Freshmen Orientation: Big 12
With freshmen unpacking their bags and getting settled into college, we wanted to take a deeper look at the incoming classes in college hoops. In this edition of FRESHMEN ORIENTATION, we take a look at the best players, the impressive classes, the guys who could be the talk of the league, HoopSeen hoopers and more.
Let’s get into the Big 12.
Head of the class
These are the guys that HoopSeen has tabbed as the Big 12’s top newcomers at each position.
PG: Richard Isaacs, Jr., Texas Tech
CG: Arterio Morris, Texas
SG: Keyonte George, Baylor
SF: MJ Rice, Kansas
PF: Dillion Mitchell, Texas
C: Ernest Udeh, Kansas
Big man on campus
Keyonte George: It doesn’t look like the Baylor machine will be slowing any time soon. The Bears look to be a formidable bunch yet again, and a major part of their upcoming team looks to be incoming freshman Keyonte George.
The 6-foot-4 guard is going to bring explosive scoring to Scott Drew’s program. George is a high-level shooter and put up some gaudy scoring numbers in a few of Baylor’s games on their summer trip to Canada, including a 32-point game.
George should be the preseason Freshman of the Year in the league, and he could be the leading scorer on a Baylor team that should be among the best in the Big 12.
Three classes that we love
Texas: This Longhorns class is a little different than ones of recent memory. It seems like Texas has pulled in high-level bigs regularly, but this year’s class is highlighted by a pair of perimeter players.
Dillon Mitchell and Arterio Morris will be bringing athleticism and defensive versatility to Chris Beard’s squad. Mitchell may be the most athletic player in the class. He’ll be creating highlights from the wing spot in Austin on a regular basis. Mitchell will be competing with Keyonte George for the league’s preseason Freshman of the Year honors.
Morris also brings plenty of burst as a point guard. He‘s a downhill player who looks to do damage at the rim. Defensively, he should be able to head Chris Beard’s system with his size and quickness.
Kansas: Coming off of a national championship, the Jayhawks should be right back in the mix as one of the country’s best teams. Due to an NCAA cloud hanging over the program, Kansas hasn’t recruited to the levels that they have historically. This class, however, is one of the better to come to Lawrence in years.
MJ Rice, Grady Dick, Ernest Udeh, and Zuby Ejiofor rank within HoopSeen’s top 60 for the class of 2022. Udeh and Zjiofor will provide a frontcourt tandem that could help fill the gap left behind by David McCormack while Rice and Dick will replenish Bill Self’s perimeter.
Kansas is always near the top both in the Big 12 and nationally. This squad looks like one that will continue that success, and this deep recruiting class is a big reason why.
Texas Tech: Mark Adams’ Red Raiders were one of the surprises of last season. Despite the change in staff, there was no dip in success in Lubbock.
Texas Tech’s maintained momentum as a program showed in this crop of freshmen. This class is one of the best the school has seen in a very long time.
Lamar Washington, Richard Isaacs, Jr. and CJ Williams make up one of the best guard groups in the league as freshmen. No one plays harder or with more intensity than Isaacs. Washington could blossom into a real star on both ends of the floor.
The frontline boost with Canadian Elijah Fisher and in-state steal Robert Jennings should log years of starts during their time in Lubbock.
The HoopSeen Connection
Ernest Udeh: The Kansas big man was a no-brainer fit for Bill Self and the Jayhawks. Players like Udeh have thrived in Lawrence for years, and he looks to be the next dominant center to send Allen Fieldhouse into hysterics.
HoopSeen saw a preview of what Udeh can do at the 2021 Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions when he helped propel Southeast Elite on a championship run that we still talk about often. Udeh was a force that nobody could slow down that weekend. In many respects, that was a coming out of sorts for him.
After Udeh dominated in Atlanta, his recruitment took off and reached a different level that saw the bluest of bloods vying for his services.
Random thing you should know
By the time Colin Chander returns from his two-year mission to Sierra Leone, West Africa, BYU won’t be in the West Coast Conference. The Cougars will be in the Big 12. And Chandler will start his college career with big expectations. One of the reasons he picked BYU over Stanford and Utah was because of the move to the Big 12 Conference. He wanted that smoke.
Chandler is, arguably, the most important in-state recruit for BYU in the Mark Pope era. The 6-foot-4 guard is athletic, can score, loves to attack the rim with bounce and plays with an unshakable amount of confidence. He can be a point guard and creator, at times, too.
Life in Provo projects to be very good for young Mr. Chandler. Rightfully so. He has superstar ability and humility that can carry it well.
