Pac-12 Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

15. Jaylen Nowell

One of 2017’s Top 100 recruits, Nowell played an important role after selecting Washington for his collegiate career. A 6’4 wing from Seattle, Nowell stayed in his hometown and joined new head coach Mike Hopkins’ program, spending two seasons starring for the Huskies. Considering the state of that program after his departure in 2019, Nowell made quite the impact at Washington.

Nowell’s freshman year was pretty great as he averaged 16.0 points in a bounce-back season for the Huskies. He dropped 32 points on Belmont on opening night and helped the Huskies to a 21-win season and trip to the NIT. During his sophomore season, things went even better for both Nowell and Washington. He was up to 16.2 points and 5.3 rebounds a game, including a 44% mark from outside the arc. The Huskies won 27 games and the regular season title in the Pac-12, with Nowell scoring 19 points in their lone NCAA Tournament win over Utah State.

His leadership and great performance as a sophomore saw him named Pac-12 Player of the Year for spearheading the Huskies to the Pac-12 title. Nowell was a solid scorer who sat among the league leaders in a plethora of categories. Most importantly, he was a winner for the Huskies in those two seasons, as the program took quite the nosedive after that season. Meanwhile, Nowell was a second-round NBA draft pick and has spent the last four years playing professional ball.