The NCAA Tournament provides the most drama of a single month in the sports calendar. There are buzzer-beaters, Cinderella teams, and nets getting cut down. There’s a reason why it’s called March Madness, and that’s because it can make you go mad with sadness or joy.
The tournament also creates legends. It can cement great players as heroes to their schools or it can insert otherwise unknowns into the lore of the tournament. Who will be this year’s history makers? You’ll have to watch to find out. Until then, we’ve put together a list of players who had memorable college careers. Take a look at each player and think about where you were when their moment of madness happened.
Jimmer Fredette
In 2011, Jimmer Fredette was on top of the world. In his senior season at BYU, Jimmer lead the NCAA in scoring (28.9 ppg) and was named the 2011 National Player of the Year. Jimmer was a threat to score from any spot on the court — so much so — that the term “Jimmer-range” was created to describe the endless range of his deadly three-point shot.
In his senior season, he led the Cougars to the Sweet 16 and finished his career as BYU’s all-time leading scorer. His star was amplified in the early days of the social media era, despite playing at a school with the seize and exposure of Brigham Young University.
Jimmer Fredette
Fredette was selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings. After 3 seasons in Sac-Town, it became clear that the NBA was a level too high for Fredette, who was unable to replicate his scoring form.
Fast forward to today and Jimmer Fredette has had an incredible career abroad. He’s won the Chinese Basketball Association MVP Award and won a Greek League Championship. Currently, Fredette plays for the Shanghai Sharks in China.
Tyler Hansbrough
Andrew Tyler Hansbrough will likely be better known as “Psycho T” for the remainder of his basketball career. But Hansbrough was — and is — so much more than a world-class agitator. At the University of North Carolina, he was the first player in ACC history to not only be named First Team All-ACC four times but to also be named to a First Team All-American squad in each of his four seasons.
Hansbrough left the college game with averages of 20 PPG and 8 RPG. The numbers speak for themselves, but the legacy he left at UNC can never be forgotten. He’ll always be beloved by the Chapel Hill faithful for his tenacity, drive, and desire to win.
Tyler Hansbrough
After being taken in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft, Hansbrough spent the past eight seasons in the league, before joining the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA G-League, and finally landing in China. While some will try to argue that Hansbrough’s career wasn’t a complete train-wreck (like some of the others on this list) — 6ppg on 43% shooting is not exactly what you look for when you draft a guy who was one of the best college basketball players of all time.
Hansbrough’s career has stalled recently due to the ongoing global pandemic. He signed with the Sichuan Blue Whales for the 20-21 season but did not appear in a game due to travel restrictions. Instead, Hansbrough stayed in the United States and worked color commentary for the ACC Network.
Adam Morrison
Remember Adam Morrison? As the leader of the Gonzaga Bulldogs, this 6-foot-8 small forward dominated college hoops from 2003-2006. During his junior season, Morrison was the nation’s leading scorer, averaging an absurd 28.1 ppg.
In a game before March Madness tipped-off, Morrison exploded for a career-high 44 points. Nowadays, you see entire teams fighting to score 44 points in a game. Morrison was the picture of Gonzaga basketball, a little different but passionate and talented.
Adam Morrison
Charlotte Bobcats “Manager of Basketball Operations” — Michael Jordan — loved Morrison and selected him with the 3rd-overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. But just like MJ’s performance as a talent evaluator, Morrison was a huge disappointment.
During his five seasons in the NBA, he started only 33 games and shot an embarrassing 39% from the field. After a short NBA career, Morrison retired to a small town just north of Spokane where he’s raising his children. He may or may not have an apocalypse bunker full of guns and food in his basement.
Shelden Williams
The picture on the right tells you everything you need to know about Shelden Williams’ NBA career. But let’s talk about the good before the bad. Shelden Williams was an elite defender, and rebounding machine during his four years at Duke (2002-2006). He won the 2005 and 2006 Defensive Player of the Year Award, becoming only the fifth college player in history to win the award in back-to-back years.
