We’re talking about NCAA Basketball and it’s impossible to talk about this sport without thinking about the NCAA Tournament. Incredible performances fill the regular seasons, but magical memories and unforgettable legacies are cemented in the best postseason in all of sports. Five years from now, people will still be talking about Saint Peter’s incredible run to the Elite Eight while other Cinderella programs still fill our tongues each March.
For every college basketball player, they no doubt dream of making these moments and memories and going down in history for their own performances. Today, we’re continuing our series that looks at the best college basketball players of the last decade from each individual state. In this series, we’re taking a bit-by-bit look at some of the best players in recent memory from each corner of the country, with some of these players making those legendary moments, both in the regular season and in March Madness. However, our focus for today’s piece is on the state of Ohio.
There’s plenty to get excited about in Ohio, with has produced a number of impressive basketball players in recent memory. The state that produced LeBron James less than twenty years ago has sent a number of studs to star in the collegiate game. This is one of those states where every player on this list has made a serious impact.
As with the previous articles in the series, we have to remind you just exactly who qualifies for inclusion today. Each state gets its own piece and the rules are the same. If a player’s hometown is in the state of Ohio, then they can be featured in this piece. It doesn’t matter if they went to high school or college in the state, or if it’s where they were necessarily born, it’s all about the hometown. Keeping that in mind, we proceed onto our ten players, knowing that there are some pretty incredible players by the end of the list.
10. Keon Johnson – Winthrop
Seemingly undersized at just 5’7, Johnson was a talented point guard from Mansfield who made his way to Winthrop back in 2013. He was part of Pat Kelsey’s first freshman recruiting class with the Eagles and he certainly made an impact in his career in the Big South, starting nearly every game across the next four seasons.
Johnson was already a double-digit scorer as an underclassman while emerging as one of the conference’s best 3-point shooters with a 44% mark as a freshman. By his junior year, he was averaged 18.7 points per game, but his senior year was more impressive in multiple ways. In that senior season, he not only averaged 22.3 points a game for the Eagles, but he helped lead Winthrop to the NCAA Tournament, scoring at least 26 points in each of their three Big South Tournament games.
First Team All-Big South in each of his final two seasons, that senior year also saw him named Big South Player of the Year and Tournament MVP. He led the league in 3-point field goal percentage as a senior and remains one of the conference’s best scorers of all time, finishing his career at 2076 points. Johnson’s size never mattered, and he was a star for the Eagles, leading them back to the Big Dance before embarking on a brief professional career overseas.
9. Carlik Jones – Radford / Louisville
A 6’1 guard from Cincinnati, Jones had himself a pretty solid playing career, scoring points in bunches for a pair of teams. He starred at Radford for the first three years of his basketball career before transferring to Louisville after the pandemic, spending his final collegiate season starring for the Cardinals.
He had an impressive run at Radford while contributing from the beginning; he was the second-leading scorer on an NCAA Tournament team as a freshman. He developed even further into a star and by his junior year was averaging greater than 20 points per game. He scored a career-high 33 points in two different games against Hampton during that season. For his senior year, he was the leading scorer for a Louisville team that narrowly missed out on the NCAA Tournament, with Jones scoring 25 points in a late-season road win at Duke.
He was named Big South Rookie of the Year and Tournament MVP as a freshman and Big South Player of the Year as a junior. He received his conference’s First Team honors three straight years, including that final season in the ACC, ranking as one of the Big South’s most efficient offensive players in recent seasons. He wasn’t drafted in 2021 but has seen brief action in the NBA while also featuring in the G-League this past season.
8. Aaron Craft – Ohio State
It seems fitting that one of Ohio State’s best players of the decade would land on the list for the state of Ohio. A 6’2 guard from Findlay, Craft really endeared himself to the Buckeyes, spending three full seasons as the starting point guard for the program. By the time he left school in 2014, he had left an outstanding impact on the Buckeyes program, both on and off the court.
Craft was impressive throughout his career, averaging at least 4 assists and 2 steals in each of his four seasons. He was a decent scorer at Ohio State, but his contributions as a defender and ball distributor were even more important. As a freshman, he had a 15-assist performance in an NCAA Tournament win over George Mason. The following year saw one of his rare double-doubles in another Tourney win, this time over Gonzaga en route to a Final Four run with the Buckeyes. In all, Craft was part of nine NCAA Tournament wins.
Named to the Big Ten All-Defense team all four seasons, Craft was also the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year twice and the Big Ten Tournament MVP as a junior. He is the all-time conference leader in steals, leading the conference three of his four collegiate seasons, and leaving just a tremendous legacy on the floor. Craft was not drafted, but spent the next handful of seasons playing professional ball, both home and abroad.
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.
6. Evan Bradds – Belmont
Across the last decade, Belmont was one of those teams that almost quietly emerged as one of the nation’s best mid-major programs. Spending four seasons with the Bruins, Bradds played a big role in some of that success. A 6’7 forward from Jamestown, he made his way down to Nashville back in 2013. His final three collegiate seasons saw him emerge into one of the best mid-major pieces in the nation.
After a decent freshman season as a role player, Bradds started to develop into a star for the Bruins. His scoring and rebounding numbers rose drastically as his career progressed, averaging greater than 20 points a game during his senior season. Bradds helped lead Belmont to the NCAA Tournament as a sophomore and a flurry of OVC regular season success. He had a career-high 36 points in a win over Tennessee State.
Three times an All-OVC player, Bradds was named OVC Player of the Year as both a junior and senior. In both of those seasons, he led the entire nation in field goal percentage, ranking among the all-time leaders in that category. He was a force on offense, standing out as one of the better forwards in the entire nation. After graduation, Bradds got into coaching and is currently on the coaching staff of the Utah Jazz.
