This article is part of our Freshman Haze series.
Not every freshman is going to come in and be a star for his team. Most teams have established players who will do the majority of the scoring, so it is incumbent on the youngsters to find a role. The general wisdom that big players take longer to acclimate themselves to college basketball is upheld in this week's seven players. Many of the profiles show that point guards can come to a school and begin to run the offense. Other players took some time to find their role, but are now prospering in the second half of the season.
Kamar Baldwin, guard, Butler Bulldogs
In the past, the Bulldogs were known for their defense. When they could forge some offense, they could be competitive. This year's edition of Butler basketball has a nice balance of players. The lead scorer, Kelan Martin, is inconsistent. Someone else has had to step up and the 6-foot-0 Baldwin has been that player. He opened the season with double-digit scoring in five of his last six games, then quieted down. He has led the Bulldogs to three straight Big East wins with 19.0 points. Perhaps his big scoring is just a quick streak, but he could be evolving into a special guard for the Bulldogs.
Devon Daniels, guard, Utah Utes
Like Baldwin, Daniels spent most of the non-conference slate as an inconsistent offensive presence. Over his first 13 games, the 6-5 guard scored in double digits in every other game. He would get hot against
Not every freshman is going to come in and be a star for his team. Most teams have established players who will do the majority of the scoring, so it is incumbent on the youngsters to find a role. The general wisdom that big players take longer to acclimate themselves to college basketball is upheld in this week's seven players. Many of the profiles show that point guards can come to a school and begin to run the offense. Other players took some time to find their role, but are now prospering in the second half of the season.
Kamar Baldwin, guard, Butler Bulldogs
In the past, the Bulldogs were known for their defense. When they could forge some offense, they could be competitive. This year's edition of Butler basketball has a nice balance of players. The lead scorer, Kelan Martin, is inconsistent. Someone else has had to step up and the 6-foot-0 Baldwin has been that player. He opened the season with double-digit scoring in five of his last six games, then quieted down. He has led the Bulldogs to three straight Big East wins with 19.0 points. Perhaps his big scoring is just a quick streak, but he could be evolving into a special guard for the Bulldogs.
Devon Daniels, guard, Utah Utes
Like Baldwin, Daniels spent most of the non-conference slate as an inconsistent offensive presence. Over his first 13 games, the 6-5 guard scored in double digits in every other game. He would get hot against Xavier with 19 points in the Dec. 10 loss, then score four points in the win over Prairie View A&M on Dec. 17. Daniels has found his shot against Pac-12 opponents and has averaged 13.3 points on 60.6 percent from the field. He scored a career-high 24 points in the win over Washington and Markelle Fultz on Saturday.
Anthony Cowan, guard, Maryland Terrapins
Cowan has been starting next to Melo Trimble all season and has helped relieve the Terrapins' leading scorer from some of his offensive responsibilities. Trimble continues to score well with 17.4 points, but the 6-0 Cowan is help facilitate the offense with 3.7 assists to go along with 11.3 points. Cowan has provided 16.3 points on 72.7 percent from the field over his last three games. He had eight turnovers on Thursday in the win Iowa and is averaging 2.7 turnovers. The guard could well become Maryland's top scorer next year if Trimble doesn't stick around for his senior season.
Robert Williams, forward, Texas A&M Aggies
With sophomores Tyler Davis and DJ Hogg in the frontcourt, the Aggies did not seem like they would need another forward to add to the mix. The 6-9 Williams has forced his way into the rotation by giving the team one more offensive option and guarding the tin. Williams is averaging 10.9 points on 60.1 percent from the field with 6.3 rebounds and a team-high 2.4 blocks. He has four double-doubles, including a season-high 18 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday's win over Georgia. If the Aggies can get solid guard play in future seasons, they could rise again in the SEC behind their young frontcourt. This season, coach Billy Kennedy's team is just 2-5 in conference.
Sam Merrill, guard, Utah State Aggies
We return to the Beehive State for another burgeoning guard. The Aggies play point guard by committee and have four players averaging between two and three assists. Eventually, the 6-4 Merrill may become the team's full-time point guard, but he is simply one of many offensive facilitators for the time being. He had 21 assists in a four-game span at the flip of the calendar. Lately, Merrill has been calling his own number with 13.6 points over his last five games. He is hitting 45.3 percent of his 3-pointers over the season and has hit 10 shots from the perimeter in his last four games.
Tyrik Dixon, guard, Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders
With an established scoring trio of JaCorey Williams, Giddy Potts, and Reggie Upshaw, the Blue Raiders do not have many more shots to distribute among the rest of the team. Dixon has had to be content to run the offense and shoot a few times each game. The 6-0 guard has made the most of his opportunities of late. In his last four games, he has 10 3-points on 83.3 percent from long range to average 10.8 points. He has helped Middle Tennessee open Conference USA play with seven straight wins. The team will be looking to head to the NCAA tournament for the second straight year. In 2016, they ended Denzel Valentine's career with a 2-15 upset.
Stevie Jordan, guard, Rider Broncs
Jordan has been the Broncs' starting point guard since the opening tip. He should remain in the spot as long as he chooses to be with Rider. The 5-10 guard has shown plenty of potential with a team-high 5.6 assists to go along with 12.4 points. Like many freshmen, Jordan is somewhat loose with the ball and has committed 3.3 turnovers per game. His shot selection could also use some improvement because he is only hitting 29.6 percent of his 3-pointers. Jordan is fine when he attacks the basket and is converting 46.6 percent of his field goals. He had a double-double with 11 points and 11 assists in the brawl-marred game on Jan. 17 in the loss to Siena.
