The 2024-25 college basketball season is barely two weeks old at this point, and yet already there have been some major surprises. Programs like Alabama, Duke, and Houston have already taken early losses. Simultaneously some of the most anticipated transfers — like Kansas’ AJ Storr, St. John’s Kadary Richmond, Alabama’s Cliff Omoruyi, and Arkansas’s Johnell Davis — have yet to live up to expectations so far.
Conversely, though, there have been unexpected players who have emerged into early star status. Whether they’ll be able to sustain that level of production remains to be seen, but so far, these players have been the most pleasant surprises in college basketball.
John Tonje, Wisconsin
29.8 min, 22.6 pts, 5 reb, 1.6 ast, 1 stl, 56% FG, 50% 3pt, 96% FT
The reigning AP and Big Ten Player of the Week delivered a monstrous 41-point performance in Wisconsin’s 103-88 win over Arizona and has the Badgers at a perfect 5-0 with games against UCF and Chicago State on the horizon before conference play begins. The 23-year-old sixth-year grad transfer spent four years at Colorado State before receiving a medical redshirt last year at Mizzou. He briefly committed to New Mexico out of the portal, but instead opted for Wisconsin, and a chance to step right in for AJ Storr. And step right in he has.
Tonje may not be as explosive athletically, but his overall impact has exceeded anyone’s expectations. The 23-year-old is not just strong and physical on the wing, but he has a versatile skill set. He shoots the ball with deep range, often showing NBA range on his jumper, and is a scoring threat from multiple levels on the court. He can attack both sides off the dribble, play through contact, and get himself to the free-throw line. He’s attempted at least eight free throws in four of Wisconsin’s first five games, including going 21 for 22 against Arizona. Getting to the free-throw line isn’t a matter of luck either, it’s a learned skill that comes from instincts and experience, and results in easy points, a requisite for any great scorer. Tonje is also a very good cutter off the ball and active on the defensive end.
Ryan Nembhard, Gonzaga
31.6 min, 12.2 pts, 2.8 reb, 9.4 ast, 1 stl, 46% FG, 44% 3pt, 86% FT
Nembhard was ranked the 26th best college basketball player in the country in the CBS Sports preseason poll, but you can make a case that he’s been the most impactful player in the sport so far. Gonzaga has a very real case as the top team in the country right now, blowing out Baylor in the season opener, defeating Arizona State six days later, and then winning a tough road game at San Diego State earlier this week.
Through those first four games, Nembhard handed out a total of 40 assists against just five turnovers. To put it another way, he averaged 10 assists against just one turnover per game. He’s been a complete maestro with the ball in his hands, pulling the strings on a Gonzaga offense that is currently ranked number one overall in the country per KenPom.com.
The first thing that stands out about Nembhard’s game Is his ability to flourish at multiple tempos. He throws ahead beautifully in transition and motivates his bigs to change ends of the floor because of it. He’s been equally effective in the half-court, reading ball screens, leading his receivers to the rim, being tight with his handle, and making all the right reads.
Mark Few rightfully noted his leadership ability in handling not just the physicality of San Diego State, but the difficulty communicating in that rabid atmosphere. While Nembhard’s individual offense hasn’t been a priority, he attempted more than seven shots just once in the first five games, he’s been exceptionally efficient with shooting splits of 46/44/86.
Otega Oweh, Kentucky
23 min, 15 pts, 4.5 reb, 1.5 ast, 1.8 stl, 1 blk, 58% FG, 55% 3pt, 80% FT
Not only was he the player who stripped Duke freshman Cooper Flagg in the key defensive stop at the Champions Classic, but Oweh has also been a model of offensive efficiency so far this season. Kentucky head coach Mark Pope is playing 10 different players double-figure minutes so far, with no one playing more than 24 minutes per game. Oweh is near the top at 23 minutes per game and he is responding, by leading the Wildcats in both scoring and steals, while putting up career highs in virtually every major statistical category.
Oweh has always been known as a top-notch defender, but on such a deep team he Is given some defensive luxuries. With teammates Lamont Butler and Amari Williams In the fold, Oweh doesn’t have to take on the best team’s opposing lead guard every night and has an elite interior defender behind him, which frees him up to be aggressive in passing lanes and as a defensive playmaker.
