Bossi's Best: Vernon Carey Jr. tops Freshman Tracker
We are into the heart of conference play, and there's a new name atop the Rivals.com Freshman Tracker, as Duke's Vernon Carey Jr. has overtaken Georgia's Anthony Edwards atop the list.
With Cole Anthony's injury and James Wiseman's decision to withdraw from Memphis, some room has been created inside the top 10, but for the most part those who started the season off hot have remained so and it's another Memphis Tiger, Precious Achiuwa, who makes the biggest move, going from unranked to No. 6.
Hanging just outside of the top 10 but ready to pounce and take over for anybody who may slip are players such as Arizona's Nico Mannion, Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis, Kentucky's Tyrese Maxey, Stanford's Tyrell Terry and West Virginia's Oscar Tshiebwe.
RELATED: Previous Freshman Tracker
MORE: Three-Point Play checks in on top 2020 classes | Twitter Tuesday
2020 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Position
1. VERNON CAREY JR., DUKE
How he got here: A native of Florida whose father was a star football player at Miami and with the Dolphins, Carey was the subject of a pretty intense recruiting battle and ultimately chose the Blue Devils over the Hurricanes, Michigan State and others.
Previous: No. 2
This season: 17.6 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.9 blocks per game.
Analysis: The best player on one of the nation's best teams, Carey has put himself into the National Player of the Year conversation with his stellar play. What has been most impressive is the way he has embraced playing around the rim and dominating the paint.
*****
2. ANTHONY EDWARDS, GEORGIA
How he got here: Initially slated to be a member of the 2021 class, Edwards moved up to 2020 in the first part of what would have been his junior year. After considering others, he elected to stay in his home state during the latter half of his senior year.
Previous: No. 1
This season: 18.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.
Analysis: The top scoring freshman in the country, Edwards has been just about everything he was touted to be and then some. The next step for him is to become more impactful as a scorer during tight games and to not settle so easily for jump shots.
*****
3. ISAIAH STEWART, WASHINGTON
How he got here: A native of New York, Stewart was wooed by many of college basketball's heaviest hitters and seemed to favor many different schools at one time or another, including Duke, Kentucky, Michigan State and Syracuse. He picked Washington midway through his senior year.
Previous: No. 6
This season: 18.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.
Analysis: Washington is facing a serious struggle to get into the NCAA Tournament at this point with the loss of point guard Quade Green because of academics. As good as Stewart has been, he's going to have to take his game to another level in a Pac-12 Conference that has several impressive young bigs.
4. ONYEKA OKONGWU, USC
How he got here: A dominant shot-blocker who was a five-star prospect throughout high school, Okongwu surprised nobody when he elected to stay close to home and committed to USC near the end of his junior year.
Previous: No. 5
This season: 16.9 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game.
Analysis: "Big O" has been a steady force on the interior for a USC team that has quietly moved to 13-3 and is positioning themselves for a run at the NCAA Tournament. He was expected to be a shot-blocker and rebounder, but his offense is already ahead of even the most favorable projections.
*****
5. ZEKE NNAJI, ARIZONA
How he got here: Nnaji was pursued by several of college basketball's bluebloods after really bursting onto the scene during the summer before his senior year. He picked Arizona over Kansas, North Carolina and several others.
Previous: No. 4
This season: 16.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.
Analysis: Arizona has been slumping, losing five of their last seven games, but it hasn't been for lack of effort and production from Nnaji. One of the most efficient post scorers in America, he needs even more touches.
*****
6. PRECIOUS ACHIUWA, MEMPHIS
How he got here: One of the last big-time prospects in the class of 2020 to make his college choice, Achiuwa waited until mid-May of his senior year to decide. After some time and looking like he could be headed to the Big 12, Achiuwa picked Memphis over Kansas and North Carolina.
Previous: NR
This season: 15.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.
Analysis: The transformation of Achiuwa from a "me" to "we" player has been impressive. In the absence of James Wiseman, he's taken his game to an entirely new level and found that it's just as easy to get his by playing a role as it is to rack up numbers by jacking shots.
*****
7. KOFI COCKBURN, ILLINOIS
How he got here: A native of Jamaica who spent much of his high school time in the New York area, Cockburn picked the Illini over Connecticut, Pittsburgh and St. John's.
Previous: No. 9
This season: 14.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.
Analysis: Cockburn remains one of the most pleasant surprises from the class of 2019 and he continues to rack up double-doubles. The Illini have moved into the Top 25, and he's a major reason why. A few more Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards and they may have to consider renaming it in his honor.
*****
8. JAHMI'US RAMSEY, TEXAS TECH
How he got here: The first five-star to ever select the Red Raiders, Ramsey had many other options, but behind the scenes most programs conceded that he would end up in Lubbock by the end of the summer before his senior year.
Previous: No. 8
This season: 16.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.
Analysis: A high-scoring combo guard, Ramsey has done a nice job of bouncing back from an early winter injury. Known as an athletic driver coming out of high school, his three-point shooting has been a big surprise as he's connected on an impressive 44.8 percent of his deep shots.
*****
9. LANDERS NOLLEY, VIRGINIA TECH
How he got here: A native of Chicago who moved to Atlanta during high school, Nolley was at one point (well for a day) committed to Georgia during the fall of his senior year. He then picked the Hokies a few weeks later over the Bulldogs, Illinois and others.
Previous: No. 10
This season: 18.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
Analysis: Not many expected a lot out of the Hokies this year, but they are off to a solid 13-4 start and 4-2 in the dangerous ACC. The scoring of Nolley has a lot to do with it and he's got to be the most under-publicized freshmen in America, given the numbers he's putting up on a nightly basis.
*****
10. ISAAC OKORO, AUBURN
How he got here: Auburn was very early to the party with an offer to Okoro and that paid off for the Tigers. There was little drama in his recruitment and he committed to them during July before his senior season.
Previous: NR
This season: 13.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.
Analysis: Yes, there are some freshmen who have put up more impressive individual numbers than Okoro. But, none of them are playing for an undefeated team and few are impacting winning the way he does on both ends of the floor. That counts for an awful lot when discussing the top first-year players.
*****
Keep an eye on....
Jordyn Adams (Austin Peay), Armando Bacot (North Carolina), Amari Davis (Green Bay), Josh Green (Arizona), Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana), Rylan Jones (Utah), Nico Mannion (Arizona), Tyrese Maxey (Kentucky), Jaden McDaniels (Washington), Tre Mitchell (UMass), Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (Villanova), Tyrell Terry (Stanford), Oscar Tshiebwe (West Virginia), Trendon Watford (LSU).