“He comes in with a lot of strength—upper and lower body,” sophomore center Brian Cusworth said. “It seems like he’s really strong down low and he runs the floor very well.”

Despite his obvious talent, one factor that might keep Yada off the court—especially at the beginning of the season—is the inherent difficulty of stepping into the point guard role and being able to “quarterback” the offense as a freshman.

“It takes a while to understand our system with all the little intricacies,” Beal said. “Ko has good speed and good court awareness. It will take time to become accustomed to the level of Division I basketball, but I think [he] can make huge contributions.”

Yada especially credits Giovacchini with helping him learn the offense, which the rookie has found to be much more structured than the offense his high school team employed.

Yet Yada hopes his many skills will still allow him to contribute.

“I’m just trying to help the team out however I can,” he said. “I [was a good shooter] in high school, but I’ve never played in a college game. I’m pretty confident that if I can get open shots, I can knock them down. If I’m not open, hopefully I can distribute the ball.”

Although both Yada and Goffredo will have a hard time competing for spots in a crowded back court that features swingman Norman and Rogus in addition to Giovacchini and Beal, the pair can rely on an attribute not commonly associated with freshmen.

“Jim and Ko are both very mature,” Sullivan said. “The learning curve with them—while it’s steep—is not as steep as it sometimes is with freshmen.”

Darcy Playground

It’s a tall enough task for a freshman to earn playing time while learning a new system and adjusting to both new teammates and college life.

But the task becomes even taller when the freshman in question is sidelined after just a week and a half of basketball action.

Enter Brian Darcy. The bruiser of the freshmen class at 6’7 and 220 pounds, he had hoped to see action in a Crimson front court that features only one player bigger than 6’8.

Unfortunately, Darcy suffered a stress fracture in his leg early on and has been forced to watch the action from the sideline thus far.

“Brian’s been out for [over] a month now and I think he should be pretty close to being ready,” Sullivan said. “This will set him back a lot. When a freshman misses this amount of time, it’s very tough.”

Similarly timed injuries stunted the progress of Stehle last season and Giovacchini two years ago.