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

1. Ja Morant

The OVC is another league where there was no question over who’d top the list, and Morant certainly proved his value while at Murray State. A 6’3 point guard from Dalzell, South Carolina, he joined the Racers in 2017 after flying completely under the radar, becoming quite the find for head coach Matt McMahon. He’d need only two years to show the entire nation just what he was.

Morant was already playing well as a freshman, averaging 12.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game for the Racers. He had a triple-double against Eastern Illinois and helped lead Murray State to the OVC Tournament title and a trip to the Big Dance. It’s his sophomore year that caught the nation’s eye, as Morant would average 24.5 points and 10.0 assists in a dominant season. He took the Racers back to the Big Dance and had three more triple-doubles, including a 17-point, 16-assist, 11-rebound performance in an upset win over Marquette.

That sophomore season was a major eye-opener, with Morant leading the nation in assists. Not only was the OVC Player of the Year and Tournament MVP, but he was a First Team All-American and won the Bob Cousy Award, given annually to the nation’s top point guard. Morant truly blossomed into a star in that second year at Murray State and was taken by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 2nd overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft, continuing his impact at the professional level. This major star wasn’t brought into a power conference, he starred in the OVC.