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

3. Justin Patton – Creighton

We’re looking closely at another hometown kid, as Patton also played his college ball at Creighton. A Top 100 recruit, he is a 6’11 center from Omaha who made his way to the Bluejays in 2016. Patton would spend just a single season starring at Creighton, developing into quite the impressive young big during that time.

Patton averaged 12.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game during the season, helping Creighton off to a 13-0 start to the year. A 25-point, 9-rebound performance at St. John’s became one of his premier outings, though he did drop 21 points in the Big East Tournament semifinals against Xavier. The season ended with an opening-round loss in the NCAA Tournament, but Patton was able to showcase his abilities across a successful year in Omaha.

He was named Big East Rookie of the Year and onto the All-Big East Second Team. He finished second in the nation in field goal percentage, with his 67% far ahead of anyone else in the Big East. He was a surefire offensive weapon who also did some great work on the defensive end, finishing among the league leaders in blocks and rebounds as well. After his freshman season, he was drafted in the middle of the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft, playing briefly in the NBA and most recently overseas.