20 freshmen to watch during the 2024-25 college basketball season

The first of Rutgers’ two high-profiled recruits who are a big reason the Scarlet Knights begin the 2024-25 season ranked 25th in the preseason Top 25 by The Associated Press. The 6-foot-10 Bailey was rated among the top-five recruits from the class of 2024, and rightfully so after he averaged 33.4 points, 15.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.9 blocks as a senior at Georgia’s McEachern High School. Already expected to be one of the best overall players in the college game this season, Bailey received votes for the AP’s preseason All-America team.

The best player in the state of Pennsylvania last season, Bethea now suits up for the Hurricanes. And, the McDonald’s All-American, who won the dunk contest at the event, has the potential to be an immediate impact player on the college level. As a senior at Philadelphia’s Archbishop Wood High School, Bethea 22.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists during his senior campaign. Bethea, who already signed an NIL deal with New Balance’s Klutch Athletics, is already drawing raves for his work ethic at Miami, which is certainly pleasant to see from a freshman. 

Kansas enters the season as the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25. The 6-9, 220-pound Bidunga likely won’t be asked to do too much out of the gate for the Jayhawks, but he’s likely to be a factor this season. Still raw, but full of elite talent and potential, Bidunga comes to Lawrence after being named a two-time Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year while starring for Kokomo High School, via the Congo. As a senior, Bidunga averaged 19.0 points on a ridiculous 81.4 percent shooting, 12.9 rebounds, 4.4 blocks, and 3.2 assists as a senior last season.

The 6-9 standout comes to BYU via his hometown of Moscow, Russia and Real Madrid. So, obviously, Demin is a freshman in collegiate status only. A projected 2025 NBA Draft lottery pick, Demin 13.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists during the 2023-24 season at Real Madrid and is already expected to be among the nation’s top overall players this season. An exceptional shooter, who can also run the floor at 6-9, seems NBA-ready right now. 

The hype machine has been non-stop for the 6-9 Flagg, 2024’s top recruit, an AP preseason All-American, who is slated to be the No. 1 overall pick in 2025 NBA Draft and already signed an NIL deal with Gatorade. The do-it-all talent averaged 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.8 steals and 2.7 blocks last season at Florida’s famed Monteverde Academy and was named Gatorade National Player of the Year and Naismith Player of the Year. ESPN brands Flagg as the game’s overall top player entering the season as he tries to lead No. 7 Duke to its first national title since 2015.

Born in the Bahamas, Edgecombe is no stranger to playing elite competition. This year he averaged 16.5 points, 3.8 assists and 2.0 steals in four games during Olympic qualifying with the Bahamian national squad. Closer to home, Edgecombe played for Long Island Lutheran High School, and was named Gatorade Player of the Year in New York for a second consecutive season as a senior. A pure shooter with exceptional athleticism, Edgecomb might already be one of the most complete guard talents in the country.

Fland teams with former Kentucky Wildcats’ prized prospect DJ Wagner and fellow transfer Johnell Davis for a Razorbacks squad with high expectations for John Calipari‘s first season at Arkansas. And, Fland didn’t disappoint while recording 22 points, six steals and five assists during a recent exhibition contest versus Kansas. Then again, that shouldn’t be surprising for the McDonald’s American, who starred at Archbishop Stepinac High School in the Bronx and averaged 19.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.4 steals as a senior.

Orange fans are certainly excited about Freeman, and with good reason. Like the aforementioned VJ Edgecombe, Freeman was part of the Bahamian national team that took part in Olympic qualifying and has the makings of being Syracuse’s next star power forward. Before playing at the famed IMG Academy last season, the 6-9, 205-pound Freeman averaged 21.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks for St. John’s College High School in Washington D.C.

Joining Bailey as the other half of Rutgers’ freshman dynamic duo is Harper, son of former NBA Star Ron Harper. Following in the footsteps of older brother Ron Harper Jr. by attending Rutgers, Dylan Harper averaged 23 points for Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey. Ranked behind the aforementioned Flagg and Bailey as the top prospects entering the 2024-25 season, the versatile Harper, who could be Rutgers’ best defender this season, was MVP of the McDonald’s All-American Game.

