We're still waiting for George Washington's SirValiant Brown to ask the first question.

Brown currently leads the nation in scoring at 25.2 points per game, averaging an astounding 23.4 shots per game. No Colonial has taken half as many as his 421 field-goal attemps (fellow freshman Bernard Barrow is second with 193). Brown led GW in scoring in each of his first nine games, culminating in a 42-point effort against Siena. He has led the Colonials in scoring in 14 of their first 18 games.

Did we mention he's also shooting a lowly 32.1 percent from the field, and 24.9 percent on his 3-pointers? Bah. Let the kid shoot. He deserves some reward for playing 36.6 minutes per night for the last-place Colonials.

While not in Brown's category when it comes to shooting, Rhode Island's Zach Marbury plays a similar role for the Rams. With the ball in his hands for the majority of every URI possession (he averages 35.8 minutes per game), Marbury has more influence over the Rams' success than any other player. He has pulled his shooting numbers up after a rough start (he's up to 40 percent from the field, not bad at all for a freshman point guard), but he and the Rams are still feeling the sting of a 10-game losing streak.

It's not all flash and dash when it comes to Atlantic 10 freshmen. Xavier's David West, a 6-foot-8 forward from Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy, averages nearly a double-double (10.9 points, 9.1 rebounds).

Brooks Hall has put eligibility questions behind him to become a key contributor in Dayton's run to the head of the A-10 West. He's shooting an impressive 44.9 percent from behind the arc, fourth-best in the league.

Statistics through Thursday, Jan. 27.

Player	School	Comment
Bernard Barrow	G. Washington	Third in A-10 at 5.1 apg
Micah Brand	UMass	4.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 48.5% FG
SirValiant Brown	G. Washington	Leads nation with 25.2 ppg
Brian Chase	Virginia Tech	12.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 37.1% 3s
Tony Dobbins	Virginia Tech	6.1 ppg, 77.6% FT
Brooks Hall	Dayton	9.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 44.9% 3s
Zach Marbury	Rhode Island	15.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.2 apg
Chris Monroe	G. Washington	13.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg
Devin Montgomery	Duquesne	6.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.2 apg, 81.8% FG
David West	Xavier	Second in A-10 with 9.1 rpg