NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from state of South Carolina of last decade

2. Ja Morant – Murray State

This is one of those impressive young talents that recruiters simply didn’t find, except for Matt McMahon. Morant is a 6’3 guard from Dalzell who exploded onto the college scene across a successful two years at Murray State. We’ll only be focusing on his time in the college game, but Morant has had a meteoric rise the last five years from unknown to NBA star.

Morant was already impressive as a freshman, with the young point guard averaging 12.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game. He led the Racers to the NCAA Tournament, but his sophomore year took it to the next level. Morant averaged 24.5 points and 10.0 assists per game and ended his career with four triple-doubles, including a 17-point, 16-assist, 11-rebound performance in an NCAA Tournament upset win over Murray State. He emerged onto the scene as one of the nation’s best players.

That breakout sophomore season saw Morant named a First Team All-American while easy winning OVC Player of the Year and Tournament MVP. He led the entire nation in assists, was the top scorer in the OVC, and won the Bob Cousy Award for his success as the nation’s top point guard. An unexpected star, Morant left school after just two seasons and became the 2nd overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft, starring for the Memphis Grizzlies these past few years.