You’ve undoubtedly been inundated with info on college hoops’ 2008 version of the “Fab Five.” But aside from Beasley, Gordon, Rose, Love and Mayo, who are the next five freshmen having the biggest impact on their squads?

Chris Warren, University of Mississippi - 5-10, 170 lbs. (Orlando, Fla.):
Last spring, Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy knew that his Rebels were poised for a breakout season as long as they addressed one glaring issue: “Obviously, the big question about our team coming in,” said Kennedy, “was who was going to man the ship.”

Warren has done exactly that, orchestrating Ole Miss’ attack from the point guard position while also providing a potent threat from downtown. He’s tallied 15.9 points and 5.3 assists per night, and has hit for double-digits in every one of the Rebels’ 15-2 schedule except for a two-point win over Florida when he finished with 8 points and 10 assists.

As Warren has been more than impressive at Mississippi, the Rebels have taken the SEC by storm. In fact, his teammates knew that there was something special about him since an offseason conditioning drill. “He won over his teammates when they ran a summertime obstacle course, which Ward said ended with each player pushing a 500-pound equipment cart across a 40-yard course,” writes Dave Curtis of the Orlando Sentinel. “Nobody thought he could budge it,” said Coach Kennedy. “[Warren] moved that thing as fast as anybody on our team.”

Patrick Patterson, University of Kentucky - 6-8, 232 lbs. (Huntington, WV):
Patterson nearly upset No. 5 Tennessee last night by himself. Tennessee rode a wave of Chris Lofton points in the first half to stay on top even though Patterson seemed to be on the finishing end of multiple ‘oops whenever the Wildcats were able to break Bruce Pearl’s backcourt press. He anchored Gillispie’s defense with three blocks as the Vols remained on the perimeter, where they found little success.

“While so many of his classmates on the McDonald’s All American team are gaining notice for their performances with top 10 teams, Kentucky PF Patrick Patterson is playing brilliantly but is not widely celebrated because the Wildcats have struggled,” wrote Mike DeCourcy earlier this month. He is averaging 17.2 points and 8.4 rebounds and is equally effective with his back to the basket or facing it. Patterson has produced six 20-point games and five double doubles despite facing extraordinary defensive attention.

James Harden, Arizona State University - 6-5, 210 lbs. (Los Angeles, Calif.):
Before Harden went down with a groin injury against Stanford, the Sun Devil freshman was having perhaps the biggest impact of any freshman in the country. In four consecutive Pac-10 wins, Harden scored 20, 24, 26, and 27 against Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona and Cal. Harden hung 16 points in 36 minutes before going down with an injury against the Cardinal. He’s still averaging 18.6 points and 5.3 boards per night on 55% shooting from the field.

When it comes to preparing for Washington tomorrow, ASU coach Herb Sendek was frank about what to expect without Harden.
“That’s a complicated question,” Sendek said Tuesday at his weekly campus news conference. “If I broke that down, we would all miss lunch, and I wouldn’t dare keep some of you away from lunch. Suffice it to say it most certainly causes us to reinvent ourselves to some measure because he’s obviously a very integral part of what we do.”

Donte Greene, Syracuse University - 6-11, 226 lbs. (Baltimore, MD):
In all fairness, Greene may have cost the Orange a win against Georgetown. With classmate Jonny Flynn absolutely killing Jonathan Wallace, Greene was trigger-ecstatic when he should have been feeding Flynn’s hot hand. He finished the game 5-19 from the floor for 15 points to go with 6 turnovers.

But without Greene, Jim Boeheim’s group would be totally lost. He plays with fire and incredible versatility, and has stepped up into a leadership role without Eric Devendorf (season ending knee injury). Of this group, he’s the one best suited for the NBA. If the ‘Cuse can make a run in the Big East tournament that propels them into the Big Dance, expect for Greene to defect to the League after this season. NBAdraft.net already has him going fifth overall to the Knicks.

Manny Harris, University of Michigan - 6-5, 170 lbs. (Detroit, Mich.):
While Michigan is firmly cementing their position at the very bottom of the Big Ten, the Wolverines aren’t playing for 2008. With the introduction of John Beilein as their new head coach, everyone expected Michigan to have one or even two down years before Beilein plucked the type of players that he needs for his longball-heavy system.

However, he’s already found a diamond for the future. You might have heard of some kid named Harris who took down Mr. Basketball honors for the state of Michigan. His first name? Corperryale. But… he goes by Manny. And he’s backed up that award with a hot start to his freshman campaign with 16.4 points per game. Last night he thrashed through Wisconsin’s D for 26 points, but the Wolverines came up short of the upset.

“When you come into a locker room, especially with our team, you can feel when guys make lip service or they are really into it,” coach John Beilein said about Tuesday’s pregame. “I noticed [Harris] when he came in that he talked about playing with heart, playing tougher, playing stronger. He just kept saying it.”

Who did we miss? Let us know in the comments section below

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