Williams also holds Duke’s career records for blocks and rebounds. By selecting Williams with the 5th-overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, the Atlanta Hawks thought their frontcourt would be set for years to come. Boy were they wrong.
Shelden Williams
Williams didn’t have the size or the skills to compete in the NBA, and his time in Atlanta was done after two disappointing seasons. Williams played for 7 different teams during his 9 seasons in the NBA — never averaging more than 5.5 ppg or 6 RPG.
To make matters worse, he isn’t even the best basketball player in his house! His wife, famous WNBA star Candace Parker, is considered one of the best female basketball players of all-time.
Hasheem Thabeet
When you play the game of basketball, it helps to be 7-foot-3 and 265 pounds. UConn center Hasheem Thabeet used his immense physical stature to become a star for the UConn Huskies. During his freshman season, he tied the Husky record for most blocks in a game.
Thabeet left Uconn after his junior year. In his time he had been named Big East Defensive Player of the Year two times and Big East Player of the Year once. He even helped UConn to their first Final Four since 2004.
Hasheem Thabeet
Although his game was still very raw, the Memphis Grizzlies fell in love with his potential and drafted Thabeet with the 2nd-overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft. There has been a long list of big guys who played well in college and couldn’t hack it in the NBA. But Thabeet stands out more than most because he was absolutely awful in the pros.
In 7 NBA seasons, Thabeet averaged an embarrassing 2.2 ppg and 2.7 RPG. To date, his biggest professional accomplishment is finishing All-Defensive Third Team for the Grand Rapids Drive (G-League). He’s currently playing for the Hsinchu Lioneers in Taiwan.
Mateen Cleaves
It might surprise you to know that Mateen Cleaves, not Magic Johnson, is the all-time leader in assists at Michigan State.
During his impressive run at MSU (1996-2000), Cleaves became the school’s all-time leader in steals and assists while leading the Spartans to an NCAA title in 2000. In his final home game in East Lansing, Cleaves dished out 20 assists, breaking the Big Ten single-game assist record.
Mateen Cleaves
Looking to excite their local fan base, the Detroit Pistons selected Cleaves (a Michigan native) with the 14th-overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft. But after one disappointing season in Detroit, Cleaves was traded to the Sacramento Kings. By the time his pro basketball career was over, Cleaves had played more games in the D-League than the NBA.
After retiring Cleaves worked as an analyst for Fox Sports Detroit and owns his own Record label, All Varsity Entertainment.
Miles Simon
From 1994-1998, Miles Simon teamed up with point guard Mike Bibby at Arizona to form one of the best backcourts in college basketball.
Simon, not Bibby, won the Most Outstanding Player award in the 1997 NCAA Tournament in which Arizona knocked off heavily-favored Kentucky in overtime to win the national championship.
Miles Simon
But even after all his success at the college level, he played a grand total of 5 games in the NBA. Simon’s career totals in the NBA — two points, two rebounds, three turnovers, and one foul — in 19 minutes of action.
Simon bounced around between the CBA and several international leagues, before finally calling it quits in 2004. He currently works with the Los Angeles Lakers as an assistant coach.
Trajan Langdon
Trajan Langdon was a gifted shooter right from the get-go. He set the school record for most career 3-point field goals made (which was later broken by J. J. Redick in 2006), earning him the nickname “The Alaskan Assassin.”
After being taken with the 11th overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Langdon only played in 10 games his rookie season, after having surgery on his knee. From there on, he was never really the same player as he was at Duke.
Trajan Langdon
In three seasons in Cleveland, he never averaged more than six points per game, and didn’t even average two three-point attempts per game. The gifted sharp-shooter was simply never able to fully showcase his talents in the NBA, for one reason or another.
After leaving Cleveland in 2002, after only three seasons, Langdon played in Italy, Turkey, and then Russia, until he retired in 2011. These days he is the General Manager of the New Orleans Pelicans.
