College Basketball Players Most Likely to Take a Big Leap Forward in 2015-16

These guys were kind of, sort of on your radar last season.

But expect the beeps to be a lot louder in 2015-16.

This is a group of 12 players who had some moments last year yet left us wanting and expecting more. We're about to get it, mostly from adept freshmen who will step into more profound roles as sophomores.

We'll look at a variety of players whose games have grown. Some will get opportunities because, as is the circle of college basketball life, opportunities open up when others leave.

Here's the group whose games—and stats, of course—will grow by leaps and bounds in 2015-16.

Isaac Copeland, Georgetown

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Isaac Copeland's time has come.

It will be partly because of necessity—Georgetown needs to replace a couple of top scorers after last season, including four seniors.

The 6'9'' forward, as a freshman, was part of a highly touted group of freshmen who figured things out at different times last year. You could say Copeland was on the back end of that bell curve.

But he also had big moments—perhaps none larger than one last January, when he beat Butler with a last-second shot.

"With Georgetown trailing by a point, Copeland set up in the left corner and collected a pass from senior guard Jabril Trawick before releasing a shot from beyond the three-point arc that dropped through with 5.4 seconds to play," the Washington Post's Gene Wang reported after the two-point Hoyas win.

Copeland reminds some GU followers of past Hoyas greats.

He had 14 points and four boards in the season finale, an NCAA tournament game against Utah, including a three-pointer that let the Hoyas hang around in the closing minutes.

He should play much more than the 50 percent of minutes available to him, and his physical game should translate to much more than nearly seven points and four rebounds.

Svi Mykhailiuk, Kansas

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If Svi Mykhailiuk is going to become a household name, then we all better start saving up to buy some vowels Wheel of Fortune style.

Some disclosure here: This author is a Kansas graduate who also happens to be Ukrainian. So it was with special interest to see Mykhailiuk take the court after all of the offseason hype.

Was it lived up to? Nyet, as they say.

But maybe it's because he was still grasping the English language, let alone a role on one of the country's traditional powers.

Or because he was just 17 when the season started.

All might not be lost in translation, or physical development, this year as a sophomore.

“I feel better. I’ve been here one year, so I know how everything is going, how everything is working. I know the coaches and what they want from me. I know the team. I know how I can help the team,” Mykhailiuk told KUSports.com's Gary Bedore in late September.

He hit just 30 percent of his shots and 28.8 percent (15 of 52) of his three-pointers, and he hardly played once Big 12 play started.

Because he wasn't from the United States, Mykhailiuk wasn't able to participate with the Jayhawks' gold medal-winning trip to South Korea for the World University Games. Instead, he stayed in Kansas and put on about 20 pounds, Bedore reported.

It will be interesting to see how his highly hyped, versatile game blends with an experienced cast. Teammate Wayne Selden also has big designs on a more consistent junior year.

But Svi's numbers (2.8 PPG, 1.2 RPG) are sure to jump at a greater percentage level than any Jayhawk.

Josh Scott, Colorado

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We hate to bad-mouth a guy after he graduated, but Colorado needed Askia Booker to go.

For as much as the 6'2'' senior dominated the ball, it wasn't worth it for the Buffs.

Especially because they had the 6'10'' Josh Scott, who was a better KenPom-oriented stat-stuffer.

Scott drew a lot of fouls but was still a 75 percent shooter from the line. He also was a very good rebounder last year and connected on nearly 55 percent of his shots from inside the arc. There's no reason he shouldn't have had more impact last year, though he only played 26 games (missing eight with injuries, according to his CU bio).

He's still among Colorado's best, historically speaking, and in his last five games, he found a groove—20.8 PPG, 11.8 RPG and 39 of 64 (.609) shots from the field.

His CU bio also notes that Scott is "a career 79.5 percent from the free-throw line with under five minutes to play in a game (including overtime)."

That bodes well if the Buffs can rediscover crunch time after a tougher-than-expected season last winter.

Grayson Allen, Duke

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Now this is just ridiculous.

We're going to put a Final Four all-tournament participant on here?

But Grayson Allen wasn't any typical selection. He averaged about five points and a rebound during his freshman year.

