What sophomores are you most excited to see in their new role?

[bballnut90]

Piggybacking off the which freshmen are you most excited to see thread....what sophomores are you most anticipating watching this year? Almost all of the highly rated freshmen from last year are going to take on significantly different roles in the upcoming season. Here are some notables I'll definitely be tracking:

Christyn Williams-likely emerges as a go to player after a stellar but up and down rookie season

Olivia Nelson Ododa-will likely log big minutes and make the big sophomore jump we usually see UCONN players make.

Charli Collier-had a rough freshman season but has the potential to make huge strides as a sophomore.

Aquira Decosta-barely played as a freshman despite showing off immense athleticism when she did. Should be healthy this year and have a shot to contribute.

Nalyssa Smith-probably would've been FOY had she logged enough minutes, I think she emerges as a star next year.

Queen Egbo-quietly put together a strong rookie season for Baylor. I think she gets more minutes next year and will be the first post off the bench.

Shakira Austin-talented but raw offensively. Her development inside could propel Maryland to being a Final Four threat.

Rhyne Howard-the top freshman a season ago will take on a go to role with Morris graduating. Will also be playing with former top 5 recruit Patterson in January.

Rellah Boothe-was out with an ACL last year after a disappointment freshman season at Texas. At MTSU she'll likely be the star player and will be interesting to track her development.

Anastasia Hayes-see Rellah Boothe

Mimi Collins-showed good potential at Tennessee with her perimeter touch and ability to battle inside. If eligible I think she could be a big contributor for Maryland.

Alexis Morris-an absolute stud as a freshman at Baylor. Let's see how she does at Rutgers.

 

[militarydog]

Myah Taylor at Mississippi State. Technically she is a redshirt sophomore. However her level of play and ability to keep this fairly inexperienced team focused is a big key to the season.

 

[NWHoopFan2]

She’ll actually be a redshirt freshman due to injuries last year, but Nyara Sabally. Her sister, Satou, says that Nyara is better than she is. I don’t expect that, but looking forward to seeing her play.

 

[triaddukefan]

Elissa Cunane of State. At times last year she looked like a future All-American.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Cate Reese had a really solid Fr. year at Arizona. At times it looked like she got overpowered by older, stronger players. If she's added some strength she could really be a force for what appears to be a program on the rise.

 

[Dwilliams02]

Nalyssa Smith, Aquira Decosta, Destinni Henderson, Zayy Green, Jas Massengil.....Shak Austin. Queen Egbo
...... I'd like to see Decosta and Massengil the most being they didn't contribute much their freshmen year. The rest, I've already seen star potential and expect them to improve. Rhyne Howard as well. She's the best out the bunch.

 

[SECbbfan24]

The Baylor sophomore class is definitely at the top of my list. Shakira Austin is definitely one to watch, her and Mikesell were quite a tandem last year.

From the SEC in particular, Zaay Green, Victaria Saxton, and Blair Green (possible impact for Kentucky)

Easy to throw out R. Howard in there but I know she is a stud already

 

[SCspur]

For SC I’m interested to see the steps taken by Henderson and Saxton. Both made the SEC All Freshman team now with more responsibility and minutes I want to see how they will respond.

Others:
Rhyne Howard, UK
Taylor Mikesell, MD
Katlyn Gilbert, ND

 

[Go/huskies]

Elizabeth Balogun and Elizabeth Dixon, both had super freshman seasons scoring wise, I want to see how things play out at Louisville.

Madi Williams from Oklahoma was off to a hot start with her rebounding, but didn’t show much late in the season.

 

[Lwrc]

Nalyssa Smith for sure, Baylor. As mentioned looked the best in the class but was on such a deep team. If she starts she is best sophomore this year.

ONO and Williams, UConn. Although hopeful they can carry the heavy torch of the UConn WBB, in my opinion they did not show what other freshman stars showed in the past. So I am skeptical they can step up. Dangerfield is a good PG but nothing more. These two have to step up big time.

Nyara Sabally, Oregon. Consistent talk that she’s better than Satou seems unlikely. But I’m looking forward to see if she lives up to the billing.

Rhyne Howard, Kentucky. Won best freshman awards and looked the part in the USA games this summer. But without Morris to attract attention will her impact get greater, stay the same or lessen?

Balogun and Dixon, Louisville. There is a lot of opportunity for these two. But GT is not Walz’s World. Walz knows what it takes to compete at the highest level. Can these two step in and keep the Cards as a top 10 program? My opinion is no, but I’m looking forward to watching.

Aquira DeCosta, Baylor. Such a big deal was made of this player in high school. I understand why but I think it ruined her. I think she falls into line behind Smith and Egbo and becomes a role player at Baylor. I don’t see her being a top 5 player in her grade in the future, as she was predicted in high school. I see her fighting for PT and eventually leaving Baylor. But if she’s going to show otherwise this is the year to show something.

Taylor Mikesell, Maryland. Performed better than most expected her freshman year. Most her team is back and in my opinion she is going to take another step forward and become one of the top players in NCAA. She was significantly under ranked coming out of high school and has proved that so far.

Hayes and Boothe, Middle Tennessee. I do not think it’s going to work. MTSU has been gathering some talent but with a lot of baggage. In my opinion it’s going to implode but you never know, there is a lot of talent there. Looking forward to watching.

Best Soph 2019
N.Smith
C.Williams
T. Mikesell
R. Howard

 

[ClifSpliffy]

CWill! appearing in her new role as 'The Dominatrix!' (but in a good way, lol) coming soon! buy your tickets now!

 

[Coler]

Zipporah Broughton is one to watch for Rutgers. She really started to get into a groove shooting the ball towards the end of last season, also she and Davenport should be a really fun duo in the future.

 

[willtalk]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Aquira DeCosta, Baylor. Such a big deal was made of this player in high school. I understand why but I think it ruined her. I think she falls into line behind Smith and Egbo and becomes a role player at Baylor. I don’t see her being a top 5 player in her grade in the future, as she was predicted in high school. I see her fighting for PT and eventually leaving Baylor. But if she’s going to show otherwise this is the year to show something.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aquira DeCosta will not be playing behind Smith and Egbo because she will not be a post player for Baylor. They began to transition her into a perimeter player last season. Unfortunately, that transition was delayed and impeded because of an early-season injury. Because of her athleticism and handles, she is much better in space and will be far more effective on the perimeter. She has all the physical tools to be a top guard and just needs on-court experience, especially on defense. Her future in basketball was always in that direction so it makes a lot of sense to begin the transition now rather than later.

A lot of players who play in the paint in college, by necessity attempt to transition at the next level. Fortunately, she is on a team that already has post players and will allow her to make the change. She obviously would have gotten more court time had she stayed at a forward position, but the change will be both in her and Baylors best interest. As to having show something this season. it's not as dire as you predict.