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

1. Cody Larson – Florida / South Dakota State

Larson was certainly the most highly-touted player among today’s players, emerging as a top 100 recruit way back in 2010. A 6’9 forward from Sioux Falls, he originally committed to Florida but played very limited minutes under Billy Donovan at the Gators. Larson finally got his shoot on court when he transferred to South Dakota State, spending a pair of impressive seasons starring for the Jackrabbits.

Things got off to a slow start for Larson, who redshirted his first season and did the same while transferred to South Dakota State. He recorded just 12 points and 21 rebounds while with the Gators became a key piece for the Jackrabbits two years later. In his seasons at South Dakota State, Larson averaged at least 13 points and 7 rebounds a game while also putting up above-average assist and block numbers, playing his role well on this squad.

Larson was named Summit League Defensive Player of the Year as a senior and earned All-Summit honors in both seasons, notching a spot on the First Team for that final campaign. Larson had a number of double-doubles and was an important piece for South Dakota State, even though the Jackrabbits missed out on the NCAA Tournament in both of his seasons. The big man continued his career overseas in Austria, having established himself as an impressive force on both sides of the ball.

We are now finished with our deep dive into the best college basketball players of the last decade from the state of South Dakota; how do these players compare to some of our other articles?