NCAA Basketball: 5 most important players from 2000-2009 seasons

4. JJ Redick – Duke, 2006

Redick was a first-team All-American in both 2005 and 2006, as well as the Naismith player of the year in 2006. During that 2006 campaign, Redick scored a ridiculous 964 points, making him the first Player of the Year to go over the 950-point mark since Glenn Robinson dropped a whopping 1,030 in 1994. His 2,769 career points are 9th all-time in NCAA history.

Despite the scoring barrages, Redick didn’t sacrifice winning for personal stats. His 116 wins and only 23 losses were highlighted by Duke’s 32 wins during Redick’s senior season. Redick could always shoot, but he became a much more well-rounded player his junior and senior seasons at Duke. His improved ability to get to the basket was most notable in his free throw shooting, where he made 221 his senior year vs. 102 as a freshman.

Of course, let’s not forget his shooting: he’s the ACC’s all-time leader in three-point field goals made (457), and he led the league in made three’s three of his four seasons. Last, but not least, Redick was a nasty competitor; someone who seemed to take great delight in pouring it on until the buzzer sounded. When he was on, it was a sight to behold.