NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from state of Arizona of last decade

6. Tim Kempton Jr. – Lehigh

A native of Scottsdale, Kempton is another son of a former NBA player, as his father of the same name starred at Notre Dame nearly four decades ago. This Kempton was a 6’10 center who settled at Lehigh, playing for the Mountain Hawks between 2013 and 2017, a few years after the program’s upset win over Duke. Despite not being a high-impact recruit, Kempton made an enormous impact at Lehigh and in the Patriot League.

Kempton started all but two games at Lehigh and instantly became one of the best big men in the conference. He was named Patriot League Rookie of the Year after averaging 13.0 points and 7.1 rebounds a game in his freshman year, but he’d improve those stats with each subsequent season. By his senior year, he was averaging 20.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, one of two players that season averaging a double-double in each game. That senior year was full of big-time moments, punctuated by a 31-point, 18-rebound effort against Mount St. Mary’s.

Not only was he among the league leaders in a plethora of categories, but Kempton was a two-time winner of Patriot League Player of the Year. He ranks among the all-time leaders in the conference in points and rebounds and certainly holds a high place in Lehigh basketball history. Though he was not drafted, he did play in the Summer League after graduation and spent a few years overseas in professional leagues. Regardless, he was a special talent and in elite company in scoring 2000 points and grabbing 1000 rebounds in his collegiate career.