Meet the Rising Stars: Top Freshmen Dominating the Mid-Majors
From high-scoring guards to fearless forwards, meet the freshman phenoms reshaping mid-major college basketball. Stats, highlights, and more!
It’s been no secret that the world of NIL and the transfer portal has changed the world of college basketball and how coaches assemble their teams. Power conference schools are recruiting less and less true freshman, while relying on the portal to poach players from the Mid-Major and Low-Major ranks. This leaves the other schools to focus on a large pool of available freshman.
We’ve seen through the first third of the season some freshman separate themselves from the rest of the pack. Lets dive into five freshman making immediate impacts on their respective teams:
Martin Somerville - UMass Lowell
Stats:
13.2 points
2.4 rebounds
1.8 assists
1.5 steals
The 6’3 freshman out of Bowie, Maryland was highly sought after coming out of the Southern California Academy and a member of the 2024 Overtime Elite team. Other offers included: James Madison, Rice, Fairfield, San Jose State, Brown, Saint Louis, UNC Greensboro, and many more. Somerville did not have an offer from a power conference school, but there is no doubt that as he continues to improve throughout his early career some higher powers will be in his ear.
Somerville is shooting 44.9% from the floor and an impressive 45.3% from 3pt on 4.8 attempts per game thus far. All eyes are going to be on Quinton Mincey who we discussed as one of the top glue guys in the country for his team, but Somerville is going to be a second gear on this River Hawks team that has a shot at winning the America East this year.
The kid can flat out shoot. His effective field goal percentage is currently sitting at 58.7% ten games through the season. From inside the arc, he’s an elite finisher in what shots he has taken at the rim, finishing over 64%. From 3pt, he’s been the team’s best shooter, with seniors Mincey and Covington trailing shortly behind.
Two areas I want to see him continue to improve on is his passing and mid-range jumper. Both will come as he continues to develop, but he’s sub-30% from inside the arc (excluding points in the paint) and he’s averaging just 1.8 assists compared to 1.4 turnovers per game.
Get to know Somerville as he quickly becomes one of the most electric guards in the America East.
Here’s some highlights from his recruitment:
Gabe Pozzato - Evansville
Stats:
15.8 points
3.8 rebounds
1.1 assists
1.9 steals
Evansville is 3-6 on the season, but the Purple Aces have one of the most impactful freshman in the entire country. Gabriel Pozzato is a 6’7 Italian that has true NBA potential. There’s no doubt that as his career develops in the collegiate basketball ranks that he will blossom into a next-level player as he’s already proving himself on the court.
Through nine games, Pozzato is shooting 51% overall and 32.7% from deep. While there’s some room for improvement on his 3pt shooting, just imagine his capabilities once that improves? Pozzato has a large wingspan and stuns crowds with a massive vertical that he uses to slam down on the rim. Just watch this dunk below:
Pozzato is also relentless on the defensive end. He’s averaging nearly two steals per game, including a six steal performance against Murray State. In the final 27 seconds, Pozzato had two key steals to cut a five point lead to just two. He’s not afraid to use his wingspan to disrupt lanes and force teams to scramble on presses.
Any way you talk about Gabriel Pozzato, there is no doubt that his ceiling is enormous. He will be the reason that Evansville knocks off some tough teams in the Missouri Valley this season. If you aren’t familiar yet, make sure to start keeping an eye on him as his career develops through each game that passes.
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Layne Taylor - Central Arkansas
Stats:
17 points
4.8 rebounds
3.4 assists
2.1 steals
Layne Taylor might be just 5’11, but he is proving why he is one of the best freshman across mid-major college basketball. Coming straight out of Farmington, Arkansas, a town of just 9,700 residents, Taylor had an incredible amount of offers including: North Texas, App State, Denver, Sam Houston, Montana State, Saint Louis, Arkansas State, Lipscomb, Chattanooga, and more.
What do I love about Layne Taylor? His hustle. Every team needs a TJ McConnell that will fill up the stat sheets in various ways, and Taylor is just that for the Bears. At 5’11, he’s averaging five rebounds a game including, six against UNC Asheville and nine against SEMO. Against power conference competition, he finished with 20 points, five assists, and three rebounds against Georgia Tech and 15 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals against Utah.
I’ll be honest, he takes a lot of shots. He’s taken 88 three point shots already and the next closest is Brayden Fagbemi with 53. I’m not going to take that away as a negative, I’m taking that as the faith that head coach John Shulman has in the freshman. He wants the freshman to be the guy that he builds this team around as Shulman took over as head coach following his tenure at Alabama - Huntsville. Plus, his shot is a thing of beauty:
Taylor is flying under the radar as not only one of the best freshman among the mid-major ranks, but one of the best freshman in the entire country. As Shulman continues to build up this Central Arkansas program, I’m excited to see him build around Taylor as this Bears team could become sneaky here in the next year or so.
Josh Harris - North Florida
Stats:
16.1 points
7.2 rebounds
The North Florida Ospreys might have cooled off a bit after their hot start defeating South Carolina and Georgia Tech in their first three games, but Josh Harris as certainly not. The 6’8 freshman from Pembroke Pines is leading the team in scoring at 16.1 points per game so far. He’s also shooting 64.8% from the floor and 54.5% from 3pt (11 attempts). He’s posting monster numbers while averaging just 22.2 minutes so far through the teams first ten games.
Coming out of high school, Harris was ranked reasonably well at 37th in the state, however, he didn’t have offers flowing out the door. People are starting to recognize his name and that’ll continue to grow as Harris continues to dominate on the floor. What I enjoy is, he doesn’t play like a true freshman. He’s fearless already at a young age and seems to know his game.
The Ospreys’ potential is exponentially higher as long as Harris keeps contributing at this level. Make sure to bookmark him as a player to keep an eye on over the next couple of years because he has the size, the skills, and the potential to be a special player in college basketball.
Will Sydnor - Manhattan
Stats:
14.8 points
6.2 rebounds
1.2 assists
1.1 blocks
1 steal
It’s been an up-and-down season so far for the Manhattan Jaspers who have knocked off Fordham, Army, and Saint Peter’s, while falling by four to Le Moyne, nine to Virginia, seven to Marist, three to Fairleigh Dickinson, and 30 to Maryland. Head coach John Gallagher took over the reigns last season and he’s already building up a solid program with freshman Will Sydnor leading the way.
Sydnor wasn’t a top recruit coming out of high school, but the 6’8 forward is making a name for himself. Through nine games, he’s shooting 47.1% from the floor and 39% from 3pt on 41 attempts. He can finish down low, fly in for a dunk, and knock down shots from outside, making him a truly versatile offensive weapon for the Jaspers. Here’s some highlights in their win against Fordham:
On the defensive end, he can get up to block and he’s quick on his feet, allowing him to disrupt in the lanes as well. Against Saint Peter’s, he had three blocks and he’s had only two games where he didn’t have at least one block or one steal.
Will Sydnor is another name to watch as he helps this Manhattan program build alongside coach Gallagher.