Flagg, Cooper.
Now that we got that out of the way, let’s get to the rest of the 2024-25 college basketball breakout players as identified by Field Level Media’s basketball network ahead of the season openers next week.
Some familiar names set for centerstage introductions like Flagg at Duke, the No. 1 recruit in the freshman class and potential No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and Ace Bailey at Rutgers are already key ingredients to the success of their new teams.
Others are holdovers back on campus and climbing the ladder for a more prominent or featured role.
We’ve got more than other 50 names for you to know before the season tips off Monday, with breakout candidates from every corner of the map listed in alphabetical order.
Now that we’ve confirmed Flagg is present, here’s the rest of our breakout roll call:
F Ace Bailey, freshman, Rutgers
Stocked with talent and plenty of youth, Rutgers landed multiple gems in the offseason. Bailey might prove the most valuable with an exciting blend of size and explosiveness that brings the Scarlet Knights must-see appeal.
F/C Xavier Booker, sophomore, Michigan State
A hyped top-5 recruit in 2023, Booker struggled to get acclimated to the college game and barely played until late in the season. During the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments, he got more comfortable and showcased his ability to stretch the floor with perimeter shooting. Bigger, stronger and more confident, Booker has the skills to turn himself into an NBA prospect.
F Pierre Brooks, senior, Butler: After playing minimal minutes with Michigan State for two years, Brooks made himself known at Butler. Starting every game for the Bulldogs, Brooks led Butler with 14.8 points per game, showing his three-level scoring ability. Brooks ability to score from anywhere makes him difficult to guard, and will be the player to watch for head coach Thad Matta’s side.
G Dion Brown, junior, Boston College
Brown is a physical backcourt player who averaged 19.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game for UMBC last season, when he also led the Retrievers in steals. He’s stepping up a level in the ACC.
F Carter Bryant, freshman, Arizona
McDonald’s All-American as a 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward was a Top 20 national recruit in every recruiting service. He has a 7-foot wingspan and runs with speed and agility for his size, providing versatility for mix-and-match defensive assignments.
F Ben Burnham, senior, Virginia Tech:
Burnham is a high-energy presence versatile enough to affect things at both ends of the floor. He’ll be depended on to bring experience in his first season at Virginia Tech after transferring from College of Charleston where he played twice in the NCAA Tournament. Besides his presence in the frontcourt, Burnham can shoot from distance; he made 36.8 percent from 3-point range last season.
G Wesley Cardet Jr., senior, Providence
The Friars are confident that Cardet, who averaged 18.7 points per game during his second of two seasons at Chicago State, can continue to score the ball and make an impact defensively as he transitions to the Big East.
F Jaylen Carey, sophomore, Vanderbilt
Averaged 14.9 minutes and 7.0 points per game last season at JMU, but the Commodores need help quickly and Carey’s stats projected to 40 minutes (18.8 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.8 blocks a game) as well his efficiency (66.9% on field goals, 27 assists to 22 turnovers) point to a rapid rise as a key contributor.
G Jaquan Carlos, senior, Syracuse
It’s not often that a senior is considered a breakout player, but the Hofstra transfer could blossom in his first season at Syracuse. Carlos is a talented passer who averaged 6.3 assists for the Pride last season. More opportunities are expected flanked by Chris Bell and J.J. Starling.
F Andrew Carr, graduate student, Kentucky
Wake Forest transfer bearing a physical resemblance to the college version of his new coach, Carr averaged 13.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game last season, shooting 52.8 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from 3-point range. With 112 collegiate starts and three-level scoring ability, he’ll help steady a built-on-the-fly roster.
G Cameron Carr, sophomore, Tennessee
Scoring options are needed to complement star guard Zakai Ziegler, and the former four-star prospect out of Eden Prairie, Minn., appeared in 14 games last season including six conference games. He showed his high-flying athleticism, sharp shooting and ability to run the floor.
F Daimion Collins, junior, LSU
The former consensus five-star recruit who was a backup at Kentucky for two seasons, played in just six games in his LSU debut season because of a shoulder injury. But head coach Matt McMahon called him “a once-in-a-lifetime athlete,” adding, “I’ll probably never coach someone like him again.”
