The influence of international players on men’s college basketball is increasing significantly. A decade ago, only a few schools consistently scouted and recruited talent from abroad. Notable among these were Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s. Most other programs only recruited international talent after they arrived in the United States for high school. In recent years, this landscape has evolved dramatically. Top international prospects are now opting to play college basketball in the U.S. rather than going pro overseas before entering the NBA draft. Several factors contribute to this trend. Foremost among them is the advent of NIL deals, which allow college athletes to earn money while still in school. Here are the high major internationals from last season and the rank by ESPN coming in.
- Aday Mara, 7-3, C, UCLA Bruins
- Berke Buyuktuncel, 6-9, F, UCLA Bruins
- Motiejus Krivas, 7-2, C, Arizona Wildcats
- Paulius Murauskas, 6-8, F, Arizona Wildcats
- Johnny Furphy, 6-9, SF, Kansas Jayhawks
- Zvonimir Ivišić, 7-2, C, Kentucky Wildcats
- Kyshawn George, 6-8, SG, Miami Hurricanes
- Rueben Chinyelu, 6-11, C, Washington State Cougars
- Jan Vide, 6-6, SG, UCLA Bruins
- Lazar Djokovic, 6-10, PF, Xavier Musketeers
Honorable mention
- Rory Hawke, SG, Saint Mary’s
- Jun Seok Yeo, PF, Gonzaga
- Marqus Marion, F, Wake Forest
- Churchill Abass, C, DePaul
- Lee Aaliya, PF, Michigan
- Michael Belle, SF, VCU
- Alex Condon, C, Florida
- Luka Krajnovic, SG, Gonzaga
- Rashaan Mbemba, PF, Colorado State
I had high expectations for Aday Mara myself to be a top player for UCLA, but he, along with most of the players on this list, struggled mightily. None of them averaged double digits per game, with Johnny Furphy being the highest at 9.0 ppg. Only Alex Condon and Kyshawn George managed to average over 7 points per game, despite George playing on a Miami team that finished 96th on KenPom. While there were some efficient players who posted good statistics in limited minutes or roles, such as Zvonimir Ivišić and Motiejus Krivas, the overall performance of the class was very underwhelming.
Conclusion
This trend aligns with how other freshmen have been performing in the COVID NIL era. Relying on freshmen newcomers in the current landscape of college basketball seems increasingly risky. With more players opting to stay in college who might have entered the NBA but say for NIL, coupled with the impact of the additional year from COVID, the college basketball landscape has become older and more experienced.
Per KenPom, only 5 of the top 100 players in offensive rating are true freshmen. In the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, that number was 14. Last season, there were only two freshmen in the top 100. Playing time has remained roughly the same since 2020, though in 2019 nine freshmen ranked in KenPom’s top 100 players in percentage of minutes played — this season, there are two.
My research indicates that the impact of freshmen is much lower now compared to five years ago. Add another layer of adjusting to the rules of American college basketball. Even when freshmen do make an impact, it’s often from unexpected players like Sheppard or older freshmen like Brandon Miller. Many top recruits have flopped in recent years, reinforcing the notion that depending on freshmen from anywhere in this era may not be the best strategy. It’s certainly hit or miss.
