By Tobias Bass
The 2019-2020 college basketball season is 18 days away. It is easy for basketball fans to acknowledge the star-studded freshmen, but what about the returnees? In last year’s Final Four, three teams had one freshman play significant minutes.
ACC
Jordan Nwora from Louisville comes to mind. Nwora was a potential first-round pick in 2018, as he averaged 17 PPG, 7.6 RPG, while shooting 37.4 percent from three. The 6’7 wing was named the ACC most improved player and made the All-ACC third team. Lousiville will rely on him to lead the charge for them as a national title is in their sights this year. The Cardinals will go as far as Nwora will carry them. Expect the star small forward to average near 20 PPG, win the ACC player of the year award, and be a first or second-team All-American.
Tre Jones- In flashes last season Jones was the most important player on the Blue Devils team. The way he set the tempo and rallied the team when the momentum went the other way. For example, Duke had a road game last year against Louisville were they trailed by 23 points, with 19 minutes left. It would have been easy for a team to pack it in and get mentally prepared for the next game, but Jones rallied his team back to make the game interesting. With 2:04 left to go in the game, Jones made a crucial steal to cut the lead down to five. Duke closed the game out, tying the biggest comeback in NCAA history. Tre Jones has qualities as a point guard that you can’t teach, like his leadership, basketball IQ, and most importantly his effort. Coach K will rely on his sophomore point guard to lead this year’s very young Duke team.
SEC
Andrew Nembhard– Florida lost its two best scorers last year in KeVaughn Allen and Jalen Hudson, however, they bring back their point guard who started all 36 games in Andrew Nembhard. Nembhard is a crafty 6’5 point guard that has a knack for finding the open man and putting them in position to score. Last year the freshman guard was 3rd in total assist in the SEC with 194, 5th in APG, and 2nd in assist percentage at 32.8. After bringing in the 8th best recruiting in the country, a highly-touted transfer in Kerry Blackshear, also returning a trio of sophomores including Nembhard at the point guard position Florida has a legit chance to win the SEC and compete for a National Championship.
Ashton Hagans- In the one-and-done era, it is very rare to see a Kentucky player return to school for his sophomore year. However, Ashton Hagans pulled his name out of the NBA draft and will be a big part of this year’s team. Hagans is coming off a phenomenal season by averaging 4.3 APG and 1.6 SPG which propelled him to share the SEC DPOY with Tremont Waters. Hagans started 30 games last season and averaged 7.7 PPG and shot 46.7 percent from three. The 6’3 point guard is one of the best defenders in the country, but will have to improve offensively for the Wildcats to take the next step come tournament time.
Big Ten
Cassius Winston- In the way-too-early preseason polls, Michigan State is ranked as the number one team in the country and for good reason with Cassius Winston in the backcourt. Winston is the best point guard country his game reminds me of Chauncey Billups with his ability to make big shots in the clutch and has a stoic approach to the game. The 18-19 Big Ten player of the year averaged 18.8 PPG, 7.5 APG, while shooting 39.8 percent from three. The Spartans haven’t won a National Championship since the year 2000, but they did bring back most of the team from a year ago that made it to the Final Four. If Michigan State can stay healthy, don’t be surprised if Sparty nation is hosting up a banner in April with Winston as the main catalyst for their success.
Anthony Cowan Jr- The Maryland Terrapins are a legit contender to compete or win the Big Ten, as they bring back their entire team except Bruno Fernando who departed for the NBA. Leading the charge this year is senior guard Anthony Cowan Jr who averaged 15.6 PPG, 4.4 APG and has started every game of his career. The Terrapins have a lot of talent on this team but the main issue that held them back last year was turnovers. They turned it over 12.9 times per game which was 18.9 percent of their possessions. For Maryland to tap into their potential as a team and meet expectations they will have to lean on Cowan Jr to carry them deep into the tournament. Maryland has enough to make it to the Final Four this year, which would be their first experience since 2002.
Big 12
Devon Dotson- Last season Devon Dotson wasn’t expected to be the main guy in the backcourt as Bill Self had high expectations for the Mcdonalds All-American Quentin Grimes. With Grimes disappointing and eventually transferring to the University of Houston this offseason. Dotson took full advantage of his opportunity and played very well as a freshman. The Jayhawks will be looking for Dotson to take another big step forward like the previous guards before him did in Frank Mason and Devonte’ Graham. Kansas once again brings back a good time and will likely win the Big 12, but for that goal to come into fruition, Dotson will have to improve his three-point shooting. If he does so the Jayhawks could be in Atlanta for the Final Four and he will be a candidate for the Big 12 player of the year.
Davide Morretti- As a freshmen Davide Morretti seemed a bit timid which made him one of the worst shooters in the country as he shot 33.6 percent from the field and 31.7 from three. However, as a sophomore, he blossomed into one of the best guards in the country. During Big 12 play he became a 40-50-90 guy, but what stood out to me the most was how he competed defensively. He was no longer a liability but he was an asset. Moretti became a lot more confident in his game and that rubbed off on the rest of the team. He was a big part as to why they made it to the National Championship game. Often they would put the ball in his hands late in games to either distribute for others or get a bucket on his own. As a junior, I expect he takes another step forward, and be in contention for Big 12 player of the year. Chris Beard will count on him to become more of a leader as the Red Raiders have one of the youngest teams in the conference.
Pac 12
Payton Pritchard- In a down year for the Pac12 a year ago, Oregon still found its way into the NCAA tournament. The odds were stacked against them as they had to win their conference tournament to get an automatic bid. Throughout the tournament, he averaged 16 PPG which carried the Ducks into the big dance. With his play, he earned the Pac 12 Tournament MVP. To add to his great season from a year ago he was 2nd in total steals and assists while leading the Pac 12 in win shares with 5.7. Oregon will go as far as Pritchard will take them, he takes another step forward the Ducks could go dancing for their 7th time in 10 years.
McKinley Wright IV- Great passer, with phenomenal leadership and the ability to score at will are just a few ways to describe the junior point guard from North Robbinsdale Minnesota. Wright IV put up 13 PPG, 4.8 APG, while shooting 36.5 percent from three. The Buffaloes bring back a lot of talent and are my favorite to win the Pac 12 if they can stay healthy. Their biggest issue is finding enough minutes to keep everyone happy. If Wright IV has another gear he will be in the running for Pac 12 player of the year and will make the Pac 12s 1st team list as he did a year ago. With his newly repaired shoulder expect Wright IV to lead the Buffs to their first Pac 12 regular-season title in school history and return to the round of 64 for the first time since the 2016 season.
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