Big 12 Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

6. Jalen Wilson

This 6’8 forward certainly had himself quite the collegiate career. Wilson is a 6’8 forward originally from Denton, Texas who moved north to play for Kansas, arriving on campus back in 2019. He had a medical redshirt for his first season and would turn into a major weapon by the end of his time in Lawrence, playing a big role in Kansas’s national championship in his redshirt sophomore season.

His first real time on the court came following the pandemic as a freshman, averaging 11.8 points and 7.9 rebounds for the Jayhawks. He had a 23-point performance in an early win over Kentucky. His frontcourt presence was appreciated as a sophomore, putting up similar numbers and helping the Jayhawks to the national championship. The main option on offense as a junior, his numbers were exceptional, averaging 20.1 points and 8.3 rebounds but coming short of delivering a repeat performance in March.

An excellent contributor for his first few seasons, Wilson developed into one of the nation’s best as a junior. Not only did he lead the Big 12 in points and rebounds and many other metrics, but he was named a First Team All-American, Big 12 Player of the Year, and the recipient of the Julius Erving Award, given annually to the nation’s best small forward. He wasn’t the top option, but he was a starter and contributor on that title team and really came into personal success in that final collegiate campaign.