Big 12 Basketball: Who is the 2017-18 preseason Freshman of the Year?

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 22: Head coach Shaka Smart of the Texas Longhorns reacts against the Colorado Buffaloes in the second half during the consolation game of the Legends Classic at Barclays Center on November 22, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

The 2017-18 preseason Freshman of the Year was selected for the Big 12. Who earned the coveted honor?

The preseason awards for the Big 12 have been released, and a top five Class of 2017 recruit has been selected as the player who will be expected to win the award.

The 2016-17 preseason Freshman of the Year was the Kansas Jayhawks’ Josh Jackson. Jackson, who was the final choice for Big 12 Freshman of the Year, averaged an impressive 16.3 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per game during his time with the Jayhawks. Jackson was then selected with the No. 4 overall pick by the Phoenix Suns in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Another expected NBA lottery pick earned the honor heading into the 2017-18 season, as Texas Longhorns’ freshman Mohamed Bamba was selected.

Bamba, who is a 7’0, 216-pound power forward, was rated as a consensus top-five recruit by all of the major sites, as the No. 3 player by 247 Sports, No. 4 player by Scout, and No. 4 on Rivals.

The only freshman close to Bamba in the Class of 2017 rankings is Kansas’ Billy Preston, who is ranked as No. 18 by ESPN.

Shaka Smart will love to work with this dominant athlete down low, as the Longhorns already had a potential NCAA Tournament team coming into the season and Bamba’s addition should solidify that spot. I expect this team to cruise to the NCAA Tournament behind Bamba’s talent and Smart’s coaching.

Next: Check out the rest of the Big 12 preseason award winners

The Big 12 is arguably the best top to bottom conference in college basketball, but it does look like Bamba should run away in the Freshman of the Year race fairly easily.

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