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

4. Miles Bridges – Michigan State

A 6’7 forward from Flint, Bridges was a 5-star recruit who was wooed to stay in-state by Tom Izzo. A talented athlete and hard worker, Bridges arrived on campus at Michigan State in 2016, spending a pair of seasons starring for the Spartans. While Michigan State didn’t have any of their recent deep runs with Bridges on the roster, he was still an excellent piece for this program.

Bridges was dynamic from the beginning, averaging 16.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game as a freshman, including a 22-point, 15-rebound effort against St. John’s in his fifth career game. He also put up 22 points in an NCAA Tournament loss to Kansas. His sophomore season saw similar stats and even more impressive performances, punctuated by a 19-point, 21-rebound domination against Savannah State in late December. He was one of the best big men in the Big Ten and scored 29 points against Bucknell in the NCAA Tournament.

The Big Ten Rookie of the Year in 2017, his sophomore season saw him honored as All-Big Ten First Team and as a Second Team All-American. He really established himself as a dynamic player all over the court, finishing in the top 10 in the conference in points, rebounds, and free throw percentage, among other statistics. He was the 12th pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, playing his career to date for the Charlotte Hornets, but finds himself currently dealing with some serious legal issues.