Atlantic 10 Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)
By Joey Loose
![Jan 25, 2020; Richmond, Virginia, USA; Dayton Flyers forward Obi Toppin (1) stands with Flyers forward Ryan Mikesell (33), Flyers guard Trey Landers (3), and Flyers guard Jalen Crutcher (10) against the Richmond Spiders in the closing seconds of the second half at Robins Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports Jan 25, 2020; Richmond, Virginia, USA; Dayton Flyers forward Obi Toppin (1) stands with Flyers forward Ryan Mikesell (33), Flyers guard Trey Landers (3), and Flyers guard Jalen Crutcher (10) against the Richmond Spiders in the closing seconds of the second half at Robins Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/129da517036caf45dd3654be6ff9e26eb463183be3b745474e1a01516eb765bb.jpg)
11. Yuri Collins
Few point guards can say they put up quite the numbers that Collin did during his collegiate career in the A-10. He’s a 6’0 guard originally from St. Louis who stayed in his hometown, playing four years for Travis Ford and the Billikens. He never played in the NCAA Tournament, but that didn’t stop him from having an electric career.
Collins became Saint Louis’s point guard right from the start and averaged 5.4 points and 5.5 assists as a freshman, though he’d more than exceed these numbers in his career. He had decent shooting numbers, but his stats really exploded as an upperclassman. He averaged 11.1 points and 7.9 assists in his third collegiate season, one where he also shot 81% from the charity stripe, but that paled in comparison to the 10.1 assists per game he averaged this past season.
Clearly one of the nation’s best ball distributors in recent years, Collins was twice named both First Team All-A-10 and to the league’s All-Defense team, but it’s his assist numbers that stand out. He led the entire nation in assists as both a junior and senior and had some pretty solid steals numbers as well. It’s hard to find someone more involved in running an offense than Collins, who was actually a decent scorer as well in those final years.