This article is part of our Freshman Haze series.
Happy New Year's from the Haze! This year, I've decided that my resolution is to write about seven freshmen throughout the season. And, as you can see below, I have already completed one of my resolutions. It is that easy! Perhaps keeping the bar low is the key to succeeding expectations. For these first-year players, there were expectations: some of them seem well on their way to passing the bar while others still need some to time or resolve. We'll start with some bigs and work our way down.
Henry Ellenson, forward, Marquette Golden Eagles
Truth be told: Ellenson is my favorite player this season. I drafted him early in two of my leagues and the 6-foot-10 Golden Eagle has justified his lofty status. He has averaged a double-double (16.5 points, 10.2 rebounds) and added 2.2 steals and 1.4 blocks to make him a top five fantasy freshman. The only part of Ellenson's game that has not come around is three-point shooting. He is hitting just 26.2 percent from the perimeter, but his stroke looks pretty good. The Rice Lake, Wisconsin native will be tested in Big East play, but he managed to put up 13 points and 14 boards in the opening loss against Seton Hall despite shooting poorly.
Diamond Stone, center, Maryland Terrapins
Stone had been playing well before the Terrapins' Big Ten opener Wednesday against Penn State. He proceeded to drop the dynamite on the Nittany Lions with 39 points, which more than doubled his previous season
Happy New Year's from the Haze! This year, I've decided that my resolution is to write about seven freshmen throughout the season. And, as you can see below, I have already completed one of my resolutions. It is that easy! Perhaps keeping the bar low is the key to succeeding expectations. For these first-year players, there were expectations: some of them seem well on their way to passing the bar while others still need some to time or resolve. We'll start with some bigs and work our way down.
Henry Ellenson, forward, Marquette Golden Eagles
Truth be told: Ellenson is my favorite player this season. I drafted him early in two of my leagues and the 6-foot-10 Golden Eagle has justified his lofty status. He has averaged a double-double (16.5 points, 10.2 rebounds) and added 2.2 steals and 1.4 blocks to make him a top five fantasy freshman. The only part of Ellenson's game that has not come around is three-point shooting. He is hitting just 26.2 percent from the perimeter, but his stroke looks pretty good. The Rice Lake, Wisconsin native will be tested in Big East play, but he managed to put up 13 points and 14 boards in the opening loss against Seton Hall despite shooting poorly.
Diamond Stone, center, Maryland Terrapins
Stone had been playing well before the Terrapins' Big Ten opener Wednesday against Penn State. He proceeded to drop the dynamite on the Nittany Lions with 39 points, which more than doubled his previous season high. Stone, like Ellenson a native of Wisconsin, added 12 boards for his first double-double. Maryland has five players averaging in double digits, so they do not have to rely too much on the 6-11 Stone. He is averaging 13.3 points on 58 percent from the field with 5.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 19.8 minutes. Stone is also converting 75.4 percent of his free throws.
Tyler Davis, center, Texas A&M Aggies
Davis does not have a 39-point outburst on his resume, but he has been a steady producer for the Aggies. The 6-10 center from Plano opened the season with five straight double-digit scoring games, including a double-double in the blowout win over Southeastern Louisiana on Nov. 16. He appeared to hit the wall in late November, but has come back on the scene with three straight games of 10 points or more. During his low period, Davis was limited by foul trouble and he has been whistled for four fouls in four games. When he gets the ball in the low post, he almost always converts (79.4 percent from the field).
Jaylen Brown, guard/forward, California Golden Bears
The hype surrounding Brown's recruitment to California was incredible. That makes the 6-7 swingman's numbers -- 14.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists -- a little underwhelming. He certainly has prototypical wing size and is a key part of coach Cuonzo Martin's defense. Like Ellenson, Brown has struggled on three-pointers and has made just 25.6 percent of his long range shots. He is only making 64.2 percent of his free throws as well. Brown scored 18 points in the overtime loss to stingy Virginia, then went 7-of-8 from the field in the win over Davidson on his way to 17 points. The Bears may have too many offensive options for Brown to really break out.
C.J. Bryce, guard, UNC-Wilmington Seahawks
For the first month of the season, Bryce, a 6-4 guard, was a solid reserve for the 49ers. He opened the season with 13 points in 25 minutes against Millgan, then scored three points or fewer in four of his next six games. The tide has turned for Bryce and he has scored at least 12 points in his last five games and been named the CAA rookie of the week honor for the last two weeks. Over those five games, Bryce has averaged 16.2 points and 5.2 rebounds.
Jon Davis, guard, Charlotte 49ers
Davis came to Charlotte with a reputation as a combo guard, but he has been able to facilitate the offense nicely for first-year coach Mark Price. The 6-3 Maryland native also started slowly and was heled to single-digit scoring in his first five games. He has come alive in his last seven games with 12 points or more four times. Davis has averaged 5.4 assists in his last five games. His shooting is still in development and has gone 8-of-23 (34.8 percent) on three-pointers. Price will undoubtedly help Davis in this area.
Brian Parker, guard, Marist Red Foxes
With A.J. English out with a hand injury, the Red Foxes may have the best backcourt in the MAAC. Junior Khallid Hart is leading the team with 22.7 points, while the 6-2 Parker is supporting with 15.4 points and 4.4 rebounds. He had a breakout 30 points and seven rebounds in the loss to Kent State on Nov. 21. Parker has been scoring well of late with 17.3 points in his last three games. Parker's fine play has not translated into win for 4-7 Marist, but the freshman and Hart should grow together for the next year.
