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

12. Tra-Deon Hollins

Hollins certainly had a tumultuous path to the Summit League but he took advantage of his opportunities once he got there. A 6’2 point guard from Omaha, academic issues led him to start his career at Central CC and Chipola Junior College, though he was kicked off the latter’s team. Back in his hometown, he was given a chance by the Mavericks, landing back at Omaha beginning in 2015.

As a junior, he started every game for the Mavericks, averaging 12.5 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.0 steals per game, becoming a major backcourt weapon. He actually helped lead Omaha to a pair of 3rd place finishes in the Summit, with very comparable numbers as a senior. He led the Mavericks to the CBI as a junior and had a 23-point, 13-assist, 8-steal game against Fort Wayne. He’d then lead Omaha to the title game of the 2017 Summit League Tournament and put up 33 points a month earlier against Oral Roberts.

In each of his seasons at Omaha, Hollins was named First Team All-Summit and Defensive Player of the Year in the league. Hollins actually led the entire nation in steals in that first season with the Mavericks and led the Summit both in steals and assists in both years. He was a talented athlete, elite defensive player, and important part of that success for the Mavericks. Things looked dark early in his college days, but Hollins found the right situation to become a star.