One of the ripple effects of former Duke assistant coach Jai Lucas taking the job at Miami earlier this offseason is that blue-chip recruit Shelton Henderson backed off his pledge to the Blue Devils. Shortly after doing so, Henderson committed to Miami and followed Lucas, one of the coaches who played a key part in his recruitment.
That investment is paying off. Last week, Henderson had his best game in a Miami uniform and scored 30 points during a 98-81 win over Florida International. It marked the first time Henderson scored at least 20 points in a game this season.
“He is one of the best freshmen I’ve coached,” Miami coach Jai Lucas said last week. “In the sense of his physicality and his ability to play through contact. … he did a good job carrying the scoring load.”
Henderson is averaging 13.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 61.5% from the floor. He has started all 13 games for the Hurricanes thus far.
Let’s jump into our rankings and get to our CBS Sports/USBWA Freshman of the Week for the 2025-26 college basketball season.
Freshman of the Week: Shelton Henderson, Miami
Welcome back to the Frosh Watch, our weekly ranking of the ten most impressive freshmen in college basketball. For the 11th season in a row, CBS Sports has once again teamed up with the United States Basketball Writers Association and its Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award to present this every-Tuesday feature. Each week, we’ll start by announcing the national Freshman of the Week honoree. The cycle for FOTW runs Tuesday-Monday.
The former No. 25 overall recruit in the 2025 recruiting cycle by 247Sports originally committed to Duke before backing off that pledge and signing with Miami this past April. Henderson became fourth-highest-ranked recruit in Miami program history.
Henderson is coming off his best stretch as a college player. After dropping 30 points against FIU, Henderson followed it up with a 20-point outing against North Florida. After not scoring more than 18 points in a single game during the first month of the season, Henderson delivered two standout performances.
Previous Freshman of the Week winners
Frosh Watch: Ranking top 10 freshmen
1. Cameron Boozer | F | Duke
Stats: 23.3 PPG | 10.0 RPG | 4.0 APG
Boozer finished with 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists during Duke’s first loss of the season to Texas Tech. The Blue Devils squandered a 17-point advantage to the Red Raiders but still had a chance to win the game on the final possession. Boozer missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would’ve won his team the game. Last week: 1
2. AJ Dybantsa | F | BYU
Stats: 22.3 PPG | 6.9 RPG | 3.3 APG
There aren’t many players in the country playing better than Dybantsa right now. The BYU star has shown that he could be the No. 1 overall pick this summer due to his impressive play over the last few weeks. Dybantsa finished with 35 points, six rebounds and four assists in a win over Abilene Christian. Then, he followed it up by recording a triple-double (33 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists) against Eastern Washington. Last week: 2
3. Caleb Wilson | F | North Carolina
Stats: 19.5 PPG | 10.8 RPG | 2.4 APG
Wilson started slow against Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic but had a monster second half to propel his team to a huge win. Wilson recorded his eighth double-double of the season (20 points, 15 rebounds) and validated why he’s such a highly touted prospect. Wilson has an elite motor, and that was on full display on Ohio State’s final offensive possession. Wilson just makes winning plays. In Monday’s beatdown of East Carolina, Wilson notched his fifth consecutive 20-point game, tying a freshman record set by UNC rookie Phil Ford during the 1974-75 season. Last week: 4
4. Darryn Peterson | G | Kansas
Stats: 19.3 PPG | 3.8 RPG | 2.8 APG
Peterson didn’t play in each of his team’s last two games Towson and Davidson, due to injury. Peterson, a projected top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, has now missed nine games this season. Last week: 3
5. Darius Acuff Jr. | G | Arkansas
Stats: 18.9 PPG | 3.3 RPG | 6.2 APG
Acuff had two really strong performances last week that showed why he will be a lottery pick this summer. The Arkansas star recorded a double-double (23 points and 10 assists) against Queens and scored 27 points in a marquee matchup against Houston. Arkansas coach John Calipari is known for producing elite guards. Acuff is next. Last week: 5
6. Mikel Brown Jr. | G | Louisville
Stats: 16.6 PPG | 3.0 RPG | 5.1 APG
Brown didn’t play in Louisville’s last two games against Tennessee and Montana due to injury. It’s unclear when the star guard will return to the lineup. The Cardinals open ACC play against Cal on Dec. 30. Last week: 5
7. Koa Peat | F | Arizona
Stats: 14.0 PPG | 5.0 RPG | 2.7 APG
Peat finished with 11 points and five rebounds against San Diego State last weekend. After his team got off to a slow start against the Wildcats, Peat and his team were able to pull away. Arizona remained No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll for the third consecutive week. Last week: 7
8. Nate Ament | F | Tennessee
Stats: 16.3 PPG | 7.1 RPG | 2.8 APG
Ament logged just 19 minutes against Gardner-Webb. He finished with eight points, five rebounds and three assists. Ament and Tennessee face South Carolina State next. Last week: 8
9. Kingston Flemings | G | Houston
Stats: 14.8 PPG | 3.3 RPG | 4.9 APG
Flemings has been fantastic for Houston this season. In a marquee game against Arkansas, Flemings finished with 21 points, six rebounds and five assists. Houston faces Middle Tennessee next before Big 12 play begins. Last week: 9
10. Hannes Steinbach | F | Washington
Stats: 17.5 PPG | 11.9 RPG | 2.5 APG
Washington was on the wrong side of an upset loss to Seattle U last weekend, but Steinbach still delivered a double-double. He finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds in the Huskies’ loss. Last week: 10
