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

4. Sam Dekker – Wisconsin

A top 20 recruit back in the class of 2012, Dekker is another star from the Wisconsin high school level who chose to stay in his home state. Dekker made his way to Wisconsin and the 6’9 forward from Sheboygan could certainly be considered an important piece for the Badgers across the next three seasons.

He’d average nearly 10 points a game as a freshman, with much of that coming off the bench for a decent Wisconsin squad. His numbers were a bit more impressive as a sophomore, now a full-time starter in the frontcourt, but the team’s accomplishments were just as impressive. Dekker helped lead the Badgers to the Final Four, dropping 15 points in their loss to Kentucky. His junior year took everything one step further, as Dekker put up impressive stats and helped lead Wisconsin to the national title game. He scored a career-high 27 points in the Elite Eight win over Arizona and helped his program upend unbeaten Kentucky in the Final Four.

The former high school star in Wisconsin went to Madison and was twice named Second Team All-Big Ten. More importantly, he helped take those Badgers to a pair of Final Four runs, coming up just short in the national title game against Duke in his final career game. He was the conference’s best interior shooter during that final season and played a major role in his program’s success. Skipping his final year of eligibility, Dekker became a first-round pick of the 2015 NBA Draft, spending parts of five seasons in the NBA mixed with some time overseas.