NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from state of Ohio of last decade
By Joey Loose
7. Tyler Ulis – Kentucky
A top 20 recruit back in 2014, Ulis is a 5’9 point guard from Lima who certainly made himself known at the collegiate level. He spent his collegiate career playing at Kentucky under John Calipari, spending a pair of seasons on the Wildcats. His first season saw the Wildcats go on a historic run while his second saw him emerge as more of a national star himself.
He didn’t start as a freshman but got solid minutes on a Kentucky team that began the year 38-0 before falling in the Final Four, scoring a season-high 14 points in a rivalry win at Louisville. The Wildcats were not as dominant a team the following season, but Ulis became more on an impact player. Now a full-time starter, he averaged 17.3 points and 7.0 assists per game, helping lead Kentucky to another SEC regular season and tournament title before an early exit from the NCAA Tournament.
Ulis was an impressive piece as a freshman but really cleaned up the awards as a sophomore. He was named First Team All-American, SEC Player of the Year, SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and won the Bob Cousy Award as well. He led the SEC in assists and certainly emerged into one of the best backcourt pieces in the entire nation. Ulis opted to leave Kentucky and was drafted late in the second round of the 2016 NBA Draft, spending the next few seasons bouncing between the NBA and G-League.