1. Malcolm Brogdon – Virginia
A fringe Top 100 prospect from Atlanta, Brogdon became quite an interesting piece on Tony Bennett’s Virginia squad. A 6’5 guard with some shooting pop, he arrived on campus with the Cavaliers way back in 2011. After a low-impact freshman year and a major foot injury the following season, Brodgon really turned into a star and significant contributor near the end of his collegiate career.
His role on this Virginia Team was significant following that injury, starting every game of his final three seasons. He had decent assists and rebounding numbers and saw his points per game rise each year, culminating in 18.2 points per game as a senior. Not only did Brogdon have a few good performances in the postseason, like a 22-point game against Butler in 2016, but he was also one of the conference’s best defensive players.
That senior was historic for Brogdon, who won ACC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year and was also named to the First Team All-American team, having been a Second Teamer the year before. While his Virginia squads came before the championship squad of 2019, Brogdon really was that key player who helped pave the way for Bennett’s program and future success in the ACC and on the national level. Drafted in the second round by the Milwaukee Bucks, Brogdon would become NBA Rookie of the Year and is about to begin his seventh year on basketball’s biggest stage.
At long last, we’ve finished running through the ten best players from the state of Georgia; did we get the order right or is there someone else that should’ve been mentioned?