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

8. Fred VanVleet – Wichita State

VanVleet departed from Rockford and found himself quite the home down at Wichita State. The 6’0 guard adhered himself to the Shockers program across his four seasons down in Kansas, helping lead Wichita State to a surprise Final Four run and winning a ton of games along the way.

He was a minimal contributor as a freshman, but did score 12 points in the Shockers’ Elite Eight win over Ohio State. A full-time starter his final three seasons, he was one of the MVC’s best players, averaging at least 11 points and 5 assists in each of those years. He helped guide Wichita State to a 35-0 start the following season and a pair of Sweet Sixteen runs after that, scoring 27 points in an NCAA Tournament win over Indiana as a junior.

VanVleet was certainly rewarded for his efforts, winning MVC Player of the Year in both his junior and senior seasons. He led the conference in assists per games on three separate occasions, and finished his career among the top players all-time in league history in assists and steals. He helped lead the Shockers to a ton of success, was a remarkable player on both sides of the ball, and continues his career in the NBA six years later even after going undrafted in 2016.