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

7. Adam Kunkel – Belmont / Xavier

Next up is this 6’4 guard from Hebron, who has already seen time playing for two different very solid collegiate programs. Kunkel arrived on campus in 2018, playing under coaches Rick Byrd and Casey Alexander before transferring to Xavier two years later. Kunkel has spent the last two seasons at Xavier, but his production hasn’t quite matched what he put up with the Bruins.

Not a consistent player as a freshman, he took a massive step forward during his sophomore season. During that year, Kunkel averaged 16.5 points per game and was the leading scorer on a Belmont team that won 26 games before the national pandemic shortened the season. He had a career-high 35 points in a road win over Boston College and shot 39% from long range. The last two seasons he’s been at Xavier, playing a smaller role, mostly off the bench, averaging just under 8 points per game with the Musketeers.

Kunkel was All-OVC First Team as a sophomore, helping the Bruins win the OVC Tournament during his impressive season. He led the conference in free throw percentage and put up impressive numbers. Even if his time at Xavier has seen him with fewer minutes, he’s still an important piece to the puzzle. Next season, he’ll return for one final collegiate season with the Musketeers, now playing under coach Sean Miller.