Young Shall Lead Them: OU Freshman Still On Pace to Unprecedented Feat
February 13th, 2018 - 12:20
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 |