College Basketball: Harrison Barnes and the Top 25 Freshmen in the Country
Every year the college basketball world is inundated with new talent. The freshmen don't all have opportunities to shine and the ones that do don't always make good on it, but some most assuredly do.
Those players are the ones who capture the attention of fans and scouts alike. They're drafted in the first round by NBA teams because of their ridiculous potential and they're discussed by thousands across the country throughout the season.
Why? Because there's just something inherently appealing about a new face taking over and making a name become a household one.
John Wall has done it. So have Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Rose and countless others.
So without further ado, read on for the 25 best freshmen that college basketball has had to offer during the 2010-2011 season.
25. Enes Kanter (Kentucky...Kind Of)
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Enes Kanter was supposed to come into the college scene and take the league by storm.
That didn't happen after the NCAA ruled him to be permanently ineligible.
So...Kanter is averaging 0.0 points, 0.0 assists and 0.0 rebounds.
But still, he's so talented that I would be remiss to not mention him at all.
24. Kyrie Irving (Duke)
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If he hadn't injured his toe, Kyrie Irving would be a whole lot higher up on this list. In fact, he may very well be a contender for national player of the year.
But alas, the toe had to hinder Irving's freshmen season and potentially his entire collegiate career. It's possible that he could declare himself eligible for the 2011 NBA Draft and never play for Duke again.
In the eight games he played, Irving left such an impression that he could still be picked first overall. He averaged 17.4 points, 5.1 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game during his short, albeit stellar, tenure as the Blue Devils' point guard.
23. Juwan Staten (Dayton)
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Juwan Staten hasn't had quite the impact that the Dayton Flyers were hoping for, but he's still putting together a good season for a freshman.
The 6'0" guard is only averaging 8.7 points and 2.3 rebounds per game, but his 5.9 assists per contest are very valuable to the team.
Staten scored 17 points earlier in the season against Xavier and has hit double figures in assists twice. The potential is there, now it's just a matter of putting it all together.
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22. Joe Jackson (Memphis)
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The 6'0" freshman guard for the Memphis Tigers has struggled mightily at times, but he's also showed an enormous amount of potential, which has helped endear him to Tigers fans.
Jackson is averaging 9.3 points, 3.3 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game.
He's shown that he can score (23 points in one game) and pass well (eight assists in back-to-back games), but he still needs to improve a lot.
Rest assured, Memphis fans, there is another player from your school coming up.
21. Cory Joseph (Texas)
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With a seemingly flawless jump shot and great dribbling skills, Cory Joseph has helped lead the Texas Longhorns to their high ranking in the polls.
Joseph scored a career-high 21 points against UNC, but he's averaging just 10.8 points per game. To go along with his scoring, Joseph has chipped in with 2.9 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game.
He may not be a star, but he's a consistently good basketball player.
20. Josh Selby (Kansas)
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Josh Selby had to sit out the beginning of his freshman season, but he started with a bang when he scored 21 points and made the game-winning shot in his first game against USC.
He's been rather ineffective in his last four games, but he's still averaging 10.4 points, 3.0 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game. Rest assured that the nation's No. 1 recruit is only going to get better and better.
The improvement may not come as early as this season, but if he doesn't leave early and declare for the NBA Draft, Selby is going to be one of the nation's best guards next year.
19. Eric Ferguson (Georgia Southern)
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The Georgia Southern Eagles may have gone on a 15-game losing streak this season, but that's not entirely the fault of freshman guard Eric Ferguson.
A 6'7" behemoth at the shooting guard spot, Ferguson is a matchup nightmare and a legitimate NBA prospect.
He's averaging 12.3 points, 1.6 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game during the 2010-2011 season. In his first game at the collegiate level, Ferguson dropped 26 points against Notre Dame. He hasn't really looked back since.
18. Will Barton (Memphis)
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Memphis' newest freshman guard is named Will Barton.
He may not be as good as Derrick Rose was, but he's still playing quite well during his first season at the collegiate level.
It's going to be a struggle for the Tigers to even make the tournament, though. Barton is going to really have to step up his game for the remainder of the year.
