In-Depth Look at Troy Trojan big man Jordon Varnado

NCAA Basketball: In-Depth Look at Troy Trojan big man Jordon Varnado

By Bryan Mauro | Jun 26, 2018

GREENVILLE, SC - MARCH 17: Jordon Varnado #23 of the Troy Trojans drives against Jayson Tatum #0 of the Duke Blue Devils in the first half during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 17, 2017 in Greenville, South Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

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GREENVILLE, SC – MARCH 17: Jordon Varnado #23 of the Troy Trojans goes up for a shot against Amile Jefferson #21 of the Duke Blue Devils in the first half during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 17, 2017 in Greenville, South Carolina. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

The Sun Belt Conference doesn’t lack stars for the 2018-19 season. Troy’s Jordon Varnado is one of them, looking to have a huge senior campaign.

The next player I’m taking an in-depth look at hails from one of the more underrated conferences in the country in the Sun Belt. This league is able to provide fans with some of the most exciting basketball in the country and not just for a mid-major conference.

Year after year the Sun Belt is loaded with talented players that are underexposed. One of the NBA young stars in Elfrid Payton played in this conference for the University of Louisiana Rajin Caguns.

This spotlight is going to feature a player who plays for one of the relatively least accomplished Sun Belt basketball schools. The school is the Troy University Trojans, who hail from none other than Troy, Alabama. The featured player is senior forward Jordon Varnado. When the Trojans made one of their only two NCAA tournament appearances (2003 was the other) two seasons ago, Varnado was a key cog on that team and had what everyone thought would potentially be a coming out party in the NCAA tournament.

Troy looks to make a return trip to the NCAA tournament this year and they are going to lean heavily on Varnado to help get them back there. Coach Phil Cunningham has a luxury on his team that a lot of other teams on this list may not have. He has the luxury of an elite passing point guard who virtually never turns the ball over. The point guard, BJ Miller should give Varnado numerous looks at the basket, and the more times that he touches the ball, Troy’s chances to win the game increase tenfold.