Villanova's Allen Ray sat down in the tightly packed, bandbox of a press room at Philadelphia's famed Palestra earlier this season and told the assembled media that everything he'd heard about the Big Five rivalry games was true. From the emotional atmosphere created by thousands of Philadelphia fans, to the level of competition on the court, Villanova's victory over La Salle felt just like all those high-profile games he'd played the past few seasons back at St. Raymond's in the Bronx.

St. Raymond's, as in St. Raymond's High School.

Freshmen Eligibility? A Moot Question

Incoming NCAA president Myles Brand is against freshmen being ineligible. The coaches aren't in favor of it. The players certainly aren't for sitting their first year. So don't expect any movement to bring back the rule that kept Lew Alcindor on the sidelines at UCLA in his first season in Westwood. Freshmen were made eligible in 1972-73 and have been making an impact ever since in college basketball. Educators have professed that making freshmen ineligible would help graduation rates, weed out the students who don't want to be in college, those who would rather go directly to the pros. That's true. But there is a cost that Brand isn't willing to push. Making freshmen ineligible would mean men's basketball would have to increase its scholarship limits. There is no way a college basketball team could exist with 13 scholarships if a maximum of five freshmen were ineligible. That would mean a team would have only eight eligible players. That doesn't allow for a medical redshirt for an older player or any other redshirting for upperclassmen for either athletic or academic reasons. "My personal stance is it's fine for freshman to play and the majority will agree," said Brand, the outgoing Indiana president who will take over for NCAA president Cedric Dempsey next month. "If freshmen didn't play then we would have freshmen teams that means additional coaches, travel and scholarships. Right now we need to contain the costs. That's the problem. I have no problem with freshmen on the swim team or gymnastics team so why should there be a problem with freshmen being on the men's basketball team?" This is a time when universities are trying to cut costs and adding scholarships isn't in the equation. There was some discussion about freshmen being ineligible during the initial Basketball Issues Committee study a few years ago, but that was quickly drowned out. Presidents have realized that the numbers don't add up financially, even if it sounds like a good idea in theory. The solution could be in the five-year eligibility rule that is being floated as a possibility. It's out for discussion but hasn't been proposed as official legislation. The five-year plan would give student-athletes five years of eligibility, instead of four, and would likely help them graduate sooner than the six-plus years it's taking a number of them to complete their degrees. Football has a benefit that men's basketball doesn't. The majority of freshmen football players redshirt, while that luxury is rare in men's basketball. But there can be as many as 25 freshmen on squads that have a minimum of 85 scholarships. The NCAA has made it easier for freshmen to adjust to the academic load by bringing in freshmen over the summer to take classes. They can knock out a few classes and adjust to the work load before the fall semester begins. They can also get a jump on strength training so it's not as much of a strain. And basketball is far less of a challenge with players even more advanced by the time they get to college because of all the games they play in the summers in high school. More underclassmen are leaving and that creates even more of a need for freshmen to contribute immediately. That's why freshmen will continue to play instead of being forced to sit out their first season in college. -- Andy Katz, ESPN.com

Huh?

No disrespect to Philly hoops, but that is Ray's reality, along with the other freshman phenoms in this Class of 2002. Playing in historic arenas is nothing new. It is, for these freshmen, a true extension of high school.

"Can you believe to him it's like a high school game?" Villanova coach Jay Wright said after Ray's 19 points helped defeat LaSalle in a Big Five game on Dec. 7. "It used to be a freshman would play in the Palestra the first time and be like, 'Wow.' But not anymore.

"These guys now play all over the place before they come here. They play at Cole Field House in tournaments; the McDonald's All-Star game at Madison Square Garden; the Smith Center in Chapel Hill and even here at the Palestra. This class isn't in awe of anything. If they're going to struggle this year, it's going to be against experienced players who know how to play."

And that's about it.

Sure, the Class of 2002 will have its off nights, but more often than not, this class will continue to have a major impact on the 2002-03 season. It's not a surprise to the coaches and certainly not to the players. And, of course, everyone has a theory as to why freshmen are the story from No. 1 Duke on down the teams populating each week's top 25.

