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

4. Keon Johnson

Johnson is a 5’7 combo guard who despite his size was a major weapon for fours year at Winthrop. He was actually part of Pat Kelsey’s first recruiting class with the program and played an important role in turning the Eagles back into a winning program.

He was already averaging more than 12 points a game as a freshman and became an influential part of this team from the beginning. He was one of the best shooters in the Big South, hitting just under 40% of his 3-pointers and 85% of his free throws in his career. Johnson averaged 18.7 points as a junior and 22.3 points as a senior. Johnson put on a show at the very end, averaging nearly 30 points a game to lead Winthrop to the Big South Tournament title, ending his career with a first-round loss to Butler in the Big Dance.

Unsurprisingly, Johnson was named Big South Tournament MVP and also was the Player of the Year in the league for that incredible senior year. He eclipsed 2000 career points, was perhaps the Big South’s best shooter during most of his career, and was an awesome leader as Winthrop finished his final year with a 26-7 record. Winthrop was the best program in the conference this past decade and Johnson’s role nearly a decade ago was of vital importance.