Top 10 points
Analyzing the top recruits
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SCORING
Points per game for Top 10 recruits (2007-present)
| Class | Player (rank) | Team | PPG |
| 2007 | Michael Beasley (4) | Kansas State | 26.2 |
| 2007 | O.J. Mayo (1) | USC | 20.7 |
| 2007 | Eric Gordon (3) | Indiana | 20.1 |
| 2007 | Jerryd Bayless (7) | Arizona | 19.7 |
| 2007 | Donte Greene (8) | Syracuse | 17.7 |
| 2010 | Kyrie Irving (2) | Duke | 17.5 |
| 2007 | Kevin Love (2) | UCLA | 17.5 |
| 2010 | Brandon Knight (4) | Kentucky | 17.3 |
| 2010 | Jared Sullinger (3) | Ohio State | 17.2 |
| 2008 | Tyreke Evans (3) | Memphis | 17.1 |
| 2009 | John Wall (2) | Kentucky | 16.6 |
| 2007 | Patrick Patterson (t9) | Kentucky | 16.4 |
| 2010 | Harrison Barnes (1) | North Carolina | 15.7 |
| 2010 | Tobias Harris (5) | Tennessee | 15.3 |
| 2009 | DeMarcus Cousins (3) | Kentucky | 15.1 |
| 2007 | Derrick Rose (t5) | Memphis | 14.9 |
| 2007 | J.J. Hickson (t9) | N.C. State | 14.8 |
| 2011 | Cody Zeller (10) | Indiana | 14.8 |
| 2011 | Bradley Beal (4) | Florida | 14.3 |
| 2009 | Kenny Boynton (9) | Florida | 13.9 |
| 2008 | DeMar DeRozan (5) | USC | 13.9 |
| 2010 | Perry Jones (8) | Baylor | 13.9 |
| 2011 | Anthony Davis (1) | Kentucky | 13.8 |
| 2011 | Austin Rivers (2) | Duke | 13.8 |
| 2009 | Xavier Henry (6) | Kansas | 13.4 |
| 2007 | Kyle Singler (t5) | Duke | 13.3 |
| 2011 | Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (3) | Kentucky | 13.2 |
| 2010 | Tristan Thompson (9) | Texas | 13.0 |
| 2008 | Al-Farouq Aminu (7) | Wake Forest | 12.9 |
| 2008 | Greg Monroe (6) | Georgetown | 12.7 |
| 2011 | LeBryan Nash (8) | Oklahoma State | 12.5 |
| 2009 | Derrick Favors (1) | Georgia Tech | 12.4 |
| 2010 | Will Barton (10) | Memphis | 12.3 |
| 2009 | Lance Stephenson (8) | Cincinnati | 12.3 |
| 2011 | Quincy Miller (5) | Baylor | 12.0 |
| 2008 | Samardo Samuels (4) | Louisville | 11.8 |
| 2009 | Avery Bradley (4) | Texas | 11.6 |
| 2011 | Marquis Teague (7) | Kentucky | 10.5 |
| 2009 | Tiny Gallon (10) | Oklahoma | 10.3 |
| 2011 | Adonis Thomas (9) | Memphis | 9.7 |
| 2008 | B.J. Mullens (8) | Ohio State | 8.8 |
| 2008 | Jrue Holiday (2) | UCLA | 8.5 |
| 2010 | Josh Selby (6) | Kansas | 7.9 |
| 2008 | Ed Davis (9) | North Carolina | 6.7 |
| 2009 | John Henson (5) | North Carolina | 5.7 |
| 2011 | James Michael McAdoo (6) | North Carolina | 5.6 |
| 2008 | Delvon Roe (10) | Michigan State | 5.6 |
Notes: Brandon Jennings (No. 1 recruit in 2008) played overseas instead of attending college; Renardo Sidney (No. 7 recruit in 2009) ruled ineligible for freshman season; Enes Kanter (No. 7 recruit in 2010) ruled permanently ineligible.
Spread the wealth
Of the eight freshmen on this list coached by John Calipari, the current three have the lowest points per game totals. While Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Anthony Davis and Marquis Teague are still all averaging in double figures, they’ve had to share the production with returning stars Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb and Darius Miller. If the current order holds, Lamb will be the first non-freshman to lead the Cats in scoring in Calipari’s three years on the job. As of Jan. 17, Lamb (14.0) holds a slim lead over Davis (13.8).
Relying on the new guy
If Davis or Kidd-Gilchrist manage to catch Lamb in scoring, one of them will join Brandon Knight and John Wall as the third straight freshman to lead UK in points per game. Before Calipari’s arrival in Lexington, only one freshman had ever led the Cats in that category: Rex Chapman, who averaged 16.0 points per game during the 1986-87 season.
The Knight stuff
Knight is the top UK player and the top player coached by Calipari on this list. His 17.3 points per game ranked 85th among all NCAA players last season, but that was still good enough to lead all freshmen in scoring (Kyrie Irving did not play in enough games to qualify). Knight was followed by Jared Sullinger (17.2), Central Michigan’s Trey Zeigler (16.3), Harrison Barnes (15.7) and teammate Terrence Jones, who averaged 15.7 points per game as the No. 11 recruit from the class of 2010.
Rewriting the record books
Jones also holds the UK record for most points in a single game by a freshman (35). Calipari-coached freshmen are responsible for five of the top six performances in that category: Jones (35), Lamb (32), Knight (30), Jones (29) and Eric Bledsoe (29). Pre-Calipari, Jamal Mashburn held the record with 31 points against Georgia in 1991. The highest point totals for the other Top 10 freshmen under Calipari: Tyreke Evans (33), Derrick Rose (27), DeMarcus Cousins (27), Davis (27), Wall (25), Kidd-Gilchrist (24) and Teague (17).
Beasley does it
Statistically, no Top 10 freshman over the last five years has come close to matching Kansas State’s Michael Beasley. In his only season with the Wildcats, Beasley averaged 26.2 points per game, which is more than five points better than the next player on the list. His rebounding numbers were similarly dominant (as you’ll see on the next page), and he’s also among the leaders in blocked shots. Beasley averaged more points per game than any freshman since Jason Conley, who averaged 29.3 points for VMI in 2001-02 and remains the only freshman ever to lead the NCAA in scoring. Beasley also holds the record among these players for the most points scored in a single game — 44 in a loss to Baylor.
On their Heels
North Carolina hasn’t been the place for star freshmen to steal the spotlight in recent years. Three of the four lowest-scoring players on this list are also three of the four Carolina freshmen. Harrison Barnes is the only Top 10 Tar Heel to average double figures in scoring, and he’s also the only one to average more than 20 minutes per game. In fact, Barnes and Kendall Marshall are the only two freshmen starters that North Carolina has had since 2006-07.
Next: Secondary stats
