NCAA Basketball: Top 10 players to wear jersey No. 11 in 2023-24 season
By Joey Loose
Honorable Mentions
Jahvon Quinerly (Memphis)
Following a season at Villanova and four years at Alabama, Quinerly arrived at Memphis this past offseason and immediately assumed a vital role for the Tigers. He’d become one of the keys for Penny Hardaway and company, averaging 13.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game as the starting point guard. His productive season earned him All-ACC honors, though Memphis fell short of reaching the postseason.
Mitchell Saxen (Saint Mary’s)
Saxen completed a productive senior season, emerging as the starting center for the Gaels yet again. With figures that matched his breakthrough junior year, Saxen averaged 11.8 points and 7.6 rebounds on a team that won both the regular season and tournament titles in the WCC. He was the conference’s leader in blocked shots and offensive rebounds, earning himself WCC Defensive Player of the Year honors as well.
Max Shulga (VCU)
An intriguing guard originally from Ukraine, Shulga spent three years at Utah State before following coach Ryan Odom to VCU this past offseason. In his first season in the A-10 Shulga had the best year of his career, putting up 14.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists during a 24-win campaign for the Rams. His overall contributions earned him First Team All-A-10 honors, emerging as one of the best true shooters in the league.
Joel Soriano (St. John’s)
Soriano just turned in another very productive season at St. John’s. The former Fordham forward has really transformed his game in recent years, averaging 13.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game this past season. While these numbers were actually weaker than last year, Soriano remained the Big East’s top rebounder and contributed on a Red Storm team that played far better, with 20 wins in Rick Pitino’s first year.
Dedan Thomas Jr. (UNLV)
Overlooked by many this season, UNLV actually finished 4th in the MWC and certainly appreciated the efforts they got in Thomas’s freshman year. He averaged 13.6 points and 5.1 assists per game while making 36% of his 3-pointers. His impressive work got him MWC Rookie of the Year and a spot on the Second Team All-MWC. Even though the Rebels missed the Big Dance, it’s clear that Thomas has a bright future ahead.