Comparison, it’s said, can be the death of joy. But that only holds true if you’re worse than those you’re being compared to. When better, comparisons represent something else entirely — a mark of excellence, an added perspective or a sign of infallibility. It is through comparison in sports, specifically, that context is added and greatness is demonstrated.
Demonstrable in greatness, though short in history, is Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball first-year Mikayla Blakes. The Somerset, New Jersey, native has captivated audiences through the opening 13 games of the Commodores’ season, averaging 19.2 points on 45.7% shooting. That’s on top of nearly 3 steals and 3.5 assists per game, the latter of which leads the team.
Only Khamil Pierre has had more points, steals and overall impact on Vanderbilt’s success than Blakes. That’s an incredible achievement — in just her first dozen or so games, Blakes has already proven herself to be critical to the Commodores’ season and postseason aspirations. Take, for example, the team’s blowout win over Butler, when Blakes put up 29 points on 18 shots, or the Arizona victory when she had 23 points on 62.5% shooting from beyond the arc.
Blakes may already be one of the best players on her own team, but how does she stack up against other freshmen in the SEC and beyond? A bigger question: How does she stack up to the sport’s most elite players in recent history?
Among all players in Division I, Blakes ranks 32nd in per game scoring; but, among first-years, the guard is second behind only Rutgers’ Kiyomi McMiller. That places her as the most prolific first-year scorer in the SEC and, along with her three SEC Freshman of the Week awards, puts her squarely in the driver’s seat for SEC Freshman of the Year.
Blakes pairs her aforementioned scoring with elite play on the defensive end, averaging 2.9 steals per game. That makes her 24th in the country behind her colleague Pierre and household names like Hannah Hidalgo and Talaysia Cooper. Among first-year players, however, Blakes leads the country in steals per game, coming in just above Montana State’s Taylee Chirrick and Ohio State’s Jaloni Cambridge.
To put Blakes’ season in historical perspective, last season’s SEC Freshman of the Year was LSU’s Mikaylah Williams, a fellow guard. Williams averaged 14.5 points and 2.9 assists, in comparison to Blakes’ 20.3 points and 3.7 assists, though she did have an advantage in rebounds. Two years ago, when fellow Tiger Flau’Jae Johnson was named Freshman of the Year, she did so with only 11 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. In fact, Blakes is averaging the most points per game of any SEC first-year player in the 2020s.
Blakes’ main competition for the 2024-25 SEC Freshman of the Year is likely Ole Miss’ Sira Thienou, who boasts two SEC Freshman of the Week awards to Blakes’ three. The six-foot guard averages 12.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 2.5 steals per game. That means Blakes leads in three out of four primary statistical categories; Thienou, however, has a better field goal and 3-point percentage. Thienou’s superior shooting splits may be due to fewer offensive responsibilities, however, as she averages just 8.3 field goals per game to Blakes’ 15.5. Thus, Blakes remains the clear frontrunner for SEC Freshman of the Year as things currently stand.
Blakes may not just be having the best season of any SEC first-year in 2024-2025 but in the entirety of the 2020s. But how does she stack up against the most elite of freshmen in years past?
Last season, JuJu Watkins won WBCA Freshman of the Year with an average of 27.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in a historically unprecedented season. More in line with the historical average is 2022-2023 winner Ta’Niya Latson of Florida State, who averaged 21.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists. Blakes is solidly in the same statistical tier as Latson, as well as with 2021-2022 winner Aneesah Morrow. Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers, who split the award in 2020-2021, also serve as historical outliers with averages superior to Blakes.
This means that Blakes, in a season without a first-year megastar and obvious No. 1 pick in a future WNBA Draft, has the statistical profile to contend for national Freshman of the Year. At the very least, Blakes will likely be the frontrunner for SEC Freshman of the Year as conference play begins.
There’s still plenty of basketball left to play, but the former five-star’s unprecedented start has turned heads through the first two months of the season. She’ll continue serving as a key piece for head coach Shea Ralph as the Commodores look to return to the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row.
