Young Shall Lead Them: Ball Latest Freshman Pacing Nation in Major Category
May 14th, 2017 - 8:39
Questions linger as to whether UCLA's Lonzo Ball lives up to his father's expectations. But there is no questions about Lonzo finishing first nationally in assists per game, joining the following chronological list of freshmen leading the country in a major statistical category:
| Season | Freshman NCAA Leader | School | Category | Statistic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-75 | Bernard King | Tennessee | Field-Goal Shooting | 62.2% |
| 1975-76 | Sidney Moncrief | Arkansas | Field-Goal Shooting | 66.5% |
| 1983-84 | Steve Alford | Indiana | Free-Throw Shooting | 91.3% |
| 1985-86 | Jim Barton | Dartmouth | Free-Throw Shooting | 94.2% |
| 1987-88 | Kenny Miller | Loyola of Chicago | Rebounding Average | 13.6 rpg |
| 1988-89 | Alonzo Mourning | Georgetown | Blocked Shots Average | 5 bpg |
| 1990-91 | Shawn Bradley | Brigham Young | Blocked Shots Average | 5.2 bpg |
| 1992-93 | Jason Kidd | California | Steals Average | 3.8 spg |
| 1994-95 | Keith Closs | Central Connecticut State | Blocked Shots Average | 5.4 bpg |
| 1996-97 | Joel Hoover | Maryland-Eastern Shore | Steals Average | 3.2 spg |
| 2001-02 | Jason Conley | Virginia Military | Scoring Average | 29.3 ppg |
| 2001-02 | T.J. Ford | Texas | Assists Average | 8.3 apg |
| 2003-04 | Blake Ahearn | Southwest Missouri State | Free-Throw Shooting | 97.5% |
| 2003-04 | Paul Millsap | Louisiana Tech | Rebounding Average | 12.5 rpg |
| 2006-07 | Mike Freeman | Hampton | Field-Goal Percentage | 67.8% |
| 2007-08 | Michael Beasley | Kansas State | Rebounding Average | 12.4 rpg |
| 2007-08 | Devin Gibson | Texas-San Antonio | Steals Average | 3.3 spg |
| 2009-10 | Hassan Whiteside | Marshall | Blocked Shots Average | 5.4 bpg |
| 2011-12 | Anthony Davis | Kentucky | Blocked Shots Average | 4.65 bpg |
| 2012-13 | Nerlens Noel | Kentucky | Blocked Shots Average | 4.5 bpg |
| 2013-14 | Monte Morris | Iowa State | Assist-to-Turnover Ratio | 4.79-to-1 |
| 2013-14 | Julius Randle | Kentucky | Double-Doubles | 24 |
| 2015-16 | Fletcher Magee | Wofford | Free-Throw Percentage | 92.5% |
| 2016-17 | Lonzo Ball | UCLA | Assists Average | 7.61 apg |