Louisville coach Jeff Walz had a preview two years ago of what the current national freshman crop would look like once they started their university careers.
Walz trained the United States for the gold medal at the Fiba U19 World Cup 2019 with an undefeated team that included Paige Bueckers (UConn), Caitlin Clark (Iowa), Cameron Brink (Stanford) and Haily Van Lith (Louisville) .
“They were all terrible players until I had a chance to coach them,” he joked. “But seriously, they competed with each other, against each other. They all have such good international experience and experience and played at a high level that they were able to enter college and be impact players immediately. “
A look at some of the freshmen who are expected to have an impact on March Madness.
PAIGE BUECKERS (UConn)
Big East’s candidate for player of the year and national of the year received the most attention from talented fledglings, averaging 19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 2.3 steals. She is one of only three freshmen to be named AP All-American from the first team.
She is shooting 54% of the ground and 47.4% of the 3-point range.
One of the three freshmen who see significant play time for the Huskies (after Aaliyah Edwards and playmaker Nika Muhl are the others), she has already hit decisive kicks against rivals Tennessee and South Carolina.
“Listen, I’m not bragging. But if I talked to all the coaches in America and they said they prefer their freshmen to Paige, I would say that they are saying this just to be nice to their own players, ”said coach Geno Auriemma. “Because there are things they’ve seen Paige do that no other freshman can do.”
UConn opens against High Point on Sunday.
CAITLIN CLARK (Iowa)
The Iowa star led the Hawkeyes to the Big Ten title game and led the nation in scoring with 26.7 points per game.
Clark, who hit 103 shots from 3 points, said confidence and playing on a big stage was never a problem.
“I think I always had that,” she said. This has always been part of my game. But I think my teammates definitely helped, too. They kind of gave me the keys and showed that they trust me and I trust them too. “
The Hawkeyes are a No. 5 seed and will face Central Michigan on Sunday.
HAILEY VAN LITH AND OLIVIA COCHRAN (Louisville)
Walz’s freshman duo is scoring about 11 points per game.
Each of them is in the top six in scoring and rebounding among the freshmen at the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Van Lith has three games of 20 points this season and Cochran has four doubles.
“They did a remarkable job of arriving immediately and having an immediate impact on our program,” said Walz. “And for us, that was an obligation. We needed them to have that kind of impact. “
The two seed cardinals will face the Marists on Monday.
TE-HINA PAOPAO (Oregon)
In that case, the absence of a freshman can impact the tournament.
The Duck guard, a fully Pac-12 team, averaged 10.2 points and 4.4 assists in his 19 matches, but suffered a right foot injury in late February and has been off the pitch since.
“If we can somehow bring it back, by the grace of God, what an elevation it would be,” said trainer Kelly Graves on Monday. “But I don’t expect it to be this first weekend.”
The sixth-placed Ducks, who have lost four of their last five games, face South Dakota on Monday.
CHARLISSE LEGER-WALKER (Washington State)
Leger-Walker took his team to the first NCAA tournament in 30 years, averaging just under 19 points per game.
The New Zealand native has scored 20 or more points 12 times this season, more than any other player in the league.
“It was a great first season, for me personally and for the team,” she said after being named Pac-12 freshman of the year. “Many learning curves and many successes along the way. A lot of history this year too, and it has been really cool to be a part of it. ”
The ninth Cougars champion faces South Florida on Sunday.
CAMERON BRINK (Stanford)
Brink has been a force for the Cardinal in painting, averaging 10.2 points per game and 58.2% field shots. She also blocked 64 shots.
She scored 24 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked four shots in the team’s victory in the Pac-12 semifinal over Oregon State, helping the cardinal to win the league’s 14th title.
“She is much better than she was in November,” said trainer Tara VanDerveer. ‘Seh didn’t have a summer to be on campus to train and work out. She learned our attack on Zoom. It took a while to understand the flow of things. She is doing very well. “
The most successful cardinal will face Utah Valley on Sunday.