NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from state of Mississippi of last decade
By Joey Loose
10. Martaveous McKnight – Arkansas-Pine Bluff
A 6’4 guard from Walls, McKnight was a fantastic athlete who went the hard route. Unheralded out of high school, McKnight spent a pair of seasons starring for Itawamba Community College before finding his way to the D1 level. He played his final two collegiate seasons at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, becoming the star of the Golden Lions from 2017 to 2019.
His junior season saw him average 18.6 points per game as one of college basketball’s best newcomers, impressive offensive numbers for someone in the SWAC. He helped lead the Golden Lions to two top 3 finishes in the SWAC standings. He had a pair of 40-point games in nonconference play as a senior, while he also had a 30-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist performance in a win over Alabama A&M. Averaging 20.8 points per game as a senior, he was clearly given the keys to run this offense.
Named SWAC Player of the Year for that debut season, he was All-SWAC First Team in each of his two seasons with the Golden Lions. He led the lead in field goals as a junior and points per game as a senior, all while putting up solid rebounding numbers as well. McKnight may not have starred in one of the more prestigious conferences, but was still a very solid weapon at the low major level. He’s played internationally for the last three years, most recently suiting up over in Britain.