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

2. De’Andre Hunter – Virginia

A four-star recruit back in 2016, Hunter made his way to Virginia, committing to coach Tony Bennett and the Cavaliers. Back then, Hunter had no way of knowing exactly the kind of history that would be made across his next three years in Charlottesville. After redshirting his first season and suffering an inopportune injury in his second, Hunter really shined as one of the nation’s top performers during his sophomore season, leading Virginia to the Promised Land.

During his redshirt freshman season, Hunter was a key player off the bench, averaging 9.2 points per game before suffering a wrist injury during the ACC Tournament. He was not available, watching from the sidelines as Virginia was upset by 16-seed UMBC. But we all know what happened next, and Hunter played a key role in his sophomore year. He averaged 15.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game as the Cavaliers bounced back in a major way. Hunter had 23 points in their first-round win and added 27 in the national championship game win over Texas Tech, cementing his legacy in Virginia history.

It wasn’t just those scoring games that made Hunter a star, he was one of the best players on a stout Virginia defense. He was named ACC Sixth Man of the Year as a freshman but really cleaned up as a sophomore, winning national Defensive Player of the Year awards, as well as the honors from his own conference. He was vital to Virginia’s success during his two years on the court and will forever be remembered for helping lead the charge to their first national title. He was a lottery pick a few months later and has played his first three professional seasons with the Atlanta Hawks.