cauley-Stein and Towns more often. I just think Kentucky's offense runs so much better when he's out there. As scary as they are right now, how much scarier would they be if Ulis was playing 30 or 35 minutes? Few guards see and play the game the way he does. I know he's little, and that does limit what he can do in the NBA, but once the second round hits, I'd grab early. I just think he brings everything else that you look for in a point guard to the table.'
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What Ulis needs more than anything is more playing time and more strength, and he'll be able to get both of those in his sophomore season. In fact, Ulis would be considered one of the best point guards in the country if he sticks around Kentucky for another year, which he's expected to do.
Devin Robinson, Florida
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So far, Florida's Devin Robinson is best known nationally for this missed dunk. Ouch. However, Robinson's sophomore season should be full of more awe-inspiring highlights than face-palming ones.
The 6'8", 178-pound teen from Virginia has everything necessary to make it at the top level—he has the height, the athleticism, the explosiveness, the shooting ability and the movement to be a great player. He's just not there yet.
Robinson has had a disappointing freshman campaign, averaging only 5.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. Of course, the entire 2014-15 campaign has been disappointing for the Gators, who are only 12-11 on the season.
Billy Donovan's team won't stay down for long, though, and a matured and stronger Robinson is likely to be a big reason for a bounce-back season in 2015-16. Look for Robinson to put it all together next year and establish himself as a first-round prospect.
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