Editor's note: Fresh Eyes is a series following four freshmen basketball players as they navigate being a student-athlete. You can find earlier installments here.

NAMPA, Idaho – Northwest Nazarene freshmen Gabe Murphy and George Reidy had been waiting their whole lives for this moment.

A packed gym, electric atmosphere and their first college basketball game in front of them.

But instead of being a part of the Nighthawks' 107-90 win, they were on the bench after making the tough decision to redshirt this season.

"It is definitely tough," Reidy said. "You spend the entire summer grinding and you come to a season, you have all the preseason and it's finally game day. You get all the excitement, you see all the people in the gym, you are in warmups and wow, 'I literally can't go in this game.' It's tough."

Murphy and Reidy chose to redshirt for different reasons, but ultimately it came down to playing time.

"There are 18 or 19 guys on the roster and we are pretty guard heavy," Reidy said. "I think, just for me basketball-wise, it makes a lot of sense to get another year under my belt. I have aspirations of playing pro and having the extra year to improve makes sense."

For Murphy the decision wasn't as straightforward. The Nighthawks don't have a ton of depth in the post, but the Californian has only been playing basketball since eighth grade and his rawness shows at times on the court.

"I figured it would be a good opportunity to polish and hone a lot of my skills in the game," Murphy said. "There are a lot of things I'm really raw in. There are a few things that would translate right away, but I feel like there are still things I need to learn."

Finding time to learn, though, is easier said than done. The Nighthawks have five freshmen who are redshirting – Murphy, Reidy, Cody Frazer, Cayden Wright and Jaylen Fox. The group will work as the scout team during practice, which means they will have to find time on the side for individual help.

"It's kind of tough just to find ways to get better outside of those practices," Murphy said. "It's usually at 6 a.m. or late at night, but at the same time I think if I just watch and learn and see what everybody else is doing, I'll pick it up heading into next year."

Time on the bench can be valuable as players can learn how to be better teammates, but also see things from a coach's vantage point on how the game is being played.

"I'm hoping to just be there for my teammates and get that competitive edge and be an encouragement and get them hyped from off the bench," Reidy said. "I think it is a good role for me to kind of figure out right now. I think I'm learning how to be a great teammate right now, which will help me out when I'm older."

Jordan Pinson
Making them pay

Jordan Pinson is generally the shortest person on any basketball court she steps on.

At times, that means she doesn't get respect from opposing fans or players. Watch her play for a bit, though, and she has fans shaking their heads in wonder.

"At the Oregon State game, an older man asked me if I was old enough to be on the floor," she said. "I feel like when people see me they don't think I'm going to get on the court or anything and then when I do get on the court, they are just whatever about me so they are not pressuring me or playing good defense."

So, then she makes them pay. After a 1-for-6 shooting night in her debut Friday, she followed it up with a 4-for-4 night. All were 3-pointers, one deeper than the next.

As one person said afterward, "This is probably getting ahead of ourselves, but she really reminds me of Steph Curry."

Erin Jenkins
It's all about the confidence

Erin Jenkins didn't have the best debut to her college basketball career. She was 1-for-7 from the field.

But any good athlete knows you have to shake those kinds of nights off and move on.

She did exactly that, finishing 3-of-3 from the field and 8-of-8 from the line for a game-high 15 points.

"I came out just saying, 'Your shots are going to fall,'" she said. "(Friday) night, I felt like my shots were really good, they just didn't go in. A lot of the confidence I have comes from my dad (Travis Jenkins). He always tells me basketball is 90 percent mental and 10 percent basketball. He taught me to have confidence in myself."