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

2. Jordan Howard

While his Central Arkansas team largely struggled during his collegiate career, there wasn’t a better scorer in the Southland in the last decade than Howard. A 5’11 combo guard from Chandler, Arizona, he joined Russ Pennell’s program back in 2014 and was a major piece for the Bears for the next four seasons, emerging as a major threat in the Southland.

As a freshman, he was already averaging 15.7 points per game, shooting nearly 39% from outside the arc; though this was just the beginning. The Bears weren’t winning a ton of games, but Howard was scoring in bunches, averaging at or around 20 points a game in the next two seasons. As a senior, he led Central Arkansas to an 18-win season, more than double their previous total, while averaging 25.1 points a game. He had a career-high 43-point game against Stephen F. Austin and would end his career in the CBI.

After being named Rookie of the Year as a freshman, Howard earned First Team All-Southland honors the next three seasons, emerging as the top free throw and 3-pointer shooter in the conference. He was named Southland Player of the Year in his final season, a year where he actually led the entire nation with his 880 total points. Howard’s 2524 career points set him apart in program and conference history. While the Bears weren’t always a winning program, Howard was a major talent during those college years.