The primary week of the 2024-25 faculty basketball season is within the books, and the 2024 recruiting class is already dwelling as much as the preseason hype. This class is taken into account among the finest recruiting lessons within the trendy period, and so they’re already leaving their mark on the game for his or her respective groups.
Duke freshman Cooper Flagg, the projected No. 1 decide within the 2025 NBA Draft, made his faculty debut final week. Flagg had spectacular stat-stuffing performances in wins over Maine and Military and confirmed why the hype is actual round his identify. Rutgers star Dylan Harper, the No. 3 ranked participant within the class, scored 20 factors in his faculty debut in a 75-52 win over Wagner.聽
Harper’s five-star teammate Ace Bailey, the second-ranked participant within the 2024 recruiting class, missed Rutgers’ season-opener and did not play Monday in opposition to Saint Peter’s after struggling an unspecified harm in observe final week. Bailey debuted at No. 2 in our聽preseason freshmen rankings.
Let’s bounce into our rankings and get to our CBS Sports activities/USBWA Freshman of the Week for the 2024-25 faculty basketball season.
Freshman of the Week: Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn
Welcome again to the Frosh Watch, our weekly rating of the ten most spectacular freshmen in faculty basketball. CBS Sports activities has as soon as once more teamed up with the USA Basketball Writers Affiliation and its Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the 12 months Award to current this every-Tuesday function. Every week we’ll begin by asserting the nationwide Freshman of the Week honoree. The cycle for FOTW runs Tuesday-Monday.
The largest (early) win of the school basketball season belongs to Auburn. The Tigers can thank Pettiford for making that occur. The No. 29 participant within the 2024 recruiting class by 247Sports got here off the bench and supplied a spark within the 74-69 win over Houston. Pettiford completed with 21 factors, three rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes and had well timed buckets down the stretch to seal the victory.
True Freshman Tahaad Pettiford got here off the bench and went off in opposition to No. 4 Houston:
鈻笍 21 PTS
鈻笍 7-12 FG
鈻笍 5-8 3PT
鈻笍 3 AST pic.twitter.com/cRcCEM7lik鈥 B/R Hoops (@brhoops) November 10, 2024
Houston is understood for its unimaginable protection, and Pettiford did an awesome job creating his personal shot. Pettiford completed 7 of 12 from the ground and knocked down 5 3-pointers after going scoreless in 19 minutes within the season-opener in opposition to Vermont. Pettiford earned extra minutes after this efficiency. He may very well be a darkish horse for SEC Freshman of the 12 months.
Frosh Watch: Rating prime 10 freshman聽
1. Cooper Flagg | G/F | Duke
Stats: 15.5 PPG聽| 9.0 RPG聽| 4.0 APG
Flagg launched himself to the nation with two standout performances. Flagg may not be the highest scorer on this checklist, however his affect stretches far past the field rating. Flagg completed with three steals in opposition to Maine and recorded three blocks and two steals in opposition to Military. Flagg scored 18 factors in his faculty debut and recorded the primary double-double of his profession (13 factors, 11 rebounds) the next recreation. Flagg did not play a lot within the second half in opposition to Maine聽resulting from cramping.
Cooper Flagg stuffed up the boxscore in Duke’s blowout win over Military. 13 factors, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steals and a pair of/4 3P in 25 minutes for the projected No. 1 decide. pic.twitter.com/YLMbTmEzym
鈥 Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) November 9, 2024
2. Egor Demin | G/F | BYU
Stats:聽19.0 PPG聽| 9.0 APG聽| 4.5 RPG
Aside from Flagg, Demin has been probably the most spectacular freshman in faculty basketball. The 6-foot-8 guard out of Russia confirmed why scouts are so excessive on him forward of the 2025 NBA Draft. Demin recorded 18 factors, 11 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 steals within the season-opening win over Central Arkansas and adopted it up by scoring 20 factors in opposition to UC Riverside. Demin is enjoying extra of an on-ball position for BYU first-year coach Kevin Younger and it is working. If Demin performs like this all through the season, he might slide into the highest 5 of the draft this summer time.
Egor Demin is among the most polarizing prospects within the 2025 draft! One factor is definite: he has impressed in his first two video games at BYU, making him a sizzling identify in draft circles. He鈥檚 posted spectacular stats, together with:
19 factors per recreation (62.5% FG, 50% 3FG, 28.7% FT)
4.5鈥 pic.twitter.com/QQQzJay0ML鈥 the middle hub (@thecenterhub_bb) November 10, 2024
3. Dylan Harper | G聽| Rutgers
Stats:聽22.0 PPG聽| 4.5 RPG聽| 2.5 APG
With Bailey out resulting from harm, Harper had an opportunity to run the present throughout his group’s first two video games. Harper scored 24 factors and added six rebounds within the 75-65 win on Monday over Saint Peter’s. The Scarlet Knights began gradual earlier than outscoring the Peacocks 38-23 within the second half to maneuver to 2-0.聽
Projected top-3 decide Dylan Harper tonight:
鈻笍24 PTS
鈻笍 8-17 FG
鈻笍 6 REB pic.twitter.com/br6YwiBxu3鈥 B/R Hoops (@brhoops) November 12, 2024
4. Tre Johnson | G/F | Texas
Stats: 28.5 PPG聽| 3.5 RPG聽| 3.5 APG
If you break a document set by program legend Kevin Durant, you have to be doing one thing proper. Durant had 20 factors in his first faculty recreation in opposition to Alcorn State in 2006, and Johnson did even higher, scoring 29 in opposition to Ohio State. Johnson shot 10 of 20 from the ground and added 5 rebounds and 4 assists. He adopted it up by scoring 28 factors in opposition to Houston Christian. He’s the early candidate to steer this class in scoring.
