8 Freshman Phenoms Who Will Channel Carmelo Anthony This March Madness

Unlike many college basketball players, Carmelo Anthony came onto the scene ready, dominated, and won a national championship. And if you watched him play in high school, his one-year stint in college was more of a gift than a necessity.

“The first time I met Melo was the Jordan Classic,” says Reggie Saunders, Global Marketing Director of Jordan Brand. “I was watching him practice and I was like, ‘He could go to the pros right now.’”

The NBA’s loss was the NCAA’s gain.

This year’s college basketball landscape features one of the best crops of newcomers in years. Many of them will be playing in the Big Dance and have the same opportunity to lead their team to a national championship, just like Melo did 11 years ago. And it’s this legacy that has inspired countless players to lace ‘em up each day and put in the work in order realize their dreams.

Without this legacy, the ‘Pure Platinum’ colorway of the M10 that dropped Saturday wouldn’t exist. So before you read about eight freshmen phenoms who will try and channel Carmelo Anthony this March Madness, watch to see how he became the man he is today.

8 Freshman Phenoms Who Will Channel Carmelo Anthony This March Madness

Unlike many college basketball players, Carmelo Anthony came onto the scene ready, dominated, and won a national championship. And if you watched him play in high school, his one-year stint in college was more of a gift than a necessity.

“The first time I met Melo was the Jordan Classic,” says Reggie Saunders, Global Marketing Director of Jordan Brand. “I was watching him practice and I was like, ‘He could go to the pros right now.’”

The NBA’s loss was the NCAA’s gain.

This year’s college basketball landscape features one of the best crops of newcomers in years. Many of them will be playing in the Big Dance and have the same opportunity to lead their team to a national championship, just like Melo did 11 years ago. And it’s this legacy that has inspired countless players to lace ‘em up each day and put in the work in order realize their dreams.

Without this legacy, the ‘Pure Platinum’ colorway of the M10 that dropped Saturday wouldn’t exist. So before you read about eight freshmen phenoms who will try and channel Carmelo Anthony this March Madness, watch to see how he became the man he is today.

Jabari Parker, Duke

Stats: 18.8 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.4 BPG

Not only does Jabari Parker have the best chance to do a Carmelo Anthony impersonation this March, but he even has the same silky smooth game. Parker is too quick for big men, too big for smaller wing players, and does everything with ease. Few freshmen have ever been the face of the Duke Basketball program, but Parker has been the man since day one. To top it all off, he has a great deal of momentum going into March Madness coming fresh off a big win against Syracuse.

Similar to Carmelo in college, Parker has good pieces surrounding him so that the opposing teams are not fixated on just stopping him. Rodney Hood could be his version of Hakim Warrick and if he continues to break out, and Rasheed Sulaimon could be his Gerry McNamara. But make no mistake about it, if Duke goes far in the tournament, it will be because of Parker’s ability to dominate like Carmelo did in 2003.

Tyler Ennis, Syracuse

Stats: 12.1 PPG, 5.5 APG, 2.0 SPG

In March, everyone needs a hero. As the college basketball world saw when Syracuse beat Pittsburgh at the last second, Tyler Ennis is capable of being that hero. He has a feel for the game of a college senior and makes everyone on the team better. There is a reason why he plays 35.3 minutes per outing. Ennis is arguably the most valuable player on a stacked Syracuse squad, despite only being a freshman. His poise sets him apart from everyone else, which is obvious from his 3.3 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Andrew Wiggins, Kansas

Stats: 16.3 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.0 SPG

As strange as this sounds, Andrew Wiggins has been underrated this season. He came into the season with more hype than any high school senior since LeBron James, and there was never any way he could live up to it. He has been quietly putting up good numbers, and (in some games) has looked downright unstoppable. While he does not have the same takeover mentality as Carmelo, those that have seen Wiggins throughout his career know that when he needs to takeover, he is more than capable. Athletically, there is not a player in the country that can match him.

Joel Embiid, Kansas

Stats: 11.2 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 2.6 BPG

There is a reason why Joel Embiid hurt his back—for many stretches during the season, he’s been carrying his Kansas team on it. There have been times when they have survived solely on his ability to change the game on both ends of the floor, as Embiid literally has the ability to take the game into his own hands at any time. His dominance, at times, is reminiscent of Anthony Davis when he was at Kentucky. And we all know how that ended.

Aaron Gordon, Arizona

Stats: 11.9 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 1.5 APG

In the past few weeks, there might not be a freshman in the country that has gained as much momentum as Gordon. In his last three games Gordon has averaged over 18 points and nine rebounds per contest. He is getting into his groove at the perfect time, and is helping Arizona barely miss a beat with the loss of Brandon Ashley to injury. His relentless playing style will be hard to stop for teams in March, especially when he can get above the rim like this.

Julius Randle, Kentucky

Stats: 15.5 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 1.4 APG

Randle is the type of player that opposing coaches have nightmares about in March. His ability to crash the boards forces teams to not be able to rest for a second. He has the 11th most offensive rebounds in the NCAA, according to StatSheet.com, and every possession counts during this time of the year. Simply put, Randle is a master of creating extra possessions for his team. When he is scoring efficiently in the post, he makes Kentucky downright unstoppable.

James Young, Kentucky

Stats: 14.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.9 APG

There have been times when Young has looked like Kentucky’s best player. When he is hot, he stretches the Wildcats out and they play their best basketball. He has great lift on his jumper and can shoot over anyone at the college level. As we saw with Davidson’s Stephen Curry in 2008, shooting can carry a team a long way. In his last five games, Young is shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc. Expect more of the same if he’s going to channel Melo this March.

Isaiah Taylor, Texas

Stats: 12.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.9 APG

In terms of pure scoring, few freshmen could claim the accolades Taylor has earned this season. He had 27 points against Baylor, 26 points against Iowa State, and 23 points against Kansas. He has single-handedly saved Rick Barnes’ job at Texas. With the ability to take on that type of responsibility, there is no doubt that Taylor will be able to carry the torch in March a la Melo. Unlike any of the other members on this list, Taylor did not receive much attention in high school, and plays like he has a chip on his shoulder. Hopefully he can push the Longhorns further than that other freshman phenom (Kevin Durant anyone?) did when he was rocking the burnt orange.