Top 5 Freshmen In College Basketball In 2022
Freshmen have taken center stage in the college basketball world in the one-and-done era. This season should be no different as some of the top players in the entire nation will be in the freshman ranks this year.
Keyonte George, SG, Baylor
George is coming into this year as one of the best new faces in the nation, and has already received national praise. George has received some early buzz as a top star in the nation, and received some praise as preseason player of the year within the Big 12 from some media outlets.
George is a great scorer that is nearly unguardable when hot and will be asked to do a lot in coach Drew’s guard-friendly offense at Baylor. George will be asked to run the show from the jump for the Bears, and could put up some great numbers all year.
Keyonte George is a premier player in all of college basketball, and should be ready for a huge year in Waco for the Bears.
Nick Smith, SG, Arkansas
Arkansas is looking to replace a lot of production from a season ago. The Razorbacks lost 87% of their scoring production, 78% of their assists and 84% of their rebounding production from their Elite Eight run a season ago.
The keys will most likely be handed to superstar freshman Smith who finished near the top of his recruiting class. Smith is a do-it-all guard who should fit in perfectly within the Arkansas system on a team that ranks inside the top-10 in the preseason.
Smith’s skill set along with a reloading Arkansas team should make him one of the most productive young players in the nation.
Dereck Lively II, C, Duke
Lively finished as the top ranked player in the 247Sports Composite for the 2022 recruiting cycle, and will need to play big for the Blue Devils this year.
Lively will be replacing top pick in the NBA Draft Paolo Banchero and No. 15 pick Mark Williams in the Duke frontcourt.
The 7-foot-1 big man should be the perfect plug-and-play center for Duke. In new coach Jon Scheyer’s first season at Duke, expect his young squad to rely heavily on their star big man this year.
Cason Wallace, PG, Kentucky
Kentucky always has star freshmen, and this year is no different as they will get a lot of production from Wallace. Wallace is a dynamic defender who is ranked as one of the best defenders in this recruiting cycle.
Wallace had some questions in his offensive game coming into his final year of high school, but he has improved immensely on that end in the last year. The Wildcat freshman seems a lot more comfortable in his scoring ability, and could be a dangerous weapon for a loaded Wildcats squad.
Coach John Calipari has always worked well with freshmen, and Wallace should be able to thrive and build his draft stock in Lexington this year.
Cam Whitmore, SF, Villanova
Whitmore underwent surgery on his thumb before the season that could cause him to miss some of the early part of the season. Even if Whitmore’s debut is delayed, he should surely be one the top freshmen in the nation.
Whitmore was sensational on the FIBA circuit this summer, and is receiving some buzz as a potential top-10 pick in the 2023 draft. The forward brings an interesting combination of size, strength and quickness that should make him a force for Nova.
In Kyle Neptune’s first year leading the Wildcats, expect Whitmore to be a force unlike anything a Nova freshman has shown in recent memory.
Adam Sheetz is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ads360@psu.edu.
