NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from state of Rhode Island of last decade

10. Will Tavares – Fordham

A 6’6 guard from Providence, Tavares took the long route to his collegiate basketball success. He spent his first two seasons starring at Monroe Community College before finding his way to Fordham back in 2016. Tavares spent his last two years with the Rams, emerging into a top player during his senior season, albeit on a Rams program that wasn’t one of the best in the A-10.

Tavares scored a few starts but was mostly a role player during his junior season after some serious success at the junior college level. His senior year saw him take a major step forward, averaging 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game for the Rams. He had a career-high 21 points in games against St. Francis NY and East Tennessee State, while securing a career-high 11 rebounds in a conference win over George Mason.

In that senior season, Tavares was Fordham’s leading scorer and was one of the most important players on the roster. Even with the Rams finishing last place in the A-10, Tavares had an impressive campaign, ending the season among the conference’s better offensive players, with decent steals numbers as well. Tavares was a dynamic junior college player who found his spot at the next level; it’s just a shame it wasn’t with a better program with a chance at postseason success.