Freshman Haze: Saben-Metrics

Freshmen come to school with a variety of expectations. It seems like many live up to the hype, but there are many that are just glossed over in preseason publications. When established teammates get hurt or do not play well, the young guys can bubble up and take a spot in the rotation. In this mid-January edition of the Freshman Haze, we examine a septet of first-year players that were seen as big pieces for this season (Coleman, Wilkes) or could be worth a look as future players (Lee, Porter, DeJesus). Most of the seven players have had their moments this season, particularly recently.

Matt Coleman (G)
After struggling with point guard play last season, the Longhorns thought they had the solution when they brought Coleman in. The 6-foot-2 guard was highly regarded after playing at Oak Hill Academy. He has been able to lead the Texas offense with 5.0 assists, but he has proved to be a terrible shooter. Coleman is hitting just 37.4 percent from the field and 23.1 percent on 3-pointers. The guard has played well against conference opponents and had 17 points and 12 assists in the overtime win against TCU. Even a mild uptick in shooting would make Coleman one of the better young guards in the Big 12.

Kris Wilkes (G)
The Bruins had a clear national identity last season: they were running and gunning with Lonzo Ball at the point. This season, they are more of a conventional team that can beat teams like Wisconsin and Kentucky, yet lose to Stanford and Colorado. The 6-7 Wilkes is a solid scorer who seem to be on the upswing against Pac-12 opponents. He has scored in double digits in seven straight games with five games of 16 points or more. Wilkes is not remarkable in any phase of the game other than scoring, but he has a chance to grow into a big-time scorer in the final two months of the season.

Saben Lee (G)
With Riley LaChance and Matthew Fisher-Davis, the Commodores figured to have the majority of their guard rotation set. Then things happened. Fisher-Davis looked like he had forgotten how to hit 3-pointers and LaChance regressed a bit. Enter the 6-2 Lee who moved into the starting lineup and provided the team with an aggressive scorer. The son of former NFL player Amp Lee has scored in double digits in his last six games, including 23 points in the win over Alabama on Jan. 2. In his last five games, Lee has converted 51.9 percent of his field goals and is improving from long range (43.8 percent on 3-pointers).

Jontay Porter (F)
When Porter reclassified to join his older brother, Michael Jr., on the Tiger roster, it felt like the cherry on the top of coach Cuonzo Martin sundae for Missouri. Then Michael went down with a hip injury, so eyes shifted to Jontay. He has recently joined the starting lineup and has been productive when he can stay away from fouls. The 6-11 forward had 15 points and 10 boards in the win over Georgia on Wednesday, but fouled out after 24 minutes in the loss to Arkansas on Saturday. He is very young and could grow into a force for the Tigers if he sticks around school.

Jacob Gilyard (G)
It was just three years ago that the Spiders were led by a 5-8 guard named Kendall Anthony. Despite his small stature, Anthony averaged double-digit scoring throughout his four-year Spider career. It is not necessarily fair to the 5-9 Gilyard to compare him to Anthony, but he could be another four-year starter for coach Chris Mooney. Gilyard is inconsistent from the perimeter, but is setting up the offense well. He has provided five assists in each of the last three games and is averaging 10.6 points and 3.6 assists. Richmond's top four scorers are all underclassmen, so they could develop into an A10 contender.

Cesar Dejesus (G)
With star guard B.J. Taylor and redshirt sophomore Chance McSpadden on the roster, DeJesus did not figure to get much playing time. Taylor was felled by a knee injury after the first game of the season and McSpadden has been in and out of the lineup. The 6-2 redshirt freshman has been pressed into duty and has held up pretty well. He has scored at least 13 points in his last four games. DeJesus is averaging 9.8 points on 40.8 percent from the field with 2.0 assists. Taylor could be back by the end of the month, but DeJesus should get regular playing time if and when that happens.

Jhivvan Jackson (G)
The Roadrunners may not be in the Conference USA conversation with teams such as Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee State, but they have at least one piece for the future in the 6-0 Jackson. He made his presence felt from the beginning of the season by opening with five straight games of 14 or more points. After some struggles in December, Jackson has turned his scoring up a notch in conference play. Over his six games against CUSA teams, he has averaged 23.0 points, including 30 points in the Jan. 6 loss to Southern Miss. If coach Steve Henson can surround Jackson with compatible teammates in the future seasons, the Roadrunners may have more to say than "meep meep!"