NCAA Basketball: Top 25 international players of 2019-20 season

By TJ Miller | Feb 29, 2020

SEATTLE, WA - DECEMBER 08: Joel Ayayi #11 and Filip Petrusev #3 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs celebrate after Ayayi hit a 3-point shot to put Gonzaga up by 6 pois in the 2nd half at Hec Edmundson Pavilion on December 8, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Mike Tedesco/Getty Images) /

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WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 11: Jon Axel Gudmundsson #3 of the Davidson Wildcats (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

21) Jon Axel Gudmundsson (Iceland) – Davidson

Every year in college basketball there is at least one or two teams that fans love to shake their heads and say, “disappointing.” And while 15-12 Davidson sure seems to fit that description based on preseason hype, the story continues for the Wildcats. Bob McKillop’s team is starting to flip the script slowly but surely as we inch into March, and senior Jon Axel Gudmundsson is at the center of it all.

Most college hoops fans have left Davidson for dead, but the defending A-10 player of the year has helped the Wildcats win four of its last six. Since a three-game skid at the turn of the new year, Davidson is 9-5, and during that time Gudmundsson is averaging 18.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists over the 14 game stretch. Like his team, the 6′ 5″ Icelandic point guard hasn’t quite been as great as last season. But, this team has also been spurred by some poor luck and sitting amidst the middle of a solid A-10 sound alright to me. Regardless of how Davidson finishes down the stretch, Gudmundsson is a terrific player who has had a phenomenal four-year career.

20) Kevin Samuel (Antigua & Barbuda) – TCU

The Big 12 has several phenomenal bigs, and although TCU has struggled to collect wins down the stretch, Samuel deserves some love. Samuel is averaging 2.8 blocks, which leads the Big 12 and the 6′ 11″ sophomore is nearly averaging a double-double at 10.4 PPG and 8.7 RPG. The center has also shot a highly efficient 65.5% from the field.

Since arriving at TCU last season, Samuel has started every game he’s played for the Horned Frogs. This season he’s been a menace on the glass, accounting for almost 30% of TCU’s offensive rebounds. Samuel has the length and potential to keep improving a ton, and I’m excited to see him progress into next season, even if TCU can’t figure it out in this one. Also, I had no idea where Antigua & Barbuda is located. Apparently, this two-island country is in the Caribbean. Nice!

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