The high school class of 2016 arrived on college campuses across the country with high expectations for their freshman seasons. Through the end of November, the highly touted group has delivered and Washington’s Markelle Fultz holds the top spot in our first Freshmen Tracker of the 2016-17 season.
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How he got here: Fultz picked Washington over Arizona and Louisville thanks to Lorenzo Romar being involved the earliest.
This season: 23 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game.
Analysis: Fultz's production through the early season has been flat out ridiculous. Rivals.com evaluated him as more of a natural shooting guard in high school but he’s made the move to full-time point guard without any hiccups.
How he got here: Ball picked UCLA in January of his junior year and never seriously considered any other programs. His brothers LiAngelo Ball (2017) and LaMelo Ball (2019) have also committed to the Bruins.
This season: 16.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game.
Analysis: Ball was hailed as perhaps the best West Coast passer in the Rivals.com era and he’s been that and more while looking like a triple-double just waiting to happen. He’s got UCLA humming on all cylinders offensively and his shooting has benefited from much improved shot selection compared to his high school days.
How he got here: Fox also visited Kansas, LSU and Louisville before picking the Wildcats but Kentucky was considered the prohibitive favorite for the final six months or so of his recruitment.
This season: 15.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game.
Analysis: The young Wildcats have been the most entertaining team in college basketball and Fox’s stewardship as point guard has been flawless. He completed just the second triple-double in UK history this week and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him get one or two more.
How he got here: Most thought Monk’s decision would drag out until the spring of his senior year. Instead, Monk picked the Wildcats over home state Arkansas shortly before the start of the early signing period.
This season: 19.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.
Analysis: Monk has torched the nets right out of the gate and seems to have found a good blend between his jump shooting and above the rim finishes. He’s been a reliable finisher of his sidekick De’Aaron Fox’s passes.
How he got here: A native of Finland, Markkanen’s dad played for Roy Williams at Kansas. However, Arizona won out over North Carolina and Utah.
This season: 18.2 points, 7.8 rebounds per game.
Analysis: We never were able to get an in-person evaluation and went with a conservative four-star rating on Markkanen. Having seen him play in college – where he’s looked much bigger and shown much more shooting touch than he did on film – he should have been a five-star prospect.
How he got here: A native of Michigan who left the state for his final two years of high school, Bridges looked like he might be leaning to Kentucky early. In the end, the chance to play at home won out.
This season: 16.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.
Analysis: Injuries have robbed the Spartans of size and because of that Bridges has had to play extended minutes as a power forward. Instead of sulking, he’s embraced the mismatches and turned into a total monster around the rim.
How he got here: The No. 1 ranked player in the class of 2016, Jackson picked Kansas over Arizona and Michigan State in April of his senior year.
This season: 14.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game
Analysis: Some early foul trouble and missed opportunities at the free throw line have limited Jackson’s numbers. However, he’s started to turn it on recently and is another who appears to be a legitimate triple-double threat.
How he got here: NC State was always a heavy favorite for Smith. He enrolled a semester early to rehab a torn ACL.
This season: 18.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.
Analysis: As he shakes off the rust from missing the last year due to injury, there have been some bumps in the road. Overall, though, Smith has proven to be the super athletic and physically strong floor general he was billed in high school.
How he got here: Leaf initially committed to Arizona early in his junior year before opening things up shortly before his senior season. Once he opened it up, UCLA was the clear favorite.
This season: 17.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists
Analysis: Because of the media frenzy over teammate Lonzo Ball, Leaf’s outstanding work has been done without much fanfare. He’s been terrific on the glass and much more ready to score in the paint than expected early on.
How he got here: Moore initially signed with Memphis over Cal. However, when Josh Pastner left for Georgia Tech, Moore ended up picking Cuonzo Martin’s program.
This season: 20.2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists
Analysis: We wrote during the summer that Moore would be one of the most important freshmen in the country because of Cal’s limited point guard options. He’s come through clutch and while he doesn’t have huge assist numbers, his scoring has been much better than expected.
Keep an eye on: Jonathan Isaac (Florida State), Frank Jackson (Duke), Amir Coffey (Minnesota), Michael Weathers (Miami, Ohio), Tony Bradley (North Carolina).
