Coming in as a rather unheralded recruit with just three Division I offers total, the early impact freshman Ian Krishnan has made on the Central Connecticut men’s basketball team has shattered all expectations.

Through seven games, Krishnan is averaging a tick under 16 points per game on 50 percent shooting from the floor.

There have been many times through the first eight games that Krishnan has found himself as the primary offensive threat for the Blue Devils, but that does not phase him.

“I’m a basketball player. I love playing basketball. It comes naturally to me. I don’t really feel any pressure. I just go out there and do what the coaches expect me to do,” Krishnan said.

Though Krishnan made his presence known immediately, scoring a team-high 25 points in the team’s exhibition against Arcadia, it was his performance against Georgetown that opened eyes. Krishnan had 28 points on 10-17 shooting with six three-pointers.

It was something of a homecoming from Krishnan, who is from Maryland.

“I had a lot of people in the stands so I wanted to go out and show them what I could really do,” Krishnan said.

But he attributed his success to his teammates.

“It’s not about me at all. The team really got me the ball in good positions. They played hard and opened it up for me,” he said.

Though a majority of Krishnan’s success has come through his shooting, Krishnan says he is working on attacking the rim and putting pressure on defenses, making his game multi-dimensional.

And he has done more than score so far, acting as one of Central’s best perimeter defenders. In the Florida A&M contest, Krishnan held Rattlers guard Justin Ravenel to just 14 points on 1-14 shooting.

But it was the support of the Blue Devil coaching staff that brought Krishnan to CCSU. Playing at Proctor Academy, it was the first time being away from home for the Maryland native.

“I had a couple other DI’s and couple DII’s, but they were always there. The good games, the bad games, texting me, calling me,” Krishnan said. “I had gotten into a couple situations and they were always there to talk to me and help me through those situations. It was like having a second family.”

In addition, it was the persistence of Donyell Marshall and his staff.

“I was struggling to get where I’m at now. I’d have good games, I’d had bad games. Coaches would come to some games and then leave the next game if they didn’t like what they see. But they were always there,” Krishnan said.

“I’ve followed Ian since the middle of last summer. I saw what he could do. He’s one of those players that I’m glad wasn’t on the main circuit, that only we knew about,” Marshall said of his recruitment of Krishnan. “Other schools were recruiting him, but the way we were able to stay aggressive with him, we knew he was a diamond in the rough.”

Krishnan felt he was once again overshadowed when he was not named Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week following his performance against Georgetown, though he did win the award the following week thanks to his performance at the Jamaica Classic.

“I’m used to being slept on. If anything, it drives me more. I want to come out and perform well every game and everything will come together,” Krishnan said.