Michael Cooper, Wright State
The Raiders went into the season having one of the youngest rosters in the conference, so it was expected that freshmen would contribute in some way, shape or form. Enter Cooper, the guard out of Jeffersonville, IN, who has so far set the season on fire, leading Wright State in scoring and second in assists, as well as rating in the top 15 in both categories for the entire league. He’s already been Freshman of the Week once, and there’s a good chance he’ll be back there again.
Maguire Mitchell, IU Indy
While Ben Howlett’s system focuses on limiting a player’s time on the court so that they’ll have enough in the tank to last the entire game, this hasn’t stopped Mitchell, originally from Zionsville, IN, from thriving. Though he’s only averaged 23.4 minutes per game, it is the fourth-most on the team, and he’s certainly made the most of it, starting every contest so far for the Jaguars. He’s also third on the team in scoring with 11.2 points per game as well. Plus, like Cooper, Mitchell has also garnered a Freshman of the Week award, with sights on winning more.
Ethan Elliott, Northern Kentucky
When the season started, there was some concern that the Australian would need some time to acclimate, as visa issues kept him away from Highland Heights until later in the off-season. But when things kicked off, it was clear that those fears were unfounded, as Elliott has emerged as the Norse’s primary ball-handler. His 4.3 assists per game puts him fifth in the league, while his 2.6 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks sixth. His Freshman of the Week award came after the third week of competition, and in order to keep those accolades going, he’ll need to improve his scoring, as he’s netted zero points in three straight games.
Stevie Elam, Milwaukee
The Adrian, MI native is the latest Freshman of the Week winner, courtesy of a 17-point, seven-rebound effort against Akron. He’s currently fourth on the Milwaukee roster in scoring with 8.0 points per game and fifth in rebounding with 3.7 per contest. With conference play coming, head coach Bart Lundy will look to Elam to provide a spark off the bench, something that will be sorely needed, given the fierce competition within the league.
Lance Stone, Detroit Mercy
The Titans have had a rough go of it so far in non-conference play, but Stone has been one of the consistently bright spots for Mark Montgomery. As expected, the Detroit native, along with his fellow freshmen teammates (more on them later) has been a pivotal piece in the rotation, and there’s a good chance that when faced with league competition, he’ll increase his playing time, which is currently sitting at 19 minutes per game. His 17 assists per game puts him right behind Orlando Lovejoy, which allows the Titans to have a pair of capable ball-handlers when both are on the floor.
Darius Livingston, Robert Morris
Even though the Colonials have an outstanding point guard in transfer Albert Vargas, the Orlando native has proven himself more than capable of keeping RMU’s offensive momentum going, even when Vargas is on the bench. He’s currently seventh in the conference in assists, averaging 3.8 dimes per game, and his 8.9 points per game puts him fifth among his teammates.
Caden Wilkins, Green Bay
The first (but certainly not the last) redshirt freshman on the list, the Bettendorf, IA native had a coming out party, of sorts, against Buffalo, where he was virtually incapable of missing a three-pointer. With Marcus Hall out with ankle issues, he’s also been called upon to pick up the slack in the frontcourt, which he’s also handled well, specifically against Iona, when he grabbed nine boards. With Hall returning and conference play looming, Wilkins will still be looked for to provide a spark for the Phoenix.
Keshawn Fisher, Detroit Mercy
Stone’s teammate and fellow Detroit native Fisher has also been active off the bench, averaging 12.3 minutes per game that has allowed him to score 5.4 points per game and grab two boards a contest. However, he was used sparingly in the last two games against DePaul and Niagara, playing four minutes in each match-up. He’ll need to get back into a more active role in the Titan rotation if he wants to keep up with his freshman cohorts.
Kellen Pickett, Wright State
The freshman out of Fort Wayne has had some ups and downs so far in the campaign. The high point came in the overtime loss to Kent State at the Greenbrier Classic, where he grabbed five board and scored eight off the bench. He’s also gotten a start this year, taking the court at the beginning of what became a win at Stetson, notching 22 minutes in that contest. Given his 6-9 frame, coach Clint Sargent may be looking at Pickett the same way he looked at Andrea Holden last season, when he emerged after removing the redshirt.
Tyler Spratt, Detroit Mercy
The second redshirt freshman and third Titan on the list, Spratt has already made a bit of a splash with Detroit Mercy after sitting out last year at Cleveland State. The hometown kid has been in the starting lineup five times so far this season and has played 17.4 minutes per game. Shooting, though, has been an ongoing work in progress for him, as his field goal percentage is at 21.4 percent, and like the rest of his team, the threes aren’t falling, with Spratt only shooting at a 16.7 percent clip. He’ll need to improve significantly as the campaign presses on in order to compete for top freshman honors.
Josh Dixon, Milwaukee
On a team with excellent veteran players and fellow freshman Stevie Elam, it’s understandable that Dixon would have some challenges getting on the floor with playing time at a premium. When he’s gotten his shots, though, he’s made an impact, scoring 11 points twice against Wofford and Dominican. Moving forward, he’ll need to make a strong case to see the court more often and given his three-point shooting currently sits at 40 percent, there’s certainly a case to be made.
Maruan Cicic, Green Bay
As Doug Gottlieb seeks to shore up the rebounding issue that hounded the Phoenix all last season, one of the candidates to alleviate that problem has been the seven-footer out of Montenegro. He’s already started seven games for Green Bay and as he further adjusts to the college game, it’s likely that he’ll improve upon his 3.1 points and 2.4 boards per game.
