After Kentucky took home the National Championship behind the play of sensational freshmen, I got to thinking. I was remembering the best players that have come through the ACC and was thinking about the teams that won the national championships in the past decade. Then I started to think about how none of those teams had a freshman as their best player, as Anthony Davis was for Kentucky this season. But then when I thought about it more, there have been some sensational freshmen that have come through the conference since 2002. The “one-and-done” players have made their presence known in the conference, maybe not as much as Davis this year of Carmelo Anthony for Syracuse in 2003, but still have been there. So I decided to look into further and figure out who the best freshmen of the past decade (since the 2001-02 year) have been. I looked at both their stats and how far their team advanced that season. Anyways, here is your top ten:
10. Rashad McCants, North Carolina (2002-03)- McCants would eventually go down as one of the better players in the conference in recent memory after his three seasons at Carolina. That is surprising, considering his very productive freshman year. The guard averaged a team-high 17 points per game, while shooting a career best 49 percent from the field. What made the difference between McCants freshman year to junior year was that in his first season coach Matt Doherty could only take the Tar Heels to the NIT. Roy Williams was brought in in 2003 and immediately brought the Heels back to prominence. McCants teamed up with Raymond Felton and Sean May to bring Carolina their fourth National Championship in 2005. McCants would leave after that, his junior, season and suffer through a rocky first couple of years in the NBA.
9. JJ Hickson, NC State (2007-08)- Hickson stepped into a tough situation at NC State. Coach Sidney Lowe was a tremendous recruiter, as evidenced by his getting Hickson, a McDonald’s All American, but struggled to bring the Pack to any type of national recognition. Hickson was immediately looked at to be the number one option for the Wolfpack and did his absolute best to deliver. He was named ACC freshman of the year after averaging 15 points and 8.5 rebounds a game, but the team finished 15-16 and failed to make any postseason tournament. The forward left after one year and has enjoyed a mediocre career that includes starting for the Cleveland Cavaliers along with Lebron James.
8. Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech (2009-10)- 2010 was not a special year for freshmen in the conference, but Favors, who came in as the number two overall recruit, did not disappoint Yellow Jacket fans. Favors started off a bit slow but ended with a 12.4 points per game average to go with 8.4 rebounds per game and an ACC best 61% FG shooting. Favors, much like Hickson, was immediately the go-to player for the Jackets, and led the Paul Hewitt-coached team to the second round of the NCAA tournament and a 23-13 record. Favors was consistently looked at as a top-rated NBA prospect and left after one season in Atlanta. He was picked third overall by New Jersey and has since been shipped to Utah. People are still waiting for the forward to deliver on his tremendous potential in the pros.
7. Marvin Williams, North Carolina (2004-05)- North Carolina was really good before Williams arrived. Roy Williams had brought this team back to national prominence with the talent of McCants, Felton, and May. Then the coach brought in Marvin and his recruiting ability was seen by conference foes. The highly touted recruit did not disappoint, averaging 11.3 points and 6.6 rebounds as arguably the most talented player on the most talented team in the country. The team went on to win the national championship and Williams left after one season. He has enjoyed the most successful career out of anyone on that Carolina team, being a mainstay in the starting lineup of the very consistent Atlanta Hawks team. Williams may be this high on my list because of his talent, and it can be argued that he would have been the best player on any other team in the country that year.
6. JJ Redick, Duke (2002-03)- Most know what Redick did in his career at Duke. He finished as the ACC’s all time leading scorer (upended by Tyler Hansbrough a few years later) and the all time leader in three pointers made and free throw percentage. Redick started this amazing career during his first season. He averaged 15 points and was named third team All-ACC on his way to leading the Blue Devils to the Sweet 16. Redick ended his career at Duke as being viewed as one of the best players ever to not win a national championship. The guard has gone on to continue improving his game and is now the first person off the bench for the Orlando Magic.
5. Chris Paul, Wake Forest (2003-04)- Paul was an immediate success everywhere he went to play. He was named the North Carolina player of the year in high school, third team all-conference as a freshman, and an All-Rookie team in his first season in the NBA. It is hard to point to one part of Paul’s game that was the most amazing. He averaged a conference high 2.7 steals per game while averaging a team leading 5.9 assists per game. He also put in 14.8 points per game and amazed the media with his outside shooting. Paul led Wake Forest to a 21-10 record and a Sweet 16 appearance in 2004. The point guard has enjoyed the most successful NBA career out of anyone who has come through the conference in the past decade.
4. Luol Deng, Duke (2003-04)- Deng came in as the number two recruit in the country behind just Lebron James. He finished his first season at Duke as the top freshman in the conference and best playmaker on a final four team. Deng was one of the one-and-done players to come through the conference this past decade and one of the only ones that was NBA ready after just one season. Deng averaged 15.1 points per game and 6.9 rebounds per game as the Devils had perhaps the most talented team in the country but failed to get past Connecticut in the Final Four. Deng has enjoyed a very successful pro career and was named to his first All-Star game this season.
3. Craig Smith, Boston College (2002-03)- Not many remember Smith, probably because everything went downhill for the Eagles and him after his freshman season. Smith led his team with 19.9 points per game and 7.9 rebounds per game his freshman year and was named as a member of the national All-Freshman team. Smith led Boston College to a Sweet 16 appearance that season but his averages went down every season after that year and the team never enjoyed as much success as his first year. Smith was drafted in the second round of the 2006 draft and has continually been mediocre in the pros.
2. Chris Bosh, Georgia Tech (2002-03)- Bosh did not do too much for the Yellow Jackets in terms of postseason play but is this high because of how he was able to continually be the best player on the court throughout his only college season. Bosh averaged 16 points and 9 rebounds while shooting 56 percent from the field. The Jackets only made it to the NIT but it was not because of the forward. It could be argued that Bosh was the most dominant freshman of the past decade. He was selected fourth overall in the 2003 draft by the Raptors, where he continued to be good but not enjoy any team success. After signing with Miami last season he has come closer to team success.
1. Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina (2005-06)- Arguably the best player of any age in the conference for the past decade, Hansbrough was also the best freshman. The center ended his career at North Carolina as the ACC’s all time leading scorer, but that all started during his first season in Chapel Hill. He averaged 18.9 points and 7.8 rebounds a game while garnering the ACC freshman of the year award. He led a team that was supposed to be rebuilding to a 23-8 record and a second round exit from the NCAA tournament. Hansbrough has gone on to have a successful NBA career, being one of the first players of the bench for the Indiana Pacers.
Honorable Mention: Austin Rivers, Duke (12), Harrison Barnes, UNC (11), Sylven Landesberg, UVa (09), Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake (09), Jeff Teague, Wake (08), Kyle Singler, Duke (08), Jeff Allen, VT (08), Brandon Costner, NC State (07), Javaris Crittenton, GT (07), Ty Lawson, UNC (07), Greivis Vasquez, Maryland (07), Raymond Felton, UNC (03), Julius Hodge, NC State (02)
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