College basketball week one freshman takeaways:

College basketball is officially back and better then ever. With so many high level performances and matches, I will be highlighting my main takeaways from this year's star studded freshman class.

1. This Freshman Class:

If you’ve been following my account for a while now, this comes as no surprise as i’ve loved the 2025 class since a majority of them were freshman and sophomores in HS. From the star power to the depth, it is loaded from top to bottom and i’m gonna breakdown the class in depth from what i’ve seen from week one.

The top 10:

Cam Boozer:

Cam Boozer showcased his poise and dominance during two outstanding exhibition performances for Duke. However, his college debut against Texas saw a sluggish first half, resulting in 0/7 shooting. Despite this setback, he rebounded strongly in the second half, displaying the Boozer we knew in HS. Even in a less-than-stellar performance, Boozer’s multifaceted impact is undeniable. As a versatile 4-man, he presents a threat as a three-level scorer, a skilled playmaker, and an elite rebounder. Considering his all-around abilities, you can’t overthink him, I still very much think he’s the best player in the ACC despite the league having some other’s step in bigger ways.

Darryn Peterson:

DP was far and way the most polished guard i’ve ever scouted in person when he was only 16. Since then he’s gotten a lot better and stronger, to begin his college career he’s displayed that he looks like 2-3 NBA pro playing NCAA basketball. He’s special, it’s known very well but he is in fact the best guard prospect we’ve seen in a very long time, since i’d say Luka pre draft. He’s been ultra efficient, very much calm and not overthinking or forcing but even then vs UNC, I felt like he needed to be more assertive then he was, near the end of that game, he goes and hit’s two tough back to back 3’s that put Kansas in a winnable position, then doesn’t take another shot after that. Get UNC adjusted and started to blitz him but he just has to take over when needed. Regardless he’s my NPOY, I think he’s the best player in the sport and will only get better.

AJ Dybantsa:

For the longest time it felt like everyone wanted to talk about how special AJ is or how he’s a quote generational prospect. Up until this year honestly where i’d say a majority of people on twitter just started to care less about the prospect of AJ and what he can and cant do and part of that makes me think it was because of Ace Bailey. But the good thing is AJ is nothing like Ace and there has been way too much comparison among prospects I feel during the pre-draft process. AJ is his own in both good and bad ways but what AJ has over any prospect in this decade honestly is his movements at 6-9. He’s very much special in that regard and that has been his deadliest aspect of his game, the way he moves out the PNR as a 6-9 multi positional threat is pretty damn scary to think about and it’s the little things that does make AJ that special of a prospect and he’s got the most growth to come later on, out of any kid in this class to me.

Koa Peat:

Koa the best overall freshman debut out of anyone in the nation, to do what he did vs Florida’s frontline is quite absurd as it is. From the get go of that game, none of Alex Condon, Tommy Haugh, big Rue and Micah could even remotely guard him in the 1v1. Koa showcased All-American level of play, effortlessly attacking from the low post, executing in pick-and-roll situations, and displaying his mid-range pull-up game. In the game against Utah Tech, he contributed 18 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists, though his role shifted to being less of an enforcer, that game in large part of the weapons that Arizona has.

Caleb Wilson

Caleb was the winner of the freshman class to me, he played amazing in both games but really showed so much on-ball creation vs a Kansas frontline which they are very physical. Coming into the year, I was a big Caleb Wilson fan, I had him as a top 6 prospect in the draft, I had him as a top 6 player in the ACC and even then he exceed all of my exceptions. He’s been better then I thought he would be, he’s actually surpassed his senior HS numbers, There have been serious strides that Wilson has taken, especially as a creator. He’s hungry and has looked like he belongs in every top-four mock through the first two games. We will see how the season goes for Caleb, but he absolutely deserves his praise; he is among the best players in college basketball right now.

Nate Ament

Ament’s another guy who’s looked pretty sharp to begin his freshman year, on paper his numbers are as the rest of the top 5 however his lack of comp puts him a seat below for now. Nate looked rough vs duke in their exhibition and I still have serious questions about his first step and separation abilities but he’s looked sound so far, attacking downhill, hit 3’s in movement, playmaking has been an encouraging development. I just want to see Ament flourish amongst a top level program first and we won’t see that until the 25th of November.