First, there was the need for instant help at a number of high-profile programs. North Carolina had three starting spots to fill. Enter Rashad McCants, Raymond Felton and Sean May. Illinois had two openings, which were filled by Dee Brown and Deron Williams. Notre Dame welcomed Torin Francis to the starting lineup, while Duke has risen to the top of the rankings with Sheldon Williams, J.J. Redick and Shavlik Randolph each starting at different times.

The list of freshmen making an impact goes on at Indiana (Bracey Wright), Georgia Tech (Jarrett Jack and Chris Bosh), Texas A&M (Antonio Wright) and Villanova, where Jason Fraser joined Ray in the starting lineup from Day 1. The openings were for a variety of reasons, from seniors departing, academic attrition, transfers, injuries and early departures to the NBA.

And this class wasn't shy about playing right away, let alone doing so on a national stage in tradition-rich arenas. The players were physically ready. Their confidence was never questioned. Coaches weren't afraid to give them the responsibility that comes with starting, which meant few hesitated to insert them into the lineup. These freshmen were better prepared to play in college because they've been playing games against the same level of competition they're now facing on nearly every spring and summer weekend since entering high school.

Sure, there are negatives, such as the lack of respect freshmen show lesser opponents. And the great unknown remains whether or not a team can reach the Final Four by relying on freshmen. We all saw Michigan do it with the Fab Four in 1992 and 1993 (although that apparently didn't happen according to the school and the NCAA). Arizona won the 1997 title with a freshman lead guard (Mike Bibby) and a certain freshman named Jordan hit the game-winning basket for UNC back in 1982.

Could Duke do the same with its freshmen, or Indiana behind Wright?

So far, they show no signs of slowing down. Not to mention, no fear.

"Playing in front of 20,000 fans here in Syracuse or at Madison Square Garden is what players dream about," Syracuse freshman Carmelo Anthony said. "When you're playing in places like that, you play harder and smarter."

Three years ago, the McDonald's All-American game was at the Fleet Center in Boston. It has been held in Cameron Indoor Stadium and also in MSG.

"So when you're in these arenas again, it's nothing new," Duke junior point guard Chris Duhon said. "What's the difference between now and 10 years ago with freshmen? They come in with more experience. They're not nervous because they've already been put in comfortable situations."

Comfortable? The North Carolina freshmen couldn't have looked more at ease when they strolled into MSG for the Heels' shootaround prior to the Preseason NIT semifinals. None needed a tour of the Garden, each had been there last April as high school all-Americans. So, walking through the hallways and onto the court at the world's most famous arena meant zilch. There was no buzz, no wide eyes or star-struck looks up into the rafters. It was, to these guys, just another basketball court.

Been here, done this.

"They've all been on TV," North Carolina coach Matt Doherty said. "They've all been exposed a lot more than any of us were 20 years ago. These guys travel and play international basketball and play in front of more people than a lot of other guys (do in college)."

As for competing against older, more established players, Wright said the quality upperclassmen who stick around results in the classes seeming coming closer together. The freshmen have played against the current sophomores and a number of juniors on the summer AAU circuits.

"They're not scared of any of these guys," La Salle coach Billy Hahn said. "Ten years ago, freshmen went through a process. You had to earn your time. But these freshmen aren't afraid of any of the upperclassmen because they've played against them so often."

The games take place during a summer league season, which really begins in earnest during the spring. These players play nonstop games on the weekends. July is a blur. August is usually the down time, but it picks up again in September. Most of these freshmen aren't two-sport stars. They are committed to hoops 365 days a year.

"I played seven games a week during the summer," Villanova freshman Jason Fraser said. "I would go to play in Las Vegas one week, then L.A. and keep going. It's basketball, basketball and basketball."

Boston College's Al Skinner said the negativities of AAU or summer ball don't even compare to all the positives of these freshmen playing a lot of basketball.

"That's why they're having so much success earlier," Skinner said.

It's simply making freshmen ready to play college basketball before their first midterm.

Look at Boston College's Craig Smith. The freshman is a man. He's cut. He's 6-foot-7, 265 pounds -- not a typical college freshman. How about Torin Francis of Notre Dame? He picked up 20 pounds over the summer by getting to campus and working on his body. He checked in at 6-10, 240 when the season started.

