DC Metro Sports - 2007 College Basketball Preview: The Freshmen Rule

Written by Wendall Stevens
Thursday, 15 November 2007
When trying to figure out how the college basketball landscape looks a few indicators are history and tradition, but the new model is your freshman class. College basketball hasn't been the same since Kevin Garnett successfully made the transition from high school phenom to NBA superstar. Now that the ruling has changed to shut star high school players out of the draft the key in determining a college program’s fate is where will these guys play? This is the real story behind college basketball. Normally Kevin Durant and Greg Oden would have made the jump to the association but each had to do their one year. This made a tremendous impact on the college team they decided to play for. Oden chose Ohio St. and look where they ended up--the NCAA title game. Kevin Durant chose Texas and although they didn't advance to the Final Four the Longhorns were on national TV every week. This begs the question. Do we have a Greg Oden or Kevin Durant in this year’s freshmen class? The answer is no. We do have some impact freshmen who will be one and done. With this being said let's look at the potential impact freshmen this year to keep youreye on and who maybe in the 2008 NBA draft next spring. 1. OJ Mayo - USC OJ Mayo is 20 years old but he has to do at least a year of college. Mayo, one of the most celebrated and covered high school basketball players since LeBron James will be in the 2008 draft barring an injury or a catastrophic freshman campaign. I don't expect Mayo to lead his team to the Final Four. He's not that kind of player to control an offense and set up teammates. Mayo resembles a shorter version of Kobe Bryant. He's a talented scorer who can create to get his shot. His hype will drive him into the league. I just wish he had chosen a better college team but the key is he probably wanted maximum media coverage but why not UCLA? 2. Eric Gordon - Indiana With a powerfully built frame, I said he was Charles Barkley with a handle and better shot. Gordon has started off strong this season and should be a supreme match-up problem for opponents on the college level. Gordon is deceptively athletic but his power is his trump card. If Gordon has a successful freshman campaign look for him to be in the draft next Spring. 3. Derrick Rose - Memphis Rose and Gordon were #1 and #2 in guard rankings last year by numerous publications and online media outlets. Rose, while not as powerful as Gordon, is very quick and athletic with good skills and instincts. Rose can lead a team or turn into a scorer. He chose Memphis so he could start right away and lead a very talented team that advanced deep into the NCAA tourney last year. It remains to be seen how well he leads Memphis his freshman year. With the exception of Mike Bibby, no freshmen point guard has led his team to an NCAA title. Rose could be one and done. 4. Mike Beasley - Kansas St You can book this one. He's definitely one and done. He has mentioned it several times.Early results in college are promising. Beasley should have an easy time in the Big XII with little competition. He originally signed to play for Kansas St under Bob Huggins but Huggins jetted for West Virginia. Beasley's game is like easy slow flow. He doesn't seem to break a sweat but in the NBA that won't cut it or he'll get eaten alive. Carmelo Anthony, Tim Duncan, Amare Stoudimire and KG don't play around in the big league. 5. Donte Green - Syracuse No one can say for certain if Donte Green turns pro after one year at Syracuse but one thing is for sure., this boy can play. At the Goodman League in SE, DC last summer Green was dominating by season’s end. He played with intensity, his outside game was good, he ran the court well and finished baskets with authority. Keep your eye on this kid. I will stop short of projecting Green for the draft next Spring but it all depends on how well he does on the college level. 6. Kyle Singler - Duke During the Jordan Classic last Spring, Kyle Singler was one of the biggest surprises on the court. Singler has major game. I thought he should have been MVP. Singler can rebound and shoot but he's just so versatile, agile and he's a talented scorer. Duke got a prize catch in Singler. Singler should definitely have an impact in the ACC this year. I won't project Singler in the draft next Spring, however. 7. Kevin Love - UCLA Kevin Love was in the middle of an intense recruiting battle last year but ultimately choseUCLA. At 6’10 he's fundamentally sound and tenacious. Love, while getting a lot of media coverage may not opt to come out of college and enter into the NBA draft. Other freshmen of note who will have big impacts on their team’s success are Jerryd Bayless of Arizona, Corey Fisher of Villanova, Austin Freeman and Chris Wright of Georgetown. One thing is for certain, while one and done freshmen phenoms hurt the game of college basketball, they definitely make a impact on whatever team they play for, just like that of Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant and Greg Oden. Keep logging onto to www.dcmetrosports.com as we breakdown the conferences and select programs in the area and around the country. For college basketball images go to www.dcmetrosports.com/collegebasketballgallery

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