Texas Freshman Tre Johnson tonight:
鈻笍 28 PTS
鈻笍 11-18 FG
鈻笍 5-8 3PT
鈻笍 3 AST pic.twitter.com/VJlFyrUfgZ鈥 B/R Hoops (@brhoops) November 9, 2024
5. Liam McNeeley | F | UConn
Stats: 14.0 PPG聽| 10.5 RPG聽| 1.0 APG
Former UConn standout Stephon Citadel was a staple in these rankings final yr en path to his group successful a nationwide title. The subsequent huge factor on UConn’s campus is McNeeley, among the finest 3-point shooters within the class. Whereas McNeeley is understood for his capturing, he did an awesome job crashing the glass. McNeeley completed with double-digit rebounds (and double-doubles) in back-to-back video games.
Such a easy play, however Liam McNeeley is so good and constant at this: passing and transferring behind the protection into open pictures pic.twitter.com/SRtwTsRBY3
鈥 Wealthy Stayman (@MavsDraft) November 11, 2024
6. Kon Knueppel | G/F | Duke
Stats: 18.5 PPG聽| 3.0 RPG聽| 2.0 APG
What if I informed you Duke had not one however two lottery picks on the roster? Whereas Flagg is the Blue Devils’ star, Knueppel is not far behind. He acquired vital lottery hype within the months main as much as the season, and the primary week confirmed why. Knueppel scored 22 factors in opposition to Maine and adopted it up by scoring 15 in opposition to Military. His capturing will probably be extraordinarily useful.
Kon Knueppel Highlights vs Military 馃槇鈿旓笍 pic.twitter.com/zUqWGlgjM0
鈥 DukeLights 饾晱 (@DukeLightsX) November 9, 2024
7. Boogie Fland | G聽| Arkansas
Stats: 17.0 PPG聽| 5.0 APG聽| 4.0 RPG
John Calipari produced quite a few lottery picks throughout his time at Memphis and Kentucky. Fland is likely to be subsequent. The No. 22 participant within the 2024 recruiting class by 247Sports scored 17 factors in back-to-back video games in opposition to Lipscomb and Baylor. Fland added seven assists, 5 rebounds and a steal within the 72-67 loss to the Bears.聽
Yesirrrr @BoogieFland pic.twitter.com/EqXT3VvGTF
鈥 Arkansas Razorbacks Males鈥檚 Basketball 馃悧 (@RazorbackMBB) November 10, 2024
8. Will Riley | G/F | Illinois
Stats: 22.5 PPG聽| 7.0 RPG聽| 1.5 APG
Riley’s calling card on the AAU circuit was his unimaginable shotmaking. That attribute seems to have transferred over to the subsequent degree, as he knocked down 10 of 13 makes an attempt in a 112-67 win over Japanese Illinois in his faculty debut. Riley completed with 31 factors, seven rebounds and three assists. Merely put: Riley is a bucket.
Unbelievable debuts for Illinois freshmen Will Riley and Kasparas Jaku膷ionis final evening, each potential first-round NBA picks.
Riley highlights first; KJ threaded beneath. The shot-making is simply absurd for Riley, and he will get into his shot so simply. Dude is a strolling bucket. pic.twitter.com/QFjLowyT3t
鈥 Ricky O’Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) November 5, 2024
9. VJ Edgecombe | G聽| Baylor
Stats: 7.5 PPG聽| 7.5 RPG聽| 3.0 APG
When Edgecombe figures out the offensive aspect of the ball (and I believe he’ll because the season goes on), he’ll bounce in these rankings. The instruments 鈥 and athleticism 鈥 had been on full show throughout Baylor’s first two video games. Edgecombe postered Joe Few, the son of Gonzaga coach Mark Few, within the closing moments of a blowout loss and had an unimaginable block in opposition to Arkansas that briefly despatched him to the locker room. Edgecombe is likely to be the very best athlete in faculty basketball since Zion Williamson.
VJ Edgecombe
You may鈥檛 educate one of these athleticism, met him on the PEAK. pic.twitter.com/XVh9J1dHmG
鈥 Niko (@nikotaughtyou) November 10, 2024
10. Derik Queen | C聽| Maryland
Stats: 15.0 PPG聽| 10.5 RPG聽| 2.0 APG
Queen had among the finest performances of any participant 鈥 no matter place or age 鈥 in Maryland’s 79-49 win over Manhattan. Queen scored 22 factors and grabbed 20 rebounds in 27 minutes to develop into the primary participant in program historical past with not less than 20 factors and 20 rebounds in a recreation since Joe Smith in 1995. Queen scored 11 factors in a blowout win over Florida A&M on Monday.
