Early season freshman standouts
The college basketball season is a little under a month in. It’s beyond Feast Week, which is the litmus test that provides us with apples-to-apples matchups that determine where teams currently stand.
It’s also a good time to reflect on which freshmen are off to notable starts to their college careers.
As a scouting service, HoopSeen has logged plenty of hours watching this group, so, naturally, we’re interested to see who has shined during the early part of the season.
There have been plenty of notable performances, but these five have garnered a significant amount of attention for their efforts.
One of the catalysts for this conversation, Sheppard has been nothing short of sensational for Kentucky throughout the youthful stages of the season. On a team that’s selling point was its No. 1 recruiting class, Sheppard came in ranked lower than the rest of the bunch.
However, through the first few weeks of the season, Sheppard’s value has been one of the most prominent stories in college basketball. First, it was wondered whether he was actually the most valuable freshman on Kentucky, then, the conversation shifted to whether he was their best player period, and now, he’s being discussed as the SEC’s best player and as one of the best in the country in general.
Sheppard is averaging solid numbers across the board with 12.3 points (65% from the field), 3.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 3 steals per game. It takes more than scoreboard watching to appreciate what he’s done in Lexington though. Sheppard makes winning plays on both ends of the floor, and has shown a feel for the game that’s beyond his years.
While he wasn’t the most heralded Kentucky player coming into the season, he’s certainly there now.
Being a Georgia-based company, HoopSeen is all too familiar with Collier and how dynamic he can be. The rest of the recruiting world saw what we saw when they started putting him No. 1 in the 2023 class, and he’s now being discussed as the No. 1 player on NBA draft boards.
Unlike Sheppard, most people thought Collier would be good immediately, but he’s shown flashes of dominance at USC so far that have conjured memories of what he looked like in high school. In other words, the game looks too easy for him at times.
Sure, he can clean up some turnovers here and there if we’re being nitpicky, but that’s about the only negative to bring up.
Collier is showing that his combination of speed and power is too much for defenders at this level. He can get to the rim seemingly at will, and he’s shown off his elite passing acumen as well. Collier is averaging 17.7 points and 4.3 assists to this point.
One of the knocks on him coming out of high school was his shooting, but he’s currently at 42.1% from three, so that part of his came appears to be continuing to round into form.
If Sheppard was one of the forgotten pieces of Kentucky’s No. 1 class, one could make a case that Dillingham was the other because much of the preseason talk centered around Aaron Bradshaw, Justin Edwards and DJ Wagner.
Dillingham has been electric for the Wildcats. His style, his flair have been fun to watch. The way he can heat up from three, the plays he can make off the bounce, Dillingham has been a bucket-getter and a major reason why this Kentucky offense has been one of the best in the country.
His 15.4 points, 5.7 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game rank the best among the Kentucky freshmen.
Dillingham gives the Wildcats a jolt of energy off the bench, and he’s done nothing but show that he can be a game changer when he’s on the floor.
It was only about seven months ago when we were watching Cadeau on the EYBL circuit. Now, he’s starting at point guard for a ranked North Carolina team.
Cadeau’s stats won’t blow anyone away. However, those who have been following North Carolina will see how he has started to find his footing and role on the team.
His best attribute has always been his passing. That’s what separated him from the pack when he was in the 2024 class.
After reclassifying and joining the Tar Heels, a grace period to adjust was expected.
Now, Cadeau is starting to look more like the player that put up monster stats on the EYBL circuit in April. On Wednesday, Cadeau led Carolina to a mostly dominant win over No. 10 Tennessee with 11 assists and no turnovers. That’s how he can best serve this senior-laden team.
If Cadeau can have more games similar to the one he had on Wednesday, Carolina will be in great shape moving forward.
Walter has looked like one of the best overall prospects in the country at times this season. He’s boosted his draft stock with Baylor in a major way.
His defense is what has stood out the most. He combines so many of the necessary ingredients to make an elite defender. He has the size, length, versatility, quickness and intensity to lock down multiple positions. Walter battles on that end of the floor.
Walter’s offensive game is still a work in progress as a creator, but he’s shown that he can knock down shots, and he’s averaging north of 15 points per game for the Bears.
