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On Monday afternoon, the preseason All-American Team for the 2024-25 season, and the six (yes, six) names included on the list should not come as a huge surprise. Alabama guard Mark Sears earned 54 of a possible 55 votes after leading the Crimson Tide to their first Final Four last year. North Carolina's RJ Davis, and former Tar Heels guard turned Arizona Wildcat Caleb Love earned spots too. Kansas' Hunter Dickinson, Auburn's Johnni Broome, and Duke star freshman Cooper Flagg round out the selections.
Not to take away anything from Sears, Davis, Love, Dickinson, Broome or Flagg, but there are countless players around the country who are coming into the season with a legitimate case to be a preseason All-American, and by March, they could very well have earned a spot on that honorary team. Let's start with the lone returning starter from the two-time defending NCAA Champion UConn Huskies.
Alex Karaban – Forward, UConn Huskies
2023-24 stats: 13.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 50/38/89 shooting splits
UConn may run too much of an equal opportunity offense for Alex Karaban's numbers to swell too much, but Huskies head coach Dan Hurley has praised his lone returnee at every possible opportunity, calling Karaban “the smartest player in the country” last season. Those who keep a close eye on UConn all season long on just how vital the junior forward has been to their success on both ends of the floor.
Ryan Kalkbrenner – Center, Creighton Bluejays
2023-24 stats: 17.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.1 blocks, 65 percent field goals
The fifth-year senior has increased his offensive output each season he's been in each of his four seasons in Omaha, and this year he'll be attempting to become only the second four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year, joining former Georgetown center Patrick Ewing.
An early December non-conference matchup with Kansas' Hunter Dickinson provides Ryan Kalkbrenner with a solid opportunity for a resume builder before the Bluejays get into Big East competition.
Hunter Sallis – Guard, Wake Forest Demon Deacons
2023-24 stats: 18.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 49/41/79 shooting splits
The former Gonzaga transfer exploded upon his arrival in Winston-Salem last year, finishing fourth in the ACC in scoring. As a result, Hunter Sallis was named a 1st-team All-ACC selection. To take the next step, Sallis will need to be the man responsible for leading the Demon Deacons to the Big Dance for the first time since 2017.
Based on the preseason ACC poll, the expectation is that Hunter Sallis can come through, and with three opportunities to go up against Duke and North Carolina, the 6-foot-5 senior guard could play his way into the conversation.
Ryan Nembhard – Guard, Gonzaga Bulldogs
2023-24 stats: 12.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 1.2 steals
Assuming the Zags perform up to their preseason ranking (6th), then one would assume that either Graham Ike or Ryan Nembhard would have a season worth considering for an All-American inclusion. Both were All-WCC 1st Team performers last season, but as a former point guard myself, I give the slight edge to Nembhard here simply because I like the way he runs a team.
The senior guard has 99 starts in his career — 64 at Creighton and 35 last year in Spokane — and he's always played wiser than his age. If Nembhard's scoring sees an uptick and Gonzaga cruises toward 30 wins and a WCC title, Nembhard could get some serious recognition.
Johnell Davis – Guard, Arkansas Razorbacks
2023-24 stats (at Florida Atlantic): 18.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 48/41/86 shooting splits
Johnell Davis is the grand prize of the kind of transfer portal class you'd expect from a John Calipari-coached team, and with an SEC spotlight shining down on the big-time scorer, he could easily find himself in a position where he's challenging Alabama's Mark Sears for conference player of the year honors.
Oumar Ballo – Center, Indiana Hoosiers
2023-24 stats (at Arizona): 12.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, 66 percent field goals
Mike Brown's hopes of keeping his job in Bloomington rest on the broad shoulders of Oumar Ballo and the rest of a highly-touted transfer portal class that is expected to contend in the Big Ten and maybe even make some noise deep into March. Ballo is a two-time All-Pac-12 performer and was ranked by many outlets as the top transfer in the country this year. Assuming there's a hoops revival in Bloomington, Ballo could be the recipient of even more postseason honors, including being named an All-American.
