U
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We have quite a bit of skill this year. Need to see how they respond when someone is punching them in the mouth. If they are tough then we'll be just fine.
The College Basketball Post
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by allen3xis,
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keel252
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good point
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5 freshmen who will outplay their recruiting rank
2h
Emailcomment
Adam Finkelstein
Will the top 10 ranked players in the final ESPN 100 of 2015 go on to be the ten best freshmen in college basketball this season? Inevitably, the answer will be no. While some pundits will surely blame that on errors of evaluation, the reality is that high school rankings, especially at the top of the class, are based more on long-term projections than anything else.
From the players’ perspective, up until this point they’ve been measured by their talent, productivity and potential, but from the moment they walked into their first college practice the only thing that mattered was whether or not they could help their team win games ... right now.
Talent is still a big part of that, but college basketball is a different game than the ones these players have experienced, both at the high school and AAU levels. It’s more physical, much faster, more instinctual and much more complicated.
Coaches aren’t on the sidelines yelling “take him” or “he can’t guard you” anymore, now they’re yelling about being in the right ball-screen coverage, spacing the floor effectively and being in the right offensive spots.
In other words, just as these freshmen are being physically bullied by older and more mature upperclassmen, they’re also trying to deal with a bigger playbook and far more concepts than they’ve ever had to think about before. It’s how they adjust to all of this, in conjunction with who has the most immediate opportunity, which will determine who has the best freshmen season.
There’s no doubt that Ben Simmons, Skal Labissiere, Brandon Ingram, Jaylen Brown, Henry Ellenson and the rest of the top ranked players in last year’s ESPN 100 are all expected to be immediate contributors. But which players might exceed the external expectations created by their ranking? Here are five likely candidates:
1. Marcus Derrickson, Georgetown Hoyas (89th in ESPN 100 of 2015)
Historically a wide-bodied big man with an inside-out skill set, Derrickson made an incredible commitment to his conditioning during his senior year at Brewster Academy and throughout the summer, which resulted in him losing 40 pounds. While his conditioning always limited his impact, and consequently his ranking, now that he’s in the best shape of his life there’s no denying he’s prepared to make a quick impact for Georgetown.
With his conditioning under control, Marcus Derrickson will have an immediate impact for Georgetown. Jon Lopez/Nike Basketball
“I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever had a person make that type of transformation in high school,” Georgetown head coach John Thompson III said at Big East media day. “He’s just a totally different person and that gets you excited as a coach.”
Just how impactful might Derrickson be? He was Georgetown’s leading scorer through their four-game foreign tour through Italy this summer.
2. Aaron Holiday, UCLA Bruins (88th in the ESPN 100 of 2015)
There will not be 87 freshmen better than Holiday in college basketball this year. The younger brother of New Orleans’ Hornets guard Jrue Holiday, expectations were always high for Aaron, especially because of his obvious physical tools. The concerns were rooted in his decision-making, ability to play the point on a full-time basis and be a consistent shooting threat in a halfcourt game.
“I’ve seen him since he was probably in the 8th grade and [head] Coach [Steve] Alford got on him real quick once he got here, so I think we knew [what we had],” UCLA assistant coach David Grace said. “In high school he had to score the ball but he’s been an outstanding passer here and relentless as an on-the-ball defender. He understands the will to win and he has that junkyard dog attack mode all the time so it’s going to be hard to keep him out of the lineup.”
Where Holiday will land in the lineup remains to be seen. It seems a foregone conclusion that he’ll log major minutes, and he might even have the inside track at landing a starting spot next to Bryce Alford in the backcourt.
3. Tyler Lydon, Syracuse Orange (76th in the ESPN 100)
Lydon was the third-ranked player in a four-man Syracuse class that was among the top 10 in the nation last year. While he was known for his active floor game and dramatically improved his skill level during his last two years in high school, Lydon’s efficiency on the EYBL circuit and overall productivity in his final year in the prep ranks didn’t live up to his ability -- but he's beginning to emerge.
“He has a great IQ and has really picked things up very quickly,” Syracuse assistant coach Adrian Autry said. “A lot of times you’ve got to get freshmen to adjust to college speed, but he’s adapted to that a lot quicker. With his IQ, motor, the fact that he can shoot, and only takes good shots, he has a chance to play.”
Another factor for Lydon? Opportunity coupled with versatility. The team’s reduced number of scholarship players, plus the loss of Moustapha Diagne, opens up potential playing time at both forward positions and Lydon’s skill set and length should allow him to plug both holes off the bench.
4. Luke Kennard, Duke Blue Devils (24th in the ESPN 100)
Yes, he was a top 25 player in the country last year as well as a McDonald’s All-American but Kennard was also the fourth-ranked of Duke’s four recruits last season and now three weeks into practice, reports are that he has been anything but the worst of the freshmen.
“He’s going to be a great college player,” one NBA scout told ESPN this week after watching the Blue Devils practice. “He’ll come off the bench to start but he’s one of their best five players right now and so in crunch time I think they’ll move Ingram to the four in order to get Kennard out there.”