Right now he's averaging 12.6 points, 2.8 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game.
17. Kendall Marshall (North Carolina)
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The North Carolina guard has been getting a lot more playing time recently and he has proved that he deserves it.
Kendall Marshall is only averaging 5.6 points, 5.3 assists and 1.7 rebounds per game, but those stats don't represent his great play in the past few weeks.
In his first contest receiving over 22 minutes, Marshall responded by dishing out 16 dimes against Florida State, one of the best defensive teams in the country.
In his last six games, he's averaged 11.2 points and 9.2 assists per contest.
16. Terrell Stoglin (Maryland)
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The young Terrapin has caught fire lately and helped Maryland show some signs of life.
Over the course of the season, Terrell Stoglin is averaging 11.4 points, 3.2 assists and 1.2 rebounds per game from the guard spot. But over the last six games, he's put up 20.7 points, 5.5 assists and 1.8 rebounds.
The freshman was named the ACC's Freshman of the Week for the second consecutive week as a result. That trend could continue into next season.
15. Ray McCallum (Detroit)
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After spurning some big-name schools to play at Detroit, Ray McCallum has done his part to justify the hype he was receiving as an elite scoring talent.
A titanic threat with the ball in his hands, the guard is averaging 13.5 points, 4.9 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game.
He appears to have run into a bit of a wall recently, but I have no doubt that he'll be able to pick back up where he left off.
14. Trey Zeigler (Central Michigan)
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This Chippewa is definitely enjoying his freshman season.
Trey Zeigler has had to suffer through a lot of losses by his Central Michigan team, but he's still averaging 16.6 points, 2.2 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game, making him one of the most-prolific freshman scorers in the nation.
Ziegler even scored 30 points in a 13-point victory against Toledo. He's only found himself with a single digit in the points column four times this season.
13. C.J. Leslie (North Carolina State)
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Despite being suspended for one game this season thanks to a lack of maturity (and maybe a certain poem), C.J. Leslie has been a stud for the North Carolina State Wolfpack during his freshman year.
The 6'8" forward has averaged 11.4 points, 0.9 assists and 7.3 rebounds per game this year. He isn't too valuable to his team, though, as NC State easily handled Georgia Tech despite getting only three points from Leslie.
If the Wolfpack had a better record than their current 15-13 mark, Leslie might find himself higher up these rankings.
12. DeAndre Kane (Marshall)
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Picking up his game during recent weeks, DeAndre Kane has steadily proved that he's a player who deserves a little bit of national recognition despite the fact that he plays for Marshall.
Kane is a 6'4" guard who seems a whole lot bigger than he actually is. With his physical play, Kane is averaging 15.1 points, 3.4 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game.
If he could just improve his shooting percentages, which currently stand at 43.9 percent from the field, 64.8 percent from the charity stripe and 31.5 percent from downtown, Kane would be a very, very good player.
11. Brian Voelkel (Vermont)
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Brian Voelkel possesses both a great last name and an arsenal of basketball moves.
Because he plays for Vermont, he's toiled away in obscurity for much of the season, but don't let that diminish his accomplishments.
He doesn't always appear to be the most skilled or athletic player on the floor, but nothing has kept Voelkel from being involved in each-and-every play.
He's averaging 6.9 points, 4.7 assists and 9.7 rebounds per game. The way he fills up a stat sheet may not be pretty in real life, but it sure is on paper.
10. Tim Hardaway Jr. (Michigan)
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On the last day of February, Tim Hardaway Jr. was named the Big Ten's Freshman of the Week for the third straight week, bringing his award total to four this year.
Obviously, he's been good.
Hardaway is averaging 13.6 points, 1.7 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game on the season, but he hasn't scored in single digits since a January 18th game against Northwestern. He's even put up 30 points in a game during that span.
If he keeps improving like this, Michigan could actually be a relevant basketball squad again.
9. Harrison Barnes (North Carolina)
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He was billed as the next Michael Jordan before the season started, even making the preseason All-American squad. But then Harrison Barnes actually had to don the Tar Heels' jersey and people realized that the comparisons may be were a bit unfounded.
