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

16. Andrew Rowsey

Rowsey may be better remembered for his efforts at Marquette, but he was also the best player that Nick McDevitt had in his first two seasons as head coach at UNC Asheville. A 5’10 point guard from Lexington, Virginia, Rowsey started off his college career in 2013 with the Bulldogs and was a major force across those next two years, putting up stunning offensive production.

As stunning as it sounds, Rowsey averaged 20.3 points and shot 40% from outside the arc in his freshman campaign. Some of these offensive numbers were sheer madness for a freshman, including a 41-point outburst against Radford followed shortly after by 37 points at Winthrop. His actual numbers were comparable but slightly less impressive as a sophomore, but he still put up 34 points against Liberty in the Big South Tournament in 2015.

The voting for Big South Rookie of the Year was merely a formality at this point. He was one of the top scorers in the league in both seasons and was one of the nation’s best free throw shooters. He’d continue an impressive level of offensive production with the Golden Eagles in the Big East, but it’s hard to ignore what he was doing as an upperclassman under a new head coach. Rowsey was a major player and UNC Asheville was much better with him headlining the lineup.