F Alex Condon, sophomore, Florida
No secret in his own conference thanks to being named to the SEC All-Freshman team, Condon is expected to seize a starting role as a sophomore. He averaged 7.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game off the bench. The 6-11, 230-pound Australian can run the floor and crash the glass.
G Arden Conyers, redshirt freshman, South Carolina
The Gamecocks are confident they have a local boy made great in Conyers, a product of Columbia, S.C., who redshirted last season but averaged 21.4 points and 5.5 rebounds as a senior at nearby Westwood High. Conyers brings versatility as a shooter and attacker.
F Steven Crowl, senior, Wisconsin
The Badgers are 14-2 in Crowl’s career when he leads the team in scoring. Had seven double-doubles last season and scored in double figures 8 of last 10 games. He has to avoid foul trouble and eliminate games where he’s not a factor.
G Brandin Cummings, freshman, Pittsburgh
Although Cummings has talented guards ahead of him, don’t be surprised to see the top incoming recruit turn heads in his first season on campus. A 6-foot-3 combo guard with deadly range, he played high school ball 40 miles northeast of Pittsburgh and opted to stay home.
G Arturo Dean, junior, Oklahoma State
When new head coach Steve Lutz wanted speed to start his first year with the Cowboys, he picked up Arturo Dean. The 2023 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year is a force up and down the court, with not many who can catch him. When he’s not picking passes or swiping steals, Dean charges into the basket and take contact.
G Jordan Derkack, junior, Rutgers
Derkack moved up to the Big Ten after a stellar year at Merrimack earned him both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors in the Northeast Conference. His rebounding, hustle and ability to get in opponents’ passing lanes will make him a darling of coach Steve Pikiell.
F Malik Dia, junior, Ole Miss
Dia has experience with 20 games as a freshman at Vanderbilt, then 33 games as a sophomore at Belmont. Coming off a season in which he averaged 16.9 points and 5.8 rebounds plus 26 blocks and 27 steals, Dia is poised to have a bigger impact on a guard-oriented team.
G Josh Dix, junior, Iowa
He made 20 starts and the Council Bluffs (Iowa) native is a household name for Hawkeyes’ fans. But he’s a breakout candidate in terms of expectations for multiplied production. He scored 8.9 points per game last season and hit an impressive 55.2 percent from the field. Two sophomores at Iowa – Big Ten Freshman of the Year Owen Freeman and reserve point guard Brock Harding – are among others knocking (kicking down?) the door with greatly elevated offseason performances.
F Eric Dixon, graduate student, Villanova
As one of the last links to the Jay Wright years – and perhaps the last link to the days of a player exhausting his eligibility at one school – Dixon will do a little bit of everything in his sixth season with the Wildcats. A preseason candidate for the Karl Malone Award presented to the best power forward in Division I, Dixon led Villanova in scoring, rebounding and blocks last season while getting to the line 145 times.
F Cooper Flagg, freshman, Duke
All the hype comes with this 6-foot-9 wing who was the nation’s top-rated recruit, a preseason All-American and the potential No. 1 draft pick in 2025. He can get it done at both ends of the court and stood out even against a legend-filled Team USA roster in training sessions.
F Roddy Gayle Jr., junior, Michigan
Let’s just say the Wolverines annual visit to Columbus, Ohio will be a little awkward for Gayle. It’s one thing to enter the transfer portal; it’s another to choose your biggest rival. Gayle averaged 13.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists for Ohio State last season. The powerful, athletic Gayle is an elite finisher and instantly became a strong candidate to lead the Wolverines in scoring.
G Rylan Griffen, junior, Kansas
One of the junior guards in the reconstructed KU backcourt rotation – Wisconsin’s AJ Storr is the other – Griffen played a bit part on a talented Alabama team last season but has the range and touch the Jayhawks lacked. Griffen made 74 3-pointers for the Crimson Tide last season and won’t worry about floor spacing on a loaded KU roster.
