Fansided

College basketball preview: 5 freshmen phenoms who will exceed the hype

By Brandon Jefferson

FORT MYERS, FL - DECEMBER 21: Isaac Okoro #35 of McEachern High School attempts a layup against Mountain Brook High School during the City Of Palms Classic at Suncoast Credit Union Arena on December 21, 2018 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
FORT MYERS, FL - DECEMBER 21: Isaac Okoro #35 of McEachern High School attempts a layup against Mountain Brook High School during the City Of Palms Classic at Suncoast Credit Union Arena on December 21, 2018 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next

Damion Baugh (Memphis)

The Memphis Tigers already shocked most when they were able to compile the number one recruiting class in the nation. Five-star freshmen James Wiseman and Precious Achiuwa are the headliners of their seven-player class. Yet, it’s the lowest-rated player of the group that could be in store for a big season.

Damion Baugh was ranked 115th nationally by 247Sports in the Class of 2019. The 6-foot-3 point guard is a Tennessee native and he chose to remain in his home state and be part of something special that Penny Hardaway is building at the University of Memphis. The team has two returnees at point guard in Tyler Harris and Alex Lomax as well as freshman Boogie Ellis (38th nationally), however, it has been Baugh time and time again who’s shown to be the best of the bunch.

He’s the biggest of that collection and has the ability to shuffle between guard slots for Hardaway. During the Tigers trip to the Bahamas, it was Baugh who got the first-team reps at point guard and he didn’t disappoint in the slightest. His athleticism is among the best on the team — he won the team’s dunk contest during Memphis Madness, defeating Achiuwa and Wiseman. That trait can help this team on both sides of the ball. We know Hardaway likes to push the tempo and in Baugh, he has a player tailor-made to do just that.

What Memphis is really going to need to be successful is shooting around Wiseman. Opponents will likely load up against the nation’s top recruit and the best way to make that strategy pay is to burn them from behind the arc. That remains a work in progress for him but if anyone can help change that it’s Tigers’ assistant coach, Mike Miller. As long as he’s respectable from deep, it’ll unlock the other great part of his game, his playmaking. Having someone who can not only get the ball to Wiseman but someone who can make his shot attempts easier is a big bonus.

A lot of eyes will be on Memphis this season and they are ready to meet the expectations of the pre-season hype head-on. Wiseman is an impressive singular talent but if the Tigers want to reach their true goal of winning the NCAA Tournament they’ll need Baugh to step up and he looks ready to do just that in a big way.