3. Rodney Hood – Mississippi State / Duke
Considered a five-star recruit and an impact player at small forward, Hood was a 6’8 forward from Meridian with the potential to be a star. He committed to Mississippi State, playing his freshman season for the Bulldogs before transferring to Duke. After sitting out a season, Hood had a fantastic redshirt sophomore campaign, playing more like the top prospect everyone expected.
Hood’s freshman season was still impressive, averaging 10.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game for a Mississippi State squad that won 21 games. However, he definitely made a greater impact on the court for the Blue Devils, averaging 16.1 points per game. Hood had a number of great games, including a career-high 30 points against East Carolina and a 24-point game in a win over rival North Carolina. Unfortunately, the Blue Devils were upset by Mercer in his only trip to the NCAA Tournament.
He was All-Freshman in the SEC and named All-ACC Second Team while at Duke. Hood played solid basketball in both of his collegiate seasons, finishing in the top 10 in the ACC in a majority of categories as a sophomore, including field goal percentage and offensive rating. He became a late first-round draft pick in the 2014 NBA Draft and has bounced around on six different NBA franchises across the last eight seasons.