NCAA Basketball: Top 10 players to wear jersey No. 0 in 2023-24 season
By Joey Loose
Honorable Mentions
Fardaws Aimaq (California)
Someone who has truly bounced around in college basketball, Aimaq saw time at Mercer, Utah Valley, and Texas Tech before spending his final season suiting up for the Golden Bears. He became the backbone for a bounce back season in Berkeley, putting up 14.5 points and 11.0 rebounds a game. A defensive menace earlier in his career in the WAC, he was pretty profound at California and one of the nation’s best rebounders.
TJ Bamba (Villanova)
After three seasons of growth and potential at Washington State, Bamba spent this past year at Villanova and became one of the Wildcats’ most important pieces of the puzzle. Villanova disappointed again this season, but Bamba was key to their limited success, averaging 10.1 points per game with nice shooting numbers as their 2nd-leading scorer.
Hunter Cattoor (Virginia Tech)
Cattoor had a fantastic career with the Hokies and remained an impressive piece of their lineup in his fifth season in Blacksburg. In his third season starting in the backcourt, he turned in his best effort yet by averaging 13.5 points per game while knocking down 40% of his long-range shots. The Hokies were a middle of the pack team in the ACC, but Cattoor remained one of the league’s best shooters and even dropped 27 points on Wake Forest late in the year.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie (Belmont)
Gillespie continues to grow into a fantastic basketball player, but his underclassman years saw him become a viable tool at Belmont. After playing a supporting role as a freshman, he had a sophomore leap this past season, putting up 17.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists for the Bruins. He’d lead the MVC in steals and field goal percentage, though he’ll look to build on his game next season in the Big Ten at Maryland.
Tre King (Iowa State)
Following three solid seasons at Eastern Kentucky, King landed in Ames in 2022 and really shined in his fifth collegiate season this year. Now a full-time starter, the talented forward didn’t quite match those numbers with the Colonels, but did have 9.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. His impact was far beyond raw figures, contributing on an elite Iowa State defense for a Sweet Sixteen team.