Nov 9, 2013
Friday, November 8th was the debut of many great college basketball players across the country but none more hyped than the stars of the incoming freshman class: Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, and Julius Randle. Considered to be the top 3 picks in the upcoming 2014 NBA Draft, let’s take a look at how they faired in their first college games.
First let’s start with the phenom, Andrew Wiggins. Before Wiggins even graduated high school he’d been getting comparisons to Lebron, and Durant. So it’s safe to say that the expectations for Wiggins are absolutely unreal this season. That is a lot of pressure for a kid who is just 18 years old.
In his first collegiate game, Wiggins showed some flashes of greatness, and also showed that he still has room to improve. He started out the game nicely with a flashy spin move and score, and after that disappeared and did not score again from the field until the 2:13 mark of the first half. He might go through lapses offensively sometimes this season, being that he’s not a dominant Durant-type scorer, but his ability to affect the game in so many different facets is what makes him special. He finished the game with 16 points, 2 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 turnovers as Kansas cruised to a victory
Next up we have Jabari Parker. Parker was thought to be the number one player in his class before Wiggins reclassified, so clearly he has immense talent, and possibly a chip on his shoulder from being slightly overlooked because of Wiggins. He certainly played like it on Friday. Parker dominated against Davidson showing off a pro-ready game. He hit three pointers, he drove to the hole, he caught alley oops; Parker did a little bit of everything in a great overall first performance. He finished with 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Last but definitely not least was Julius Randle. Randle was a monster in his first game. He is a physical specimen and definitely made his presence felt. He dominated all facets of the game. Although it was against lower competition, Randle certainly lived up to the hype in his very first collegiate game, and looks like he will push Wiggins and Parker for the top pick in the upcoming NBA draft. He finished with 23 points and 15 rebounds.
Overall, these three star freshmen gave college basketball fans across the country a very strong first impression. We’ll see if they can continue to live up to the hype for the rest of the season, as the race to become the number one pick in the upcoming NBA Draft continues.
