Arizona Basketball: Nico Mannion’s personal goal of Pac-12 Freshman of the Year
By David Rosen
Arizona Basketball incoming five-star freshman phenom Nico Mannion has is eyes set on being Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.
One of the top overall freshmen in college basketball will be leading the Arizona Basketball program during the 2019-20 season. Who could that be? Hmm. Give you two hints. He has red hair and the last name is Mannion. If you haven’t figured it out by now, we are talking about Nico Mannion aka the Red Mamba.
In a recent clip by SLAM, Mannion indicated he has several goals this upcoming season and one of them being Pac-12 Freshman of the Year! He currently is the frontrunner to achieve that this season but does have some competition. Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels of Washington are a couple of freshmen that will likely be competing against Mannion for that top spot in the Pac-12.
There have been nine other former Wildcats that have earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. That list includes Sean Elliot, Mike Bibby, Michael Wright, Salim Stoudamire, Chase Budinger, Derrick Williams, Aaron Gordon, Stanley Johnson, and Deandre Ayton. If Mannion were to win this award, he would be among the greats that have played for Arizona Basketball.
More from Wildcats Basketball
- Arizona Basketball likely to schedule Florida Atlantic for 2023
- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s FIBA World Cup performance is reminiscent of Kobe Bryant’s
- Rawle Alkins a star in the Drew League this summer
- Arizona Basketball to play in ‘Battle 4 Atlantis’ in 2024
- Reflections on the Pac-12, the Arizona Wildcats, and other memories
Mannion’s overall skill set and basketball IQ make him a special player. At only 18 years of age, it’s quite scary to think how good Mannion can be. He has incredible NBA upside and is a definite lock as an NBA lottery pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Will be interesting to see how he adjusts to college basketball, especially when Pac-12 play gets under away. Something tells me he won’t have any problem handling the pressure as one the on leaders on the team.
His style of play will fit in perfectly with this season’s roster. Mannion will complement both Brandon Williams and Max Hazzard very well at the one position. Mannion adds a whole new dimension and gives the Wildcats that much more depth on both ends of the court.
It’s quite apparent that Mannion is on a mission not just to become Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, but also get the Wildcats back into the Final Four and a chance to win a National Championship.
Must Read. Arizona Basketball: Ira Lee looking forward to a big season in 2019-20. light
At Zona Zealots, we are very excited about Nico Mannion playing for the Arizona Wildcats during the 2019-20 season. Fans can not wait to see him in action. We will all soon enough get to see Mannion in action under the lights at McKale Center. As always, Bear Down, Arizona!