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

4. Mikal Bridges – Villanova

Among the thousands and thousands of players who have played D1 college ball, Bridges is a rare breed, winning multiple national championships while suiting up for Villanova. He is a 6’7 forward from Malvern who was a fringe top 100 prospect back in 2014. He joined Jay Wright’s Wildcats, redshirted his first year, and then contributed on the greatest run of success in program history over the next three years.

After sitting out that first season, Bridges played a key role off the bench, scoring in double figures in two of Villanova’s NCAA Tournament games en route to the national championship. He became a starter during his sophomore season but really became an impact performer in his final season. That year, he averaged 17.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, while hitting 43% of his 3-pointers as the Wildcats’ second-leading scorer. He then helped guide Villanova to another Big East Tournament title and a second national championship, scoring in double figures in all six of their victories.

Winning those two titles was impressive enough, but Bridges was also Big East Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore and won the Julius Erving Award and Big East Tournament MVP as a junior. He was one of the best shooters in the Big East, and also played phenomenally on the defensive sides of things while at Villanova. He became an early first-round draft pick in 2018 and has spent the last four seasons in a prominent role with the Phoenix Suns.