Big East Basketball: Top 50 players from the legendary 2010-11 season

HOUSTON, TX - APRIL 04: The Connecticut Huskies react after defeating the Butler Bulldogs to win the National Championship Game of the 2011 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament by a score of 53-41 at Reliant Stadium on April 4, 2011 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

9 of 33

NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 08: Maalik Wayns /

25. SO Maalik Wayns – Height 6’2 – Weight 185 – Villanova

2010-11 stats: 13.8 ppg 2.8 rpg 4.5 apg 1.2 spg

Despite being crowded in the Wildcats backcourt, Wayns separated himself from the others by his on-ball play. He never was a great shooter, shooting under 30% from deep, but credit goes to the sophomore for changing up his game. He attacked the basket a lot more, getting into the top 10 in both free throw attempts, as well as percentage.

The ball didn’t stop with him as his assist numbers were also top 10. Of course, the turnovers racked up as well. His one double-double came in the non-conference against Boston University, with 12 points and 12 assists. Although Wayns did have a big 27 point game versus Pittsburgh, his best overall game came against Rutgers, finishing with nine points, eight rebounds, and eight assists.

What happened next?

The following year was a breakout campaign for Wayns as the undisputed leader of the team. He averaged 17.6 ppg on a successful Villanova team and decided to enter the NBA draft early, where he went undrafted. After a very short stint in the association, Wayns played in Europe for a few years before coming back to the States to play for the Dallas Mavericks Summer League team this off-season. He’s currently playing in Spain.

Home/Big East