Every March, the NCAA Basketball Tournament arrives and captivates the attention of a nation, perhaps even attention around the globe. In its current form, 68 teams watch their names get read on Selection Sunday and then battle it out over the next month, with just one team left to cut down the nets. But it’s not just those teams that witness the action, people around the world, both young and old, are awestruck watching March Madness unfold.
Our focus is more on those young folks. Today we’re continuing our long-running series that looks at the best college basketball players from each individual state across the last ten years. Long before some of these players were on campus and making memories for their schools they were just these young people watching the NCAA Tournament and hoping to have their own shining moments.
This is no different in the state of Louisiana, even if it seems like more of a football state with the Saints and LSU football seeming to dominate. We’ll be focusing closely on some of the absolute studs who have come out of this state in recent memory, and believe me that there are some big names in the recent game. This is not a piece about players who went to college in Louisiana but don’t worry LSU fans because you’ll see a familiar name or two today.
Moving forward, this article focuses on ten basketball players from the state of Louisiana, specifically ones whose hometowns are listed from the state. It feels like a broken record to say this, but these are not players who were just born there, nor is it based on where their high schools are located. Louisiana produced considerable talent and narrowing it down to ten players is never easy. Here’s the best of the last ten years provided from the Bayou State.
10. Damian Jones – Vanderbilt
A 6’10 center originally from Baton Rouge, Jones was a top 100 prospect with size and skill. He ended up enrolling at Vanderbilt, joining the Commodores in 2013, and playing for three seasons under coach Kevin Stallings, his final three at the helm of the program. Jones wasn’t exactly a household name but certainly made an impact at Vandy.
A starter for nearly his entire career, Jones was an important interior piece for the Commodores, averaging 11.3 points and 5.7 rebounds as a freshman and only improving from there. He had a 24-point, 12-rebound effort to begin his sophomore year, averaging 14.5 points a game while helping Vanderbilt to a 21-win campaign. His final collegiate game was his only trip to the NCAA Tournament, losing a First Four game to Wichita State.
Jones was twice named to the All-SEC Second Team and found himself on the conference’s All-Defense team as a sophomore. He was an impact center who led the whole conference in field goal percentage and free throw attempts during that dynamic sophomore campaign. He was drafted in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors, immediately winning a pair of NBA titles as part of his professional career.
9. Jarell Martin – LSU
Arriving at a program no stranger to producing impressive bigs, Martin is a 6’10 forward from Baton Rouge who didn’t have to travel at all for college. A five-star recruit in 2013, Martin arrived at LSU, spending a pair of seasons in a starting role for the Tigers. He left campus after just those two years, but he made the most of his college days.
Martin worked his way into the starting lineup as a freshman and had a pair of 20-point performances late in SEC play, but it’s his second season that really stands out. As a sophomore, he averaged 16.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, helping lead the Tigers back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six years. Among his key performances was a 28-point, 13-rebound affair late in the year against Florida and a 27-point outing in his final regular season game at Arkansas.
A member of the SEC All-Freshman team in year one, Martin’s great sophomore seasons saw him named All-SEC First Team, a well-deserved honor. He finished that season among the leaders in the Sec in points, rebounds, and a very other statistics. Declaring early, he was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round and spent parts of four seasons in the NBA, currently continuing his playing career overseas.
8. Robert Williams – Texas A&M
As you can tell from the article so far, Louisiana has produced some impressive frontcourt talent in recent year and Williams is the next example of that. A 6’9 forward from Vivian, Williams was a four-star prospect who opted to take his talents to Texas A&M, playing under Billy Kennedy in the SEC. He would make an impact, not only for the Aggies but in setting himself up for the next level.
As a freshman, Williams averaged 11.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, becoming an important piece for the Aggies despite starting just over half their games. He had slightly better rebound numbers (9.2 a game) as a sophomore, but Texas A&M as a whole was even better, as Williams helped lead the program to the Sweet Sixteen, upsetting North Carolina in the second round. He had a 13-point, 14-rebound effort in the previous round’s win over Providence.
We’ve talked about the offense, but it’s defense that was Williams’ game, leading him to win SEC Defensive Player of the Year in both of his collegiate campaigns. He led the conference in rebounds and blocks as a sophomore and was a natural force in the paint, causing havoc on both sides of the ball. He was a late first-round pick by the Boston Celtics in 2018 and remains with the team four years later.
7. Dejon Jarreau – Massachusetts / Houston
Sometimes your first school doesn’t work out, and as we’ve seen in this series so many times already, a player can really shine at their second school. Jarreau is a 6’5 guard and four-star prospect who played his freshman season at UMass under Derek Kellogg. After Kellogg’s firing, Jarreau left the school and found himself an impact role at Houston, spending his final three seasons of eligibility with the Cougars.
That freshman year wasn’t bad for Jarreau, starting most of the games and averaging 9.8 points per game. He developed into a skilled defensive guard under Kelvin Sampson with the Cougars. Most of his numbers increased across his final seasons, culminating in averaging 10.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game as a full-time starter as a senior. Additionally, he helped those Cougars to the Final Four, including a pair of near-triple doubles in the second weekend of the Tournament, including 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists against Oregon State.
Jarreau was AAC Sixth Man of the Year as a sophomore and Defensive Player of the Year as a senior, really coming into his own when given opportunities at Houston. He became an impact player for the Cougars, and was even on the All-Region team during that Final Four run. He was not drafted in 2021 and has bounced around quite a bit over the last year as he tries to get his professional basketball career going.