Bo Kimble
Bo Kimble had a great college career, but a tragic moment changed his life and career forever. During the 1990 WCC Tournament Hank Gathers, Kimble’s childhood friend, and Loyola Marymount teammate collapsed on the court and died.
Kimble helped lead Loyola to the regional finals of the NCAA Tournament in honor of his fallen teammate. Kimble was an incredible talent, earning second-team All-American honors before leaving for the NBA.
Bo Kimble
Bo Kimble was the 8th overall pick of the 1990 NBA Draft, taken by the Los Angeles Clippers. But Kimble’s NBA career wasn’t quite as illustrious as his college career. Kimble spent 3 seasons in the NBA before bouncing around the CBA before hanging it up in 1998.
These days, Kimble founded and sits on the board of a foundation honoring his deceased teammate that helps with reducing cardiac-related fatalities.
Juan Dixon
The NCAA Tournament is such an impossible gauntlet to overcome. Many great players never survive to the final weekend, much less lift the trophy at the end.
However, Juan Dixon had a great career at Maryland and capped it with a National Championship and a Most Outstanding Player award for his performances. Dixon was a consensus All-American his senior year.
Juan Dixon
Dixon was drafted 17th overall in the 2003 NBA Draft by his hometown Wizards. He was a fan favorite due to his history at Maryland but was a role player at best. Dixon played 9 seasons in the NBA for 4 different teams. He retired with a scoring record of 8.4 points per game.
These days he’s the head coach at Coppin State and hoping to rekindle some March Madness luck that he had many years ago. It’s also likely the women in your life know about Juan from his appearances on the Bravo show “Real Housewives of the Potomac”, where the issues in his marriage have been chronicled for the world to see.
Kevin Pittsnogle
Kevin Pittsnogle is the most West Virginia a Mountaineer basketball player has ever been. You know what we mean without even having to explain that. The un-athletic-looking big man led the Mountaineers all the way to the Elite Eight in 2005.
Then, they pushed Louisville to overtime for a trip to the Final Four. It was a remarkable run. Pittsnogle came back for his senior season and once again took West Virginia to the second weekend.
Kevin Pittsnogle
Undrafted out of college, Pittsnogle played with a few D-League teams and something called the Pittsburgh Xplosion.
Pittsnogle spent a few Summer League seasons with clubs but nothing stuck. These days he teaches special education and is a high school basketball coach. He lives in his hometown of Martinsburg, West Virginia with his wife and 8 kids.
Marcus Fizer
Marcus Fizer was a revelation from the moment he stepped on campus at Iowa State. Never before had the program featured a McDonald’s All-American before.
Fizer had an immediate impact, winning all sorts of freshman awards. The real payoff came for Iowa State when the Big XI’s Player of the Year guided them to the Elite Eight.
Marcus Fizer
After college, Fizer was drafted 4th overall by the Bulls. He spent six seasons in the NBA before playing basketball in such exotic locations as Uruguay, Bahrain, and Puerto Rico.
These days he owns SlipGuardians Floor Safety Solutions, a company that makes anti-slip floor treatments. Did he get the idea from the student managers who run onto the floor to wipe up sweat?
Dee Brown
Dee Brown was once a five-star, “can’t-miss” high school prospect coming out of Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois in 2002.
Playing for the University of Illinois, Brown teamed up with Luther Head, and Deron Williams to form one of the most dangerous trios the Big Ten had ever seen. He averaged 13 PPG and 5 APG but he is best remembered for helping lead the Fighting Illini to the 2005 National Championship Game where they lost to UNC.
Dee Brown
After four years in college, Brown was taken with the 46th pick (in the second round) in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz.
Over the next 10 years, he played for 13 different professional basketball teams, both in the NBA and overseas. While playing he did something few if any, NBA stars have done. He won a Bulgarian League Championship. So take that LeBron. He’s currently an assistant coach at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Greg Oden
Greg Oden dominated college basketball like few have done before in his lone season at Ohio State. He averaged 16 PPG, 10 RPG, and 3 BPG. What’s more remarkable is that he spent the first half of the season with just one usable hand.
