Young Shall Lead Them: OU Freshman Still On Pace to Unprecedented Feat

Questions are starting to surface as to whether Oklahoma freshman sensation Trae Young warrants national player of the year consideration if the Sooners continue to struggle in Big 12 Conference competition. But there is no question about Young being in virgin territory while leading the nation in both scoring and assists. There haven't even been that many yearlings pace the country in a single department. Following is a 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