SEC Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)
By Joey Loose
17. Walker Kessler
A 5-star recruit, Kessler began his collegiate career at North Carolina in 2020. This 7’1 center from Newnan, Georgia would spend just a year with the Tar Heels, transferring out of the program after Roy Williams’ retirement. Kessler would land at Auburn and star under Bruce Pearl, becoming an elite frontcourt piece during his sophomore season in the SEC.
After serving as a bench piece at North Carolina, Kessler had a different role with the Tigers, being Auburn’s starting center for the entire season. He’d average 11.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, and an astounding 4.6 blocks per game that year. He had multiple triple-doubles in SEC play and nearly had a third in the opening round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament, blocking 155 shots across an impressive year. Unfortunately, the Tigers were upended in the second round of the Big Dance.
He’d depart for the pros after that sophomore year, but it was a pretty good season. As a sophomore, Kessler was named First Team All-SEC and the league’s Defensive Player of the Year; he was also named NABC Defensive Player of the Year. He lead the nation in blocks, had an efficient season with solid rebounding numbers, and was a major part in Auburn’s frontcourt of another successful year. He’d be drafted in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies.