The Weekly Fast Break: Fierce impact freshmen

Take all those new experiences and pile on top the expectations of being a Division I student-athlete. We hold a special place in our hearts for freshmen college basketball players here at The Weekly Fast Break because we know that each one has a different experience. No matter the confidence that they may carry themselves with or the five-stars that followed them to college, the first year is incredibly hard. There will be tears because of a bad day at practice or when they suffer their first injury setback. Doubt can be a freshman’s worst enemy – can I do this? Am I tough enough? Will I ever get any playing time? Any freshman season, no matter the sport, is about survival. You learn that you are so much tougher than you think and can make it in the classroom and on the court.

This week, with the help of our colleagues at The Next, we shine our star power spotlight on a group of young women who are proving that being a freshman means you can make an impact in your own way. Some of these players will win awards in their respective conferences and nationally while others are simply contributing and doing what their coaches have asked of them this season. 

There are hundreds of other freshmen across the country we have not included, but know it is not on purpose or with any disregard for your talents. We see all of you and your effort, determination, and the impact you are making on your team and program. As Pat Summitt once said “offense sells tickets; defense wins games; and rebounding wins championships”. Everyone has a role on their team, and it takes each player to do their part for the team to be successful. 

One last reminder to all the newbies out there – the best thing about being a freshman is knowing that after this season, you are not one anymore.

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Star power spotlight (statistics noted are as of 2/25/25)

Sarah Strong, UConn: High expectations come with being the 2024 Naismith High School Player of the Year and the No. 1 recruit in your class. Then, they grow exponentially when you play at UConn. For decades, Geno Auriemma has brought the best of the best freshmen to Storrs, and they have delivered. Strong, who hails from Durham, N.C., is doing her part in her first year for the Huskies. The 6’2 forward has started every game this season and is averaging 15.9 points per game, which is second on the team. Her efficiency is off the charts, shooting over 57.4% from the field and she has 3-point range, knocking down 42 from behind the arc so far this season. Strong’s size and ability to stretch the floor has been a struggle for opponents to contain, and for a freshman, she has great court vision to facilitate and deliver to the likes of Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd when needed. She is the Huskies’ top rebounder (8.0 per game) and leads the team in steals as well. Strong has logged six double-doubles so far this year, including 22 points and 11 boards against USC in December, and 16 points and 13 rebounds versus South Carolina on Feb. 16. Her game and demeanor are lining up with the mold of so many of the complete players that have come before her at UConn. Most think she is the front runner for national freshman of the year honors – it will take a lot to convince us here at The Weekly Fast Break otherwise.

Delaney Gibb, BYU: Head coach Amber Whiting knew that after year one in the Big 12 her team needed to get “bigger, faster and stronger” and they had to build their talent base. BYU has found talent and instant production in Gibb, the 5’10 guard who has been the best freshman in the Big 12 to date. She is the top-scoring freshman in the conference and her 16.8 points per game ranks third in the nation for all freshmen. Gibb has hit double figures in 13 Big 12 contests, behind both her ability to score off penetration, get to the foul line (78.2% on the year) and shoot just shy of 40% from behind the arc. Her versatility and need to be on the floor for the Cougars has her logging over 33 minutes per game, which puts her top five in the conference overall. Gibb, a native of Raymond, Alberta, Canada, has been named Big 12 Freshman of the Week nine times already this season, which is the second most all-time. If her first season in Provo is any indication, Big 12 teams are going to have a very difficult time containing Gibb for the next three years.

Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt: Break school records – check. Break SEC records – check. Set national records – done and done. Vanderbilt’s arrival in the national conversation this season is largely due to Blakes, the highest ranked prospect to sign with the program under head coach Shea Ralph. The 5’8 high school All-American was the No. 8 player in the class of 2024 (per ESPN.com) and has been smashing records left and right this season. She is the top scoring freshmen in the nation at 23.3 points per game, which also puts her second in the SEC. Blakes is also second on the team in assists for the year and is averaging over 35 minutes per game in conference games. On Jan. 30 she set the true freshman scoring record with 53 points against Florida and then broke the all-time freshman scoring record with 55 against Auburn on Feb. 16. The Somerset, N.J., native is the first freshman since the turn of the century to record two 50-plus point performances in the same season, while she is just the fourth NCAA DI player to do so since 1999-00. While teams scramble to run her off the three-point line and get her stopped off the bounce, Blakes is making them pay for fouling her – she is automatic at the charity stripe at 88.5% on the year. While the ‘Dores fight to finish in the upper half of the SEC this season, Blakes is making a name for herself in the league and on the national stage.

Toby Fournier, Duke:  There was little doubt that one of the highest-ranked recruits in recent history at Duke would be an impact player this season. The 6’2 forward came to Durham ranked No. 10 the Class of 2024 (per ESPN.com) and her game has delivered for the Blue Devils. Fournier has not started a game this season yet leads the team in scoring at 13.4 points per game which is also tops amongst ACC freshmen. She’s second on the team in rebounding and her athleticism and versatility as a scorer makes her a matchup problem for every opponent. She can post up guards and forwards and then can step out on the perimeter and blow past defenders off the bounce to finish at the rim. Fournier has had six 20-plus point performances in ACC play but does it without being a 3-point threat – she has made just four all season. The Toronto, Ont., Canada native brings a flavor of showtime to the floor – Fournier throws down a dunk at the end of every Duke pregame warmup, something she has been doing since she was 14 years old.

Olivia Olson & Syla Swords, Michigan: Head coach Kim Barnes Arico knew there were questions about her roster coming into the 2024-25 season, but with a Top 10 recruiting class landing in Ann Arbor, the hope was the new faces could step up. The Wolverines have found themselves in and out of the AP Top 25 throughout the season and are positioned in the upper half of the Big Ten because of two impact freshmen. Each have started every game for Barnes Arico this season and are averaging over 30 minutes a game. Olson, the 6’1 guard from New Hope, Minn., leads Michigan in scoring at 16.3 points per game. Her versatility, size and high basketball IQ made her a highly regarded recruit and she has delivered. Olson has had seven 20-point games and one 30-point performance in her young career, forcing teams to honor the three-point shot while taking smaller guards and posting them on the low block in isolation sets. She has picked up Big Ten Freshman of the week honors twice. 

Swords, a native of Sudbury, Ontario, came to Michigan after competing for Canada at the 2024 Olympics, becoming the youngest basketball player in Canada history to compete in the Olympic Games. Known as a three-level scorer coming into college, the 6’ guard has proven that on almost every stage this season. She is second behind Olson in scoring for the Wolverines at 15.7 points per game, leads the team in rebounding and has been their top three-point threat, knocking down 55 from behind the arc so far this year. In her first collegiate game in Nov. 2024, she posted a double-double against then-No. 1 South Carolina with 27 points and 12 boards. Swords has had 10 double-figure games in Big Ten action, including her career high of 30 on Jan. 1 against another No. 1 team at the time, UCLA.

Allie Turner, Gonzaga: There is an old saying that coaches are “looking for makers, not just shooters.” Venture to Spokane, WA and that is exactly what Gonzaga has found in Turner. The 5’8 guard from St. Louis, Mo., came off the bench in the first two games of the season, but after posting 18 points in both, was inserted into the starting lineup and has been there ever since. She is second on the team in scoring (13.2 points per game) and has over 100 assists so far on the year, which leads Gonzaga. Her 44.1% from behind the arc is tops in the West Coast Conference (WCC). Turner also leads all WCC freshmen in scoring and minutes played (32.9 per game.) She has taken home WCC Freshman of the Week honors six times so far this season and is a major reason why the ‘Zags are tied atop the conference standings at 15-3.

Gal Raviv, Quinnipiac: International players sometimes are the best kept secrets in college sports. They can fly under the radar at the start of their careers and before you know it, land right at the top of every opponent scouting report. Raviv, a native of Kadima, Israel, came to the Hamden, Conn., campus with a resume bursting with experience. She was a member of Team Israel in the FIBA U18 Women’s Eurobasket in Porto, Portugal, where she led them in scoring and assists. Now, in her freshman campaign, the 5’9 guard has lived up to the expectations and then some. She leads the Bobcats in scoring at 17.2 points per game (sixth nationally for all freshmen) and has over 100 assists so far this season. She dropped 32 in their win against Siena on Feb. 1 and has her team sitting at 22-3 on the year. To date, Raviv has 10 MAAC Player and/or Rookie of the Week honors to her name. Quinnipiac is second in the MAAC standings at 14-2 behind the defending league champions, Fairfield. Raviv posted 21 points on the Stags in their first meeting on Jan. 30 – the rematch is set for March 8.