F Amani Hansberry, sophomore, West Virginia
Hansberry is an undersized center at 6-foot-8, but he can draw taller defenders away from the basket with 3-point range. He was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and averaged 7.5 minutes per game last season as a freshman at Illinois.
G DeShawn Harris-Smith, sophomore, Maryland
The former four-star recruit can quickly fulfill his promise if his perimeter shooting improves. He shot 20.2 percent on 3-pointers as a freshman.
G Elijah Hawkins, senior, Texas Tech
Named to the 2025 Bob Cousy Award Watch List, Hawkins ranked second nationally with 7.5 assists per game and also averaged 9.5 points and 1.6 steals for Minnesota last season. He transferred to Texas Tech with 1,077 points, 588 assists, 169 steals and 10 double-doubles in 92 career games.
G Josh Hubbard, sophomore, Mississippi State
Instead of a sophomore slump, expect Hubbard to take the sophomore jump. His teaser performance that proved it to Hubbard and others was knocking down seven 3s in a 34-point game against Kentucky last season.
G Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois
A 19-year-old freshman from Lithuania and part of a loaded Illinois freshman class, Jakucionis entered early discussion for NBA draft lottery potential before flashing it for the Fighting Illini in a scrimmage at Ole Miss last month. He had 12 points, six rebounds, five assists but also four turnovers, a sign he won’t be entirely immune to growing pains.
G Kam Jones, senior, Marquette
Breakouts are relative, and there’s Naismith Watch ability in this one. In the shadow of Tyler Kolek no more, Kam Jones can score and is listening to the goals coach Shaka Smart had from him, starting with becoming a better passer.
G Kon Knueppel, freshman, Duke
He’s an instant hit with coach Jon Scheyer and teammates without ever pulling the trigger on a 3. A smooth shooter and gritty competitor at 6-foot-7, Kneuppel already is taken some pressure off of fellow freshman Cooper Flagg, a trend that is likely to continue.
G Tamin Lipsey, junior, Iowa State
Lipsey shot 39.1 percent from beyond the arc last season, a significant improvement from his 20 percent success rate from 3-point range as a freshman. He provides stellar defense to the Cyclones and has the potential to be one of the best two-way players in the nation.
G Jaland Lowe, sophomore, Pittsburgh
A 2,000-point scorer in high school, Lowe is about way more than points. He’ll set the table, rebound and defend as a key for the Panthers competing in the ACC.
F Baye Ndongo, sophomore, Georgia Tech
If you paid attention to ACC basketball last season, Ndongo isn’t a new name. A hand injury kept him out to start last season but he delivered a few stellar performances and averaged 12.4 points and 8.2 rebounds for the Yellow Jackets.
F Liam McNeeley, freshman, UConn
McNeeley, a 6-foot-7 forward, is a five-star recruit who originally committed to Indiana. He was selected as the Big East Preseason Freshman of the Year. Head coach Dan Hurley said McNeeley is as ready to contribute as any freshman who’s entered the program.
F Scotty Middleton, sophomore, Seton Hall
An athletic wing highly-touted as a flashy recruit, Middleton starts over after a quiet freshman campaign at Ohio State. When Middleton did see the floor — he made more than 45 percent (28 of 62) of his 3-point attempts. Seton Hall hasn’t had a go-to shooter for a few years.
F Mason Miller, junior, Creighton
The son of former NBA player Mike Miller averaged 5.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game last season. He’s in line for bigger numbers with fellow forward Baylor Scheierman now playing for the Boston Celtics in the NBA. The 6-foot-9 Miller sank 45.4 percent of his 3-point attempts in 2023-24 and should see plenty of good looks with defenses focused on Big East preseason player of the year Ryan Kalkbrenner.
F Asa Newell, freshman, Georgia
Any time you joined a list that includes Anthony Edwards, Lou Williams and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, heads turn. That’s what freshman phenom Asa Newell did when he became the fourth 247 Sports five-star recruit to ever commit to Georgia. The 6-foot-11 lefty can shoot, finish above the rim and protect the paint with ease.
