Mountain West Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

21. Justin James

Things weren’t always pretty, but James was an athletic weapon for four seasons at Wyoming. A 6’7 wing from Port Saint Lucie, Florida, he traveled all the way out to the west to star for the Cowboys between 2015 and 2019. There were no NCAA Tournament bids and Wyoming wasn’t exactly a household name, but James certainly improved his own standing with his impressive play.

For his first two seasons, he mostly came off the bench for the Cowboys, though he averaged 16.0 points per game in his sophomore season, which would end with a CBI title. Entering the starting lineup as a junior, he’d have a line of great scoring nights, averaging 18.9 points as a junior and then 22.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.4 assists as a senior. Wyoming struggled mightily in that final season, but James was an absolute force.

He was the MWC Sixth Man of the Year as a sophomore, earned First Team All-MWC honors as a junior, and led the conference in points and steals per game as a senior. James did a lot of great stuff with the Cowboys, who won at least 20 games in both his sophomore and junior seasons. He was successful in nearly every aspect for Wyoming late in his career and was taken in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft.