The performance of this season's most highly touted freshmen can be described with the immortal and profound words of Dennis Green: "They are who we thought they were!"
This year's crop of first-year players has been impressive as any in recent memory. With the age minimum of 19 preventing most high school stars from jumping straight to the NBA, many colleges have been more than willing to receive their services for only one year.
Recent examples of this one-year player loan program include Carmelo Anthony, who lead the Syracuse Orangemen to a national championship in 2003, and Kevin Durant, who dominated the Big 12 with the Texas Longhorns last year. Both of those players lived up to and even surpassed the massive amounts of hype that had surrounded them before they even laced up for their respective schools. So, who are the freshman super-studs this year that have played up to the standards that the fans and critics set for them?
One of the most enigmatic figures in basketball over the last few years has been the USC Trojans' O.J. Mayo. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard has been well known ever since he starred for a varsity high school team - in seventh grade.
Attention and controversy followed him throughout his high school career, which included a physical altercation with a referee and a misdemeanor charge for possession of marijuana. Past troubles aside, Mayo has become the scorer that coach Tim Floyd and the Trojans knew they were getting when he committed to play for them. Mayo leads the team with 19.9 points per game on top of his 4.7 rebounds. The freshman has led USC to a 13-6 overall record including road victories over the highly-ranked UCLA Bruins and Oklahoma Sooners. In a competitive but wide-open Pac-10, Mayo could have the Trojans primed for a strong run into the conference tournament and beyond.
An interesting aspect of USC's upset of UCLA was Mayo's faceoff with another highly touted freshman, Bruins big man Kevin Love. The 6-foot-10 center from Oregon has met lofty expectations by leading the team with 17.3 points per game along with 11.3 rebounds, which ranks him fifth nationally in rebounding average. Love has been the go-to guy for the 18-2 Bruins, who have hovered around the top five throughout the entire season.
As winter turns into spring, it will be interesting to see how far Love, with help from junior swingman Josh Shipp and junior point guard Darren Collison, will be able to carry UCLA. If coach Ben Howland is hoping to celebrate this March in Westwood, his big freshman had better be able to carry the load.
Outside the Southern California area, there are a couple of freshmen in the Midwest who have become stars not only within their conference, but also around the country. Indiana Hoosiers star Eric Gordon made headlines before ever suiting up by backing out of the commitment he made to play for Illinois.
Illini coach Bruce Weber's worst nightmare turned into Hoosiers coach Kelvin Sampson's dream come true, however. Sampson, whose previous tenure at Oklahoma featured a Final Four appearance, was able to convince the 6-foot-4 guard to come to Bloomington and play for the Hoosiers, a team that routinely clashes with the Illini at the top of the Big Ten.
So far, Gordon's 21.7 points per game have been the difference-maker for No. 11 Indiana, which at 17-2 has gone undefeated in conference play. The Hoosiers face a big test this Thursday at the No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers, but no matter the result, it is clear that Indiana will go as far as Gordon is able to take them.
The previous three players, while all extremely impressive, have not approached the level of domination displayed by one truly fantastic freshman: Kansas State Wildcats forward Michael Beasley. Consider this line from Saturday's 82-57 drubbing of the Iowa State Cyclones: Beasley finished with 33 points on 12-21 shooting with 15 rebounds - in 22 minutes.
Beasley, who's often troubled past included stints at four different high schools, has turned the typically futile Wildcats into a conference powerhouse. The 6-foot-10 Washington, D.C. native is fourth in the nation with 25.3 points per game, most of which have come in the paint against more experienced competition.
This average may seem incredible, but Beasley's rebounding output may be even more astounding. The freshman leads the country with 12.7 rebounds per game. Beasley has maintained that he will get his degree, but at this rate, that will only be after an NBA career that will most likely begin next year. Beasley's production ensures that he will be one of the first few picks in April's draft, should he choose to enter.
As conference play heats up and selection Sunday approaches, these freshmen will be the keys to the success of their respective teams. Will another 'Melo emerge and lead his team deep into the tournament? Nobody can know for sure at this point, but lucky for us, we're the ones who get to watch and find out.