If it weren’t for the Rutgers’ high-profiled freshmen duo, Illinois might have the best recruiting class in the Big Ten. The 6-6, 205-pound Jakucionis could be the pride of the Illini class, but he’s far from a rookie. He played for one of FC Barcelona‘s lower-tier teams, but averaged 19.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.7 assists  during 19 games for the 2023-24 season. An Elite Eight team last season, Illinois is looking to reload, without rebuilding, and Jakucionis might be the key to that process. 

While Illinois went overseas to bring in Jakucionis, that stayed closer to home with the 6-9 Johnson, who was named Illinois Mr. Basketball for 2023-24 while starring for perennial state power Thornton High School in the Chicago south suburb of Harvey. As a senior for the Wildcats, Johnson averaged 20 points, 15 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals. The versatile Johnson, who plays a true 94-foot game, also helped Team USA win the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Another recruit who resides among the top five in the country (depending on who is doing the rankings), Johnson also received votes for the AP All-America team. Like Flagg, Bailey and Harper, the hype is real with the active Johnson. He scored more than 2,500 points during a prep career that featured three seasons at Dallas’ famed Lake Highlands High School and his senior campaign at Link Academy in Missouri. Since arriving at Texas, Johnson scored 30 against Colorado in a recent closed-door scrimmage.

The aforementioned Cooper Flagg has gotten all the attention among Duke freshmen, but college basketball fans should not sleep on Knueppel. The talented 6-7 shooter from Milwaukee already turned heads by going 4-of-5 from 3-point range and scoring 15 points in six minutes during the Blue Devils’ recent exhibition win over Arizona State. Of course, Knueppel might not deliver that kind of performance on a game-by-game basis, but his role out of the gate should be to provide instant offense when called upon. 

Sticking with the Blue Devils, 7-2 Maluach is still rather raw. Though, he fine-tuned his game while playing for the NBA Academy Africa in Sudan. To start, it’s likely Maluach, who sports a 7-foot-5 wingspan and 9-foot-8 standing reach, could make his bones ruling the defensive paint and blocking shots. Prior to arriving in Durham, Maluach helped Sudan qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The fact that Maluach won’t be asked to play outside his comfort zone should aid his collegiate progress. 

Originally committed to Indiana, McNeeley is now at UConn, where he claimed the move was a “business decision .” Entering the preseason, the Huskies appear to have a better chance at winning another national title and than the Hoosiers do. A pure shooter, the 6-7 McNeeley is a McDonald’s All-American who played last season at Montverde Academy in Florida. Teamed with standout returner Alex Karaban, the two-time reigning national champion Huskies enter the season ranked third in the AP Top 25.

Powell joins the aforementioned Ian Jackson in the Tar Heels backcourt, and has Tar Heels fans excited about their presence together. However, it’s uncertain, at least to start, if both will be on the floor much together. Powell averaged 17.7 points, on 57-percent shooting from the field, 7.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.2 blocks as a senior at Northwood High School in Pittsboro, N.C. At 6-6, Powell isn’t dominating physical presence, but he has sneaky strength to go along with a noticeable speed and an overall fluid game. 

A 17-year-old, the 6-9 Quaintance is certainly one of the more intriguing newcomers for the 2024-25 campaign. Hailing from Cleveland, Quaintance played for Word of God Christian Academy in North Carolina last season. The McDonald’s All-American already showed off his talent by posting 11 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks during the Sun Devils’ recent exhibition loss at Duke. While Arizona State is likely to struggle within the confines of the Big 12, Quaintance is certainly worth keeping an eye on.

Queen could end up being the king of the court for the Terrapins this season. At 6-10, 245 pounds, Queen should be a load to handle at both ends of the floor for Maryland opponents. Hailing from nearby Baltimore, Queen was named co-MVP of the McDonald’s All-American Game, where he totaled 23 points, eight rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocks.He played three seasons at Montverde, and averaged 16.4 points and 7.5 rebounds as in 2023-24.

Arguably the best 2024 prospect to come out of Canada, Riley reclassified to play college ball this season. Illinois proved the lucky school to win Riley’s services, getting one of the best prep players in North America . The 6-8 Riley has the potential to be an immediate star for the Illini after he averaged 26.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists while playing at The Phelps School in Pennsylvania last season. However, it will be interesting to see how Illinois coach Brad Underwood chooses to use Riley at the start.