Once he got the use of both hands he caught fire and led the Buckeyes to the National Championship game. He made all the NBA scouts drool with his potential, but…
Greg Oden
Unfortunately, like another Trailblazers big man, Oden had a devastating history with injuries. Oden started his Blazers career with micro-fracture surgery on his knee and missed his entire rookie season. Once he was able to see the court, he injured his foot after 13 minutes in his debut. Injuries continued to plague Oden at every turn and he would play just 105 career games in the NBA.
Since leaving the game, Oden has gone back to school in the hopes of finishing his degree. He also has plans to get into coaching and has helped the Celtics during their pre-draft workouts.
Shabazz Napier
Shabazz Napier will go down as one of three players in the history of Division I basketball to have won national championships as a freshman and a senior. He led the University of Connecticut Huskies to National Championship wins in 2011 and 2014; the latter victory was even more impressive, considering Connecticut entered the tournament as a #7 seed.
Napier was the ACC Player of the Year, consensus All-American, and Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player in 2014.
Shabazz Napier
After his college career was over, Napier was taken in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat, after LeBron James publicly stated his admiration for Napier’s play.
Fast forward to today and he’s out of the league, having last played for the Wizards in 2020. Napier has career averages of 7.1 PPG and 2.5 APG. That’s a far cry from the player that was drafted in 2014.
Ralph Sampson
Ralph Sampson was one of the greatest college basketball players in the history of the game. Sampson was a double-double machine from the moment he stepped on campus at UVA. He averaged 16.9 points and 11.4 rebounds a game for his four-year career in Charlottesville.
He was a three-time College Player of the Year award winner at Virginia. The only other person to do that was UCLA’s, Bill Walton. Sampson could have left school after his junior year but didn’t want to risk playing for the Clippers, who had a 50-50 shot at the #1 pick, so he returned to school for his senior year.
Ralph Sampson
The Houston Rockets selected the 7-foot-4 Ralph Sampson with the #1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. Just two years later, alongside Hakeem Olajuwon, Sampson took the Rockets to the NBA Finals, thanks to an epic upset of the vaunted “Showtime” Los Angeles Lakers (Sampson hit the buzzer-beating shot to win that series).
But Sampson hurt his knee the following season and rushed back to the court way too soon. The result was the destruction of the cartilage in his knee, which led to a myriad of other related injuries that plagued him for the rest of his career.
Michael Beasley
Michael Beasley was a stud in his only season at Kansas State. Beasley was one of the most dominant players in college basketball. His freshman season ranked third and second for points and rebounds in college history.
Despite spending just one season on campus, Beasley holds 30 Kansas State career and single-season records. In a conference rich with history, Beasley holds 17 Big 12 records. He was incredible.
Michael Beasley
While college ball came easy to Beasley, the NBA was not so simple. Beasley struggled to adapt to the energy required to be a quality player at the next level, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
Beasley bounced around the league playing for 8 NBA teams and 3 Chinese teams before last playing in 2019.
Christian Laettner
Any list of former March Madness stars has to include Christian Laettner. His famous game-winning shot against Kentucky forever immortalized Laettner into college basketball lore.
If you’re too young to have seen Laettner’s famous buzzer-beater you may get the impression he was just that shot. Don’t get confused, Laettner was the NCAA Player of the Year that season. He was excellent.
Christian Laettner
Christian Laettner had a good NBA career, but no one would argue that it lived up to his college career. Bad basketball players don’t stay in the NBA for over a decade like Laettner did. However, he was only ever named an All-Star once and retired with a 12.8 PPG scoring average.
These days Laettner lives in Florida and spends most of his free time fishing for musky. Laettner has stayed active, running youth basketball camps and investing in the Durham, North Carolina area. He even spent a season on the bench of an NBA G-League team in 2012.
James Worthy
James Worthy was a part of one of the most talented college basketball teams in history. The 1982 Tar Heels featured Worthy, and two future NBA stars Sam Perkins and Michael Jordan. Not a bad squad.
