Luke Winn's Top 15 Freshmen

SI Staff | Oct 12, 2007

Luke Winn's Top 15 Freshmen /

Luke Winn's Top 15 Freshmen

J.J. Hickson

Hickson was Sidney Lowe's first major recruiting victory in Raleigh, and the five-star big man from Marietta, Ga., should be an excellent fit in N.C. State's frontcourt alongside Ben McCauley and Brandon Costner. Whereas Coster and McCauley are more versatile big men who often float out on the perimeter, Hickson is a fierce low-post scorer and relentless rebounder.

Patrick Patterson

Patterson earned more ink than any other Class of '07 recruit simply by waiting to make his college decision until the final day of the recruiting process. By opting to play for Billy Gillispie in Lexington, Patterson gives himself the opportunity to start from the get-go; the Wildcats are stacked in the backcourt but were in desperate need of a powerful interior presence.

Austin Freeman

The Hoyas' one glaring void during their run to the '07 Final Four was an elite two-guard. Too bad Freeman, a renowned mid-range scorer and quality perimeter shooter, couldn't have joined the team a year earlier. He should fit nicely into Georgetown's guard rotation behind Jonathan Wallace and Jessie Sapp, who are both savvy floor generals in the modified Princeton offense, but lack offensive skill-sets as polished as Freeman's.

Corey Fisher

The Wildcats have done well with New York/New Jersey-area guards in the past (see: Randy Foye and Allan Ray), and Fisher might just be the perfect complement to sophomore star Scottie Reynolds. Fisher is a lightning-quick creator off the dribble who should generate open shots for Reynolds and ease his ballhandling burden. Expect coach Jay Wright to start both Fisher and fellow freshman Corey Stokes in his three-man backcourt from the opening game.

Donte Greene

Greene, a five-star, 6-foot-9 forward from Baltimore, is not the second coming of Carmelo, but he is a potential All Big East talent. Greene led the Jordan Classic in scoring with 20 points this April, and together with incoming point guard Johnny Flynn (who just missed this list) and sophomore swingman Paul Harris, should help re-energize a Syracuse program that missed the NCAA tournament in '07.

Jerryd Bayless

The Wildcats often struggled to -- among other things -- knock down long-range shots during a disappointing '06-07. Putting Bayless, a superb shooter, alongside Chase Budinger on the wing should be a recipe for a much-improved offense this season. The Phoenix product is also regarded as an above-average defender, which 'Zona is in dire need of on the perimeter.

DeAndre Jordan

Jordan chose to remain with the Aggies even after the departure of Billy Gillispie to Kentucky, meaning that new coach Mark Turgeon inherits the best pure center in the Class of '07. Teamed up alongside savvy low-post veteran Joseph Jones, Jordan will be a major part of A&M's darkhorse run at the Big 12 title.

Blake Griffin

The Sooners' talent base was severely hurt by the March 2006 departure of coach Kelvin Sampson, whose top two recruits, Damion James (Texas) and Scottie Reynolds (Villanova) scattered elsewhere as well. The arrival of Griffin, a McDonald's All-American and the younger brother of current OU forward Tyler, could help spark a turnaround. During the Sooners' Labor Day trip to British Columbia, Blake showed signs of his potential, averaging a double-double against the Canadian competition.

Kyle Singler

Singler, at 6-foot-8 and 210 pounds, isn't the low-post presence that the Blue Devils desperately need ... but he happens to be perhaps the best wing player in the Class of '07 -- both a polished perimeter shooter and a tenacious, long-armed defender. The Medford, Ore., product should run away with ACC rookie of the year honors.

Kosta Koufos

Koufos wasn't a top-10 prospect coming out of high school in Canton, Ohio, but he exploded on the international scene this summer and greatly elevated his reputation. Playing for his mother's native country, Greece, at the European Under-18 Championships in Spain, Koufos was named the tournament MVP after averaging a stunning 26.5 points, 13.0 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 1.4 steals.

Eric Gordon

Gordon averaged 27.7 points per game during the Hoosiers' Labor Day-weekend trip to the Bahamas -- where, incidentally, Gordon's mother was born. He has the offensive arsenal to lead the Big Ten in scoring as a freshman, and will be the key to Indiana challenging for the league title, as well as making a darkhorse run at the Final Four.

Michael Beasley

Bob Huggins left Manhattan after pulling off a major recruiting victory by landing Beasley ... but Beasley remained committed to the Wildcats because his favorite old AAU coach, Dalonte Hill, stayed with K-State's new staff. As much as what Kevin Durant did last season was regarded as an anomaly, Beasley is capable of putting up similar numbers in the Big 12 -- but it's doubtful he has the supporting cast to make a run at a decent seed in the NCAAs.

O.J. Mayo

Mayo scored 29 points in his first game as a Trojan ... although it was an exhibition in Mexico. With Nick Young and Gabe Pruitt gone to the NBA -- and current USC point guard Daniel Hackett out after having his jaw broken by Mayo during a workout -- O.J. will get the reins from the get-go, and we'll have plenty of opportunity to see whether or not he lives up to the hype.

Derrick Rose

Rose was already drawing rave reviews from his play in summer pickup games at Memphis; teammate Joey Dorsey called the Chicago-born mega-recruit "amazing." Despite the Tigers' abundance of guards -- their backcourt ranked No. 2 in the country on this site -- Rose should be the starter at point guard from Day One. He has potential, along with the two players preceding him on this list, to be the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.

Kevin Love

Love might be exactly what the Bruins need to get over the hump of merely appearing in Final Fours -- they've been crushed by Florida in the past two -- and actually winning a national title. He's the first great low-post scorer Ben Howland has had at his disposal in Westwood, and Love's arrival should be a huge boost for both Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (who gets to move to the three) and Darren Collison (who gets to catch Love's trademark Hail Mary inbounds passes).

Published Oct 12, 2007

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