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

6. Jeremy Combs

Combs is a 6’7 forward from Dallas who began his college career with solid work at North Texas. He played an important role for the Mean Green under head coach Tony Benford for three seasons before transferring to LSU, following Benford to the Tigers. He’d play just six games at LSU after dealing with injuries and would be granted a fifth year of eligibility.

He’d take his talents to the SWAC, becoming a major piece for new head coach Johnny Jones at Texas Southern. In that senior season, Combs averaged 17.6 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, bouncing back nicely from those injuries. He helped lead the Tigers to a 24-win season and had some explosive performances, including a 23-point, 20-rebound game at Prairie View A&M and a 33-point, 17-rebound affair at Jackson State. He’d lead the Tigers to three wins in the CIT to finish off his career.

For his one and only season in the conference, Combs was named SWAC Player of the Year and clearly had a massive impact during that time. Not only was he the top scorer and rebounder in the SWAC, but he led the entire nation in offensive rebounds. Combs was a massive frontcourt presence who also was the SWAC’s leader in field goal percentage. Clearly, he didn’t let those prior shortcomings and injuries stop him from ending his college days on a high note.