While Kennard was never the highest-level athlete or defender, reports are that he’s been able to hold his own in both of those areas while his size, ability to play both wing positions, ability to stretch the floor, to drill shots at game speed and serve as a secondary ball-handler and decision-maker have all played in to his early rise up the Duke depth chart.
5. Dejounte Murray and Noah Dickerson, Washington Huskies (49th and 52nd in the ESPN 100)
The youth movement is in full effect in Washington but a couple of the Huskies are going to have to grow up in a hurry and right now Murray and Dickerson appear to be the two most likely candidates.
While Murray’s length and ball skills have proven to be just as good as advertised, his decision-making and ability to play through contact with a wiry and still somewhat lean frame have been among the most pleasant surprises. Simultaneously, his length and ability to be a playmaker in defensive passing lanes, not to mention his rebounding from the perimeter, are college-ready as well.
For Dickerson, both his body and his experience level are college ready, but the most deceptive part about him may be his basketball IQ His offensive skill package is very polished from the three-point line in, especially inside of 12 feet where he manufactures both scoring chances as well as fouls. He’s also a high-level rebounder, which has always been an aspect of the game that translated to higher levels.
“Dejounte is one of the most college-ready guys in the class and Noah could be a walking double-double,” Washington assistant Raphael Chillious told ESPN. “They’re both winners. Dejounte won three out of four state championships and Noah won back to back national championships.”
2h
Emailcomment
Adam Finkelstein
Will the top 10 ranked players in the final ESPN 100 of 2015 go on to be the ten best freshmen in college basketball this season? Inevitably, the answer will be no. While some pundits will surely blame that on errors of evaluation, the reality is that high school rankings, especially at the top of the class, are based more on long-term projections than anything else.
From the players’ perspective, up until this point they’ve been measured by their talent, productivity and potential, but from the moment they walked into their first college practice the only thing that mattered was whether or not they could help their team win games ... right now.
Talent is still a big part of that, but college basketball is a different game than the ones these players have experienced, both at the high school and AAU levels. It’s more physical, much faster, more instinctual and much more complicated.
Coaches aren’t on the sidelines yelling “take him” or “he can’t guard you” anymore, now they’re yelling about being in the right ball-screen coverage, spacing the floor effectively and being in the right offensive spots.
In other words, just as these freshmen are being physically bullied by older and more mature upperclassmen, they’re also trying to deal with a bigger playbook and far more concepts than they’ve ever had to think about before. It’s how they adjust to all of this, in conjunction with who has the most immediate opportunity, which will determine who has the best freshmen season.
There’s no doubt that Ben Simmons, Skal Labissiere, Brandon Ingram, Jaylen Brown, Henry Ellenson and the rest of the top ranked players in last year’s ESPN 100 are all expected to be immediate contributors. But which players might exceed the external expectations created by their ranking? Here are five likely candidates:
1. Marcus Derrickson, Georgetown Hoyas (89th in ESPN 100 of 2015)
Historically a wide-bodied big man with an inside-out skill set, Derrickson made an incredible commitment to his conditioning during his senior year at Brewster Academy and throughout the summer, which resulted in him losing 40 pounds. While his conditioning always limited his impact, and consequently his ranking, now that he’s in the best shape of his life there’s no denying he’s prepared to make a quick impact for Georgetown.
With his conditioning under control, Marcus Derrickson will have an immediate impact for Georgetown. Jon Lopez/Nike Basketball
“I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever had a person make that type of transformation in high school,” Georgetown head coach John Thompson III said at Big East media day. “He’s just a totally different person and that gets you excited as a coach.”
Just how impactful might Derrickson be? He was Georgetown’s leading scorer through their four-game foreign tour through Italy this summer.
2. Aaron Holiday, UCLA Bruins (88th in the ESPN 100 of 2015)
There will not be 87 freshmen better than Holiday in college basketball this year. The younger brother of New Orleans’ Hornets guard Jrue Holiday, expectations were always high for Aaron, especially because of his obvious physical tools. The concerns were rooted in his decision-making, ability to play the point on a full-time basis and be a consistent shooting threat in a halfcourt game.
“I’ve seen him since he was probably in the 8th grade and [head] Coach [Steve] Alford got on him real quick once he got here, so I think we knew [what we had],” UCLA assistant coach David Grace said. “In high school he had to score the ball but he’s been an outstanding passer here and relentless as an on-the-ball defender. He understands the will to win and he has that junkyard dog attack mode all the time so it’s going to be hard to keep him out of the lineup.”
Where Holiday will land in the lineup remains to be seen. It seems a foregone conclusion that he’ll log major minutes, and he might even have the inside track at landing a starting spot next to Bryce Alford in the backcourt.
3. Tyler Lydon, Syracuse Orange (76th in the ESPN 100)
Lydon was the third-ranked player in a four-man Syracuse class that was among the top 10 in the nation last year. While he was known for his active floor game and dramatically improved his skill level during his last two years in high school, Lydon’s efficiency on the EYBL circuit and overall productivity in his final year in the prep ranks didn’t live up to his ability -- but he's beginning to emerge.
