College Basketball

Big Ten: 5 Freshman Making An Immediate Impact In 2016-17

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:43 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Casey Pazzalia/FanSided via Hoops Habit

All throughout the Big Ten, freshman are making impacts in 2016-17. We will highlight which players have had the most profound influence on their respective teams.

Dec 17, 2016; Des Moines, IA, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Jordan Bohannon (3) goes to the basket during the second half against the Northern Iowa Panthers at Wells Fargo Arena. Iowa won 69-46. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

In the current college basketball world we live in, a top-tier freshman can instantly elevate a team into national title consideration.

Most notably, last season when Ben Simmons arrived at LSU, the Tigers immediately became potential title contenders. Preseason polls had LSU ranked No. 21, even though they hadn’t finished a season in the AP Poll since 2008-09.

As truth would have it, Ben Simmons wasn’t the program savior everyone in Baton Rouge had hoped for. The Tigers missed the NCAA Tournament completely, limping to the finish line with an 19-14 record.

With that said, many times “one and done” freshman do bring national success to their schools. For every Ben Simmons, there is a Greg Oden (Ohio State), Carmelo Anthony (Syracuse), and Derrick Rose (Memphis) — superstar freshman who brought their programs to the Final Four, and in Carmelo’s case, a national title for Syracuse.

The Big Ten basketball season is off to a ferocious start, complete with unexpected upsets and great story lines. In fact, some of the this season’s best stories have come from first-year players.

Here are some of the Big Ten freshman who just missed the cut:

Justin Jackson (Maryland): Yet another import from Canada’s growing basketball scene. Leads the Terrapins in three-point percentage (42.3 percent).

Carsen Edwards (Purdue): Worked his way into Purdue’s starting line-up, averaging 10.3 points for the 14-4 Boilermakers. Came to Purdue as the No. 38 ranked recruit in 2016, per ESPN’s Top-100.

Cassius Winston (Michigan State): Leading the entire Big Ten conference in assists with 5.9 per game.

Tyler Cook (Iowa): After returning from an injury, Cook had 11 points and eight rebounds in Iowa’s most recent upset over Michigan. Currently averaging 12.6 points per game for the Hawkeyes.

Jordan Bohannon (Iowa): Averaging 9.0 points and 5.1 assists as the facilitator of Iowa’s offense.

Cordell Pemsl (Iowa): Hometown recruit from Dubuque, Iowa. Averaging 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds for young Iowa team.

In the following slides, we will outline the Big Ten freshman making the biggest impact for their respective programs.

Nov 20, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Miles Bridges (22) drives the baseline against Florida Gulf Coast Eagles forward Demetris Morant (21) during the second half of a game at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

5. Miles Bridges, Michigan State

Despite missing seven games with an ankle injury, Miles Bridges has lived up to the hype in East Lansing.

In his first game back against Rutgers, Tom Izzo eased Bridges back into action, playing him 17 minutes off the bench. Although he only scored six points in the Spartans 93-65 win, Bridges stole the show with his rim-rattling dunks.

Miles Bridges is the X-factor for the Spartans, leading the team in scoring (14.5 PPG) and rebounding (8.0 RPG).

His success should come as no surprise.

According to ESPN, he was the second best recruit in the state of Michigan and No. 8 ranked recruit overall for the class of 2016.

Bridges, a five-star prospect from Flint, Michigan, passed up offers from Kentucky and Indiana. Instead, he chose to stay at home and go to Michigan State.

Expect Miles Bridges back in Michigan State’s starting lineup going forward. The Spartans need to shore up their NCAA Tournament resume after losing five non-conference games.

Following his stellar freshman season, it would be no surprise if Bridges was a lottery pick in this year’s NBA Draft.

Nov 11, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions guard Tony Carr (10) reacts to a play with teammate Lamar Stevens (11) against the Albany Great Danes during the second half at the Bryce Jordan Center. Albany defeated Penn State 87-81. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

4. Tony Carr, Mike Watkins, Lamar Stevens, Penn State

One of the most interesting stories in college basketball comes from a place not normally known for hoops.

Penn State?!?

The Nittany Lions had an outstanding recruiting class coming into 2016-17. However, the story is that Penn State’s top four freshman are all from the same place, including three from the same high school.

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Tony Carr, Lamar Stevens, and Nazeer Bostick all came to Happy Valley from Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia. While Mike Watkins didn’t attend RCHS, he does hail from Philadelphia as well.

Bostick, the lowest rated recruit of all Nittany Lion freshman, was in the rotation to start the year but has fallen by the wayside recently.

On the other hand; Carr, Stevens, and Watkins are serious contributors to a Penn State team that is suddenly surprising people.

After being upset in non-conference play by Albany and George Mason, the Nittany Lions have proved themselves worthy in Big Ten play. With two wins already, Penn State is right in the thick of things moving forward.

