Get excited about these 10 talented freshmen for the 2016-17 college basketball season.
The college basketball regular season is set to tip off on Friday, which means its time for yet another loaded class of freshmen to make itself known around the nation.
With the exception of last season, freshmen have dominated the college basketball landscape since the NBA created the one-and-done rule a decade ago. Kentucky turns over nearly its entire roster every season with freshmen leaving for the NBA, while fellow powerhouses like Duke and Kansas have been more willing to follow suit recently.
Freshmen had a down year last season overall, as more experienced teams in Villanova, Oklahoma and North Carolina made the Final Four. That’s going to change in a big way this season, as the class of 2016 is one of the deepest and most talented group of freshmen in recent memory.
Once again, blue blood schools cleaned up in recruiting and are poised to make title runs in 2016-17 despite having very young rosters. Preseason No. 1 Duke has been hurt by injuries, but has four different five-star recruits on the roster who should all play big minutes, while No. 2 Kentucky is not far behind with a terrific freshmen trio of its own.
NBA scouts will also be all over star point guards Markelle Fultz of Washington and Dennis Smith Jr. at North Carolina State. UCLA may finally be poised to make a comeback behind the freshmen duo of Lonzo Ball and T.J. Leaf.
There will be countless more impact freshmen around the nation, but look for these 10 first-year players to stand out in 2016-17.
10. Malik Monk, SG, Kentucky
While Monk may be behind teammates De’Aaron Fox and Bam Adebayo in terms of pure talent, look for the freshman shooting guard to appear on plenty of highlight reels throughout the season.
Kentucky figures to get plenty of scoring out of Monk, who looks poised to seamlessly replace Jamal Murray. Monk doesn’t have great NBA size at 6-3 and 197 pounds, but makes up for it with a terrific perimeter game and great range.
However, Monk’s offensive game is quickly evolving in recent weeks, and he should be much more than a three-point specialist for the Wildcats this season. Monk has shown some incredible explosive ability in Kentucky’s exhibition season, which pairs well with his finishing skills at the rim.
That skill set led to quite a few thunderous dunks in Kentucky’s obliteration of Asbury on Sunday, including this high-flying act early in the second half.
Monk may be overshadowed a little bit by his teammates, but figures to be one of the most exciting players in the nation to watch.
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