Darius Acuff

Acuff’s been pretty good as a lead guard, the thing that stands out is that he plays with pro pace, never in a rush, super smooth and crafty, the game vs MSU he started to press just a bit and force things but he’ll grow as the year goes on, you can’t quite teach his maturity and pose as a kid his age, he’s built like an NBA guard, he’s been super fun to watch and think he’s the perfect guard for Cal to rely on this season.

Mikel Brown:

Mikel’s has grown a ton after that first game vs Kansas, he’s operating at a high level, attacking downhill with a lot more aggression, playing with much better pace also doing a great job finding his big’s cutting or just shooters, playing out in spot up situations. Brown’s electric and with players like him, you sometimes get poor decision making, there’s been a few but for the majority he’s been spot on and really good to begin this year, the Card’s likely need him to be the alpha and I think he has those chops to lead them.

Chris Cenac Jr:

Rocky start to begin his year and this is not that shocking considering he left link, still very raw and now into college he’s joining a Houston system that’s asking a ton out of him, so naturally his growth will arise as the year goes on, for now he’s struggling. Mainly how to be effective when he’s not taking jumper, he’s not a very good shooter to begin with but he’s already taking 5 jumpers a game and has shot just 20% at it. He’s a freak athlete but has to find that balance and what his true position is for college, almost likely he fits better in the league, but there are tendencies he has to fix now.

Brayden Burries

Burries was non existent vs UF to begin his season and that makes for his first weekend to be pretty disappointing but vs Utah tech he showed that he can very much be a dude in college, 18/3/3 with 5 steals on 3-6 shooting from 3. He looked good, plays with marvelous pace and that came with him putting Arizona ahead to seal the deal vs Utah Tech, that UF game has awful, but I’m not too worried about Burries played this week am in confidence it will be better.

Meleek Thomas

Thomas gets this last spot, he was ranked 12th however Alijah Arenas and Braylon Mullins are both out with Injures, which speaks to the level of talent this class has. Thomas has been great outside of the second half of the MSU game where he was trying to do too much, it happens it’s his second game in college. Outside of that he’s been fun to watch, crafty, being a creator for him and others have been a big bright spot to me.

Best of the rest:

Look this was an awesome showcase for the freshman class and will cover every notable prospect as the year goes on for now my standouts in this crop were:

Keaton Wagler:

Wagler looked unreal in their win vs FGCU, Wagler has not performed like typical 3-star freshmen. He’s flourished he’s looked like a legit NBA prospect and top 40 prospect in the class, his upside is pretty high, I think he’s done a pretty good job taking on the PG role for Illinois, safe to say the hype was real so far.

Ebuka Okorie:

Another kid who was not even a top 100 prospect who’s looked very legit, loved what i’ve seen, very fast, quick change of pace and deception… how can you not love watching his kid, he’s a quick favorite for me.

SWA:

Adams has challenged a big load as a true freshman for Auburn he’s looked great, can play him as a hub, as a roll man, connector, there’s a lot of routes, his motor has been pretty good, he’s finding ways to be effective with or without the ball and his playmaking has been great, just love this kid

Slow Starts: (top 50 only)

(Did get hurt, prior to that he played about as bad of a 12 minutes you could have started, 2-7 FG and 4 turnovers, I think he will be big for them, but needs to get healthy first and do a bit less as a handler)

(It’s been two games and I do think Nik’s gonna be good for them, one as a playmaker and two as a sharpshooter but god has he been scared to attack the rim, passed up two downhill drives for a kick out and as of now all 8 of his shots have been from deep, duke needs a little more from him as a slasher)

(Harwell did only play one game and coming off an ACL injury it’s hard to put high expectations on him but Houston does need something out of him. 7.3 usage rate is so so low in his 19 minutes he played vs Lehigh. His defense looked great but again, needs to find a role to be viable outside of just being a C&S corner shooter)

(Shon had a pretty solid first game by all accounts, issue was he may have gave the worst effort in his match vs GA State and when you go 1-6, you need throw some defensive effort. Shon’s a very gifted scorer and will have some games this year where he’s going for 30, maybe hit 40… but he’s pretty much a black hole defensively and his first weekend of college hoops was a slow start for a guy who can average 16-17 PPG this year.

