This article is part of our Freshman Haze series.
For people that do not live on the West Coast, it can sometimes be tough to stay up and watch the stars of the Pacific. It doesn't help if your humble narrator is getting old and likes to go to sleep early. Yet, for the fans of Freshman Haze, there is no game that is on too late to watch. There are plenty of excellent freshmen to consider on the West Coast. We'll take a look at seven of them before scouring the rest of the country again next week.
DeAndre Ayton (F) 
By the end of the season, we may look back at the Battle 4 Atlantis and wonder if the Wildcats were suffering from a collective bout of food poisoning. The team fell apart in losses to North Carolina State, SMU, and Purdue, but none of those losses could be blamed on the 7-foot-1 Ayton. He has brought the goods and appears increasingly comfortable in coach Sean Miller's offense. The forward opened the season with five straight double-doubles and has not been held below 13 points and eight rebounds. He helped the Wildcats beat UNLV and fellow frosh phenom Brandon McCoy (ugh) with 28 points and 10 rebounds in the overtime win on Saturday. Ayton may be tailor made for Pac-12 play.
McKinley Wright IV (G) 
Wright earned the starting spot prior to the season and does not appear interested in giving up now or forever. The 6-0 guard has provided the Buffaloes with perimeter support by knocking
For people that do not live on the West Coast, it can sometimes be tough to stay up and watch the stars of the Pacific. It doesn't help if your humble narrator is getting old and likes to go to sleep early. Yet, for the fans of Freshman Haze, there is no game that is on too late to watch. There are plenty of excellent freshmen to consider on the West Coast. We'll take a look at seven of them before scouring the rest of the country again next week.
DeAndre Ayton (F)
By the end of the season, we may look back at the Battle 4 Atlantis and wonder if the Wildcats were suffering from a collective bout of food poisoning. The team fell apart in losses to North Carolina State, SMU, and Purdue, but none of those losses could be blamed on the 7-foot-1 Ayton. He has brought the goods and appears increasingly comfortable in coach Sean Miller's offense. The forward opened the season with five straight double-doubles and has not been held below 13 points and eight rebounds. He helped the Wildcats beat UNLV and fellow frosh phenom Brandon McCoy (ugh) with 28 points and 10 rebounds in the overtime win on Saturday. Ayton may be tailor made for Pac-12 play.
McKinley Wright IV (G)
Wright earned the starting spot prior to the season and does not appear interested in giving up now or forever. The 6-0 guard has provided the Buffaloes with perimeter support by knocking down 43.5 percent of his 3-pointers. He had back-to-back 19-point games against other Colorado teams, but his best effort was not enough to knock off Colorado State on Saturday. He has scored in double digits in every game and has dealt out 22 assists in his last four games. Look for the Minnesotan to grab a larger share of the offense as the season continues.
Romello White (F) 
Coach Bobby Hurley has the people in Tempe excited about Sun Devil basketball for the first time since maybe James Harden patrolled the Wells Fargo Arena. Arizona State plays at a quick pace led by its backcourt of Shannon Evans, Tra Holder, and Kodi Justice. White starts and provides offensive balance as well as a backbone to the defense. The 6-8 forward is averaging 15.7 points and 9.3 rebounds with three double-doubles in six games. He struggles from the free-throw line at just 57.1 percent, and opponents seem to realize this. White may have to sit some if he cannot knock down his freebies.
Darius McNeil (G) 
Sometimes it takes a little manure to grow a flower. That is to say that the Golden Bears have not played well, particularly in the Maui Invitational, but they may have found a piece for the future in the 6-3 McNeill. Before being held to three points in the loss to St. Mary's on Saturday, McNeill had scored in double digits in five straight games. He put up a season-high 22 points, including six 3-pointers, in the win over Cal-State Northridge last Tuesday. The Houston native is hitting 47.4 percent from long range to lead the team. Cal may not always be pretty to watch, but they have a solid backcourt in McNeill and Don Coleman.
Colbey Ross (G) 
A funny thing happened while starting point guard Amadi Udenyi sat out two games with a concussion: the Waves may have found their point guard of the future. Udenyi is a classic pass-first point guard who is not much of a scorer. Ross can put the ball in the basket. The 6-1 guard has put together three 20-point games in his last five contests. He is converting 46.5 percent of his field goals and 90.9 percent from the free-throw line. Ross has also doled out at least four assists in seven straight games. The Waves have won just twice, but Ross may be a player to build around.
Josip Vrankic (F) 
Vrankic started the season coming off the Bronco bench, but was brought in for extended minutes in the Great Alaska Shootout. He has now scored at least 10 points in four straight games. The 6-9 forward has 3-point range and has converted 42.1 percent of his long-range shots. Santa Clara had the bad fortune to lose to Alaska-Anchorage, but Vrankic scored 16 points in the game. The team has some solid players, including guard KJ Feagin, but are just 3-5 on the season. Vrankic may help the Broncos be competitive in WCC play.
Jarkel Joiner (G) 
We end our journey where so many journeys end: the WAC. The 6-1 Joiner came to the Roadrunners with the reputation as a gunner and has had some opportunity to show what he can do. He showed up in one of the biggest games of the season against UCLA with 20 points, including four 3-pointers. He also had 14 points against Arizona. Bakersfield lost both games, but Joiner showed he could score against anyone. He had had some problems with consistency and had a three-game stretch in which he scored a combined four points. Joiner is a name to file away for the future.
