Big West Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)
By Joey Loose
11. TJ Shorts II
Shorts is a 5’9 point guard originally from Tustin, California who began his college journey at Saddelback College southeast of Los Angeles. After two very solid years there, he’d head to UC Davis where he was a major contributor for Jim Les’s team between 2017 and 2019.
He fit the role of starting point guard well in the Aggies offense and averaged 14.8 points and 4.4 assists in that junior season, which included a triple-double in win over Cal Poly. UC Davis won the Big West regular season title but settled for the NIT, though that was as close as he’d get to postseason glory. As a senior, Shorts had another impactful season with similar numbers across the board, but it was a less successful year for the program. Still, Shorts went out on a high note, dropping 28 points on Cal State Fullerton in his final collegiate game.
Shorts really found his place at UC Davis and contributed right away. In fact, he earned First Team All-Big West honors in both seasons and was the league’s Player of the Year as a junior. He led the conference in steals as a junior and field goal percentage as a senior, standing out as one of the best offensive players. Shorts may have seemed undersized, but he played a major role for the Aggies during his time in the Big West.