Niko’s having limited playing time, averaging just 2 minutes per game over two contests, is not due to poor performance but rather his absence in the rotation. Given his status as a top-40 recruit and McDonald’s All-American, this is undeniably a disappointing start to his college career.

Alex only played one game, vs UNF, did not check in vs Arizona and for a UF team that needs backcourt depth, especially since Klavzar has been a non factor for the gators but Alex himself looked a true freshman that is gonna take time. had some bad turnovers, some bad defensives moments and his shot was off, he’ll get better but had a shaky debut.

This was known but Staton looks very unplayable right now, 7.5 MPG across two games, just looks lost, hunting really only for blocks, a RS would have made sense, but it’s burned now and he’s gonna have to develop quick if wants to find time and I just do not really see it.

Mid/Low Major Standouts:

Johnson’s been the leading scorer for a pretty good McNeese roster, he’s a transfer from Creighton after redshirting and while this numbers will fade big time as the year goes on, it’s hard to not like his aggression as an athlete

I was a huge fan of Meyer coming into the year and he’s been great to begin this season, Naz is a legit 6’7 guard who plays with so much creativity, he’s experimenting each game, I love watching players who test themselves each game and he’s certainly been that.

Ahrens’s an elite volume shooter who’s been pretty hot to begin this year, Boise needs him to be that.

Elam’s another kid I was high on prior to this season, a true stocky high motor guard who can score at all 3-levels and defend, just needs to add some playmaking, serious HM upside.

Cofield has been what he was in HS, elite athlete who can pass, just lacks a true shot from the outside, still has been good.

Habhab the surprise of the class, a RS freshman from CMU who I thought was going to be a non factor but looked really good, grabbed every rebound, has pretty vison and a threat in the post.

It’s a good boost if UCSB can get things out of freshman CJ Shaw but he has looked the part so far. Athletic slasher who can create in the PNR, liked what I saw

Preston’s been that and he’s really exceling at the collegiate level, I love his change of pace and his ability to find others, he’s as good of a true freshman you will find in the class.

Jake Hall may be the most exciting mid major freshman, It’s like he role models his game after guys like Luka but puts his own spin to it, he’s gonna have a lot of fun moments this season.

fun creation guard tier here:

11 electric fun to watch guards that I advise everyone to watch, 6 of them have serious HM upside, Wilkins the best prospect imo.

Others worth watching: (high upside guys)

This is a fun freshman domestic class but the freshman class gets even better when you look at the international class:

2. INTL Newcomers:

I’ve been advocating that international talent’s will elevate the college game to new heights and we’ve seen in full display this first week and it’s only been one week and not all are freshman and while some are adjusting fast, others are adjusting slower so let’s dive in.

Hot Starts:

Neoklis Avdalas:

Neo’s been elite to begin this year, I have loved Neo’s game since 15 and it has been criminal to see the lack of hype on him, outside of a few others over the course of two years, well the game vs providence certainly changed that, he was absurdly good, at his 6’9 his change of pace and attacking of the bounce is special and he can punch his ticket to the green room because he’s walking on draft night.

Hannes Stienbach:

Hannes is the goods, I would like to see more possessions towards him because vs Baylor it felt like they forgot he existed, anyways I thought he’s looked very good in 3 games, rebounding machine, can pass and has a nice post game. On defense he has his issues, pretty slow feet in drop but he’s been good.

Thijs De Ridder:

De Ridder killing it in buy games, was expected, go from the ACB to playing low major teams, you expect nothing less then 20 PPG and he’s looked great so far and 6’9 he’s been playing the PNR, running post actions and spacing the floor at a good rate

Still think Ilias has legit star level SEC upside, he is really damn good especially in the PNR. Big guard, with legit two way defensive upside, plays with great pace and he can really put on a show if he wants.

