The 2024-25 college basketball season is about to tip off, and there is no shortage of familiar names we can look forward to watching. The question at hand today is, which players are coming into the season unheralded and unknown but well-positioned to break out and become big names?
This time last year, very few people knew who Dalton Knecht was. He had transferred from Northern Colorado to Tennessee, and within his first few games, he had established himself as one of the top players in the country. It is my duty to identify the 10 players who are most likely to make a similar Knecht-ion. Here’s my list, from bottom to top:
10. Chaz Lanier, 6-4 senior guard, Tennessee
2023-24 season stats (at North Florida): 19.7 ppg and 4.8 rpg
Lanier was one of the most efficient players in the country last season, with shooting splits of 51-44-88. He also was in double figures in all but one game for the Ospreys, including a career-high 35 points versus North Alabama. The Vols struck gold with Knecht a year ago, and Rick Barnes is hoping that Lanier can be the team’s next go-to scorer.
9. Layden Blocker, 6-2 sophomore guard, DePaul
2023-24 season stats (at Arkansas): 3.7 ppg and 1.0 apg
The former top-30 prospect out of high school played few minutes as a freshman at Arkansas in a loaded backcourt. Blocker is set to have a starring role at DePaul under its new head coach Chris Holtmann. If Blocker’s 24 points in an exhibition win over Loyola-Chicago is any indication, he can become one of the top guards in the Big East.
8. Jaland Lowe, 6-2 sophomore guard, Pittsburgh
2023-24 season stats: 9.6 ppg and 3.3 apg
The ascension of Bub Carrington into the NBA draft lottery overshadowed Lowe’s impact as a freshman, especially after he was inserted into the starting lineup in ACC play. The Texas native showed he can be a big shot-maker, highlighted by the go-ahead shot to beat Duke on the road. A 22-point exhibition effort is the latest sign that he’s ready to be a lead guard for the Panthers.
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The coaching carousel was as active as the transfer portal this offseason7. Trey Kaufman-Renn, 6-9 junior forward, Purdue
2023-24 season stats: 6.4 ppg and 4.0 rpg
Kaufman-Renn started all 39 games last season alongside two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey, but he averaged just 17 minutes per game because he is not a natural power forward. With Edey not around anymore, Kaufman-Renn can move into the post full-time. He is prepared to take a major leap and perhaps lead the Boilermakers back to the Final Four.
6. Michael Ajayi, 6-7 sophomore guard, Gonzaga
2023-24 season stats (at Pepperdine): 17.2 ppg and 9.9 rpg
Ajayi was one of the best players in the WCC last season, but since it wasn’t at Gonzaga or Saint Mary’s, nobody noticed. Now he is now projected to start on a preseason top-10 team and could play deep into March Madness. Ajayi’s stats might not be as prolific as they were at Pepperdine, but he will make a name for himself regardless.
5. Jackson Shelstad, 6-0 sophomore guard, Oregon
2023-24 season stats: 12.8 ppg and 2.8 apg
Shelstad was quietly one of the top freshmen guards in the country last season, but the duo of Jermaine Couisnard and N’Faly Dante overshadowed his play. Shelstad is not only the best player on the Ducks, but he’ll go from playing late-night on the west coast regularly to some primetime action in the Big Ten Conference. It’s just a matter of time until everyone knows his hame.
4. RJ Luis, 6-7 junior guard, St. John’s
2023-24 season stats: 10.9 ppg and 4.6 rpg
Luis had a slow start last season due to injuries but ended up being one of the better Red Storm players towards the end. He scored 15 or more points five times over his final 10 games. Luis served notice by scoring 22 points in the Red Storm’s exhibition win over Rutgers. If the scoring consistency is there in a larger role, Luis can be an All-Big East player and potentially a first-round NBA Draft pick.
3. Saint Thomas, 6-7 senior forward, USC
2023-24 season stats (at Northern Colorado): 19.7 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 4.2 apg
Can Northern Colorado make it two straight years of having an elite transfer export? Thomas went from barely playing at Loyola-Chicago to being a star in the Big Sky and could be do the same for USC this season. He had 21 points in just 20 minutes in an exhibition win over UTSA. He will be a part of one of the largest starting lineups on any team in the country.
2. Solomon Ball, 6-3 sophomore guard, UConn
2023-24 season stats: 3.3 ppg and 1.0 rpg
Dan Hurley has always been high on Ball, who started 10 games on the championship team last season. He’s not only due for a much larger role as a starter but could be the team’s best player, as evidenced by that 20-point effort against Rhode Island in an exhibition win. The newcomers got plenty of offseason attention, and Alex Karaban is a preseason All-American candidate, but Ball could end up being the biggest reason UConn contends for a third straight national title.
1. Motiejus Krivas, 7-2 sophomore center, Arizona
2023-24 season stats: 5.4 ppg and 4.2 rpg
Even while playing behind one of the best centers in the country (Oumar Ballo), Krivas was still highly effective in limited minutes off the bench last season, averaging 17.7 ppg and 14 rpg per 40 minutes. He had 20 points in 18 minutes early on against Belmont, and he scored 15 points and nine rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench against Colorado in January. Krivas is primed to be the next great big in college basketball. He reminds me of another former Lithuanian star Coach Tommy Lloyd coached back at Gonzaga, Domantas Sabonis.
