Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes case for National Freshman of the Year

A few weeks ago, Mikayla Blakes didn’t necessarily have the resume to truly contend for National Freshman of the Year. 

Now, she’s On3’s frontrunner. 

The Vanderbilt Commodores have two ranked victories in the last two weeks and also nearly upset then-No. 5 LSU on the road. 

Blakes is averaging 22.4 points, which ranks 14th nationally and is first among all freshmen. She’s also averaging 3.1 assists and 2.5 steals, while shooting an efficient 47% from the field. 

The 5-foot-8 guard scored the buzzer-beater tip-in to earn the Commodores first ranked win of the season over Tennessee. She’s scored 20-plus points in 14 of Vanderbilt’s 22 games. 

But it was Thursday night that cemented Blakes as the current frontrunner. 

Blakes scored 53 points on the road at Florida, which broke the record for most points scored by a Division I women’s college basketball true freshman and also broke the SEC single-game record. JuJu Watkins previously held the freshman mark with her 51-point performance last season. 

It’s also the most points scored by any player this season. 

Two weeks ago, the Commodores were outside of the AP Top 25 and Blakes, while phenomenal, hadn’t garnered the same attention as UConn’s Sarah Strong (17.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 3.6 apg). 

But the narrative has flipped now. 

Vanderbilt is ranked 23rd in the latest AP Poll and Blakes has made numerous national headlines. She’s not only one of the best freshmen in the country, she’s one of the best players regardless of class.

On3 reached out to six head coaches that tried to slow Blakes down to get their thoughts on what makes her so difficult to contain. 

“Blakes is an extraordinary guard who has really elevated the play of Vanderbilt women’s basketball,” Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell told On3. “To come in as a freshman and lead Vanderbilt into the AP Top 25 poll shows how much she has brought to the program in such a short time. She is relentless in her effort for 40 minutes and has the talent and mindset to be one of the best at the end of her collegiate career.”

“She is one of the smoothest freshmen I’ve ever coached against,” Butler head coach Austin Parkinson told On3. “Her ability to score at all three levels and know how to make reads off ball screens is really impressive.”

“I was just impressed with her versatility,” South Florida head coach Jose Fernandez told On3. “I think she’s a three level scorer. I was impressed with her being able to get to the rim. She’s got a really good mid range game, and she’s such a threat from the three-point range. Her best basketball is still ahead of her, once her body frame starts to change and as she gets stronger, but she’s definitely one of the best freshmen in the country.”

“I think you have to compliment the system she’s in,” Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin told On3. “People take for granted how much that matters but the system allows her to do special things. It’s a match made in heaven if you ask me.”

“She just has a killer instinct,” Lipscomb head coach Lauren Sumski told On3. “Her confidence is off the charts…We absolutely could not stop her. She was the best player on the floor from ticker to ticker. It just wasn’t even close. We were just surprised by her athleticism and her ability to shoot it. She’s just a really complete player on the offensive end – and she was really good defensively too..There were no signs of freshman in her. I felt like we were playing a pissed off senior, if I’m being honest. She was just really, really good.”

“Number one, she’s a complete player,” Miami head coach Tricia Cullop told On3. “Number two, if, if you weren’t privy to a roster where you could see what year she was, you would never know she’s a freshman. Her ability to shoot the three at ease is great. She’s got a quick release, got a beautiful shot, she can get downhill, but also defend. I mean, she’s a very complete freshman who is ready to play…You don’t see a freshman make that kind of transition very often. She is very blessed, very gifted and it’s not a lot of fun to play against her because of it.”