Best Freshman Seasons Ever?

[bballnut90]

Something fun to think/ponder about...a few that come to mind:
Alana Beard-her presence elevated Duke into a national power, a terror on both sides of the ball, I believe she averaged around 18 ppg for Duke, who was ranked top 5 most of the season.

Chamique Holdsclaw-carried the offensive load in leading Tennessee to it's 4th title in 1996. Was an AP-All American, averaged 16 points and 9 boards per game. After her freshman season people were tossing around the idea that she would be the "best ever"

Elena Delle Donne-I believe she led the nation in scoring as a freshman...granted it was in the CAA but still.

Courtney Paris-arguably the most statistically dominating freshman season ever. 22 points, 15 points and 3 blocks per game. Consensus 1st Team All-American

Candace Parker-Played in the post, on the wing and at the point. Was extremely successful anywhere Pat put her. she might have had the most polished skills of any freshman to ever come in and play college basketball.

Brittney Griner-Carried Baylor to a Final Four, keyed upset wins over Tennessee and Duke. Averaged 18 points, 8.5 rebounds and over 6 blocks per game. Her presence in the post changed the way opponents played offense.

Jackie Stiles-averaged 21 points per game and led SMS to the NCAA tournament

Breanna Stewart-after an underwhelming start to the season, she lit it up once it was the NCAA tournament and led UCONN to a title

Seimone Augustus-transformed LSU from a consistently good team to a national title contender.

Semeka Randall-averaged 16 points, 5 boards and close to 3 steals per game for Tennessee en route to a 39-0 season.


The top 3 freshman seasons I can think of are:
Tamika Catchings-18 points, 8 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 2.5 assists, 1.5 blocks, 54% FG, had an undefeated season and scored 27 points in the title game.

Maya Moore-finished 2nd in National Player of the Year voting, 18 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.5 blocks while leading a veteran team to a 36-2 record.

Cheryl Miller-20 points, 10 boards, 3.5 assists, 3.5 steals, 2.5 blocks, 55% FG, led an extremely talented team to a title and was the MOP of the Final Four, no less.....I doubt we'll ever see another freshman dominate women's basketball the way Miller did.



I'm sure I missed many phenomenal freshman seasons....please feel free to add to the list

 

[alexrgct]

Nice list, IMO. I'm too lazy to look up the stats right now, but a couple other Uconn players worth mentioning:

-Sue Bird was injured early in her freshman season. It was very early, but it wasn't counted as a medical redshirt. It might as well have been. Given her performance in the 1999-00 season, maybe that 1999-00 season should count in this list.

-Nykesha Sales might have been just the extra ingredient Uconn needed to tip the scales between 30-3 and an Elite 8 finish and 35-0 with the NC.

-KML's freshman season was one of the best in a long time. You can certainly say Maya's freshman season was better, but Breanna's depends on whether it was all about the legendary performances at the end of the season (given that until then, KML's freshman season was much better). At any rate, I'll always remember the Stanford and BET championship games.

 

[Creaky]

Shea Ralph. Incandescent. Leads team to NC if she doesn't get hurt.

 

[HuskyNan]

Not sure if it's relevant, but EDD didn't play college ball until her sophomore season.

I would throw Diana Taurasi's name into the pot. There was a trio of outstanding freshmen in 2001 - Diana, Alana Beard, and Nicole Powell. Powell, who got the least recognition of the three, averaged 14.1 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 4.7 apg, 1.7 spg as a freshman. Stanford had gone into the doldrums in 1997 after Tara Vanderveer took a year off to coach Team USA and I could make an argument that Powell was conducive to starting the Cardinal on the road to prominence again.

 

[Phil]

Sophia Young. Scored more points in her career than Griner. While the NC was in her junior year, she had a higher field goal percentage 56% as a frosh, and her frosh year was her best rebounding year with 351 for ten per game.

 

[stwainfan]

Clarissa Davis at Texas.

 

[TXs N Os]

Agree with Clarissa Davis at Texas.

 

[HuskyNan]

Agree with Clarissa Davis at Texas.