Lately he's been playing much better and he has helped North Carolina work its way back into contention. For the season, Barnes is averaging 13.8 points, 1.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game.
Since the new year began, he's been even better than that.
8. Doug McDermott (Creighton)
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Playing for his father, Greg McDermott, Doug has given Creighton fans a reason to believe in the Bluejays' hopes for this season.
The 6'7" forward may have a young face, but he's playing beyond his years. McDermott is averaging 14.3 points, 1.1 assists and 7.6 rebounds per game this season.
The Bluejays may only be 18-13 and appear to be a long shot when it comes to making the tournament, but this kid is going to be a stud very soon.
The rest of the Ohio Valley Conference should be a little worried.
7. Perry Jones (Baylor)
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His unbelievable athleticism has made him a surefire top-five pick in the upcoming NBA Draft and his production on the court has backed that up.
Perry Jones has been a freshman sensation for Baylor and he has taken a lot of pressure off the shoulders of LaceDarius Dunn.
Jones is averaging 14.2 points, 1.2 assists and 7.1 rebounds per game. Jones hasn't had any true standout games, but his production throughout the season has been consistently great.
6. Tristan Thompson (Texas)
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Just like Cory Joseph, Tristan Thompson has been one of the spark plugs for this Texas Longhorns squad.
The freshman forward was recently named a finalist for the Freshman of the Year award thanks to his 12.8 points, 1.3 assists and 7.5 rebounds per game. Thompson is also swatting away over two shots per game with his lanky arms and 6'8" frame.
It's easy to find a correlation between how Thompson has played and how the Longhorns have fared. He's played poorly in four of their five losses and those are most of his bad games throughout the season.
He's vital to this team.
5. Tobias Harris (Tennessee)
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The Tennessee Volunteers are one of the hardest teams in the nation to figure out, but it's not difficult to realize that Tobias Harris is a very good player.
A 6'8" forward, Harris can drive, dunk and shoot the deep ball.
He's averaging 14.3 points, 1.4 assists and 7.6 rebounds per game this season. Scotty Hopson may be the most important player on this orange-clad team, but Harris is not far behind.
4. Augustine Rubit (South Alabama)
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Augustine Rubit is one of a very elite group that is managing to average a double-double during their respective freshmen seasons.
Playing for the Jaguars of South Alabama, Rubit is putting up 13.3 points, 0.9 assists and 11.1 rebounds during his first season at the collegiate level. His regular season is over too, so he will officially end the year averaging a double-double.
That is quite impressive for a relatively unheralded first year.
3. Brandon Knight (Kentucky)
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The second (but not the last) freshman from Kentucky on this list, Brandon Knight has been one of the better point guards in the entire country.
He's not quite at the John Wall level, but Knight is fully capable of leading his team to great things in March.
Knight, the most recent SEC Freshman of the Week, has averaged 17.7 points, 4.1 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game. Plus, his play has only gotten better as the season has progressed.
2. Terrence Jones (Kentucky)
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One of the nation's elite freshmen in a strong class, Terrence Jones is averaging a near double-double with his 17.3 points, 1.8 assists and 9.1 rebounds per game. There's absolutely no stopping him when he gets going to his left.
The southpaw is already a consensus top-10 pick, but Jones could very well vault over his competition and end up in the top three of the 2011 NBA Draft if he has a great tournament.
The one problem is that his production has slipped a little bit lately, as has the record of his Kentucky Wildcats.
1. Jared Sullinger (Ohio State)
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The nation's best freshman during the 2010-2011 season, Jared Sullinger has been an absolute monster down low for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Many are hailing Sullinger as the national player of the year right now, and he is a strong candidate for the award at the very least.
Sullinger is averaging 17.4 points, 1.3 assists and 9.8 rebounds per game during his freshman season. He's a double-double threat on a nightly basis.
The big man (he stands 6'9" and 280 pounds) has drawn praise for his passing game, his high field-goal percentage and everything else that he does on the basketball court.
Sullinger has it right in the picture. He's No. 1.
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