Ranking the Best Redshirt Freshmen in College Basketball in 2016-17
As with college football and every other college sport, college basketball's scholarship players are given up to four years of eligibility that can be used within a five-year period. That extra year, if it comes about at the beginning or during the course of their time in school, is known as a redshirt year.
The redshirt isn't used nearly as much in college basketball as it is in football, particularly not at the outset. Most often it's used when a player transfers from one school to a next and must, per NCAA rules, sit out a year. When it is used during that freshman year, it's usually because the athlete is injured or not physically ready to compete right away, and the redshirt makes it possible to either heal or develop.
Despite its rareness in college hoops, there are some recent examples of players who sat out their first year of college and then went on to big things. Wisconsin redshirted forward Ethan Happ in 2014-15, when it made the NCAA title game, and last year in his first season of action, he averaged 12.4 points and a team-high 7.9 rebounds for the Badgers.
Wisconsin has another player it held out last season in guard Brevin Pritzl, though due to injury, but because Pritzl appeared in its first game of 2015-16, he'll only be considered a redshirt freshman if the NCAA grants him a medical redshirt.
Pritzl would have made our list of the game's top redshirt freshmen for the 2016-17 season, but we still have 12 others who will be worth watching. They're ranked based on their recruiting ranking coming into college and their expected contribution to their teams this season.
12. Tim Delaney, Villanova
1 of 12
Position: Forward
Height, weight: 6'9", 230 lbs
Though Villanova did just fine without him, it wouldn't have minded having Tim Delaney available to beef up a thin frontcourt in 2015-16. Instead, the former 3-star prospect missed the season with a torn labrum in his hip and had to redshirt.
Delaney would have been the second-tallest player on the court for the Wildcats beyond Daniel Ochefu, whom he will look to replace once he makes his debut. However, he'll have some competition as Villanova's two incoming freshmen (Omari Spellman, Dylan Painter) stand 6'10” and 6'9”, respectively.
11. Justin Patton, Creighton
2 of 12Position: Forward
Height, weight: 6'11", 215 lbs
The state's top in-state prospect, Justin Patton grew up in Omaha and knew for a while he wanted to play for Creighton. He committed in June 2014 and never wavered, but after coming along slowly during his first summer with the program, the choice to redshirt him was made.
The Blue Jays were set at center and power forward this past season, so Patton's minutes would have been limited. Now that Geoffrey Groselle and his 11.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per game are gone, Patton has the opportunity to be a significant contributor.
He'll team with Kansas State transfer guard Marcus Foster as a pair of key newcomers for Creighton, which who finished sixth in the Big East last season but could be a contender for the top spot if these additions pan out.
"I’m satisfied how this year has played out for me," Patton told Steve Pivovar of Omaha.com. "Deciding to redshirt was the best for me."
10. Tai Wynyard, Kentucky
3 of 12
Position: Center
Height, weight: 6'10", 255 lbs
John Calipari makes no secret that his main recruiting philosophy involves pursuing guys who have NBA aspirations and want to get into the pros as soon as possible. This leads to massive roster turnover each season because of the prevalence of one-and-done players, yet in the last two seasons he's made use of redshirts to help retain talent for future seasons.
In Alex Poythress' case it was because the forward suffered a knee injury early in the 2014-15 season and it would enable him to play again in 2015-16. For Tai Wynyard, it was because the raw prospect just wasn't physically ready to compete at the Division I level.
Wynyard, from New Zealand, came to Kentucky midway through the season but was so out of shape the coaching staff was "running him into the ground" to get fit, he told 247Sports' Alex Forkner. Despite that, Wynyard said Calipari tried to put him in a game once, but he begged off so as to retain his full eligibility.
Calipari, never one to pass on a chance to hype someone, compared Wynyard to fellow Kiwi Steven Adams, in an interview with The Spinoff's Ben Stanley (h/t SB Nation's Zac Oakes). Adams was a project when he got to Pittsburgh but became a first-round draft pick and is now a fixture in the NBA.