For those who aren't familiar with her; could you please elaborate? It's a great chance for people to learn more about her.

 

[stwainfan]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarissa_Davis
A little info on Davis.

 

[Alydar]

I don't call red shirt freshmen true 1st year players. They have had a year to mature and be with their teammates and in many cases practiced with the team for months. Freshman is a title that should only apply to student athletes during their first year of college.

 

[alexrgct]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarissa_Davis
A little info on Davis.

There are a lot of parallels between Clarissa Davis and Breanna Stewart as frosh. Except Stewie is going to pull a post-freshman Samny Prahalis and change the game, if you ask the likes of me.

 

[dtbtbtb]

There are a lot of parallels between Clarissa Davis and Breanna Stewart as frosh. Except Stewie is going to pull a post-freshman Samny Prahalis and change the game, if you ask the likes of me.

2 'tiny' differences between Stewie and Sami in regard to changing the game. 1. Stewie most probably will never say something like that. 2. Stewie will have a chance to actually achieve it.

 

[alexrgct]

A possible difference is that I was being sarcastic/flippant and you were not.

 

[dtbtbtb]

A possible difference is that I was being sarcastic/flippant and you were not.

Got it

 

[TXs N Os]

For those who aren't familiar with her; could you please elaborate? It's a great chance for people to learn more about her.

"Earned Most Outstanding Player honors as a freshman at the 1986 Final Four, leading Texas to the NCAA Championship with a flawless 34-0 mark..."

 

[EricLA]

Not sure if it's relevant, but EDD didn't play college ball until her sophomore season.

I would throw Diana Taurasi's name into the pot. There was a trio of outstanding freshmen in 2001 - Diana, Alana Beard, and Nicole Powell. Powell, who got the least recognition of the three, averaged 14.1 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 4.7 apg, 1.7 spg as a freshman. Stanford had gone into the doldrums in 1997 after Tara Vanderveer took a year off to coach Team USA and I could make an argument that Powell was conducive to starting the Cardinal on the road to prominence again.

Also Parker didn't play till her sophomore season. She sat out her first season with a medical redshirt. So I wouldn't count her either.

 

[stwainfan]

Another impressive thing Davis was part of the 144 SWC winning streak. From 1982-83 season they didn't lose a SWC game again until 1989-90 season.

 

[bballnut90]

Not sure if it's relevant, but EDD didn't play college ball until her sophomore season.

I would throw Diana Taurasi's name into the pot. There was a trio of outstanding freshmen in 2001 - Diana, Alana Beard, and Nicole Powell. Powell, who got the least recognition of the three, averaged 14.1 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 4.7 apg, 1.7 spg as a freshman. Stanford had gone into the doldrums in 1997 after Tara Vanderveer took a year off to coach Team USA and I could make an argument that Powell was conducive to starting the Cardinal on the road to prominence again.

Kelly Mazzante and Alana Beard were co-FOY in 2001.....if you throw in Powell/Taurasi into the mix, definitely can't forget Mazzante.

 

[huskyrob1]

Something fun to think/ponder about...a few that come to mind:
Alana Beard-her presence elevated Duke into a national power, a terror on both sides of the ball, I believe she averaged around 18 ppg for Duke, who was ranked top 5 most of the season.

Chamique Holdsclaw-carried the offensive load in leading Tennessee to it's 4th title in 1996. Was an AP-All American, averaged 16 points and 9 boards per game. After her freshman season people were tossing around the idea that she would be the "best ever"

Elena Delle Donne-I believe she led the nation in scoring as a freshman...granted it was in the CAA but still.

Courtney Paris-arguably the most statistically dominating freshman season ever. 22 points, 15 points and 3 blocks per game. Consensus 1st Team All-American

Candace Parker-Played in the post, on the wing and at the point. Was extremely successful anywhere Pat put her. she might have had the most polished skills of any freshman to ever come in and play college basketball.

Brittney Griner-Carried Baylor to a Final Four, keyed upset wins over Tennessee and Duke. Averaged 18 points, 8.5 rebounds and over 6 blocks per game. Her presence in the post changed the way opponents played offense.

