Identifying college basketball’s quickest emerging freshmen
In the transfer portal era of college basketball, freshmen are still making impacts across the country. Coaches are still emphasizing recruiting and allowing younger players to have roles on teams with national championship hopes. For On3’s Joe Tipton, two are standing out nearly two months into the 2023-2024 season.
One of those is Baylor‘s Ja’Kobe Walter, who has been the star in the Bears’ perfect 9-0 record to begin the season. He is averaging nearly 15 points per game and shooting 38% from three. Scott Drew has been able to insert Walter into the system perfectly, keeping Baylor’s well-oiled machine moving along.
“Baylor is really good this year,” Tipton said during Thursday’s episode of Andy Staples On3. “If you watched Ja’Kobe play in the high school ranks, you saw this coming. He was the perfect replacement for Keyonte George, who also found success at Baylor. Very similar shot maker. Guy that really gets to his spots and can really score. Former McDonald’s All-American as well. He’s been a huge standout for me.”
Walter played high school basketball at McKinney (TX) Link Year Prep, where he was a Five-Star Plus+ prospect. He was the No. 9 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
Isaiah Collier impressing early on at USC
Tipton then looked out West for his next standout with the USC Trojans. No, not Bronny James, who recently made his college basketball debut. But Isaiah Collier, the former No. 1 overall player in the country.
“A lot of the question marks he had coming out of high school were — can he shoot? We know he’s a strong, tough, downhill guard,” Tipton said. “Really, really talented passer. But can he shoot the basketball?
“He’s almost 50% from the field. He is a little turnover-prone. But a lot of that will come with his being more comfortable as the season goes on.”
Collier is averaging 17.0 points at the moment, shooting 55% from inside the arc. Expanding his range has resulted in his overall percentage dipping, making his three-pointers at a 32% clip while averaging around three attempts.
A big test for Collier is upcoming, with USC traveling to the Plains for a matchup against Auburn. Broadcasted on ESPN at 1 p.m. ET, everyone will get to see what Tipton has seen thus far with the future NBA Draft pick and current Trojan star.
Collier played high school basketball at Marietta (GA) Wheeler, where he was a Five-Star Plus+ prospect. He was the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.