Underclassmen Standouts to Watch Next Season
There’s still a few months until the 2019–20 college hoops season tips off, but that doesn’t mean that it’s too early to start talking about who we’ll be following next season. In the second annual edition of this piece, we took a look at underclassmen from the 2018–19 season that shined on the court and the stats sheet, and how they might impact their teams come November.
Elite Efficiency: Michaela Onyenwere (UCLA, Rising Junior)
In my opinion, Michaela Onyenwere has one of the most fun games to watch in the NCAA right now. As a 5'11" forward, her athleticism brings an unique and elite skill set — one that reminds me quite a bit of Gabby Williams’ time at UConn.
Onyenwere ranked in the top 10 percent of players in the nation last year for points per play, meaning that she scored 0.96 points every time she ended a UCLA possession with a shot attempt or turnover. That stat is even more impressive considering that she used about 28 percent of UCLA’s possessions last season. She’s both a high-volume, to the tune of 18.3 points per game, and an incredibly efficient offensive player for the Bruins. With the departure of Kennedy Burke, she will also have an even bigger role for UCLA next year.
Queen of the O-Boards: Queen Egbo (Baylor, Rising Sophomore)
A number of players from the defending national champion could have made this list. In an effort not to list half of the Bears’ roster, I am going with Queen Egbo. Egbo might be one of the more surprising choices to highlight from Baylor, given that she only averaged 10.1 minutes per game last season.
However, there’s an undeniable hole in Baylor’s post play (a staple of their game) with the graduation of Kalani Brown. Egbo might not have quite as much size as Brown (she stands at 6'3" compared to Brown’s 6'7"), but I think she can fill that hole. In her 10 minutes per game last season, she averaged 5.4 points and 4.2 rebounds. And get this — Egbo led the nation in offensive rebounding rate last year. When on the floor, she came up with over 21 percent of Baylor’s missed shots. On the defensive end, she also rebounded over 21 percent of opponents’ missed shots, ranking in the 95th percentile.
A&M X-factor: Chennedy Carter (Texas A&M, Rising Junior)
This one doesn’t come as much of a surprise — Chennedy Carter has been lighting up the floor for the Aggies since she stepped on the court her freshman year. Carter is a volume scorer, ranking sixth in the nation with 23.3 points per game last season. She has incredible range and can score in a variety of ways. Meanwhile, she also assisted on nearly a quarter of her teammates’ buckets while on the floor.
In fact, Carter scored or assisted on almost 40 percent of Texas A&M’s made field goals last year. That being said, Carter also used 37.5 percent of Texas A&M’s possessions and scored less than one point per scoring attempt. If she improves her offensive efficiency in the offseason, Carter should be able to lift her team to the next level in 2019–20.
Defensive Powerhouse: Shakira Austin (Maryland, Rising Sophomore)
Standing at 6'5", it’s no surprise that Maryland freshman Shakira Austin’s presence was felt in the paint last season. In just 23 minutes per game, Austin nearly averaged a double-double with 8.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. Despite her limited minutes, she also ranked 15th in the country with 2.7 blocks per game.
Austin impressed the most on the defensive end, ranking in the top 25 for both defensive rebound rate and block rate. While on the floor, she blocked over 10 percent of Maryland’s opponents’ two-point attempts and collected the rebound on over 27 percent of their opponents’ missed shots. Austin will likely continue being a defensive highlight reel for the Terrapins this year, and with more time on the floor will easily average a double-double.
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