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

22. Dewayne Russell

A 5’11 point guard from Peoria, Arizona, Russell began his career at Northern Arizona, though he’d spend just a single season playing with the Lumberjacks. He actually averaged 14.4 points a game as a freshman, but opted to transfer to Grand Canyon who had only just become a D1 program. Back on the basketball court in 2014, he’d spend his final three seasons with the Antelopes, starting nearly every game while becoming a major offensive threat by the end.

Russell averaged 14.2 points and 3.9 assists in his sophomore season, though he’d miss the first few weeks of the season. He had some pretty nice performances in his first two seasons, leading Grand Canyon to the CIT both years, and including a few 12-assist games. Senior year was the real moneymaker, as Russell would put up 21.2 points and 5.4 assists per game, leading the Antelopes to 22 wins and a 2nd place finish in the WAC. This included a 42-point outburst in a loss to Louisville early in the season.

The conference’s leader in assists in those last two seasons, Russell was named First Team All-WAC as a senior, capping off a season where his offensive game truly soared. That performance against Louisville wasn’t his only offensive explosion and he was a very important part of Grand Canyon’s initial seasons at the D1 level. Russell didn’t get a chance at the Big Dance, but was both a great ball distributor and an important piece of laying the groundwork for this program.