G Michael O’Connell, graduate student, NC State
A Stanford transfer who averaged just 5.7 points and 3.2 assists last season, O’Connell emerged as the postseason catalyst of the Wolfpack as they won five games in five days to capture the ACC tournament and then rolled to the Final Four. With O’Connell as NC State’s floor leader, he’ll be distributing to a lineup that includes four Division I transfers who averaged at least 12 ppg at their previous stops.
G Manny Obaseki, senior, Texas A&M
The athletic 6-4 guard averaged 16.5 points (including 22 in a first-round NCAA Tournament win against Nebraska) and 3.0 rebounds the final eight games last season after being inserted into the starting lineup. His ability to play inside and outside will stretch defenses.
F Jayden Quaintance, freshman, Arizona State
A consensus 5-star recruit out of Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh, N.C., Quaintance is a 6-foot-9, 230-pound force on both ends of the court. His wingspan of 7-foot-3 will – eventually – make him a gamechanger. Clearly a weightroom regular, he’s still an extremely young talent (turned 17 in July) and streaky play is expected. But there’s boundless promise and athleticism given his frame and shooting touch.
F Maxime Raynaud, senior, Stanford
He didn’t get a silver medal to show for it, but Raynaud returned to France over the summer to train with the French National Team, which advanced to the Olympic finals before losing to Team USA. The 7-footer improved his scoring average each season — from 4.5 to 8.8 to 15.5 – entering Year 4.
G Anthony Robinson II, sophomore, Missouri
After playing just 13.3 minutes per game as a freshman, Robinson figures to be key rotation piece in 2024-25 and is the Tigers’ top on-ball defender. He had six steals and six assists during Missouri’s 90-45 exhibition victory over Lincoln University.
G Hunter Sallis, senior, Wake Forest
He’ll be in his second season with the Demon Deacons and began his career at Gonzaga. Sallis could build on his scoring average of 18 points per game, which was boosted by 40.5-percent shooting on 3s, after receiving first-team All-ACC honors last season.
G Jackson Shelstad, sophomore, Oregon
He’s back after a strong campaign in which he started 30 of 32 games and averaged 12.8 points per game to earn a spot on the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team. Now in the Big Ten, Shelstad will have to make adjustments to a more physical brand of defense.
G Braeden Shrewsberry, sophomore, Notre Dame
The son of coach Micah Shrewsberry averaged 10.2 points and shot 39.8 percent from 3 as a freshman. He set a school record with 55 3s in conference play (78 total) and earned a place in the starting lineup along with Markus Burton, giving the Fighting Irish the potential for one of the ACC’s more productive backcourts.
F Dusty Stromer, sophomore, Gonzaga
From starter as an injury replacement to a more comfortable role as Sixth Man by the end of his freshman season, Stromer overcame sagging confidence and focused on finding other ways to contribute last season. A deadeye perimeter shooter, Stromer’s defense and competitiveness stood out late in the year. He’s a factor in the rotation at small forward with big potential.
G/F Dailyn Swain, sophomore, Xavier
An appendectomy forced Swain to miss the final five games of his freshman season. He showed he’s one of Xavier’s most athletic and versatile players in 29 total games. In his first career start Jan. 23, he scored nine points, grabbed a career-high six rebounds, two assists and a career-high matching two blocks.
G Seth Trimble, junior, North Carolina
An incredible athlete and lockdown on-ball defender, Trimble returns after initially tossing his name into the transfer portal. A candidate for ACC Sixth Man of the Year in 2023-24 (5.2 points in 17.1 minutes per game), Trimble is poised for big-time production as a starter.
C Ernest Udeh Jr., junior, TCU
He missed the last five games of his sophomore season with a leg injury, but Udeh is ready to move from complementary player to indispensable asset for the Horned Frogs. Coach Jamie Dixon wants TCU to “play more physically without fouling,” as the only returning scholarship player that saw court time last year, Udeh has the size (6-11, 260) to be a force on both ends of the court.
G D.J. Wagner, sophomore, Arkansas
Wagner came to Arkansas with head coach John Calipari after falling short of astronomical projections for his freshman season at Kentucky. Wagner still averaged 9.9 points per game and has the DNA to double his production as a central figure for the Hogs.
–Field Level Media
