Arizona Basketball: Nico Mannion, one of the best in college basketball

Arizona Basketball had a spectacular weekend, which included Nico Mannion being named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week.

Nine games into the 2019-20 season and freshman Nico Mannion has lived up to all the hype so far and some. This past weekend in the Wooden Legacy Tournament he showed why he is one of the best in college basketball, not just as a freshman, but overall. He earned himself the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week for his performance, becoming the second Arizona Basketball player to win it. Zeke Nnaji was the first, winning it back-to-back.

For an 18-year-old, his level of maturity and how he has handled the spotlight has been remarkable. The work he has put in before the season started has been really paying off as of late. After getting adjusted to the college basketball game, Mannion is finding his rhythm on offense and on defense he starting to understand how to defend.

In the nine games he has played (started in all of them), he is averaging 15.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game. What’s even a more remarkable stat is that Mannion is only averaging 3.2 turnovers per game, which is excellent considering he is the main ball handler for the Wildcats.

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His overall basketball IQ is what stands out more than anything when watching him play. He understands when a big shot is needed and can knock it down, like the winning layup he had against Pepperdine. Not only can he shoot the ball with a lot of confidence, but his ability to deliver precission passes to his teammates in the fast break and in the half-court offense is what makes him so special.

Whether it’s a pull up three or Mannion Hammer dunk down the middle of the lane, he goes about it like it’s no big deal. He is an extremely confident player right now that is able to talk the talk and walk the walk.

Coming up for the Wildcats next is a big-time test against No.18 Baylor on the road. Sean Miller will rely heavily on Mannion to set the tone early and perform at a high level throughout the game to give the Wildcats their best chance of winning. Of course, everyone else will need to play their role as well.

At Zona Zealots, we have been beyond impressed with Nico Mannion’s performance nine games into this season. Plenty of games yet to be played, which means more Mannion. No complaints here. As always, Bear Down, Arizona!