Jackie Stiles-averaged 21 points per game and led SMS to the NCAA tournament

Breanna Stewart-after an underwhelming start to the season, she lit it up once it was the NCAA tournament and led UCONN to a title

Seimone Augustus-transformed LSU from a consistently good team to a national title contender.

Semeka Randall-averaged 16 points, 5 boards and close to 3 steals per game for Tennessee en route to a 39-0 season.


The top 3 freshman seasons I can think of are:
Tamika Catchings-18 points, 8 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 2.5 assists, 1.5 blocks, 54% FG, had an undefeated season and scored 27 points in the title game.

Maya Moore-finished 2nd in National Player of the Year voting, 18 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.5 blocks while leading a veteran team to a 36-2 record.

Cheryl Miller-20 points, 10 boards, 3.5 assists, 3.5 steals, 2.5 blocks, 55% FG, led an extremely talented team to a title and was the MOP of the Final Four, no less.....I doubt we'll ever see another freshman dominate women's basketball the way Miller did.



I'm sure I missed many phenomenal freshman seasons....please feel free to add to the list

If Shea Ralph doesn't tear her ACL she might have had the greatest freshman season after Maya Moore. It bothers me that fans have forgotten what kind of a player Shea was prior to that terrible injury and how it negatively changed her game after she came back..

As to Parker being the most polished player ever as a frosh I strongly disagree. She was maybe the greatest ever around the hoop (Courtney Paris fans would disagree) and drew fouls like there was no tomorrow and her ball handling skills were guard like for such a tall player, but as a frosh she had NO jump shot outside of 12 feet (if that), and that's a huge negative IMO. Maya on the other hand as a freshman, had no peer running the floor, though was not Parker's equal around the hoop she was close, shot the lights out all the way to half court (well almost), and could jump to the ceiling. I'd rate her roughly equal to Parker in passing ability or maybe a tad better. Only knock on Maya is her inability to draw fouls even after her freshman year, IMO. Not sure about comparable stats to back me up but would love to see them. Pretty sure Moore set freshman records for 3 point shooting and scored a whole lot beating speedy guards down the floor on breakaways. Maybe did better than Parker did stat wise in the steal and assist dept, but not sure? Did Parker start as a freshman? Can't remember. I do remember that Moore did not start until Kalana Greene tore her ACL within a few weeks or so of Mel Thomas. Geno asked more of Moore after those two key injuries, and she delivered and then some, despite a nagging back injury at Rutgers, IIRC. Whose to say that without the back injury, Moore beats out Parker (an upperclassman) for NPOY, and as it is she almost did anyway. Nonetheless, losing two key starters hurt alot, and UCONN would have had another NC IMHO had it not been for the loss of Greene and Thomas, but that's for another debate.

 

[Husky7882]

If Shea Ralph doesn't tear her ACL she might have had the greatest freshman season after Maya Moore. It bothers me that fans have forgotten what kind of a player Shea was prior to that terrible injury and how it negatively changed her game after she came back...

This particular fan will never forget what kind of player Shea was prior to that 1st ACL tear. With all those knee issues, her game had to forcibly change, but I don't think she became a "worse player" (which is what I read in "negatively changed"). She learned to adapt and contribute in other ways.

Shea, Jen and Maria will always be my favorites precisely for their accomplishments on the court in spite of their limited physical abilities

 

[alexrgct]

The Shea question is interesting to me. Certainly, Uconn was the odds on favorite prior to Shea's injury, and its season ended in disappointment in the regional finals after. The question is whether the loss was due to the loss of Shea's production, or was it due to the way the team, and Geno in particular, responded to her injury. Geno has suggested explicitly it was the latter. And if he's right, where within the lists brought up by this thread does Shea belong?

 

[huskyrob1]

This particular fan will never forget what kind of player Shea was prior to that 1st ACL tear. With all those knee issues, her game had to forcibly change, but I don't think she became a "worse player" (which is what I read in "negatively changed"). She learned to adapt and contribute in other ways.

