The top freshmen guards on Top 100 teams
Welcome to another stats breakdown from The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops! At this point in the year, most teams have established clear rotations and are entering the bulk of their conference schedules. We often hear a lot about the experienced juniors and seniors guiding their teams in the push for league titles and NCAA Tournament bids, but what about the first-years? Who are the newcomers making noteworthy impacts for their respective programs?
Today is a look at the Top 10 freshmen guards playing on Top 100 teams. As with my top forwards/centers on Top 75 teams post, these lists have been compiled using the same baseline data requirements: players must have played at least 5% of their team’s minutes (about 10 min/game), and stat rankings are based on their points + rebounds per 30 minutes, not per game averages.
As I’ve said previously, know that this is just one way of attempting to quantify the impact of a player. As with every metric, it does have its flaws, though the hope is for this to be a fairly accurate look at a player’s production on the court. So don’t taking this list as a 1-through-10 “ranking” as much as a compiling of standout freshmen worthy of recognition. Especially considering that each of these players are contributing in different ways and roles for their teams, some starting every game, others coming off the bench frequently, but for short stints of time. Just keep that in mind as you read!
Halle Van Horn — Ripon (20.0 pts + rebs/30 min)
Van Horn is one of the taller guards on this list, a 5’11 standout from tiny Fredonia, Wisconsin who has quickly worked her way into Ripon’s starting lineup. She came off the bench in Ripon’s first seven games before starting the Redhawks’ last 11, and does a little bit of everything, playing comfortably on the perimeter while also scoring often in the paint and rebounding consistently. That versatility has created several matchup advantages for Van Horn against opposing defenders, and through 15 games, she is averaging 11.1 points/30 min and 8.9 rebounds/30 min. Not to mention, she has shot above 73% over a three-game stretch from Jan. 8-14, going 19-of-26 from the field. Talk about efficient shooting!
Jacqueline Berry — Hardin-Simmons (21.2 pts + rebs/30 min)
Berry has emerged as one of the most impactful freshmen in the entire country, stepping up for an HSU squad that lost its entire starting backcourt to graduation after last year’s Sweet 16 run. Through 18 games—all of which she’s started—Berry is averaging 13.2 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 2.0 assists/game, leading the Cowgirls in the latter two categories. She is also HSU’s leader in minutes played, at 28.6 per game. In her young college career, the Texhoma, Oklahoma product has tallied three 20-point games, including a 22-point effort at ETBU two weeks ago.
Anna Richards — Hope (17.7 pts + rebs/30 min)
Richards just keeps getting better for the Flying Dutch, and has now worked her way into the starting lineup. She started each of Hope’s last four games, including a 17-point performance in the win at Alma, and is averaging 9.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest. Alongside her twin sister, Leah, and Maddie Petroelje, Hope has perhaps the best freshman trio in the country. Richards now has six double-digit scoring performances this season, and is also tied for second on the team in assists (32).
Madison Hurta — East Texas Baptist (18.0 pts + rebs/30 min)
One of the top homeschool players in the country last season, Hurta took her talents to ETBU and immediately made an impact for the Tigers, especially on the offensive end. A stellar 3-point shooter who is 38.7% from beyond the arc this season, Hurta averages 12.6 points/game in addition to 26 total assists and 3.7 rebounds/game. In 20 games this season, Hurta has finished with double figures in scoring in 17 of them, including 18 points in a notable victory at Trinity (TX) in late December. She is also shooting 80.8% from the free throw line and 45% from the field.
Grace Kinum — Bowdoin (18.3 pts + rebs/30 min)
Bowdoin is one of four undefeated teams left in Division III, and Kinum has played a role in that success, averaging 16.6 minutes/game. The New Providence, New Jersey product is effective as both a shooter and rebounder, and has recorded five games of 20+ minutes thus far. Kinum is shooting 48.2% from the field, averaging 6.6 points per game, along with 3.5 boards per contest. Most recently, she put up 13 points in a season-high 26 minutes, as Bowdoin took down Colby, 61-56.
Monet Witherspoon — Tufts (16.3 pts + rebs/30 min)
Witherspoon has emerged as a go-to scorer for Tufts as NESCAC play progresses, highlighted by her 23-point outburst in the nine-point win over Williams two weeks ago. A St. Louis native, she has started all 18 games for the Jumbos, and averages 24.9 minutes/game, which ranks third on the team. At 10.3 points per game, Witherspoon is Tufts’ second-leading scorer, in addition to her 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. That averages out to 12.4 points/30 min and 3.9 rebounds/30 min.
Maddie Petroelje — Hope (16.6 pts + rebs/30 min)
At 6’1, Petroelje is one of the taller guards we’ve seen in D-III women’s basketball this season, and her play on the perimeter has increasingly gotten better for Hope over the course of this season. Playing consistent minutes off the bench, she scored in double figures in three of Hope’s last four games, and has seemingly found a better shooting rhythm as of late, going 44% or better from the field in three of the last four contests. Averaging 12.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per 30 min, Petroelje is a name you’ll likely be hearing more and more of as Hope heads into the second half of MIAA play.
Livy Sauvageau — Trinity (TX) (16.4 pts + rebs/30 min)
An exceptional high school player at Second Baptist in Houston, where she played in four straight TAPPS 5A State finals, Sauvageau has fit nicely into Trinity’s rotation this season. A consistent contributor off the bench, she is averaging 13.7 points/30 min, and sees the floor well, evidenced by her 27 assists. Sauvageau is also third on the team in 3-pointers made and 90% at the free throw line. Her ability to score the ball is amongst her biggest strengths, with that being most evident in her 25-point performance against UDallas on Jan. 17, in addition to a 13-point showing against ETBU.
Erica Hills — Hamilton (16.5 pts + rebs/30 min)
Hills’ most notable game so far came against Bates on Jan. 12, in which she put up 21 points in 33 minutes of an 83-65 win. The 5’9 guard from Dover, Massachusetts is currently averaging 6.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, doing so in 19.7 minutes/game on the floor. Shooting 55.4% from the field, Hills is one of Hamilton’s most efficient players and the Continentals’ most productive bench player up to this point. In per 30 min averages, Hills is averaging 10.3 points and 6.2 rebounds.
Deniz Alparslan — Rochester (16.2 pts + rebs/30 min)
Alparslan has seen a rise in her minutes on the floor with Rochester approaching the midpoint of UAA play, having now recorded three straight 20-minute performances against NYU, WashU, and Chicago. Her biggest impact has come in the rebounding column, averaging 9.03 rebounds/30 min for the Yellowjackets, including 15 over the last three contests. She is also averaging 7.2 points/30 min.