Considering what Duke lost to the NBA, it's fair to say perhaps no player in the country will grow quite so exponentially as the Blue Devils shooting guard.

Allen was revered as a practice-time pest.

It seems odd to consider there were questions about whether he would return for a second season in Durham. But that's how good the end run to his first year was. He's a strong slasher (just ask Wisconsin) and a more versatile scorer than he showed last year in spurts.

Duke lost the five most productive players around him. So there was plenty of reason to return and get a chance to star rather than go to the NBA and likely have to sit a lot—like his first season in college.

A star was born last April. It'll really shine brighter come November.

Rashard Kelly, Wichita State

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This practice jam is about as much scoring as Rashard Kelly did in Wichita State's three-game NCAA tournament run last season.

He had six points, making three of his six shots.

But the promising part of his game was that he played—a total of 31 minutes.

The 6'7'' forward was statistically unremarkable. But the graduation of Darius Carter leaves a big chance for a big role, especially around Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker.

As far back as high school, he was noted in Virginia for his tenacity at the defensive end of the floor, as the Wichita Eagle's Paul Suellentrop noted upon his 2013 commitment to the Shockers.

“I like going hard and going at it,” he told Suellentrop. “I like defense, and I take pride in getting stops.”

Carter, also 6'7'', was a statistical thoroughbred by KenPom standards.

Kelly is durable, too, along with adding off-the-bench value. Last winter, he was the only Shocker who didn't start to play in all 35 games. His averages of about three points and as many rebounds should triple, if not quadruple, this year. Carter was at 11.4 and 5.4.

Quentin Snider, Louisville

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

On one hand, including Louisville sophomore Quentin Snider is a little absurd.

Here's a guy who was the starting point guard on a team that went to the Elite Eight.

But the point guard only averaged about four points and fewer than two assists in his first year as he tried to step into the starting lineup in a tough spot—Louisville had seen the seemingly crushing midseason suspension of Chris Jones.

A prolific scorer at a Kentucky high school powerhouse, you could see Snider's confidence in himself grow—and vice versa—as UL marched into the second weekend of the NCAA tournament.

He posted 40 points on nearly 50 percent shooting (15-of-33). It wasn't until meeting season-ender Michigan State (2-of-9 shooting) that Snider seemed to revert. But that had as much to do with a good game plan from the Spartans' Tom Izzo and a Cards team that simply couldn't shoot the ball most of the year.

The incoming transfers, Damion Lee and Trey Lewis, along with a matured inside game should make Snider flourish, too.

Jonathan Holton, West Virginia

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A former Rhode Island player who created some trouble for himself, Holton is a rare older player to make this list.

He's a 6'7'' forward who will be a senior, but he could have a bigger role, considering his impact on the offensive glass and a "significant contributor" status (by KenPom's numbers).

He found some time in the Big 12's weekly accolades.

Holton wasn't as heralded for WVU because of Juwan Staten (now graduated) and fellow forward Devin Williams. But Holton's 55 percent effective field-goal percentage made him a contributor against Maryland in the NCAA tournament after a virtual no-show performance against Buffalo.

And if his numbers don't scare you, his full-court pressure face will.

Jakob Poeltl, Utah

Greg Wahl-Stephens/Associated Press

The Pac-12 Conference is just plain weird—at least when it comes to postseason awards.

It does a 10-player "first team" and a five-player "second team." Then there were a few honorable-mention selections, all voted on by the coaches.

But it's because of that list that we have to include Jakob Poeltl, even though his stock was through the Huntsman Center roof at the end of last season—and the 7-foot freshman probably would've been a high first-round pick on potential alone.

All Poeltl made was the all-freshmen team, which is nice. But it doesn't exactly showcase a guy who stood toe-to-toe against Jahlil Okafor in the NCAA tournament last season. Nor does it give credit to the above-solid season he had, without even factoring in his NBA potential.

We're expecting a Player of the Year-type season in the Pac-12, and perhaps nationally, for the Austrian who had the fourth-best shooting percentage inside the arc.

He's crafty at both ends of the floor and will have a much bigger role since Delon Wright graduated to the NBA (a first-round pick himself).

That doesn't mean it'll always come easy to Poeltl. Last year, Wright had the ball at the end of the shot clock. This year, that could fall on the big fella, who will have to have a few more moves, become better adept at going over his right shoulder and perhaps develop a little more shooting range.