Shea, Jen and Maria will always be my favorites precisely for their accomplishments on the court in spite of their limited physical abilities

Yes, negatively changed, but not by a lot. She was no longer the slasher scorer that she was prior to the injury, and that lightening first step was gone. Her number of ways of putting points on the board became less IMO. Yes, she certainly learned to contribute in other ways but those natural gifts were gone. Doesn't mean a lot in a team sense, but in close games I'm sure Geno wished he had her old talents that helped her score over 3000 points in HS and could have helped in some of UCONN's close games. In that I mean, 10 seconds left and Shea has the ball BEFORE the injury, back then the opposing coach has to defend her with two people. AFTER Shea's injury an opposing coach had many more options on defense. So yes, she did adapt, but only to a point. She definitely was easier to defend by opposing coaches after she came back.

 

[bballnut90]

If Shea Ralph doesn't tear her ACL she might have had the greatest freshman season after Maya Moore. It bothers me that fans have forgotten what kind of a player Shea was prior to that terrible injury and how it negatively changed her game after she came back..

As to Parker being the most polished player ever as a frosh I strongly disagree. She was maybe the greatest ever around the hoop (Courtney Paris fans would disagree) and drew fouls like there was no tomorrow and her ball handling skills were guard like for such a tall player, but as a frosh she had NO jump shot outside of 12 feet (if that), and that's a huge negative IMO. Maya on the other hand as a freshman, had no peer running the floor, though was not Parker's equal around the hoop she was close, shot the lights out all the way to half court (well almost), and could jump to the ceiling. I'd rate her roughly equal to Parker in passing ability or maybe a tad better. Only knock on Maya is her inability to draw fouls even after her freshman year, IMO. Not sure about comparable stats to back me up but would love to see them. Pretty sure Moore set freshman records for 3 point shooting and scored a whole lot beating speedy guards down the floor on breakaways. Maybe did better than Parker did stat wise in the steal and assist dept, but not sure? Did Parker start as a freshman? Can't remember. I do remember that Moore did not start until Kalana Greene tore her ACL within a few weeks or so of Mel Thomas. Geno asked more of Moore after those two key injuries, and she delivered and then some, despite a nagging back injury at Rutgers, IIRC. Whose to say that without the back injury, Moore beats out Parker (an upperclassman) for NPOY, and as it is she almost did anyway. Nonetheless, losing two key starters hurt alot, and UCONN would have had another NC IMHO had it not been for the loss of Greene and Thomas, but that's for another debate.

Assists per game were almost identical (2.9 vs. 3.0, slight edge Moore) and steals were advantage Parker (1.7 steals vs. 2.4). Interesting that points, rebounds, assists, blocks, FG%, turnovers and even FT% were almost identical between Parker/Moore. Parker shot 218 free throws vs. Moore's 74, Moore took a couple more shots per game and also hit 73 shots from long range while Parker only attempted 12.

Moore started 30/38 games, he 8 games she didn't start were all against weak opponents/blow outs besides the Duke/Stanford gamest (which were both blowouts actually.) Parker was a starter from day 1, but her position consistently changed throughout the season after SWG left and Hornbuckle got injured.

Maya was phenomenal as a freshman and had one of the best freshman seasons ever...but she was not relied upon to do as much as Parker. She had Swanier/Montgomery in the backcourt to bring the ball up the court, plus she had Tina Charles to draw attention in the post. She was a strong rebounder and had great perimeter skills but I don't recall her doing much offensively in the post. Parker from day 1 had the most polished post moves of any player in women's college basketball. Parker was also Tennessee's best ball handler after SWG quit and Hornbuckle went down. At 6-4 she ran the point at the end of the season, and did so successfully. She led Tennessee to an upset win over LSU in the SEC Championship, played great in 2 wins against Georgia, and had a great game in a win vs. Rutgers in the Sweet 16 (back when Rutgers had Pondexter as a senior, Ajavon, Carson and Vaughn.) She didn't score much from beyond the arc but she had a good jumper out to 17-18 feet, and she could break you down off the dribble or score in the post. Granted I didn't see Miller play, but I don't think there has been another player who dominated as a post and as a guard in her first season.

