No freshmen game-changers a good thing
Posted: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 8:29 PM
Filed Under:
Rants, Freshmen
Hype’s a hard thing to ignore. Every season, the elite incoming college freshmen are touted as instant stars, able to carry a team to the Final Four (Derrick Rose) or even a title (Carmelo Anthony).
And why not? When we read about their exploits, see a YouTube video or various SportsCenter highlights, it’s hard not to believe that one of these players could indeed dominate like Kevin Durant.
Thankfully, there are writers who keep their cool and remind us that sometimes, not all freshmen are saviors, but merely good players. Yep, John Gasaway’s that guy.
Nikki Boertman/AP |
Tyreke Evans was one of the rare freshmen game-changers last season.
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Some background: ESPN’s first Summer ShootAround (a series of articles that’s essentially a recap of signings and early preview to the season) was posted Tuesday. Among other things, it has a subsection on “10 freshmen we can’t wait to see” that features plenty of superlatives about guys like Derrick Favors, John Henson and Michael Snaer.
But instead of drooling over these prospects, Gasaway preaches patience. And…he’s probably right, much as I don’t want him to be. (I mean, how fun would college hoops be if every class was loaded with game-changers?)
Now, it’s not that Gasaway is saying these freshmen won’t be good. It’s that the ri-DONK-ulous class of 2007 (notably Rose, Blake Griffin, Michael Beasley, O.J. Mayo, Kevin Love, James Harden and Eric Gordon, among others) was an exceptional mix of talent and game-changing players. Normally, other classes aren’t loaded with players like that.
Take 2008. Of Scout.com’s Top 10 players, only two – Tyreke Evans and Greg Monroe – qualify as Gasaway’s game-changers. By most accounts, 2009 should be better, but 2010 is going to be another good, but not great class.
Then again, maybe it’s a good thing. If players are good – but not great – they’re more likely to stay in school and not jump to the NBA after just one season. And the longer the good players stay in school, the better the game becomes. Think Florida's repeat titles. Think Kansas and North Carolina winning titles with upper classmen.
No game-changing freshmen? That’s an idea I can endorse.