9. Nolan Narain, San Diego State
4 of 12
Position: Forward
Height, weight: 6'9", 220 lbs
Nolan Narain's work in the classroom made it possible for him to finish high school a year early and reclassify into the 2015 recruiting cycle. It's something fellow Canadian Jamal Murray did to go to Kentucky last year, but that was with the intention of getting into the NBA as soon as possible.
For Narain it was in order to give him a chance to ease his way into college rather than play another year at the prep level without facing much competition.
"Nolan and his family wanted him to reclassify because they thought he would be better served to spend a year as a redshirt," San Diego State coach Steve Fisher said, per Hoops Hype Canada. "That doesn't happen very often. Ego gets in the way."
The Aztecs could have used another big man up front last year but will really need him in 2016-17. They said goodbye to Angelo Chol, Winston Shepard and Skylar Spencer—three of their six players listed at 6'8” or taller on last season's roster.
8. James Bolden, West Virginia
5 of 12
Position: Guard
Height, weight: 6'0", 160 lbs
For as many players as West Virginia cycled through in a given game last season, it could have been one more had James Bolden not torn his ACL in the preseason. The Mountaineers had to settle for only playing 10 players for at least eight minutes per game—five of those guards.
But with leading scorer Jaysean Paige graduating, there's room for another speedy ball-handler, and Bolden fits that bill. Known as “Beetle” in high school, Bolden averaged double figures in three games during West Virginia's Bahamas trip in August and was on pace to be part of the backcourt rotation before getting hurt.
"Bolden could compete for the starting point guard role, which could allow (coach Bob) Huggins to move Carter back off the ball, where he is more comfortable," Rivals.com's Greg Madia wrote.
Bolden is one of two scholarship players West Virginia redshirted in 2015-16, along with forward Lamont West.
7. Keith Stone, Florida
6 of 12
Position: Forward
Height, weight: 6'8", 233 lbs
Keith Stone committed to and signed with Florida months before coach Billy Donovan left to work in the NBA. When Michael White was hired to take over the program in May 2015, it prompted Stone to briefly reconsider whether he wanted to remain with the Gators but ended up sticking it out, as recruiting analyst Corey Evans noted (h/t 247Sports' Jerry Meyer).
Had he gone elsewhere he might have played in 2015-16, but by staying with Florida, it meant using a redshirt year to build strength and get more prepared for the college game.
"Keith he grew up a lot in this offseason," White told Nick De La Torre of GatorCountry.com. "He really took advantage, as much as any redshirt I’ve really been around."
Florida has to replace a pair of big men, including leading scorer Dorian Finney-Smith, so expect Stone's year off to work in the Gators' favor.
6. Jayce Johnson, Utah
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Position: Center
Height, weight: 7'0", 235 lbs
Utah had one of the most dominant traditional centers in college basketball this past season in Jakob Poeltl, and he went on to get taken ninth overall by the Toronto Raptors in June's NBA draft. Because he could handle the load down low all the same, there was no reason to tap into a promising young player who joined the Utes' program at midseason.
Jayce Johnson graduated early from high school in Santa Monica, California, so that he could enroll early. Because he arrived midway through the 2015-16 season he's still considered part of the 2016 recruiting class, where he ranked 86th overall and 13th among centers.
By joining the program early, Johnson was able to practice against Poeltl and learn from the future pro. That should bode well for Utah in 2016-17, when he'll contend to start in the frontcourt alongside Kyle Kuzma.
5. Elijah Thomas, Clemson
8 of 12
Position: Forward
Height, weight: 6'9", 230 lbs
One of the biggest men in Texas A&M's strong 2015 recruiting class, Elijah Thomas expected to play a significant role with the Aggies during his freshman year. But after averaging 15.8 minutes in his first four games, he logged only 19 in the next five, sitting out one.
That was enough of a sample size for Thomas to realize A&M wasn't for him, and he decided to transfer after less than one semester.
"I just feel as though it's best for me to get a fresh start somewhere else," Thomas told ESPN in December. About three weeks later he'd found that place in Clemson, where he'll be eligible to play once that school's fall semester is over.
