Freshman “must watch” list

[DefenseBB]

I find this years list of freshman a hugely talented group who are having significant impact within WCBB more so than any year I can remember.
We, UConn fans have 2 stalwarts in Paige and Aaliyah who are already displaying elite levels of skills and a third, Nika showing nice catalyst skills.
Across the country I find myself wanting to watch these freshman on their teams as huge contributors and as phenomenal players rising within the WCBB landscape:
Cameron Brink at Stamford started slowly but has been poetry to watch for such a thin yet agile player
Ti-Hini Poapoa at Oregon has been very solid running the point and shooting 3’s
Charlisse Leger-Walker at Washington State has been impressive in leading that Downtrodden team back to some relevance
Caitlin Clark has been a stud at Iowa and has been too often overlooked (or dismissed by too many BYers) simply because she’s not Paige.
Kamilla Cardoso at Syracuse is also impressive as a freshman big in a competitive conference.
Angel Reese who is just back from an injury is also worth the price of admission as the Maryland team looks to make a significant run this year.
These are just a few I look to see when they play and if the game is televised so watch.

I am sure I have left off a few of all your favorites to watch (Westbeld/Miles fromND) so please feel free to add to the list!

WCBB is in a great place for the next few years!

 

[msf22b]

DefenseBB

I really appreciate your diligence in naming names and teams and obviously having watched these young stars...
I noted in general in the Caitlin Clark thread that she for one is an outstanding and fascinating player
and that it seems like we may be entering a Renaissance period in which woman's skills move a bit closer to the men's game (not that I consider that necessarily advantageous).

I suppose the next step is a generation of leapers, perhaps some of the game over the rim

 

[eebmg]

Put me on the Miles bandwagon. Some of the slickest passes I have seen + I am a big glasses admirer

 

[bbsamjj]

Another great freshman guard is Diamond Johnson for RU (who was ranked #6 nationally by Hoopgurlz). Through 15 games, averaging 18.3ppg, 4rpg, 2.7apg, and while shooting 52% FG and 49% 3-pt FG.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Gotta mention Talia von Oelhoffen. I'm sure there are other factors, but Oregon State's dramatic turn around coincided with her joining the team in January. Sasha Goforth has been up and down but has also had a solid season for OSU.

 

[DefenseBB]

Last night was really the first time I notice TvO actually playing and contributing and liked her game. To be fair I did check out on OSU right before she joined and did not watch them until last night.

I haven't had a chance to see the Rutgers freshman Diamond Johnson who @bbsamjj rightly noted is having an outstanding year-where is our other Scarlett Knight fan on this- @KnightBridgeAZ usually, he's reminding me of such stuff?

 

[DefenseBB]

So here's a nice tangent for this thread- Each conference FOY candidates seems to have a few conference top loaded and some lacking. The PAC12 is loaded with Freshman talent as is the Big10. Sadly, I don't see the same level of talent in the Big12 with only Lexi Donarski from ISU being a stud. I guess the SEC has some but I can't for the life of me think of one who was memorable other than Madison Scott who is fading.
I put my leader as first:
Pac12- Leger-Walker (WSU) is the leader but Brink, Paopao, TvO are close behind and even Lauren Ware from Arizona is good.
Big10 has Clark, Reese, Diamond Johnson-Rutgers,
ACC has Westbeld, Cardoso, Miles, Van Lith
Big East has Paige, Aaliyah
Big 12 has Donarski
SEC maybe Scott or Marta Suarez from Tennessee?

 

[MilfordHusky]

Madison Scott, #15 per HG from Bishop McNamara, has teamed with Maryland transfer Shak Austin to make Ole Miss respectable. Madison is averaging 10.5 ppg and 7.4 rpg on .594 shooting.

 

[Coler]

Diamond Johnson.... I mean

 

[donalddoowop]

Cochrane at Louisville.

 

[lebronfan23]

This class will change the WNBA for the better. In my opinion I think it will be the best WNBA draft class when that time comes.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Diamond Johnson.... I mean

A stocky version of Crystal Dangerfield.

 

[HopJim]

While a shame she plays on the (not to be mentioned) team, Van Lith is also worth a mention. She has tailed off a bit, but when on, if you like basketball she is a must watch.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Last night was really the first time I notice TvO actually playing and contributing and liked her game. To be fair I did check out on OSU right before she joined and did not watch them until last night.

I haven't had a chance to see the Rutgers freshman Diamond Johnson who @bbsamjj rightly noted is having an outstanding year-where is our other Scarlett Knight fan on this- @KnightBridgeAZ usually, he's reminding me of such stuff?

If Rutgers hadn't had a spate of recent televised games, I don't know if I would know much about her. I do read the Rutgers message board and watch any games on actual TV. Ditto Arizona, where I read the newspaper, on-line articles and watch the rare nationally televised game. Of course, in a normal year, I attended games at Arizona just as for 16 years we attended Rutgers games.

I am very, very impressed by what I have seen of Johnson. Actually she gets generally positive reviews on the Rutgers board. I am impressed by the team in general.

I am out of sorts with many Rutgers fans - if you read the Rutgers board's threads on games, you have fans calling the players out as terrible shooters, claiming the team is "collapsing" and "same old / same old" and the whole rest of negativity that is making me ill. On the BY you have some of those kind of fans, but they are spread out over a whole bunch of threads. On the Rutgers board they are all crammed together because there just aren't that many threads.

 

[meyers7]

This was probably one of the best classes in a long time. And UCONN got the best of the best.

 

[DefenseBB]

While a shame she plays on the (not to be mentioned) team, Van Lith is also worth a mention. She has tailed off a bit, but when on, if you like basketball she is a must watch.

I did mention her in the FOY Conference section. She’s after Westbeld and Cardoso in 5e ACC

 

[bbsamjj]

I've watched a ton of RU games, and Diamond Johnson is the best pure shooter CVS has ever had. Not the best pure scorer (that would be Cappie), but the best pure shooter, particularly as a freshman. She's a pretty good rebounder for her height as well.

 

[Cuango]

I find this years list of freshman a hugely talented group who are having significant impact within WCBB more so than any year I can remember.
We, UConn fans have 2 stalwarts in Paige and Aaliyah who are already displaying elite levels of skills and a third, Nika showing nice catalyst skills.
Across the country I find myself wanting to watch these freshman on their teams as huge contributors and as phenomenal players rising within the WCBB landscape:
Cameron Brink at Stamford started slowly but has been poetry to watch for such a thin yet agile player
Ti-Hini Poapoa at Oregon has been very solid running the point and shooting 3’s
Charlisse Leger-Walker at Washington State has been impressive in leading that Downtrodden team back to some relevance
Caitlin Clark has been a stud at Iowa and has been too often overlooked (or dismissed by too many BYers) simply because she’s not Paige.
Kamilla Cardoso at Syracuse is also impressive as a freshman big in a competitive conference.
Angel Reese who is just back from an injury is also worth the price of admission as the Maryland team looks to make a significant run this year.
These are just a few I look to see when they play and if the game is televised so watch.

I am sure I have left off a few of all your favorites to watch (Westbeld/Miles fromND) so please feel free to add to the list!

WCBB is in a great pl

That’s a lot of skilled sophomores to ooh and ah over next season.