Ironically, the Nittany Lion’s biggest win came right in the backyard of their phenom freshman.

Penn State beat college basketball blue blood Michigan State at the Palestra in Philadelphia. In the 72-63 win, the Nittany Lions were led by their hometown trio. Lamar Stevens paced Penn State with 18 points, while Tony Carr added 14 and Mike Watkins contributed 11 of his own.

For the season; Carr, Stevens, and Watkins are contributing in every facet of the game. All three are averaging double figures in scoring and more than five rebounds per game. Carr, who runs the offense for Penn State, also leads the team in assists with 3.8 per game.

In addition, Watkins is anchoring the Nittany Lion’s defense and is second in the Big Ten with 2.9 blocks per game. He earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors in mid-December.

Jan 1, 2017; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Anthony Cowan (0) calls a play against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-USA TODAY Sports

3. Anthony Cowan, Maryland

Coming into this year, Maryland was in desperate need of help after four of last year’s starters turned pro.

Enter Anthony Cowan, the No. 1 recruit from the state of Maryland.

Brought in as the successor to superstar Melo Trimble, Cowan is proving to be way ahead of schedule.

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If every superstar needs a sidekick, then Anthony Cowan is exactly that to Melo Trimble. Together, the pair has become one of the most feared backcourts in all the Big Ten.

While Trimble gets much of the fanfare, it’s Cowan who is the motor that makes this team go.

Cowan, a hometown freshman from Bethesda, Maryland, is filling the stat sheet like a seasoned veteran. Through 18 games, he is averaging 10.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Even though his offensive stats are impressive, his defense is extremely valuable, too.

He’s a pesky on-ball defender and plays with an energy that his teammates feed off. His 19 steals rank second among all Big Ten freshman.

Although, he only stands six feet tall, Anthony Cowan is playing the second most minutes of all Terrapins players. He’s started every one of Maryland’s games, helping them to a conference best 16 wins.

Dec 21, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Nick Ward (44) reacts to a play during the first half of a game against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

2. Nick Ward, Michigan State

One year after winning the Big Ten tournament, the Spartans find themselves in an unfamiliar place.

Having played one of the most difficult non-conference schedules in all of college basketball, the Spartans have already matched their loss total from last season (six).

With losses mounting in their non-conference schedule, things came to a head with a 81-73 home loss to lowly Northeastern on Dec. 18.

With their backs against the wall and Miles Bridges sidelined, legendary head coach Tom Izzo promptly shook things up.

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First things first for Izzo; get freshman Nick Ward into the starting lineup.

Izzo’s intuition paid off, potentially saving the Spartans’ NCAA Tournament dreams.

Right off the bat, Ward made a monstrous impact for Michigan State. The Spartans reeled off four straight victories, including three Big Ten wins.

Ward, a 6-foot-3 forward, averaged 18.3 points and 8.5 rebounds throughout the winning streak — vastly improving his averages from the Spartans first 12 games (12.2 PPG and 6.2 RPG).

With Big Ten conference play in full swing, Michigan State will rely on their freshman to lead them into March Madness. Although they struggled in non-conference play, the young Spartans team gained valuable experience from playing top-flight competition.

Expect Nick Ward to keep getting big minutes down the stretch. Coupled with Miles Bridges, the Spartans are in good hands in their march to the NCAA Tournament.

Nov 14, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Gophers guard Amir Coffey (5) dribbles in the second half against the UT Arlington Mavericks guard Erick Neal (1) at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

1. Amir Coffey, Minnesota

After winning only eight games all of last season, the Golden Gophers are surprising everyone in 2016-17.

Through 18 games, they’re right in the middle of the Big Ten title conversation and a potential shoo in for the NCAA Tournament.

Although, the Gophers have plenty of great players, it is a freshman who is leading the way.

That freshman is Amir Coffey, a 6-foot-8 swingman who earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors on Jan. 10.

Despite receiving offers from big-time programs like Michigan State, Arizona and Wisconsin, Coffey chose to stay right at home in Minnesota to play college basketball. No surprise, as Coffey’s father, Richard, was a basketball legend in the Twin Cities during the late 80s and early 90s. The elder Coffey played four years for Minnesota’s college basketball team, followed by one year in the NBA with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

It must be noted that Amir and Richard aren’t the only two ballers in the Coffey family. Amir’s sisters, Nia (Northwestern) and Sydney (Marist), both scored over 1,000 points in their Division 1 college basketball careers.

So far, Amir Coffey has followed in his father’s footsteps nicely. In fact, his freshman season looks better statistically than any of his dad’s college years.

With his long reach and amazing athletic ability, the four-star recruit seems to be involved in every single play. He is currently averaging 12.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game for the 15-3 Golden Gophers.

When it comes to the eye test, you can definitely see Amir Coffey playing in the NBA one day.

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