Basketball is such a big sport in the United States that scouts already begin watching players during their contests in high school or college. Such is the case Washington Huskies guard Markelle Fultz.
Washington picked him up straight after high school to play for their basketball team and the move paid dividends. In Fultz' first game as collegiate level player, he opened his scoring account by scoring over Yale's tallest player, the 6'9" tall Sam Downey. Once the final buzzer sounded on his debut, Fultz was able to score 30 points.
Fultz' scoring against Yale was more than enough to earn him the title of top scoring freshman so far this season. He was no one game wonder; however, as he followed up his performance against Yale with a 35-point outing Cal State Fullerton. In his first ten games, Fultz is shooting 50 percent from the field as well as from beyond the three point line.
Now that a month has past since this season of college basketball began, many have now taken notice of Fultz'sperformances. He is in the top 15 in terms of both scoring and assists.
Fultz is also now considered as one of the best rebounding guards in the country at college level. He has been compared to some of the brightest young talents in basketball today.
"I put him right up there with [Brandon Ingram and Grayson Allen] because his ability to score in a variety of different ways is tremendous," Yale coach James Jones said in an interview with Bleacher Report. "He can do everything," he added.
Despite Fultz excellent form, Washington has still lost a considerable number of games this season. In fact, they lost back-to-back games against Texas Christian University in spite of Fultz posting a combined 48 points, 18 rebounds, and 10 assists in the two outings against the Texan outfit.
This series of losses could frustrate a member of the Under-18 USA squad that went undefeated in the FIBA Americas this summer. However, Fultz has been treating this as more of a learning experience.
"It just motivates me," the Washington guard told SB Nation. Watch some of Fultz's highlights below: