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

1. Chris Clemons

One of college basketball’s very best scorers, Clemons wasn’t just the best of the decade from the Big South, he was among the very best players of the last decade in any league. A 5’9 guard from Raleigh, he stayed in his home state and starred at Campbell for four seasons, playing 130 games between 2015 and 2019 and making a monumental impression on college basketball.

As a freshman, Clemons was already averaging 18.5 points a game but those numbers would continue to soar. He had a 51-point performance in the conference tournament as a sophomore and would have five other 40-point games in his career. He helped lead the Camels to a CIT, CBI, and NIT bid but came up short of the Big Dance. His senior year was the real eye-opener, with Clemons leading the nation by averaging 30.1 points per game.

Clemons’ 3,225 career points rank 4th all-time in the history of the sport. He was thrice named First Team All-Big South and was clearly the top offensive player in the league for much of his career. Clemons was Player of the Year as a senior and likely deserved the honors multiple times. He nearly hit 1000 points in that crazy senior season, leading the Camels to the Big South regular season title before a disappointing ending just short of the Big Dance. Regardless, Clemons was a machine and his contributions to the Big South can never be forgotten.