In the 2022-2023 season, college basketball has some notable newcomers that have the chance to make a real name for themselves over the course of their careers. The long season ahead will hold trials and tribulations for the first year players, and their experience from high school also means high expectations from fans. Both men and women's college basketball have freshmen stars looking to make their mark–here are four athletes you should be keeping your eyes on.
Keyonte George, Baylor Men's Basketball
Keyonte George came out of IMG Academy but resides in Lewisville, TX. At the time of his senior year, he was the third ranked player out of Texas and the first in his position overall. He takes his spot to the 2021 NCAA National Champion Baylor Bears, adding a top rated player to the team after losing a few key athletes, including now Illinois Illini player Matthew Mayer. George seems to be off to a bit of a slow start, going under .500 in FG%, but that is not to fear, as he's putting in vital minutes on the court. Look out for George and the Baylor Bears, who should have a good season up ahead.
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Ta'niya Latson, Florida State Women's Basketball
Ta'niya Latson comes to Florida State in a similar position that Keyonte George made it to Baylor. As a top ranked shooting guard, Latson brings a strong presence to the Seminoles, who plan to make a deep run in the ACC. Latson has had a solid start to the season, shooting over .500 in FG%. Her freshman season is on the uptick to be impressive, being selected to the NCAA Starting Five in early November.
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Malik Reneau, Indiana Men's Basketball
As a power forward, Malik Reneau is coming to the highly competitive Big Ten, where the Hoosiers are progressing their team from a 9-11 record in conference play last year. The Hoosiers had an incredible recruiting class, ranking 9th in the nation in 2022, but Reneau will have to produce fast paced and high-octane basketball as a true freshman. So far this season, he's not putting in the most minutes, but averaging around 18 minutes per game, stacking with a FG% of over .600. He's also been strong defensively, grabbing three steals against Miami Ohio, showing off his technical but aggressive play style. Reneau should be a top player coming out of his recruiting class, and Hoosier fans should look forward to his performances later into his collegiate career. son comes to Florida State in a similar position that Keyonte George made it to Baylor. As a top ranked shooting guard, Latson brings a strong presence to the Seminoles, who plan to make a deep run in the ACC. Latson has had a solid start to the season, shooting over .500 in FG%. Her freshman season is on the uptick to be impressive, being selected to the NCAA Starting Five in early November.
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KK Bransford, Notre Dame Women's Basketball
Cincinnati, OH Mount Notre Dame's all time scorer joins the Irish already decorated as a player. With a strong start already in conference play, Notre Dame hopes to continue through the ACC with star players, adding Bransford to the list soon. She's playing valuable minutes and has a strong FG%, but hasn't put up the numbers she did throughout high school. This is to be expected as the Irish push for another winning year, only dropping nine games last season. Bransford is in a tight culture and should be able to earn more playing time and have some high-scoring games as the season goes on.
In any team, freshmen will be the foundation of the future, and strong performances will help mold that team for the rest of their collegiate career. The outlook for these players should propel them into stardom if everything goes right for them, but nonetheless, they have found solid teams to help them grow as the years go on. Freshman athletes in these situations will be put into a sink or swim scenario, and it seems like these four will be doing much more than simply treading water.
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* Originally published on December 7, 2022, by Jenaro DelPrete