Liv McGill, Florida: McGill arrived in Gainesville as the highest-ranked recruit in Florida program history and has made her presence known since day one. The 5’9 guard has started every game this season for the Gators and leads the team in a host of categories: minutes played (30.8 per game), scoring (16.9 points per game in SEC play), assists (over 140 so far on the season) and steals. McGill had her first career triple-double on Jan. 12 against Missouri, going for 21 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. The Minneapolis, Minn., native is a playmaker with great vision and speed to find her teammates. With a lightning-quick first step, she blows by defenders to get to the rim and can beat you from deep behind the arc. She has hit double figures in every SEC matchup so far for Florida and has four 20+ point performances in conference play. McGill and Mikayla Blakes of Vanderbilt are the top two scoring freshmen in the SEC and very well could share Freshmen of the Year honors when the regular season ends in March.

Elina Aarnisalo, UCLA: The spotlights have been pointed directly at Westwood all season and the No. 2 UCLA Bruins. High expectations and big goals have been the theme for Cori Close’s team which returned key talent and has blended new faces as well. Enter Aarnisalo from Helsinki, Finland, who arrived in LA known as a master facilitator and a shooter with range. Her international experience with multiple organizations during her young career in Finland has shown that no stage is too big for this fresh new face. She has averaged 22.3 minutes per game, mostly off the bench, but has started 10 contests for Close so far. The 5’10 guard is shooting 30% from deep and has hit double-figures four times so far this year. She has lived up to the billing as a playmaker with great vision – she currently is 2-to-1 in assists to turnovers on the year and leads the Bruins with 107 dimes this season.

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Saniyah King, Howard: The Bison find themselves at 17-9 on the season but 10-1 in MEAC action because of the play of their dynamic freshman guard. King, whose mother also attended Howard, has started all but one contest this year and is second on the team in scoring at 11.7 points per game. The 5’9 guard has posted four games of over 20 points including 24 on Feb. 17 against Maryland-Eastern Shore. King is second nationally among all freshmen in assists per game (4.8) and that stat is tops in the MEAC as well. She has tallied 125 assists this season and is third in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio. One of the best guards for the Bison in recent history was 5’5 Te’Shya Heslip, who went on to win MEAC Player of the Year in 2017. Could King follow in those big shoes and be as good as Heslip for Howard head coach Ty Grace? The consensus inside and outside the program is a resounding yes.

Britt Prince, Nebraska: The famous movie line of “there is no place like home” seems to fit perfectly for the Cornhuskers’ do-it-all freshman. Prince, a top 30 recruit in the class of 2024 (per ESPN.com) hails from Omaha, NE which is just 60 miles from Lincoln, the land of Big Red. Expectations were high from the jump for the 5’11 guard, and she has delivered for head coach Amy Williams. Prince has started every game she has played this season and since the loss of sophomore standout Natalie Potts to a season-ending injury, has stepped up in multiple ways. Prince is averaging just shy of 33 minutes per game in conference play. Her 12.9 points per game is second on the team and the fifth highest scoring average for a freshman in the Big Ten. She has been a playmaker when needed, leading Nebraska in assists, and has answered the call as a scorer, hitting double figures 10 times in Big Ten action. Her mid-range game makes her an explosive three-level scorer and when she gets the ball in the open floor, you better have your head on a swivel. Prince can either thread the needle on the break or will get to the lane to score. Versatile and confident – just what any coach wants in their freshman standout.

TIP OFF 

Super 1K sophomores

Two Big 12 players that were part of our fantastic freshmen spotlight a season ago are continuing to tear it up in year two for their respective teams. In mid-February, the Big 12 was the only conference to have two sophomores with over 1,000 points and counting – Audi Crooks of Iowa State and S’Mya Nichols of Kansas. Both were named to the league’s All-Freshmen team and were first-team All-Big 12 selections in March 2024. This season, they have picked up right where they left off, leading their teams in scoring and impacting every game from start to finish. Crooks, the 6’3 center from Algona, Iowa, is averaging 22.6 points per game this year for the Cyclones and is shooting a blistering 59% from the field. Nichols, a native of Overland Park, Kan., is the Jayhawks’ top scorer at 19 points per game and the 6’ guard also leads the nation in made free throws (213). Both players are in the top ten in multiple Big 12 statistical categories and are turning heads on a national level too.

Start the coaching carousel

While we have not even reached the month of March yet, the coaching carousel has already started to spin. On Tuesday, Feb. 25, Southern Miss announced that after 21 seasons, Joye Lee-McNelis will be retiring as head coach. She was a four-year letterwinner at Southern Miss finishing her career with the second-most points in school history. She then got into coaching and spent 34 seasons as a Division I head coach at Memphis (1991-04) and Southern Miss (2004-present) and retires as one of 61 coaches in the history of women’s basketball to win over 550 games.

