Big South Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade ('13-23)

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

By Joey Loose | Jul 9, 2023

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 16: Amari Bailey #5 of the UCLA Bruins shoots over Drew Pember #4 of the North Carolina-Asheville Bulldogs and Tajion Jones #3 of the North Carolina-Asheville Bulldogs during the second half in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Golden 1 Center on March 16, 2023 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

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Big South Basketball Radford Highlanders forward Javonte Green Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /

20. Javonte Green

A 6’4 wing from Petersburg, Virginia, Green arrived at Radford back in 2011. He got on campus the same time as new head coach Mike Jones and helped him turn the Highlanders program back into decent shape across the next four seasons. He was a productive weapon even as an underclassman, though our focus today is on his numbers later in his career.

As a junior, Green averaged 16.9 points and 8.1 rebounds a game, helping lead Radford to a 22-win season and a major step forward as a program. There was a lot to like about his season, including a 19-rebound effort against Longwood, and he helped take the Highlanders to the CBI. Green put up similar offensive numbers as a senior and got Radford back in the CBI, falling just short in the Big South again. His career would end with an impressive 24-point, 15-rebound showing at Vermont in the CBI.

It’s not just that Green was First Team All-Big South in both of those years, it’s that he was one of the league’s best all-around players. He led the conference in steals both years while also finishing among the leaders in points, rebounds, and many other categories. Named Big South Defensive Player of the Year for 2015, he was certainly playing his role well on both sides of the ball and was an immense part of Radford’s turnaround in those first few seasons of Jones’ tenure.