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

3. Frank Kaminsky – Wisconsin

Just to show you the level of talent from the state of Illinois, Kaminsky would have easily been the number one pick in nearly every other state. The 7’0 center from Lisle arrived on campus at Wisconsin in 2011 and would make plenty of history before he’d leave four years later, helping the Badgers to a pair of Final Fours.

His first two seasons saw him as a very minimal contributor, but it’s those last two seasons that wrote history. Early in his junior year, he had a career-high 43 points in a win over North Dakota, while much later scoring 28 in an Elite Eight win over Arizona, keying the Badgers first Final Four in over a decade. But his final act was even sweeter, as Kaminsky averaged 18.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, helping Wisconsin win the Big Ten Tournament, return to the Final Four, and upset unbeaten Kentucky with his 20-point, 11-rebound effort in the Final Four.

Kaminsky was named the National Player of the Year in 2015, while clearly also winning Big Ten Player of the Year for an amazing campaign. He led the conference in points, rebounds, and field goal percentage, and headed up a unit that almost took Wisconsin to a national title, falling just short at the end. An outstanding athlete and advocate for the Badgers program, Kaminsky was then drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in the first round and has been in the NBA for seven years.