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

6. Anthony Hickey – LSU / Oklahoma State

A 5’11 point guard originally from Hopkinsville, Hickey didn’t make waves or shine on the biggest stage, but he had himself a successful collegiate career. He arrived at LSU in 2011, spending three seasons with the Tigers before transferring to Oklahoma State for his final year. He emerged as one of the nation’s best defensive guards, doing some pretty incredible things on that end of the court in both the SEC and Big 12.

Hickey racked up assists and steals in his career, but also had some decent offensive performances as well. As a junior, he averaged 11.2 points per game, while his sophomore year saw a 21-point, 7-rebound, 6-assist, 5-steal performance. He wasn’t a great free throw shooter, but did make 40% of his 3-pointers in that final season at LSU, where he had the best shooting numbers of his career.

Across his career, Hickey had the privilege of being named to the All-Freshman and All-Defense teams in both the Big 12 and SEC, with the Big 12 award clearly being as a newcomer to the league. He led these conferences in steals per game in three of his four seasons, ranking among the all-time leaders after three seasons in the SEC. The last seven years have seen Hickey playing basketball professionally, with Israel being his most recent destination.