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

5. David McCormack – Kansas

This 6’10 forward from Norfolk was a four-star prospect and one of the top 40 recruits back in 2018. McCormack opted for Kansas and Bill Self and grew into an important role in the Jayhawks’ frontcourt. While he played a limited role early in his career, this talented young big was vital to the program’s success by the end of his career.

As mentioned, McCormack saw limited opportunities in his first two seasons, though he did earn a number of starts in that frontcourt. He had a career-high 28-point outburst during his sophomore season and was a big part of the Jayhawks’ impressive season. Junior year was his personal breakthrough, averaging 13.4 points and 6.1 rebounds a game, though it was senior year that will be remembered. His statistics may have been less impressive than the year prior, but he helped lead Kansas to the national championship this past season, with 25 points in the Final Four and a double-double in the title game win over North Carolina.

McCormack was twice an All-Big 12 player and led the conference in field goal percentage during that impressive junior season. He was an important piece in that title run as a senior, while also emerging as one of the conference’s best rebounders. An efficient piece of the Kansas offensive and defensive attack, McCormack left campus a national champion and it’s hard to beat that. He was not drafted this past summer and will continue his basketball career overseas in Turkey.