Best College Freshman you've watched? | The Boneyard

Best College Freshman you've watched?

Kitaman

Kitaman

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Curious with all the Cooper Flagg hype, which player would you say is the best freshman you have seen in college.

My pick is Carmelo Anthony. I hate Cuse but Anthony was a unique and special talent, the Championship sealed it.

Texas Durant would be a close 2nd.

(I would date myself and say that Lew Alcindor, but the young'uns here might not know who he is).
 
Just from my time...

Carmelo (22/10 and a Natty), Durant (26/11), Ben Simmons, (19/12/5apg), AD (14/10/5bpg and a Natty), Zion (22/9), Michael Beasley (26/12), Kenny Anderson (21/5/8 and a FF), Chris Jackson (30ppg - Iverson before Iverson)

Honorable mention to guys like DRose and Iverson who were on an athletic/quickness level that I had not seen before. Especially Iverson. I had never seen a human being that quick with the basketball and, despite my complete dislike for him, Trae Young led the nation in scoring and assists as a freshmen. I do not think anyone had every done that regardless of class and he did it as a freshmen.
 
Kitaman said:
Curious with all the Cooper Flagg hype, which player would you say is the best freshman you have seen in college.

My pick is Carmelo Anthony. I hate Cuse but Anthony was a unique and special talent, the Championship sealed it.

Texas Durant would be a close 2nd.

(I would date myself and say that Lew Alcindor, but the young'uns here might not know who he is).
Expand ...

For those who do not know, Lew Alcindor led the UCLA freshman team to a 75-61 scrimmage victory over the UCLA varsity team during his first year. At the time, freshman played on a separate team.
 
Hans Sprungfeld said:
For those who do not know, Lew Alcindor led the UCLA freshman team to a 75-61 scrimmage victory over the UCLA varsity team during his first year. At the time, freshman played on a separate team.
Expand ...
Your post piqued my curiosity so I looked up an article which I am sharing.

I remember watching him play as a collegian and as a pro. Automatic skyhook, total domination in college and very dominant in the pros. Had a pretty good defensive game with shot blocking too. He was good even up to age 40 or maybe 41.

vault.si.com

THE HOT BRUBABES

In 1948, when Johnny Wooden came from Indiana State Teachers College to coach UCLA basketball, the Bruins played their home games in a 2,000-seat Turkish bath
vault.si.com vault.si.com
 
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For a long time, freshman were not allowed to play until their sophomore year, so too many players were not seen as freshman making this discussion "kind of" pointless.
 
Durant for me. Beasley was up there too. Both you could just give them the ball and they were unstoppable offensively.

Carmelo was great but I think gets a little overvalued as a college player since they 2-3’d their way to an improbable title.
 
Patrick Ewing literally became the face of Hoya Paranoia the first time he stepped on the court.

His freshman numbers weren't off the chart for points or rebounds but he was a shot blocker supreme and set a tone. Would have won the 'chip as a frosh except for that Jordan kid on Carolina.

Culturally he was a phenom. His impact off the court is way higher than anything Durant or 'Melo or anyone else mentioned for their frehsman performance.

The right answer of course is Alcinder and as already mentioned he couldn't play as a frosh.
 
Chris Jackson. It still blows my mind Dale Brown couldn't even do anything with the Tigers when Chris Jackson, Super John's son, Stanley Roberts, and Shaq all played together.
 
Not sure if he was a prop 48 casualty, but another guy who probably would have been high on the honorable mention list had he played as a freshman - was Anfetnee Hardaway.
 
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Kitaman said:
Curious with all the Cooper Flagg hype, which player would you say is the best freshman you have seen in college.

My pick is Carmelo Anthony. I hate Cuse but Anthony was a unique and special talent, the Championship sealed it.

Texas Durant would be a close 2nd.

(I would date myself and say that Lew Alcindor, but the young'uns here might not know who he is).
Expand ...

Well, we've talked ad nauseum about how building your team around 1ADs isn't a good strategy, because it's only worked 3 times (Cuse '03, UK '12 and Duke '15). Two of those times it was one freshman who carried the load: Melo and AD. So those are my two answers, at least for the post-2000 era.
 
I just realized that "big dog" Glenn Robinson was a prop 48 guy and didn't play his freshman year. But he averaged 24/10 in his first year at Purdue. I remember him in the mcd's AA game with Donyell.
 
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blackuc said:
Chris Jackson is my answer as well. I was in the building 5 rows off the court when he went for 53 against Florida.
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Chris Jackson AKA Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was Steph Curry before Curry. He unfortunately played when scoring and three point shooting were nothing like they are today and then he was blackballed. I would've loved to see Abdul-Rauf and Mark Price play in this generation.
 
Hans Sprungfeld said:
For those who do not know, Lew Alcindor led the UCLA freshman team to a 75-61 scrimmage victory over the UCLA varsity team during his first year. At the time, freshman played on a separate team.
Expand ...
Or Pistol Pete, relegated to the Frosh team at LSU for a season, but put up over 40 points per game for each of four seasons including that one.
 
my2cents said:
For a long time, freshman were not allowed to play until their sophomore year, so too many players were not seen as freshman making this discussion "kind of" pointless.
Expand ...
Dr. J
 
Carmelo Anthony is the most special college freshman I've ever seen.

Derrick Rose is probably second for me.
 
Doctor Hoop said:
Or Pistol Pete, relegated to the Frosh team at LSU for a season, but put up over 40 points per game for each of four seasons including that one.
Expand ...
Thats why I said Pistol Pete!!!
 
Hey guys,

IT'S NOT EVEN CLOSE!

LEWIS FERDINAND ALCINDOR! From Uptown Inwood, NYC

Scored 63 for UCLA in his first freshman game against USC. The oppoaing center? Actor Tom Selleck.

Father Demo
 
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Kitaman said:
Curious with all the Cooper Flagg hype, which player would you say is the best freshman you have seen in college.

My pick is Carmelo Anthony. I hate Cuse but Anthony was a unique and special talent, the Championship sealed it.

Texas Durant would be a close 2nd.

(I would date myself and say that Lew Alcindor, but the young'uns here might not know who he is).
Expand ...
Jordan with maybe Chris Mullin a close second. Just remember in Mullins day, St John’s played a brutal schedule. My how people forget. Jordan’s post season play as a freshman is legendary.
 
Carmelo and Anthony Davis 1A and 1B.

Second best player on AD's roster was Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. A tough kid and a great teammate, but not exactly a future all star.

And he had the added handicap of Calipoopy as his coach, who couldn't win anything with rosters far more loaded than AD's.

An amazing achievement by AD, when you look back on it. Imagine if he had never come into Calipari's life, or if Carmelo had never come into Boeheim's? These two big-name coaches would be ringless.
 
CONN78SEJ said:
Jordan with maybe Chris Mullin a close second. Just remember in Mullins day, St John’s played a brutal schedule. My how people forget. Jordan’s post season play as a freshman is legendary.
Expand ...

The difference between Jordan and a lot of other guys that’ve been mentioned is that Jordan wasn’t the best player on his Carolina team as a freshman. Worthy was. Everybody remembers Jordan’s jumper but Worthy had like 30 that game.
 
Carmelo couldnt defend a fire hydrant. Ewing was dominant. Grant Hill got Duke a championship.
Pervis Ellison willed Louisville. Suggs was awesome for Gonzaga in a losing cause. Zion had a great freshman year.

But, as much as i hate Kentucky, Anthony Davis gets my vote.
 
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