Mirk has been super fun to follow to begin his college career, taking advantage of some guys out for Illinois but he has looked like a legit all conference thru 3 games now but part of what he struggled at Derby last year was finishing thru athleticism so he has test’s coming up but im not too worried

Fru’s been getter better and better each game, his usage has been pretty low thru the two games, mainly playing a connector role then a thru do-it all big like he was last season in the BBL, but there is a ton of promise, he’s big, can move, has good touch, feel and can defend in space, he’s a big key for Lou.

Grunloh’s been the best defensive big in this euro class so far, moves ver well for a 7-footer and can space it out even if he has not hit one yet from deep.

Ruben is one of the best shooters in all of college basketball and that has been displayed so far but Bucky has to get him better looks and more shots off screens.

Love Toure, he already looks like a college vet so begin his career, motor off the charts, unreal on-ball defender, will lock up full court, hard to find a better on-ball defensive freshman right now

Vaaks man, what a player, loved watching him in Estonia, feel like Kim has to play him even more then he has now, because he’s looked at times their best offensive player.

Tunca’s good and having a true lead guard with that size has been very much legit.

Diop the story of the week, 7’1 moves like a wing, can handle it, can pass, can shoot… what can’t he do… and I was pretty damn high on him prior to him coming to ASU but he’s been better could have ever imagined. He took 2 total 3’s last year in Spain and dribbled the ball 4-5 times max in spot-up situations and now each game he’s handling the ball and shooting off the bounce like he’s done that his whole life.

Ignore the numbers because Mario had a good week, I thought he looked great vs OU, had a slow start in his first game but had a good second half, built it upon playing great vs OU and he’s only going to get better and better, buy stock before it’s too late.

Slow Starts:

Not sure I expected Mayer to be worse then he was at the Euro league, but he has looked very spotty so far and has missed too many easy bunnies, I’m not worried at all about what he will be for Purdue but I want him to be more assertive and he’s been the opposite so far.

Luka’s been fine for the record, slow start maybe but considering his circumstances, it’s hard to blame him, his playmaking has been pretty good, but an elite shooter, not hitting his 3’s and that’s why he’s here… he’ll be fine

Bad first game, better second game, that was the story for Jovic in both exhibitions and now as the season has begin. We’ve never seen the 3rd yet for Jovic so who knows maybe game 3 is his time to take over.

Sarr had a really good first game vs Texas, he’s an unreal defender, super fast, explosive, just has NBA tools and gifts you can not teach. He’s mainly ranked here based on his game vs WCU, here he did look pretty bad and out of character, I expect him to play much better moving forward but not the best opening week for the talented Italian

Ivan looked really good for the most part vs UF but vs Utah Tech he was a total no-show, little surprising but felt like he belonged here even if the numbers aren’t as bad as it actually was.

Kostic’s may have a big payroll to come to KSU but there seems to be little trust in the Serbian sniper so far, he’s lived up to the shooting so far going 3-5 from deep but has bad everywhere else

Elias has been what I kind of expected, BBL to NCAA transitions are cut and clear, he put up the same splits as he does right now in college. He plays hard, pretty smart but he does lack HM athleticism and that was known coming in.

For Gru going from 25 PPG in the U18 basket to playing walk-on minutes is disheartening and he is someone I do think they will regret not playing more, even if i’m not the biggest fan, they do need shooting and scoring off the bench and he’s the best bet, not Gabe Cupps or Collin White.

Mid/Low Major names to know:

Out of all these guys, the 3 of Roman Domon, Joel Foxwell and Martin Kalu stood out to me most, Foxwell with his pace and leadership as a freshman is remarkable, Domon has NBA upside as a crafty 6-9 guard and Kalu a freak athlete with shot making juice, clear HM talent.

Others like Lucas Mari are adjusting but 6’7 PG’s do not grow on tree’s and certainly not ones who can rebound like him. GCU’s Efe Demirel is fun but raw, 7’1 moves well, still a bit soft and Bryant’s Timo a 6’9 lengthy guard who combines bounce, shotmaking and can even hit movement 3’s like no other… fun.

On both the domestic and INTL trail there still is a decent amount of guys who did not play this week that will boost the freshman class some more moving forward, these were my thoughts on how the class faired, looking forward to this next week.