6. Markel Brown – Oklahoma State
Brown was just your average 6’3 guard from Alexandria, emerging as the best high school player in Louisiana in 2010 and winding up at Oklahoma State. He played for Travis Ford and the Cowboys between 2010 and 2014, making important contributions for a program in solid shape.
He’d work his way into the starting lineup late in his freshman year and hold onto one of those starting backcourt spots for most of his career. He averaged 15.3 points per game as a junior, helping the Cowboys to NCAA Tournament appearances in his final two seasons. His final collegiate game saw him put up 20 points in a first-round loss to Gonzaga, a great punctuation to a senior year that saw him average 17.2 points and 5.3 rebounds a game.
Brown was honored on the All-Big 12 Second Team in each of those final two seasons, emerging as an important piece on this Oklahoma State program at the beginning of the decade. He remains among the Big 12’s all-time leaders in rebounds and put up some impressive scoring options late in his career. A late second-round pick in the NBA Draft, Brown’s last eight years have seen him bounce around between the NBA, G-League, and professional ball overseas.
5. Skylar Mays – LSU
Sometimes the best pieces are right there in your backyard and you just have to find them. Mays was a relatively unheralded 3-star recruit, a 6’4 guard from Baton Rouge who decided ultimately to stay home and play at LSU. He’d spent all four collegiate seasons playing for the Tigers, most of it as their starting point guard.
Mays’ contributions only increased as his career went on, with a breakout 22-point performance as a freshman. During his junior year, he helped lead LSU to the Sweet Sixteen, scoring 19 and 16 points in wins over Yale and Maryland respectively. Senior year was his most effective offensive season, averaging 16.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, becoming the Tigers’ leading scorer during a 21-win season that was shortened by the pandemic.
Mays grew from that unheralded prospect into a star point guard, named to the All-SEC teams twice, including First Team honors as a senior. He left college in an impressive place on several LSU leaderboards, while also sitting among the top free throw shooters in SEC history. A late second-round pick in the NBA Draft, Mays has spent parts of the last two seasons playing for the Atlanta Hawks.
4. Mark Vital – Baylor
Not all 6’5 forwards are built the same, but this one was certainly built for success. Vital was a top 100 recruit from Lake Charles who left Louisiana to play for Scott Drew at Baylor. While his offensive stats never looked impressive, Vital was known for his impressive defensive play. He also helped the Bears win the national championship in his senior season.
After working his way into the starting lineup as a freshman, Vital had a great defensive impact for most of his career. He averaged more points than rebounds in each of his final three seasons, with career-highs in both categories as a sophomore, averaging 7.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. He had a 17-point effort in a Tourney loss to Gonzaga as a sophomore but started all six Baylor victories en route to winning the 2021 NCAA Tournament, including a 6-point, 11-rebound effort against those same Bulldogs.
Named to the Big 12 All-Defense team on three occasions, Vital was certainly the most impressive defensive piece of that title-winning team. He led the Big 12 in a myriad of categories, including steal percentage as a junior and defensive rating as a senior, starring on that side of the basketball for a team with plenty of offensive firepower. Surprisingly enough, Vital switched to football after his collegiate career and has spent time on the offseason rosters of multiple NFL teams as a tight end.
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.
2. Elfrid Payton – Louisiana
When he transitioned from high school to college back in 2011, few people knew exactly how Payton was, but this 6’3 guard from Gretna made sure that would change. He played his college ball at Louisiana, the Sun Belt school then known as Louisiana-Lafayette and developed into one of mid-major basketball’s brightest stars.
Payton showed glimpses of stardom at the start of his career but really started to break out as a sophomore, averaging 15.9 points per game. He developed into one of the game’s most impressive defenders by the end of his career, which is made more impressive by the fact that he was averaging 19.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game, while also leading the Ragin’ Cajuns to the NCAA Tournament in 2014. Payton scored 24 points in a first-round loss to Creighton, playing the entire game.
Payton was twice named All-Sun Belt First Team, was the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year as a junior, and won the prestigious Lefty Driesell Award, giving to the nation’s best defender. Not only did he lead the Sun Belt in assists and steals in his final two seasons, but he also lead the conference in points, free throws, and 2-point field goals in that legendary junior season. Taken with the 10th pick of the 2014 NBA Draft, Payton has spent the last eight years in the NBA, playing for four different franchises.
1. Jared Butler – Baylor
Earlier in the article, we touched on Vital and the Baylor championship, but Butler was even more vital to the program’s surge. A 6’3 guard from Reserve, he was a fringe Top 100 prospect who found his way to the Bears in 2018, spending the next three years starring in the Big 12. He worked his way into the starting lineup as a freshman and never looked back.
Butler had a career-high 31-point effort in a loss at Kansas as a freshman, one of his big steps forward as a contributor on this team. He averaged at least 16 points per game as both a sophomore and junior, though clearly, it’s his junior season that stands out. He had a number of standouts games, including another 30-point outing against Kansas, and helped lead Baylor to the national championship. In fact, he scored 22 points in the championship game over Gonzaga.
For that historic junior season, Butler was a First Team All-American, All-Big 12 First Team, Big 12 All-Defense Team, and was named the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player for his role down the stretch. He led the conference in steals and 3-point field goal percentage that season as well, just putting together an all-around fantastic season for the Bears. He became a second-round draft pick by the Utah Jazz last year and hopes to continue taking that next step at the pro level.
At long last, our dive into the best college basketball players of the last decade from the state of Louisiana is complete; did we nail the list or is there somebody out of place?