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

3. R. J. Cole – Howard / Connecticut

A 6’1 guard originally from Union, Cole has had quite the intriguing run at the collegiate level. A three-star prospect from one of the nation’s best basketball high schools, Cole chose to play at Howard, starring for the Bison for a pair of seasons. He then transferred to Connecticut, sitting out that transfer season before starring the last two years for the Huskies.

He was a machine at Howard, averaging at least 21 points and 6 assists per game in each of his two seasons with the Bison. He had a 42-point game as a freshman and never scored less than 10 points in his 67 games at Howard. His role may have been lessened, but he was still a vital piece at UConn, averaging 15.8 points and 4.1 assists a game as a senior, scoring 20 points in an NCAA Tournament loss to New Mexico State to cap off his college career.

Cole received First Team honors from both the MEAC and Big East and was named the MEAC Player of the Year for that sensational sophomore campaign. He also won MEAC Rookie of the Year, leading that conference in points and assists in each of his first two seasons. He wasn’t breaking records and shattering leaderboards as much in the Big East, but was still a very important piece of Dan Hurley’s puzzle. Cole was not drafted and will be playing professionally overseas in the months to come.