“He has a great IQ and has really picked things up very quickly,” Syracuse assistant coach Adrian Autry said. “A lot of times you’ve got to get freshmen to adjust to college speed, but he’s adapted to that a lot quicker. With his IQ, motor, the fact that he can shoot, and only takes good shots, he has a chance to play.”
Another factor for Lydon? Opportunity coupled with versatility. The team’s reduced number of scholarship players, plus the loss of Moustapha Diagne, opens up potential playing time at both forward positions and Lydon’s skill set and length should allow him to plug both holes off the bench.
4. Luke Kennard, Duke Blue Devils (24th in the ESPN 100)
Yes, he was a top 25 player in the country last year as well as a McDonald’s All-American but Kennard was also the fourth-ranked of Duke’s four recruits last season and now three weeks into practice, reports are that he has been anything but the worst of the freshmen.
“He’s going to be a great college player,” one NBA scout told ESPN this week after watching the Blue Devils practice. “He’ll come off the bench to start but he’s one of their best five players right now and so in crunch time I think they’ll move Ingram to the four in order to get Kennard out there.”
While Kennard was never the highest-level athlete or defender, reports are that he’s been able to hold his own in both of those areas while his size, ability to play both wing positions, ability to stretch the floor, to drill shots at game speed and serve as a secondary ball-handler and decision-maker have all played in to his early rise up the Duke depth chart.
5. Dejounte Murray and Noah Dickerson, Washington Huskies (49th and 52nd in the ESPN 100)
The youth movement is in full effect in Washington but a couple of the Huskies are going to have to grow up in a hurry and right now Murray and Dickerson appear to be the two most likely candidates.
While Murray’s length and ball skills have proven to be just as good as advertised, his decision-making and ability to play through contact with a wiry and still somewhat lean frame have been among the most pleasant surprises. Simultaneously, his length and ability to be a playmaker in defensive passing lanes, not to mention his rebounding from the perimeter, are college-ready as well.
For Dickerson, both his body and his experience level are college ready, but the most deceptive part about him may be his basketball IQ His offensive skill package is very polished from the three-point line in, especially inside of 12 feet where he manufactures both scoring chances as well as fouls. He’s also a high-level rebounder, which has always been an aspect of the game that translated to higher levels.
“Dejounte is one of the most college-ready guys in the class and Noah could be a walking double-double,” Washington assistant Raphael Chillious told ESPN. “They’re both winners. Dejounte won three out of four state championships and Noah won back to back national championships.”
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harry giles announcing nov 14
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At a showcase right down the road from here. I was already planning on going but all the more reason to now to see him don the blue
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should be a nice way to close out the class...and then move on to the following year
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When are the sanctions for Carolina coming down, if ever. It feels like they're trying to give Roy this last shot 
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NeverWhen are the sanctions for Carolina coming down, if ever. It feels like they're trying to give Roy this last shot
They barely even discussed it at ACC media day today,they asked Roy about it and mentioned it one other time....
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When are the sanctions for Carolina coming down, if ever. It feels like they're trying to give Roy this last shot
Relax
But in all seriousness, I believe the results are coming next Feb/March.
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It's funny in the summer I played ball with some of those kids, it made I just realize how trash I am now, they look at me like I got an old man game. I'm "Im only 24" then I find out the dude is 16.
It's crazy how much it's changed when I was young it was tough finding people to play anything other than hockey, now the courts are buzzing everywhere. even in the suburbs.
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Sonny Corinthos
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Preseason All-ACC 1st Team is
Marcus Paige, Malcolm Brogdon, Brandon Ingram, Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Demetrius Jackson
Marcus Paige, Malcolm Brogdon, Brandon Ingram, Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Demetrius Jackson
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Sounds about right. Interested to see Rathan-Mayes' growth from last year.
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X gunna give it to ya!
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I think X's 3 pointer should be back, he was pretty dead eye in high school but it looks like he changed his release point when he got to FSU so hopefully the adjustment period is over.
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They really got high hopes for Ingram I see. I'll allow it I guess but I just don't feel like he'll have as huge of an impact as everyone is hyping him to have.
And Xavier will always give that Scottie Reynolds feel. Inconsistent volume shooter who either shoots you to a win or shoots you out of one.
I just need Grayson to flourish next year
And Xavier will always give that Scottie Reynolds feel. Inconsistent volume shooter who either shoots you to a win or shoots you out of one.
I just need Grayson to flourish next year
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I honestly don't see why most everyone in here is so doubtful about Ingram. Do y'all see something I don't?
Sonny Corinthos
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Who has even mentioned him in a negative way besides saying he's thin. Are you looking for him to put up Jabari Parker numbers ?
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Georgetown watching Kobie Eubanks today who was also cleared by the NCAA. Would be eligible to play second semester
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Harry Giles visiting Duke this weekend. Seems highly likely they seal the deal with him.
Sonny Corinthos
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Will Utah be any good this season ?
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