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

3. DeVante’ Jones – Coastal Carolina / Michigan

A 6’1 guard originally from New Orleans, Jones had himself quite the productive collegiate career despite how it started. He committed to Coastal Carolina and the great Cliff Ellis, but was ruled academically ineligible for his first season. He’d spend the next three years scoring a whole bunch of points for the Chanticleers before transferring to Michigan for his senior campaign, spending the most recent college basketball season with those Wolverines.

Jones was a high-volume shooter during those three years at Coastal Carolina, with decent shooting numbers in the Sun Belt. He had a 32-point performance in a CBI win at West Virginia as a freshman. By junior year, he was averaging 19.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game and had become the Sun Belt’s best player. In that final season at Michigan, he was less vital to the offense but still excelled, averaging 10.3 points per game on a team that made the Sweet Sixteen.

Jones was the Sun Belt Rookie of the Year as a freshman and the Player of the Year as a junior, leading the conference in assists, steals, and player efficiency in various seasons. His time with Michigan certainly wasn’t as productive, but he was still a stellar presence. His 85.5% conversion rate from the free throw line is one of the best in the history of the Sun Belt. The talented point guard played briefly in the NBA Summer League and is expected to continue his professional career overseas.