Ben Bentil, Providence

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

Ben Bentil may have had the best of both worlds.

He got to contribute as a freshman for a team that became a No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament, but he didn't have to do it all.

And now presumably matured following the experience, the 6'8'' forward will be rewarded with a lot more playing time.

Last year, most of the Friars' minutes around him went to LaDontae Henton, who was 20th nationally in playing the minutes available to him.

Henton graduated.

But Bentil still has point guard Kris Dunn, who will be eager to show off a variety of skills and traits that he believes will make him a first-round NBA pick next summer. Dunn is a terrific dime-dropper.

Like all of these candidates on this slide, Bentil had his moments last year. He put together a 16-and-11 last February to beat nationally ranked Georgetown on the road. That included the final two free throws.

He's a 70 percent foul shooter, which is fine. Bentill will need to be better than 46.5 percent from the field. But more time and a better understanding of operating with Dunn will help.

Providence will be one of those sexy NCAA tournament picks to make a run, especially because of Dunn. But it'll be Bentil whose game takes the biggest positive leap.

Justin Jackson, North Carolina

John Raoux/Associated Press

The end of last season is what gets Justin Jackson mentioned.

He scored in double figures for six of UNC's seven postseason games (counting the ACC tournament) and 11 of 12 overall. During the bigger streak, he made 52 percent of his shots and almost 45 from the arc.

As a 6'8'' freshman, he didn't back down against Wisconsin—tying for the team lead with 15 points and making all three three-point attempts.

That was a significant bump from someone who was just a season-long "role player" by KenPom's standards.

A versatile player, he was a downright ferocious high school scorer. His UNC bio noted a Texas-based average of 31.5 points and 9.1 rebounds as a senior. He averaged 11.1 and 7.3 in his first year at UNC.

It seems odd that he had to announce via Instagram that he was going to return, according to Sam Vecenie of CBS Sports. But that's where we are these days with young players. So many of them, no matter how clear it is they need to return, have to announce something.

Jackson has a megawatt smile that should be even glossier this year, as there's a bigger role to be had with J.P. Tokoto heading to the NBA and Marcus Paige seemingly much healthier.

Daniel Hamilton, UConn

Jessica Hill/Associated Press

It almost seems unfair to put Daniel Hamilton here.

He had a solid freshman year with about 11 points, seven boards and four assists, not to mention being named AAC Rookie of the Year.

Yet we're waiting to see that next gear.

He finished the year with 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting, which showed his potential. But that was against Arizona State in the first round of the NIT.

Hamilton grew up in a voracious basketball-playing family in California, as Dom Amore of the Hartford Courant pointed out in a profile he wrote last season.

The 6'7'' Hamilton found his way from Los Angeles to tiny Storrs. He's a gifted rebounder and assist man, considering his "tweener" size. He could afford to be a more efficient scorer—he made just 40 percent of his shots last year.

Teaming with a more confident, polished Amida Brimah (7-foot sophomore center) should help open up some opportunities.

He was a key player in virtually every UConn stat. But again, getting UConn to the NCAA will allow for his biggest profile growth after a 20-15 first try.

Demetrius Jackson, Notre Dame

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Religiously speaking—which they do sometimes at Notre Dame—it's a little disconcerting that Demetrius Jackson played 666 minutes as a freshman.

The devil should only be seen in the details of the 6'1'' junior point guard, who will have a terrific opportunity ahead of him to fill in for NBA draft picks Pat Connaughton and Jerian Grant.

That should really bolster his solid numbers of 12.4 points (double his first year at UND) on 50 percent shooting, which was eight percentage points higher than his freshman year. He grew from year one to year two, and is bound for a bigger leap.

Jackson can only be aided by summer-camp work with some of the top point guards in the country and having access to Stephen Curry.

"Stephen Curry ran with us," said Jackson, according to a team press release. He was one of four college point guards invited to the SC 30 Select Camp.

"I thought that was neat, to see him lace them up and go through all of that with us," Jackson added. "He was really involved in the camp. That made it really special."

Special could be a way to describe Jackson this winter.

Stats courtesy of KenPom.com unless otherwise noted.