By Robert Lastella
Robert Lastella will be providing ongoing coverage from Atlanta this week, be sure to stay connected with Robert at @RLastellaReport on X/Twitter.
Freshmen who contribute at the high major level are starting to become a thing of the past in College Basketball. Whether it’s extra years of eligibility, NIL payments to more experienced players, there are many things keeping freshmen from contributing right away in today's changing landscape.
But for veteran coaches Tom Izzo and Bruce Pearl, although they’ve each attacked the transfer portal, both have freshmen playing big roles in Jase Richardson and Tahaad Pettiford. Both Richardson and Pettiford came into the season expecting to get some kind of playing time, however, both excelled in early on and have seen their roles expand as the season went on.
If contributing freshmen continue to be phased out like we’ve been seeing over the past few years, situations like Richardson and Pettiford excelling and earning more playing time will stop as well because they won’t have the chance that Izzo and Pearl gave their freshman guards. If you ask Izzo, even he thought Richardson may struggle against older veteran guards, however he got a shot early in the season against Kansas, showed Izzo what he’s made of and the rest was history.
“I'd say early on I thought that, and then we played Kansas in this building. I realized that the moments aren't too big for them.
Now, I think he's got good pedigree, you know. Not only his dad and his mom played and she coached. It's kind of -- but I had to learn that too. You don't just see that in recruiting, you learn that.
But if there's one thing I will say, somebody asked me last week he didn't shoot it as well. Was he nervous? No, the kid is confident, not cocky. He's got an unbelievable demeanor to him, and he has gotten better in a lot of different areas. But he's also been damn good when he came.
I think the way he was raised, the moments aren't too big. I never -- after the Kansas game here -- that was only the second game of the season. It wasn't like -- we lost. But I started realizing then this kid -- like some kids are so cocky that they don't get moved by the moment. He's not cocky. He's just confident in what he can do.
I was amazed. I haven't had many kids like him in that respect, to be honest with you,” Izzo said,
Richardson, son of MSU legend and former NBA player Jason Richardson, has come into his own in his freshman season under Izzo, averaging 11.9 PPG, 3.2 RPG and 2 APG and earning a starting role in February. The high flying guard has a solid mix of athleticism, playmaking and shooting ability and if his success continues, he’s on a fast track to continuing the Richardson family legacy in the NBA.
Izzo has seen it all in his 3 decades as the head man of the Spartans and a talented freshman who needs an opportunity to shine was a normal thing to capitalize on just a few years ago and although Izzo has adapted to the new ways of college basketball, a talent like Richardson was
too good to pass up on. Izzo has given it his all coaching Richardson and this years Spartans and although Richardson says there was a little bit of difficulty early on, hard work and good coaching have allowed him to excel.
“I think when I first came in, there was a little bit of difficulty. But I was going against these guys every day, so it was kind of getting me better every single day. As the season progressed, I felt like defensively I kept getting better and just kept working,” Richardson said.
As for Auburn’s freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford, it’s a similar path to success this season, as despite the Tigers having a litany of veteran guards on this squad, the highly touted freshman recruit has fit comfortably into his 6th man role and without his contributions the Tigers wouldn’t be where they are today. The Jersey City native has started just one game this season and his unselfish approach has not only allowed him to earn a role on this squad, but also excel in it and turn into one of the best freshman guards in the country.
On the season, Pettiford is Auburn’s 4th leading scorer, averaging 11.5 PPG, 2.3 RPG and 2.9 assists per game and he has starred during the tournament, putting up 16 points against Alabama State and 23 in round 2 against Creighton to help the Tigers punch their ticket to the sweet 16. According to Pearl, Pettiford came to college with a chip on his shoulder and because of his willingness to do whatever’s needed, he’s experienced no issue playing as a freshman.
“Tahaad, he comes from a great family, and he's got great high school coaching and great AAU coaching. His dad has handled him as good as any father could. He always played him up. He always played him against older kids. And Tahaad was always the smallest guy on the playground. He was always the littlest guy out there.
So therefore, he had so much to overcome, yet he might have been the best player out there. Tahaad was somewhat overlooked. He was ranked 25th, 26th coming out of high school. There aren't 25 high school freshmen in college this year that are better than Tahaad Pettiford. But he's got a chip on his shoulder. He's a little guy, and every time he goes out there to prove it.
I was wrong about Tahaad. I thought Tahaad would come in and be a scoring guard. Don't worry about running the team. Don't worry about being a point guard. Just come out and bang shots, guard a little bit, make stuff happen, just do what you do.
Instead, I recognized that, wow, he actually can handle the team. He can break pressure. He can close games. He can be a scoring point guard. So he's exceeded my expectations as far as being able to play point guard rather than just being a scoring guard.
He had very little drop up-and-down as a freshman. He was very, very consistent. Maybe at the end of the regular season, very beginning of the SEC Tournament, he may not have shot it as well for a couple games, and then he lived in the gym since then. Obviously he had a phenomenal weekend in Lexington to help us advance,” Pearl said.
Pearl has spoken out against the transfer portal multiple times, mentioning that it teaches kids to “flee, not fight” and Pettiford is an example of someone fighting, as someone with his talent and a chip on his shoulder could have easily chosen to redshirt after not earning a starting role, but he chose to fight and it worked out. Both Pettiford and Richardson’s stories could cease to exist in a few years if the transfer portal continues to run rampant as it is now, but with coaches like Izzo and Pearl, they’re not going to change that part of their recruiting.
Pearl’s coaching is exactly why Pettiford has been able to excel and having a coach that still believes in what freshm
an can do has instilled confidence into the young guard.
“Confidence (has allowed me to succeed), knowing that my guys have my back and the trust that coach has in me, just knowing that on the floor has added more confidence (to my game),” Pettiford said.
Should these two talented freshmen and their respective squads win on Friday, they will matchup against each other on Sunday with a spot in the final four on the line and according to Richardson, this isn’t the first time that him and Pettiford would have faced off.
“I've been playing against Tahaad since middle school. We've been around, playing the circuits, and I know him pretty well,” Richardson said.
We shall see what the two talented Freshman have in store under the lights from Atlanta on Friday evening, but one thing is for certain and that is confidence won’t be an issue for either once the ball is tipped.