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

13. Jordon Varnado

While Troy would have varying levels of success in the late 2010’s, they had a pretty consistent frontcourt weapon throughout that time. A 6’6 forward from Brownsville, Tennessee, Varnado started most of the 114 games he played for the Trojans between 2015 and 2019, becoming one of the best scorers in the Sun Belt by the end of his career.

He was already averaging 13.2 points a game as a freshman while his second year was the most prosperous for the Trojan. Despite finishing 6th in the league, Varnado helped lead Troy to the 2017 Sun Belt Tournament title, earning him a trip to the Big Dance. His numbers would continue to increase as an upperclassman, capping out at 21.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game as a senior. He’d also have four games of at least 32 points, albeit during just a 12-win season for the program.

Varnado was named First Team All-Sun Belt as a sophomore and likely would have received more honors had he not missed a few games in his final two seasons. He finished at 1917 career points and remains one of the Trojans’ all-time leaders in scoring, rebounding, and shot blocking. He finished 3rd in field goal percentage in three straight seasons and clearly played a major role in Troy’s offensive attack during his career. Most importantly, he did help get the Trojans to their most recent NCAA Tournament appearance.