NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from state of Massachusetts of last decade
By Joey Loose
3. Georges Niang – Iowa State
The Tilton School’s fourth stud of the last decade, Niang is a 6’8 forward who was a top 100 recruit way back in the class of 2012. He was wooed to the Midwest by Fran Hoiberg, playing four seasons at Iowa State in the Big 12. His work with the Cyclones was impressive and he helped this program put together some of their finest seasons in recent memory.
Niang was an impressive performer for the Cyclones, working his way into the starting lineup midway through his freshman season and never looking back. He had a 19-point performance in an NCAA Tournament win over Notre Dame and helped lead two separate Big 12 Tournament championships. By his senior season, he was averaging 20.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, including three impressive performances during Iowa State’s Sweet Sixteen run in 2016.
Numerous awards cemented Niang’s legacy, including Second Team All-American and the Karl Malone Award as a senior. He took home a pair of All-Big 12 First Team honors and was the Big 12 Tournament MVP during his junior year. He sits among the all-time conference leaders in points and rebounds and led the conference in field goals as a sophomore. Niang was a late draft pick in 2016 but has spent much of the last six seasons playing in the NBA, most recently for the Philadelphia 76ers.