5. Jack Gibbs – Davidson
Four years after Stephen Curry left Davidson, another potent shooter came along, helping to build on the Wildcats’ legacy. Gibbs is a 5’11 guard from Westerville who helped lead Davidson into the A-10. By the end of his career, he was one of the most impressive scorers in the nation.
Davidson won a lot of games during Gibbs’ career, winning the SoCon regular season title during his freshman season. Now in the A-10, Gibbs helped lead the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament, scoring a season-high 37 points in an early win at UCF. While he couldn’t get the program back to the Big Dance, he did average more than 22 points per game in each of his final two seasons, emerging as one of the conference’s best players.
Gibbs was named All-A-10 three times, being honored on the First Team those last two seasons. He led the A-10 in points those final two years, while also leading the conference in assists, free throw shooting, and 3-pointers at various times in his career. He was one of the nation’s best offensive players and an important piece at Davidson. He’d then spent a few seasons playing professionally overseas, showcasing his talent in Belgium and Finland.
4. MaCio Teague – UNC Asheville / Baylor
All things considered, it was quite the career for Teague, a 6’4 guard from Cincinnati who experienced a lot of personal and team success. He began his career at UNC Asheville, starring for the Bulldogs in a pair of impressive seasons. Teague then transferred to Baylor, starring with the Bears for two impressive seasons, culminating in the program’s first national championship.
While Teague was at UNC Asheville, the Bulldogs won a pair of Big South regular season titles. He averaged at least 15 points per game in both seasons, with a 26-point effort in a double-overtime NIT loss at USC one of his finer performances. After sitting out the next season, he became one of Scott Drew’s most important pieces at Baylor. He was again an important scorer while contributing 22 points in the team’s Elite Eight win over Arkansas en route to that national title in 2021.
Teague is a national champion, a two-time First Team All-Big South, and a two-time All-Big 12 player. A talented offensive player, he was one of the best 3-point shooters in the Big South and finished his career with just under 2000 career points. Analytically, he actually rated as the best offensive player in the Big 12 in each of those final two seasons. He spent last year in the G-League and is now continuing his professional career over in Germany.
3. Luke Kennard – Duke
Considered one of the top recruits back in 2015, Kennard was certainly a talented shooter and scorer at the high school level. A 6’5 guard from Franklin, he made his way to Duke to play for Coach K, as many highly-touted recruits have done in recent memory. Kennard spent a pair of seasons with the Blue Devils, with a solid freshman campaign and a really impressive step forward in his second season.
As a freshman, Kennard was the third-leading scorer on a Duke team that was upended in the Sweet Sixteen, contributing a 30-point effort earlier in the season against Notre Dame. His sophomore season was more impactful, as Kennard averaged 19.5 points and 5.1 rebounds a game, becoming the top scoring option on the Blue Devils. He hit nearly 44% of his 3-pointers, helping lead Duke to an ACC Tournament title with a run of impressive performances.
Kennard was named a Second Team All-American, First Team All-ACC, and ACC Tournament MVP for that impressive run as a sophomore. He was among the nation’s best offensive players, ranking among the ACC’s very best in scoring and shooting. He couldn’t lead Duke on a deep postseason run but still made his mark in those two seasons. Kennard became the 12th pick of the 2017 NBA Draft and is preparing for his sixth season in the NBA to begin in a few months.
2. C. J. McCollum – Lehigh
Long before becoming a star in the NBA, McCollum was an overlooked prospect who had to settle for playing his collegiate ball at Lehigh in the Patriot League. A 6’3 guard from Canton, McCollum certainly showed that he was an impressive talent across those four seasons and was responsible for one of the biggest March Madness upsets of the decade.
McCollum was a force offensively across his entire career with the Mountain Hawks. He averaged 19.1 points a game as a freshman before increasing that average above 21 points for each of his final three seasons. He shot a mind-blowing 51% from 3 as a senior before breaking his foot midway through the season. He took the Mountain Hawks twice to the NCAA Tournament, scoring 30 points in a massive upset over 3-seed Duke back in 2012.
McCollum was twice the Patriot League Player of the Year and likely would’ve won as a senior had he not gotten hurt. He led the conference in points and steals in multiple seasons and still rates as one of the best offensive weapons to ever play in the Patriot League. He was a lottery pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, playing the first nine seasons of his career with the Portland Trailblazers and New Orleans Pelicans.
1. Trey Burke – Michigan
No ordinary 6’0 guard from Columbus, Burke departed his home state of Ohio to head north to Michigan, playing a major role in a pair of seasons for the Wolverines. Burke was already an impact player during his freshman campaign in Ann Arbor but had an otherworldly year during his second and final collegiate season.
Burke averaged nearly 15 points a game in that freshman season, including 30 points in a conference tournament win over Minnesota, but his Wolverines were upset by Ohio in the NCAA Tournament. The following season was a different story. Burke averaged 18.6 points and 6.7 assists per game while blossoming into of the best basketball players in the nation. He helped lead the Wolverines on an impressive run through the NCAA Tournament, advancing all the way to the title game, where he had 24 points in a loss to Louisville.
After winning Big Ten Rookie of the Year as a freshman, Burke really brought home the accolades as a sophomore. Not only did he lead Michigan to the title game and lead the Big Ten in field goals and assists, he was named AP Player of the Year, First Team All-American, Big Ten Player of the Year, and won the Bob Cousy Award, amongst other Player of the Year achievements. He became the ninth pick of the 2013 NBA Draft and continues his professional career, now on his sixth NBA team.
We’ve made our way through today’s list, looking at the best college basketball players of the last ten years from the state of Ohio; how do these players and rankings compare to some of the others?