With the college season now upon us and before the ball gets thrown up, why not investigate some of the impact freshman heading into their first year on a college campus? No, we won’t be talking about Ben Simmons, Jaylen Brown, or Skal Labissiere. Those are all names that you have heard more than enough by now and can be seen throughout various 2016 NBA mock drafts. However, what we will be discussing are some of those under the radar names that won’t be playing at power conference programs this winter, but will be major assets and producers throughout their college playing days.

JOHN CROSBY – 6-FOOT-2 – POINT GUARD - UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON 

Archie Miller has done some amazing work with guards during his time in southwest Ohio. The former lead guard at NC State brought his wealth of experience from ACC play along with being the little bro to Arizona head coach Sean Miller during his upbringing and has been able to guide the Flyers to consecutive runs in the NCAA Tournament. The cupboard in the backcourt is pretty talented this winter as Scoochie Smith, Kyle Davis, and Darrell Davis return, along with gaining ahold of impact transfer wing Charles Cooke. However, by the time conference play comes, it wouldn’t be surprising to see John Crosby make some major moves within an expanded role at either guard spot on the floor.  

The 6-foot-2 guard is the epitome of toughness and grit on the hardwood. With great size and a college ready body at the lead spot, there definitely will be a learning curve for him along the way. However, he produced in the high school ranks coming out of Baltimore, he was a leader for the successful New Hampton Prep squad last year, and should become quit the asset for the Flyers now and down the road. There is a reason why such programs as Rutgers and South Florida pursued the freshman guard before selecting the A10 bunch. Now within the successful system that Miller has deployed, one source within the program was high on his upward trajectory. “He is ahead of where Scoochie (Smith) was when he was a freshman. Stronger. Trimmed down from 200 pounds to 185. The more he plays the better he will get.” In comprehending this, while Crosby may be a forgotten piece these next two months, the Charm City native has my vote as an all-conference member down the road and someone that surpasses the rankings placed upon him.

COREY JOHNSON – 6-FOOT-4 – SHOOTING GUARD - HARVARD UNIVERSITY 

Crazy to think but Harvard is actually selected to finish fourth within the Ivy League in some preseason polls this year. Sure, the losses of Steve Moundou-Missi and Wesley Saunders will be tough to bear, and throw in the ACL injury that will force star lead guard Siyani Chambers to miss the entire season, and many would believe that there will be a setback for the Crimson this season. Think again. Sure, Columbia, Princeton, and Yale are more than good enough to earn the automatic bid that the Ivy League receives, but expect for Evan Cummins, Chris Egi, and Zena Edosomswan to step up their games and compete for another title come conference play. However, guard play will be crucial for Tommy Amaker’s bunch and that is why Corey Johnson should explode out of the gate and surprise many with his perimeter abilities in Cambridge.

With good size standing at 6-foot-4 and a deadly outside jumper, I wouldn’t be all that shocked to see Johnson set a few Crimson records for 3-pointers made throughout the course of his career. He can do more than just shoot it though, where the Canadian plays the game the right way, defending his man out top, getting involved for every loose ball play, and even facilitating whenever the chances are allotted to him. He is automatic with his feet set from off the catch, especially from the corner regions on the floor, and should be a major weapon on the floor. Said one source within the program, “He is a rookie of the year candidate in our league. Maybe the favorite. He has been really shooting it well and shows off a high IQ. NBA scouts have been in to see him already.” That is enough for me to state that the outside marksman will establish himself as a presence in the backcourt for Harvard and surpass the slight rankings that had been placed upon him coming up through the ranks.

MARCUS EVANS – 6-FOOT-1 – POINT GUARD - RICE UNIVERSITY 

Shaka Smart disciple Mike Rhoades has brought the same Havoc style approach to Rice and slowly but surely is developing quite the culture and group down in Houston. Rice basketball has never been at the forefront of many prospects’ minds throughout the Lone Star State but with a revival taking place, it would seem that the Owls may be in contention sooner than later when it comes for competing for CUSA titles. The 2015 class was a great one for Rhoades’ crew and while Marquez Letcher-Ellis, a 6-foot-7 combo forward type, should be a fine producer during his collegiate playing days, Marcus Evans may be the figurehead of the program for years to come.

Anytime you can find a lead guard that fits your culture from day one, that is buying in, playing to your style, and brings a winning pedigree with him, it makes that transition from high school to college that much easier. Evans fits the mold seamlessly as he ran the point for the Cape Henry squad that nearly went undefeated his senior year of play up in Virginia, was a catalyst for the Boo Williams program during his high school days, and is an elite on-ball defender who, even if he hasn’t developed consistency in his outside jumper just yet, should be a major boost for the Owls’ defense next month. “He guards the ball, plays on both ends, and can really score it,” said one person affiliated with the program. While Rice has been an afterthought within the CUSA these past few years and the same can be said about Evans’ status within most national rankings, expect to hear much more about the 6-foot-1 lead guard out of the 757.

NICO CLARETH – 6-FOOT-3 – SHOOTING GUARD - SIENA COLLEGE

Paul Hewitt and Fran McCaffery brought tons of success to Siena in past years. Each coach used the program as a career stepping stone before achieving placements at high-level programs at Georgia Tech and Iowa respectively. Success is intertwined within the program and with energetic and outgoing Jimmy Patsos as the helm, the future seems bright for the Saints. After winning the CBI Tournament last season, the MAAC program was picked to finished fifth in the conference this year and if they are to make a run for an NCAA Tournament berth, it will be because of Nico Clareth’s contributions in the backcourt.

With a killer physique and an unending amount of energy on the hardwood, Nico Clareth was quite the steal for Patsos’ bunch. While decision-making has never been a strength of the Baltimore native, the freshman guard more than makes up for it with his attacking mentality, toughness, and willingness to play up to the competition put before him. Clareth’s recruitment wasn’t the most impressive but that shouldn’t take away from his immediate production in Loudonville. “He’s going to be excellent for us. He will be one of our go-to guys by the time conference play comes,” noted one person familiar with the program. While the transition from Calvert Hall School to Siena may be difficult, expect for Clareth to be an alpha-dog type for the Saints for years to come and be a reason why the program is back in the NCAA Tournament in the nearby future.

LUKE MCDONNELL – 6-FOOT-8 – POWER FORWARD - UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA

Last year was definitely a high mark year for Northern Iowa. Sure, they didn’t shock the nation with a major win in the NCAA Tournament like they did back in 2010 by knocking off Kansas, but with Seth Tuttle leading the way, the Panthers were able to achieve top-10 status within the national rankings. The senior big man is now gone and while they return much of the production in the backcourt with the likes of Wes Washpun, Paul Jesperson, and Jeremy Morgan, someone must step up in the frontcourt. Hence, while he is just a freshman and little is known of him, Luke McDonnell has all of the tools to become the face of the highly successful program for years to come.

The in-state recruit committed to the MVC bunch during his junior year and thus, many failed to get in-depth looks at the versatile forward. However, that will all change where McDonnell, who if he had waited to commit until after his senior summer, would have been heavily recruited and pursued by the many Big 10 and Big 12 programs within his area. Similar to past Wisconsin and Iowa types in the frontcourt, McDonnell displays an agile body type, pick and pop abilities, and quality touch around the basket. Throw in his deceptive toughness around the basket and defensive prowess away from the it and while there is a giant hole to fill at the 4-5 this season, expect for McDonnell to be more than up for the cause of helping his UNI group fight off the likes of Wichita State, Illinois State, and Evansville during the dog days of the conference season and helping his squad to achieve another successful season in Cedar Falls.