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

6. Evan Mobley

Mobley is a 7’0 center from Murrieta, California who was one of the top recruits in the Class of 2020. He’d join his brother and father (an assistant) at USC and would spend a single fantastic season in Andy Enfield’s program. The Trojans had quite the year following the start of the pandemic.

During his freshman season, Mobley averaged 16.4 points and 8.7 rebounds for the Trojans. He had numerous double-doubles, a pair of 26-point performances in the Pac-12 Tournament, and led USC into the Big Dance. From there, he was a massive part as the Trojans made a surprise trip to the Elite Eight, upsetting Kansas in the process. Mobley shot just under 62% from the field on the year and also averaged 2.9 blocks per game.

He performed like a 5-star recruit and was a major part of USC’s stellar season. After leading the conference in points, rebounds, and blocks, Mobley swept the awards, winning Pac-12 Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year. He was also named a Second Team All-American and was honored for his work taking the Trojans to the Elite Eight. He was then taken with the third pick of the 2021 NBA Draft, having done significant work as a college star.