Freshmen
Freshmen links for every team, conference.
It’s a good thing Lance Stephenson moved on from his “Born Ready” nickname. It didn’t apply in his debut.
Cincinnati’s 6-5 guard is billed as one of the nation’s impact freshmen (fell for it), but there are no words for opening with a 7-point, 4-rebound performance against Prairie View A&M. The Bearcats won the game (barely), otherwise you’d be reading about UCLA and Cincy stumbling on Monday.
As for Stephenson – 2-10 from the field, 0-3 beyond the arc and 1 turnover in 22 minutes – there’s an explanation.
Kid was nervous.
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John Wall’s Kentucky debut wasn’t perfect. It just had a storybook ending.
And that’s what Big Blue Nation wants, especially when March rolls around. For now, they can relish a win that probably wouldn’t have happened the last few years and think about what Wall can do the rest of the season.
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Villanova’s dynamite recruiting class is one reason why the Wildcats are a Final Four favorite and favored to win the Big East. Adding two elite guards and a power forward like Mouphtaou Yarou should be enough to offset the losses of guys like Dante Cunningham and Shane Clark to make another NCAA tournament run.
But ‘Nova may have just hit a speed bump. Turns out Yarou may not be eligible to play.
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Any day now, Mississippi State could get some really good news. At least, that’s what Renardo Sidney’s lawyer thinks.
The 6-10 forward is one of the nation’s top freshmen, but he’s been in NCAA eligibility limbo because of amateurism issues rising from his family’s two-year stay in the Los Angeles area. Basically, rumors flew that they couldn’t afford that house they were living in, so someone else was paying. The family says it’s hogwash.
After a long investigation into the matter, Sidney’s lawyer says the NCAA will come to the same conclusion and clear Sidney to play.
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Al McGuire’s famous phrase – “The best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores” – has been part of the college basketball lexicon for so long that it’s essentially accepted without much thought.
Now it requires even less thought ‘cause it’s a fact, courtesy of temnpo-free stats.
And for that, we have the Big Ten Geeks to thank.
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This is every Kentucky fan’s worst nightmare. Kind of.
Star point guard John Wall, the nation’s top recruit, is dealing with an eligibility issue that could affect his season. SEC commissioner Mike Slive confirmed the report to ESPN.com on Thursday.
It question centers around Wall’s former AAU coach, who was a certified agent. The school has been investigating Wall’s the situation for months. Mississippi State recruit Renardo Sidney also is dealing with eligibility issues. It goes back to 2007 when Wall made two unofficial visits to the UK campus but it’s unclear how much money he may owe for the visit.
Slive says the NCAA’s agents, not NCAA enforcement, is handling the investigation.
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Height usually makes people overthink thing. My favorite was when Kevin Durant entered the NBA draft, but there was heated debates among NBA pundits if he could actually play power forward. You know, ‘cause he’s 6-10.
“He’s gonna have to bulk up to bang down low in the NBA.”
“Durant could rebound in college, but that was because of his long arms. That won’t fly in the NBA.”
“Can he guard opposing power forwards?”
It was a bunch of hooey. Anyone who saw Durant play knew he’d be a 2 or 3 in the pros, even if he did struggle to guard shorter, quicker guards. Won’t they have to guard him as well?
Turns out a similar discussion surrounds incoming freshman John Henson at North Carolina.
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If there’s one thing college basketball needs, it’s more nicknames. And by more, I mean any.
Thankfully, that’s where a guy like Lance Stephenson comes in.
Stephenson, a freshman at Cincinnati, is known in New York hoops circles as “Born Ready.” He left NYC as the state’s all-time leading scorer, thus the name. But at Cincy, he’s earned a new nickname.
“Almost There.”
I know. Feels like a Laurel and Hardy skit. And Stephenson and the Bearcats know it. They’re having some laughs with it.
But I like that he’s racking up the monikers. A budding sports star can never have enough.
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Some college hoops pundits think freshmen will play a key role in this year’s national title hunt. Others are reserving judgment until they actually get on the court.
How about a little bit of both?
Every fan has high hopes for their team’s incoming freshmen when they could be the missing piece of a championship puzzle. But those freshmen who don’t quite live up to the hype? That hurts.
Still, it’s hard not to get just a little bit excited about watching the incoming freshmen. Here are 16 I’m excited to watch.
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Talent vs. experience. That’s the eternal question. Do you want a roster of experienced players or a team full of talented, young ballers?
OK, you want both. That’s easy. And if you can’t have experienced, talented players, you want a mix.
But when it’s crunch time in late March, what kind of player is on the floor? The most talented bunch or a group you can trust to make the right decision because they’ve been there before?
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