Combined with the return of leading scorer Jaron Blossomgame and fellow transfers Shelton Mitchell (Vanderbilt) and Marcquise Reed (Robert Morris), Thomas picked a team that should be on the rise in 2016-17.
4. Danjel Purifoy, Auburn
9 of 12
Position: Forward
Height, weight: 6'7", 215 lbs
Though he hasn't translated it into wins yet, head coach Bruce Pearl is managing to get highly regarded recruits to come to Auburn. His 2015 class, which ranked 15th, included a trio of 4-star prospects. But while Horace Spencer and T.J. Dunans as well as 3-star players Bryce Brown and New Williams all got to contribute to the Tigers, Danjel Purifoy was stuck on the bench.
Concerns about a jump in his test scores caused the ACT testing center to flag his results, thus putting his eligibility in limbo. He wasn't officially cleared until the 2015-16 season was nearly over, at which point there was no reason to play the last few games when it would cost him an entire year of eligibility.
Instead, Purifoy used the year off to work on his defense. He told Jeff Shearer of AuburnTigers.com, "Practice, to me, was game time. When I went in for practice, it was game day for me. So I went in and did all I could do to help my players be better."
3. Mamadi Diakite, Virginia
10 of 12
Position: Forward
Height, weight: 6'9", 195 lbs
Originally part of the 2016 recruiting class, Mamadi Diakite reclassified to 2015 last August, when he picked Virginia over USC and Washington. That move was a strategic one that enabled the skilled-but-still-learning Diakite to use a redshirt year to continue to learn a sport he only picked up six years ago.
The native of Guinea grew up playing soccer, but after switching to basketball, he began to show promise right away. He moved to the U.S. In 2014 and played two years at Blue Ridge School in St. George, Virginia, not far from the Cavaliers' Charlottesville campus.
Long and lean, but with the kind of frame that can handle more weight, Diakite should figure greatly into Virginia's frontcourt plans in 2016-17. He'll back up Isaiah Wilkins and Memphis transfer Austin Nichols, and if he can develop a jump shot, he could also get involved at small forward.
2. Ray Smith, Arizona
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Position: Forward
Height, weight: 6'8", 210 lbs
Ranked 19th in the 2015 recruiting class, Ray Smith was Arizona's second-best freshman recruit behind guard Allonzo Trier last year. The Wildcats stuck with him despite Smith tearing knee ligaments prior to his senior year of high school, confident he'd come back at full strength in time to start college.
And he did, for a little bit. But just weeks before the 2015-16 season began, Smith injured his other knee, wiping out any chance he'd play as a true freshman.
His absence was somewhat notable because Arizona lacked a wing player who could stretch the floor and also defend. His presence will certainly be felt next year, though, because the Wildcats are short on capable frontcourt players after graduating Ryan Anderson, Kaleb Tarczewski and Mark Tollefsen.
Smith hasn't played a competitive game in two years, but head coach Sean Miller told SB Nation's Ryan Kelapire, “We’re optimistic that he’ll make a full recovery, and if so, he’ll be one of our newcomers. No question, he had a chance to be our starting small forward on last year’s team."
1. Dennis Smith, North Carolina State
12 of 12
Position: Guard
Height, weight: 6'3", 180 lbs
Dennis Smith is the centerpiece of North Carolina State's 2016 recruiting class, rated No. 7 overall. He's a player who can run the offense and score in bunches much like Cat Barber did this past year. But instead of waiting until Barber left to get started on succeeding him, Smith got to watch a lot of that firsthand, as he joined the program in January but did not play while rehabbing a knee injury.
In our book, that makes him a redshirt freshman, and the best one in college basketball for 2016-17.
Smith's senior year of high school was wiped out after he tore his left ACL last summer, an injury that prompted him to graduate early and continue his rehab in college while learning Mark Gottfried's system.
"Smith was cleared to practice in five-on-zero situations in late February," Bret Strelow of the Fayetteville Observer wrote, noting that Smith received full medical clearance in April.
All statistics courtesy of Sports-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information from 247Sports, unless otherwise noted.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter @realBJP.