Oweh’s defense has led to transition offense and he’s benefitted from the collective spacing Kentucky has played with, beginning in the open floor and continuing into the half-court. He’s picked the right times to look to get downhill and continued to show growth as a spot-up shooter (he made just one three his entire freshman season at Oklahoma). While he’s not going to shoot above 50% from behind the arc on the season, he’s a spot-up threat and starting to punish teams for going under ball-screens or pin-downs.
Adou Thiero, Arkansas
28.3 min, 18.5 pts, 5.8 reb, 1.5 ast, 2.3 stl, 0.8 blk, 65% FG, 36% 3pt, 59% FT
“If there are 20 better players in the country than Adou, I need you to show them to me,” John Calipari said after Arkansas’ win over Pacific. Thiero finished with 23 points on 10 field goal attempts and added six boards, four steals, and two assists. Calipari credited him with getting stronger, improving his conditioning, and being a leader in the locker room.
It was almost three years ago now that Cal, who was then at Kentucky, took a bit of a flyer on him on the recruiting trail. He was largely unknown as a high school prospect and did not play on a major sneaker circuit. He was a late-bloomer who put up huge numbers for Quaker Valley High School in Pennsylvania. The fact that his father played for Cal at Memphis also helped Kentucky to pull the trigger.
Thiero played sparingly as a freshman at Kentucky. He started 20 games last year as a sophomore but was still a modest contributor who averaged about seven points and five rebounds per game. This year In a different location, but with the same head coach, Thiero looks like a totally different player. He’s an extremely high-level athlete who is playing above the rim with a ton of sheer force. His motor has stood out. He’s been versatile defensively, and offensively he’s been efficient and productive. He’s a monster in transition, but also an improved rhythm three-point shooter, good with his mid-range pull-ups, and capable of being a straight-line driver through contact to both sides.
Thomas Sorber, Georgetown
26.5 min, 17.8 pts, 9.5 reb, 2.5 ast, 1 blk, 1.3 stl, 54% FG, 17% 3pt, 72% FT
The freshmen have shined so far this season, but it hasn’t just been the big names like Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper, and Tre Johnson. Georgetown’s Thomas Sorber consistently climbed the national rankings as a high school player, ultimately finishing within the top 50. What he’s doing now though has exceeded everyone’s expectations, perhaps even Ed Cooley’s.
The Georgetown staff actively pursued starting caliber bigs in the portal last spring, but when they came up empty-handed, Sorber was slotted to become the day-one starter as a true freshman. Four games into his college career and he has more than proven up to the task.
The first thing to know about Sorber is that he has totally changed his body. It was a process that dates back multiple years before he was even a senior in high school. Sorber Is still a physical presence in the lane though with good hands and footwork. He’s very adept at getting to the free-throw line and also a high-volume rebounder. His skill set is versatile enough that it has even allowed Cooley to be creative with him offensively. He was been used In inverted pick-and-rolls where Sorber is the ball-handler.
Labaron Philon, Alabama
26.8 min, 12.8 pts, 4.2 reb, 5.2 ast, 0.6 blk, 1.4 stl, 55% FG, 31% 3pt, 75% FT
Last year as a high school senior at Link Academy, Labaron Philon averaged 11 points, 4 assists, and 2 rebounds in EYBL Scholastic league play. He was solid, but rarely spectacular, often deferring to the likes of Tre Johnson. Since arriving at Alabama, he hasn’t deferred in the slightest. He proved to be the readiest of Alabama’s four top-40 freshmen on day one, but what’s been most impressive is that when the level of competition has increased, Philon has only gotten better. In the team’s first three games against UNC Asheville, Arkansas State, and McNeese State, he averaged 10 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds per game. In the last two games, against nationally ranked opponents Purdue and Illinois, he’s averaged 17 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds.
Philon has played a critical role on the defensive end of the floor too. His speed with the ball was one of his major calling cards in high school, and that has translated, but his change of pace and ability to punish any type of unbalanced defender have been equally impressive. The three-point shooting is a swing skill (he went 3 for 4 against Purdue, but is otherwise just 1 for 9 on the year), but everything else has been so impressive that even a floor-spacing addict like Oats has to have him on the floor.
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