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

3. Jeff Withey – Kansas

One of the top-ranked centers in the 2008 recruiting classes, Withey left San Diego to attend Arizona, but never played for the Wildcats, deciding to transfer after an abrupt coaching change. Withey landed at Kansas and starred in Bill Self’s offense, with his final two seasons especially productive.

Withey was a backup who barely played his first two years, but was the full-time starter in his junior season, making an important impact on both sides of the ball and helping lead the Jayhawks to the national championship game in 2012. The following year was even more effective, averaging 13.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, connecting on 58% of his field goal attempts. Withey also broke the NCAA record for blocks in a single NCAA Tournament and led the entire country in that stat his senior year.

Withey was a Second Team All-American and a two-time Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. He was a force in the paint on both sides of the ball and his presence was an important part of Kansas’s run to the title game. He remains the career blocks leader in the Big 12 despite much of his playing time coming in just those final two years. He was drafted by the Portland Trailblazers and played briefly in the NBA before enjoying a lengthy career overseas, leaving behind a clear legacy as a rim protector.