 

[UConnCat]

Assists per game were almost identical (2.9 vs. 3.0, slight edge Moore) and steals were advantage Parker (1.7 steals vs. 2.4). Interesting that points, rebounds, assists, blocks, FG%, turnovers and even FT% were almost identical between Parker/Moore. Parker shot 218 free throws vs. Moore's 74, Moore took a couple more shots per game and also hit 73 shots from long range while Parker only attempted 12.

Moore started 30/38 games, he 8 games she didn't start were all against weak opponents/blow outs besides the Duke/Stanford gamest (which were both blowouts actually.) Parker was a starter from day 1, but her position consistently changed throughout the season after SWG left and Hornbuckle got injured.

Maya was phenomenal as a freshman and had one of the best freshman seasons ever...but she was not relied upon to do as much as Parker. She had Swanier/Montgomery in the backcourt to bring the ball up the court, plus she had Tina Charles to draw attention in the post. She was a strong rebounder and had great perimeter skills but I don't recall her doing much offensively in the post. Parker from day 1 had the most polished post moves of any player in women's college basketball. Parker was also Tennessee's best ball handler after SWG quit and Hornbuckle went down. At 6-4 she ran the point at the end of the season, and did so successfully. She led Tennessee to an upset win over LSU in the SEC Championship, played great in 2 wins against Georgia, and had a great game in a win vs. Rutgers in the Sweet 16 (back when Rutgers had Pondexter as a senior, Ajavon, Carson and Vaughn.) She didn't score much from beyond the arc but she had a good jumper out to 17-18 feet, and she could break you down off the dribble or score in the post. Granted I didn't see Miller play, but I don't think there has been another player who dominated as a post and as a guard in her first season.

Parker had a fantastic red-shirt freshman year but it's not really fair to compare her year with other true freshmen who didn't have the benefit of a full year on campus to adjust to college life, get stronger in the weight room and to play/practice with college teammates.

Parker's ball-handling skills were/are exceptional for someone her size but they were nowhere near good enough against the quickness of North Carolina which took full advantage and forced her into numerous turnovers in the E8 game at the end of her red-shirt freshman year. That outcome was understandable as Parker was a post player trying to handle the ball against quick, athletic defenders.

 

[huskyrob1]

Assists per game were almost identical (2.9 vs. 3.0, slight edge Moore) and steals were advantage Parker (1.7 steals vs. 2.4). Interesting that points, rebounds, assists, blocks, FG%, turnovers and even FT% were almost identical between Parker/Moore. Parker shot 218 free throws vs. Moore's 74, Moore took a couple more shots per game and also hit 73 shots from long range while Parker only attempted 12.

Moore started 30/38 games, he 8 games she didn't start were all against weak opponents/blow outs besides the Duke/Stanford gamest (which were both blowouts actually.) Parker was a starter from day 1, but her position consistently changed throughout the season after SWG left and Hornbuckle got injured.

Maya was phenomenal as a freshman and had one of the best freshman seasons ever...but she was not relied upon to do as much as Parker. She had Swanier/Montgomery in the backcourt to bring the ball up the court, plus she had Tina Charles to draw attention in the post. She was a strong rebounder and had great perimeter skills but I don't recall her doing much offensively in the post. Parker from day 1 had the most polished post moves of any player in women's college basketball. Parker was also Tennessee's best ball handler after SWG quit and Hornbuckle went down. At 6-4 she ran the point at the end of the season, and did so successfully. She led Tennessee to an upset win over LSU in the SEC Championship, played great in 2 wins against Georgia, and had a great game in a win vs. Rutgers in the Sweet 16 (back when Rutgers had Pondexter as a senior, Ajavon, Carson and Vaughn.) She didn't score much from beyond the arc but she had a good jumper out to 17-18 feet, and she could break you down off the dribble or score in the post. Granted I didn't see Miller play, but I don't think there has been another player who dominated as a post and as a guard in her first season.

I think your memory is faulty or lets say "selective"? After Greene and Thomas had back to back ACL injuries, Maya started and was the star of the team, in fact the best player in the country at that point. She almost beat out Parker (a player who had already been in college for TWO years) for NPOY even after injuring her back and playing hurt.