One of our favorite things about college basketball is watching freshman stars develop as the season progresses. Some guys hit the ground running, while others have to go through a couple roller-coaster moments to become the players we all know they can be.

The guys on this year’s Sporting News freshman All-American team took various paths to their eventual spot on this squad, but they all have one thing in common — they’re a ton of fun to watch.

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Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA

Key stats: 14.9 ppg, 7.8 apg, 6.2 rpg, 2.0 spg, 55.5 pct FG
Overview: It just feels like Lonzo Ball was born to play basketball for UCLA, doesn’t it? It’s hard to imagine how any player could have a more positive impact — on the court and off the court — on the prestigious program than Ball has this season. Organizing an offense with a plethora of talented scorers should be difficult (last year’s UCLA team is proof of that) but Ball makes it look easy. He has an otherworldly sense of the moment, and few players in college hoops are better at recognizing and exploiting opportunities provided by opposing defenses. Think about this: Ball is fifth in the nation in 2-point field goal percentage (71.6 percent). That’s a list typically dominated by big men who make their living seldom straying 10 feet of the hoop. Freshmen point guards are not supposed to be anywhere near the top five, but Ball is no ordinary freshman point guard — he was a unanimous choice for this all-freshman team, in addition to his spot on SN’s first-team All-America squad.
Malik Monk, SG, Kentucky

Key stats: 21.2 ppg, 2.4 apg, 40.9 3-point pct
Overview: Few things have been more enjoyable this season than watching Monk catch fire from beyond the arc (unless you’re a fan of the team playing Kentucky, of course). The display he put on against North Carolina a couple days before Christmas was one of the greatest single-game performances in the history of that storied program — Monk dropped 47 points and made 8-of-12 3-point attempts in a game the Wildcats won by three points (103-100). He scored 34 points at Mississippi and then 37 in an overtime win against Georgia, too. In a key SEC game against Florida, Monk scored 30 points in the second half against the Gators, and he finished with five assists in that contest, too. So. Much. Fun.
Markelle Fultz, PG, Washington

Key stats: 23.3 ppg, 5.9 apg, 5.7 rpg, 1.6 spg, 1.2 bpg, 41.3 3-point pct
Overview: It’s hard to write about Fultz at this time of the year without a sense of sadness that college hoops fans won’t be able to see his talents showcased in the NCAA Tournament. He’s an incredible player on an otherwise massively disappointing Huskies squad, though it’s hard to blame that disappointment on Fultz. He’s fifth in the country in scoring and, showing he’s not selfish, he’s 19th in assists, too. If there’s any solace to the “no NCAA Tournament” thing, it’s that we’ll all soon see Fultz playing in the NBA; he’s projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft.
Josh Jackson, SG, Kansas

Key stats: 16.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.6 spg, 1.1 bpg, 51.1 pct FG
Overview: Jackson’s improved play the second half of the season is a reason you’ll see lots of people pick Kansas to win the national championship. Since a disastrous first Big 12 game — five fouls, four points and 13 minutes at TCU — Jackson has recorded nine double-doubles (and two other games with at least 17 points and nine rebounds). He scored 20 in the win at Kentucky, 23 in KU’s home win vs. Baylor and 31 must-have points in a one-point win at Texas Tech. He was another easy unanimous choice for this squad.
Miles Bridges, SG, Michigan State

Key stats: 16.6 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.6 bpg, 40.8 3-point pct
Overview: True, this hasn’t exactly been the season Michigan State fans imagined for Bridges or the team — he missed seven games with an ankle injury and the team struggled early against a brutal schedule — but we’ve seen why Bridges was such a highly touted recruit. He scored 33 points (on 12-of-17 shooting) against Purdue, 24 at rival Ohio State and had 15 points and 13 rebounds in a win against in-state rival Michigan. Kid is a stud.