NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from state of New Jersey of last decade

4. Kyle Anderson – UCLA

One of the top prospects in the nation, Anderson was a five-star recruit who found his way to UCLA a decade ago. Recruited by Ben Howland, the 6’9 guard from Fairview traveled across the country to play for the Bruins. After a solid freshman season, he’d play one final year under new head coach Steve Alford, establishing himself as one of the better guards in college basketball.

His freshman year had a number of impressive performances, including a 20-point, 17-rebound effort against Fresno State. Early in his sophomore season, Anderson had a 13-point, 12-rebound, 11-assist outing against Morehead State. In fact, his numbers as a sophomore were really impressive, averaging 14.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game on a Bruins team that won 28 games and made the Sweet Sixteen. He also had 21 points and 15 rebounds in their Pac-12 Tournament title game win over Arizona.

Anderson really came into his own in that second season and was named All-Pac-12 First Team and Tournament MVP. He led the conference in assists and defensive rebounds and emerged in a starring role at UCLA, playing an important role all over the court. He decided to forgo the rest of his college career and was drafted late in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft; his pro career continues eight years later on the Minnesota Timberwolves.