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

9. LaQuinton Ross – Ohio State

Ross is a 6’8 forward originally from Jackson who later starred in high school in New Jersey. He was a top 50 prospect way back in 2011 and was highly recruited. Ross decided on Ohio State, playing three seasons under Thad Matta and the Buckeyes. He wasn’t exactly a star for the Buckeyes, barely playing at the beginning of his career, but he developed into an impact player.

Ross did not start a single game in his first two seasons, barely seeing the court in his freshman season. He developed into a factor during his sophomore season, still coming off the bench, but seeing important minutes late in the year, with three performances of at least 17 points in Ohio State’s run to the Elite Eight. As a junior and full-time starter, he averaged 15.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, setting career highs for points (26 vs. Nebraska) and rebounds (15 vs. Purdue) during the Big Ten Tournament.

For that aforementioned run in his second season, he was part of the NCAA Tournament All-Region team, while his junior year saw him named Third Team All-Big Ten. He made a significant impact in the interior on both sides of the ball, ranking among the Big Ten leaders in points, rebounds, and defensive rating. Ross skipped out on his final year of college ball, but has spent most of the last eight years playing professionally overseas.