Big 12 Basketball: Top 5 rising sophomores for 2018-19

5. Kouat Noi, TCU

In his final high school season, Kouat Noi garnered plenty of attention for his play at Montverde Academy in Florida. He averaged nearly 20 points per game there and was ranked within the top-300 of the nation for the 2016 class. A prime example of the fact that recruiting rankings are not all they are cracked up to be, Noi redshirted in 2016-17 before making a major impact as a freshman.

Originally from Australia, Noi was an immediate contributor this past year. Despite the fact that he only started nine of the team’s 33 games, he played in 22.0 minutes per game and was effective in that time on the floor. For the season, he posted averaged of 10.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per game. At 6-foot-7, he is a dangerous threat on the thing due to his ability to shoot from distance as well as attack the basket. In addition to the typical basic stats above, Noi shot 57.8% on shots inside the 3-point arc and 43.4% beyond the line. That kind of efficiency is worth commending for any player, let alone a freshman.

During this past season, Noi played in a sixth man role off the bench. However, that likely will not be the case during 2018-19. Star forward Kenrich Williams graduated this offseason, leaving a starting spot available. Considering Noi already played upwards of 20 minutes per game last season, this move would not be a major change in role. TCU could potentially reach the NCAA Tournament again during this upcoming season and Noi will have his opportunity for a breakout year as a starting forward.