ACC Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

19. Vernon Carey

A Top 5 recruit, Carey was one of many blue chip prospects who found his way to Duke, playing for the Blue Devils during the 2019-20 season. A 6’10 center from the state of Florida, Carey had himself quite the freshman season, though it was cut short by the pandemic. He’d spent just that one year before heading to the NBA, but put up some decent numbers in the process.

Carey’s lone collegiate year saw him average 17.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, leading the Blue Devils in both categories. He had a number of double-doubles during the year, including a 25-point, 10-rebound effort in his final collegiate game, a home win over rival North Carolina that punctuated an impressive regular season. Sadly, he didn’t get his chance to shine in the postseason.

It’s hard to effectively compare Carey to some of the other names on his list with how limited his career was, but he was a Second Team All-American and the ACC Rookie of the Year in 2020. He led the conference in field goal percentage and won several national Freshman of the Year awards. He was an important contributor on a Duke team that went 25-6 and had postseason aspirations, though Carey was off to the professional level shortly thereafter.