"And all the weight is in the right place," Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said of Francis' physique. "They don't lift in high school, not like here. They say they lift, but they don't really lift. That's why it was so important to get freshmen here over the summer. It's critical to have players who have been through it who can act as the coaches with the freshmen since we can't be there (under NCAA rules)."

	Carmelo Anthony felt right at home in Madison Square Garden, dropping 27 on Memphis in his debut for Syracuse.

St. Vincent-St. Mary (Arkon, Ohio) star LeBron James already has the body for the NBA. So, too, did Amare Stoudemire last season. But freshmen playing in the post like Francis, Smith or North Carolina's Sean May, or the guards like Wright or North Carolina's Rashad McCants, have ready-made college bodies.

"When I watch North Carolina's freshmen (McCants, Raymond Felton and Sean May) or Michigan State's (Paul Davis) they look like men," Wright said. "They look like seniors to me. That's the thing that has changed. These guys come in and can physically play against the older guys. There are no physical problems."

And there is certainly a need, maybe more so this season than most, for these ready-made freshmen to play right away.

Skinner could have used Smith last season. But Smith didn't get eligible and went to a prep school for a post-graduate season. His presence in the post is even more important for the Eagles with the absence of Uka Agbai (neck injury). Guard Louis Hinnant beat out Jermaine Watson at the point and he has allowed Troy Bell to slide to shooting guard.

"A year from now, maybe we don't have the same need," Skinner said. "A freshman may come in and might not play as much, regardless of how good he is. He still might have to wait his turn."

Doherty was quick to point out that if Joseph Forte had stayed in school, instead of jumping to the NBA after his sophomore season, McCants wouldn't be playing as much at shooting guard. But freshmen like Wright, Anthony, Fraser and Georgia Tech's Jarrett Jack probably wouldn't be at the same schools if upperclassmen were occupying their spots.

"All these freshmen chose schools where they wanted to be intricate parts of their team right away," said Jack, whose stepped in at the point for the Yellow Jackets. "Look at Carolina, you can't take Rashad and Raymond out of the lineup? For who?"

Illinois coach Bill Self said he could have foreseen starting one of his two freshmen guards last season. That would have been Dee Brown, with Deron Williams coming off the bench. They both start this season. Self has even started three freshmen at times.

"We have the need for both now but they're obviously good enough to start most years at Illinois," Self said. "They might not play 35 minutes if we had other guys."

The difference between Illinois and Tulsa, his previous stop, was he never forced the freshmen to start.

	For a freshman like Duke's J.J. Redick, playing at Cameron Indoor Stadium doesn't give 'em stage fright.

"We usually eased into it," Self said. "You usually don't get the top 20 players at a Tulsa or Gonzaga, so you can develop them into starters. But we're recruiting players who should be good enough to have an impact at most major schools."

Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson had no qualms about starting Kevin Bookout. He may have arrived a boy in a man's body, 6-8 and 270 pounds, but Sampson had a need and he felt Bookout was ready. Some of the guards, like Wright, Brown, McCants and Felton, were simply better than anyone else on the team.

But what are the pitfalls of leaning so heavily on freshmen?

"Early in the season, these guys don't know that anybody can beat them," Self said. "They don't have that kind of experience."

Anthony said Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim is constantly reminding him to take his competition seriously. That same drill is performed almost daily when a high-major is playing a low or mid-major that it is supposed to beat. Freshmen, however, think they're unstoppable. And that's when upsets happen.

Once these freshmen start playing conference games, they'll have to deal with every move being scouted. They might not be able to go to their right as well. Their favorite jump shot might get taken away. Frustration may set in.

"But there won't be a wall," Indiana's Mike Davis said. "These guys have played too many games for that to be an issue. Look, when freshmen are really good, they're going to play over juniors and seniors.

"The impact of the freshmen in college basketball is no fluke. These guys are really good basketball players. They can carry your team when they're that talented."

Good thing, because more and more teams will be depending on the Class of 2002 to win the 2003 national championship. Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.