A year ago at this time, Keegan Murray, Johnny Davis and Jaden Ivey were not household names in any Big Ten home.

Heck, Davis still went by Jonathan in the game program.

Last week, all 3 declared for the NBA Draft. The consensus is that all will be taken in the first round. Indeed, it will be mildly surprising if any of them slips beyond the 14 picks in the draft lottery.

Davis and Murray were both solid, if unspectacular, role players for their teams before exploding into stardom this season. Ivey was in high school but did not have nearly the hype of Michigan freshman Caleb Houstan, who was named preseason all-Big Ten before even playing a college game.

In the spirit of these unexpected stars, Saturday Tradition took a look at the current Big Ten rosters to find 5 potential candidates to follow in their footsteps.

Consider this an early glance, of course, as the transfer portal always has the potential to change the equation.

So too does the NBA Draft process.

Michigan State’s Max Christie and Ohio State’s Malaki Branham are 2 potential breakout stars — some would say Branham is already there — who have entered their names but are still eligible to return. But since they are gone until officially dropping out of the draft process, they aren’t going to be included here.

Coleman Hawkins, Illinois

Hawkins was erratic as a sophomore and did plenty of things that made you want to pull your hair out.

His foul 90 feet from the basket late in Illinois’ First Round game against Chattanooga looked like it could be a fatal blow in that near-disaster. But fittingly, it was his block of Chattanooga’s penultimate shot that essentially sealed the win. Those 2 plays summed up his sophomore season nicely.

Hawkins has impressive athleticism for a 6-10 player, fitting the modern mold of what’s expected from a big. He was 4-for-7 from 3-point range against Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament, which is a promising flash of the growth we’ll see next.

If Kofi Cockburn returns for a senior season, Hawkins will be a great complement at power forward. And if Cockburn leaves for the NBA, Hawkins might be the big the offense runs through.

Either way, I think Hawkins’ development is perhaps the biggest factor in how good the Illini will be next year. And that means Brad Underwood is going to emphasize that development this offseason.

AJ Hoggard, Michigan State

Hoggard split time at point guard almost equally with Tyson Walker this season, but I think Tom Izzo will be able to take off the training wheels next year.

Turnovers were a problem for the Spartans this season — they’re 209th nationally in turnover rate — but if Hoggard continues to grow in that regard, Michigan State is going to be in very good shape. The Spartans lost to Purdue in the Big Ten semifinals, but Hoggard flashed what we might see a lot of next year with 17 points, 10 assists and no turnovers.

According to KenPom.com, Hoggard had the best assist rate of any player in the country this season. Inflation factors into that. Since he only played half of Michigan State’s minutes, his ratio of assists will be higher than most peers.

With an increased workload next season, Hoggard has the potential to be the Big Ten’s most elite distributor.

Caleb Houstan, Michigan

Too much expectation was placed on Houstan too soon. But with an offseason to prepare himself physically and mentally, I think we’ll get the player that was anticipated when he was voted preseason all-Big Ten.

In fact, his up-and-down freshman season could end up being the best thing to happen to him and Michigan. Considering a surefire one-and-done when he signed, Houstan could end up with the same sophomore boost Murray and Davis experienced this year.

He looked to be turning the corner with back-to-back 21-point games against Rutgers and Illinois in late February before fading rather considerably in March. Houstan was 0-for-10 from the field against Ohio State and scoreless in 32 minutes against Tennessee.

If he comes back — no official announcement has been made — Wolverines fans should be very excited.

Kris Murray, Iowa

Kris and Keegan were born on the same day. They’ve just developed at different rates.

But this isn’t as lopsided a twin talent disparity as we saw with Blake and Taylor Griffin or Jose and Ozzie Canseco. Kris has shown flashes of stardom, and with Keegan in the NBA next year he will thrive.

Kris dropped 29 points on Indiana — one of the best defenses in the Big Ten this season — and 23 on Purdue.

Fran McCaffery has a knack for developing offensive talent, and Kris Murray is next in line.

Cliff Omoruyi, Rutgers

Should a guy who is already proven himself to be pretty good be eligible as a breakthrough player?

When I’m making the rules, the answer is yes. Omoruyi wasn’t among the top 25 scorers in the Big Ten this season, so I think it’s safe to say he hasn’t hit his ceiling yet.

And it seems no matter how high your ceiling are, Omoruyi is capable of reaching them. The man has ups. Lobs to Omoruyi were perhaps the most potent weapon in Rutgers’ offensive arsenal this season.

Omoruyi was 2nd only to 7-4 Purdue center Zach Edey in field goal percentage among Big Ten players. Without Ron Harper Jr. or Geo Baker feeding him those lobs, there figures to be more on his plate next year. But I think he’ll prove capable of meeting an increased role.