This article is part of our Freshman Haze series.
In my formative years of fantasy basketball, I generally eschewed the points category. Scorers were glory hounds, while players like Ben Wallace were undervalued. I still tend to shy away from big scorers who do not contribute in the other categories, but points usually come with other peripheral niceties. The following septet are among the top scorers among freshmen that I have not heretofore covered in the Haze. I could probably spend an entire column waxing on about the wonderful stats put up by the first player, but I will spend some time writing (if not thinking) about the other six.
Markelle Fultz, guard, Washington Huskies
I was looking through my old papers to try to find a guard who had put up similar numbers to Fultz through his first nine games. There are a few forwards in years past, Anthony Davis and Ben Simmons, who were comparable. D'Angelo Russell was good, but he was not nearly this good. The 6-foot-4 Fultz has been the be all, end all for the Huskies by providing 22.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.2 blocks. He is leading the team in four of the five categories and is just 1.1 rebounds behind Noah Dickerson. There is little reason to think that Fultz shouldn't keep up his production. He has even started to hit more 3-pointers (9-of-14, 64.3 percent in his last three games). It would be nice if the freshman's production led to Washington wins, but coach Lorenzo Romar has
In my formative years of fantasy basketball, I generally eschewed the points category. Scorers were glory hounds, while players like Ben Wallace were undervalued. I still tend to shy away from big scorers who do not contribute in the other categories, but points usually come with other peripheral niceties. The following septet are among the top scorers among freshmen that I have not heretofore covered in the Haze. I could probably spend an entire column waxing on about the wonderful stats put up by the first player, but I will spend some time writing (if not thinking) about the other six.
Markelle Fultz, guard, Washington Huskies
I was looking through my old papers to try to find a guard who had put up similar numbers to Fultz through his first nine games. There are a few forwards in years past, Anthony Davis and Ben Simmons, who were comparable. D'Angelo Russell was good, but he was not nearly this good. The 6-foot-4 Fultz has been the be all, end all for the Huskies by providing 22.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.2 blocks. He is leading the team in four of the five categories and is just 1.1 rebounds behind Noah Dickerson. There is little reason to think that Fultz shouldn't keep up his production. He has even started to hit more 3-pointers (9-of-14, 64.3 percent in his last three games). It would be nice if the freshman's production led to Washington wins, but coach Lorenzo Romar has little choice but to give Fultz the ball and hope for the best.
Malik Monk, guard, Kentucky Wildcats
For the third time in four weeks, we feature a Kentucky player. I expect the Duke freshmen will have a similar run once they all get healthy. Monk has provided a potent scoring punch for the Wildcats and is leading the team with 19.4 points. The 6-3 guard has taken more than half of his shots from the perimeter and has converted 38.5 percent. He might be better served to use his outstanding athleticism to attack the paint. Monk is also excellent at hitting free throws and has gone 20-of-23 (87.0 percent) from the line. He does not provide much beyond scoring, but Monk has scored in double digits in every game.
Shamorie Ponds, guard, St. John's Red Storm
The Red Storm feature one of the best sets of freshman guards in Ponds and Marcus LoVett, who has missed the last three games with a sprained ankle. While LoVett has been out, Ponds has taken over and averaged 23.0 points with 14 3-pointers. The 6-1 Ponds may have to share the ball a bit more when LoVett returns, but he has established himself as one of the best first-year scorers with 17.4 points and four games of at least 20-point scoring. St. John's has suffered some eyebrow-raising losses to Delaware State and Long Island, but players like Ponds give coach Chris Mullin hope for the future.
Lauri Markkanen, forward, Arizona Wildcats
Prior to the season, I was staying away from Arizona players. There was simply too much uncertainty for me to try to figure out who was going to produce for coach Archie Miller. Since then, things have shaken out perfectly for Markkanen, a 7-0 forward. The stretch four has taken the lead role on offense and has connected on 47.7 percent of his 3-pointers. He is leading the Wildcats with 16.8 points and 7.1 rebounds. Markkanen is coming off his worst scoring game with just eight points in the win over Missouri on Saturday. He will likely bounce back against Grand Canyon on Wednesday.
Christian Keeling, guard. Charleston Southern Buccaneers
Other than a pair of losses against Florida State in the opener and Alabama at the end of November, the Buccaneer schedule has not been very challenging. The team has romped over three Division 2 schools and played some tight games with other mid-major squads. The 6-3 Keeling has been able to get plenty of minutes from the opening tip and is showing loads of potential. He is second on the team with 13.4 points and 6.3 rebounds. Keeling scored a career-high 20 points in the one-point win over Abilene Christian on Nov. 22, and has scored in double digits in six of his eight games.
Jo'Vantae Millner, guard, Presbyterian Blue Hose
The Blue Hose feature a deep bench. The team plays 11 players, including injured Davon Bell, for at least 10 minutes per game. It is hard to stand out from the crowd, but the 6-6 Milner is managing to do just that. He leads the team with 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds. Unfortunately, the points do not come in a consistent flow. Millner scored a career-high 26 points in the loss to The Citadel on Nov. 28. He was held scoreless in the previous game against Boise State. The wing has left points on the court by hitting just 52.0 percent of his free throws.
Anthony Lamb, forward, Vermont Catamounts
The Catamounts came into the season with an established backcourt of Trae Bell-Haynes and Ernie Duncan. The questions came in the frontcourt, but Vermont has found some balance in Tulane transfer Payton Henson and the 6-6 Lamb. The freshman put his best foot forward with a season-high 23 points in the opener in the win over Quinnipiac. He has scored in double digits in just three of the following 10 games, but is a factor on the boards in inconsistent minutes. Lamb gets into foul trouble, which limits his production. He has fouled out twice and accrued four fouls in 18 minutes Saturday in the loss to Northeastern. Once he curbs his fouling tendencies, he could be in for some sweet double-doubles.