The University of San Diego announced on Feb. 22 that their women’s basketball program will be moving in a new direction and head coach Cindy Fisher will not be returning next season. Fisher had been at the helm of the Toreros program for 20 years, amassing a record of 345-267 and nine postseason appearances. She was named WCC Coach of the Year three times. A surprising announcement came on Feb. 24 from George Washington out of the Atlantic-10 as head coach Caroline McCombs resigned immediately with games remaining this season. For a program with a rich women’s basketball history, the Colonials had struggled under McCombs the past four years as she had amassed a losing record (55-65). Assistant coach Doug Novak is serving as interim head coach for the remainder of this season. These jobs and the dozens of other that are to become open in the next few weeks are now filled with new layers and expectations as NIL and revenue sharing enters the landscape of women’s basketball. We will be keeping a close eye on all of it here at The Weekly Fast Break.

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Poll watch

For the third consecutive week, the AP Top 25 has a new name holding down the top spot. Texas is now No. 1, for the first time in 21 years, dating all the way back to when Hall-of-Fame coach Jody Conradt was at the helm of the Longhorn program. Notre Dame falls to No. 3 after their 19-game winning streak was snapped by now No. 9 NC State in the Wolfpack’s 104-75 double overtime victory on Feb. 23. Tennessee is up four spots to No. 11 and fellow SEC member Oklahoma rises three places to No. 13. Florida State bounces back into the poll at No. 24 after two wins last week and Louisville skates in at No. 25 after beating now No. 16 Duke but falling to No. 8 UNC. Georgia Tech and Illinois fall out of the Top 25 this week and we count five mid-majors that are logging votes – South Dakota State, Richmond, James Madison, Harvard and Fairfield.

Full court press

While we spotlight impact freshmen this week, we also want to recognize all the seniors across the nation who have already and will play their final games at home in the upcoming days. The regular season is ending soon, and the post-season will be upon us. While we celebrate conference championships, let us remember all the blood, sweat, and tears every senior has given to their team and program. And not just those that represent with their school on the front of the jersey. We cannot forget the managers, office assistants, student trainers and even the senior pep band members who will play their beloved fight song for the last time at home. Each of you have forged a path for the those that come after you at your institution – be proud of what you have accomplished (check your local listings and broadcast schedule for times):

Feb. 26

Davidson at R/V Richmond

Ball State at Miami (OH)

R/V Iowa at Michigan

Washington at Minnesota

Colorado State at Nevada

Boise State at UNLV

No. 22 Creighton at No. 5 UConn

Feb. 27

SE Louisiana at UTRGV

Clemson at No. 25 Louisville

No. 13 Oklahoma at Florida

No. 11 Tennessee at No. 15 Kentucky

Missouri State at Murray State

R/V Fairfield at Mount St. Mary’s

No. 24 Florida State at No. 3 Notre Dame

No. 7 LSU at No. 20 Alabama

R/V Georgia Tech at R/V Cal

Oregon State at Cal St-Bakersfield

February 28

Princeton at R/V Harvard

North Carolina A&T at UNC Wilmington

Monmouth at Drexel

App State at Coastal Carolina

Brown at Columbia

March 1

Minnesota at No. 23 Michigan State

No. 18 West Virginia at Cincinnati

Army at Lehigh

Wofford at Chattanooga

Lindenwood at Tennessee Tech

Eastern Michigan at Buffalo

St. Thomas (MN) at R/V South Dakota State

Gonzaga at Santa Clara

BYU at R/V Utah

No. 4 USC at No. 2 UCLA

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March 2

No. 25 Louisville at No. 3 Notre Dame

Michigan at R/V Illinois

Florida at No. 1 Texas

No. 15 Kentucky at No. 6 South Carolina

Virginia at No. 8 UNC

Vanderbilt at Missouri

No. 20 Alabama at No. 13 Oklahoma

No. 14 K-State at Iowa State

No. 21 Oklahoma State at Kansas

No. 12 Ohio State at No. 19 Maryland

No. 16 Duke at No. 24 Florida State

No. 10 TCU at No. 17 Baylor

Villanova at No. 22 Creighton

March 3

Howard at South Carolina St.

Norfolk St. at NC Central

Montana State at Idaho

Idaho State at Northern Arizona

March 4

UTSA at East Carolina

Temple at Charlotte

Colorado State at San Jose State

North Texas at Rice 

*All statistics cited in this column are sourced from university and conference provided statistics