Worthy was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player and is just one of eight Tar Heels to have their numbers retired in Chapel Hill. He left college with an average of 14.5 PPG, and 7.4 RPG.
James Worthy
James Worthy is one of the few men whose college and professional career’s reached equal heights. Worthy is one of the greatest players to ever lace them up in the NBA. He was a 3-time NBA Champion with the Lakers, a 7-time All-Star, and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.
James Worthy has had an active post-NBA career. He spent many years as a studio analyst for Lakers television broadcasts. He has worked with the Lakers, coaching the big men, and he is an active philanthropist.
Emeka Okafor
Emeka Okafor was the most dominant college big man of the 2000s, and there’s no debating it. Okafor simply eliminated the option of driving into the paint for his opponents. Sure, you could try it, but why bother?
Okafor averaged 18 PPG, 11 RPG, and 4 BPG during his junior, and final, year at UConn. 4 suckers tried driving on him every game. Unthinkable. He was named a First-Team All-American for his work. He also helped the Huskies pick up a National Championship.
Emeka Okafor
Emeka Okafor’s NBA career started out great, becoming the first-ever pick by the expansion Charlotte Bobcats. Okafor won the Rookie of the Year Award his first season, but that was not a sign of things to come. Though he averaged a double-double his first 5 seasons in the league, he never averaged more than 15 points after his rookie year.
Okafor spent 10 years in the NBA before moving to Korea to play for Ulsan Hyundai MObis Pheobus for the 2019-20 season. The global pandemic put a halt to that.
Scottie Reynolds
Before Kris Jenkins hit the buzzer-beating shot that won Villanova the 2016 National Championship, the biggest shot in recent Villanova history belonged to Scottie Reynolds. Reynolds sunk a buzzer-beater in 2009 to send ‘Nova past Pittsburgh and into the Final Four.
Reynolds had a great college career, in particular, his senior year when he averaged 18 PPG and was named a First Team All American. IN his career Reynolds won 7 NCAA tournament games and went to one Final Four.
Scottie Reynolds
Scottie Reynolds made history in a way he’d like to forget, becoming the first All-American not to be selected in the NBA draft. He was signed to the Phoenix Suns summer league team and played in three games before leaving.
Undeterred, Reynolds has made a career playing ball overseas. He’s spent most of his career in Europe or Asia and is currently playing for Cibona in Croatia. In 2017, Reynolds laced it up with some fellow Villanova basketball alums in The Basketball Tournament on ESPN.
Gerry McNamara
You didn’t think we’d go the entire list without including the man who seemed to be around forever and single-handedly brought back the chinstrap beard in Upstate New York. McNamara was a freshman on the 2003 Syracuse National Championship team headlined by Carmello Anthony, but McNamara arguably became more of a fixture in the program due to his longevity.
This guy just kept hitting big shots for the Orange and single-handedly led them to a Big East Tournament title n 2006 that they had no business winning. He averaged 15 PPG and 5 APG over his four-year career.
Gerry McNamara
Voted one of the most hated players in the country by fellow players, McNamara never really Syracuse. McNamara went undrafted in the 2006 NBA Draft, instead, played briefly in Europe and the G-League before returning to his roots.
McNamara came back first as a graduate manager and continues today as an assistant coach. He’s Syracuse through and through.
Luke Harangody
Luke Harangody played the role of disruptor during his college basketball career. For one, he didn’t look like the typical college basketball star, and two, he starred at a school not known for its work on the hardwoods.
Luke Harangody drew the spotlight on Notre Dame basketball in a way it had never been before. He made second-team All American honors three straight seasons but was only able to produce 1 NCAA tournament win for the Irish. He left school as the only Irish player to score 2000 points and grab 1000 rebounds.
Luke Harangody
Harangody when from one Irish basketball team to another when he was drafted in the second round of the 2010 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. Harangody spent 3 seasons in the NBA and G-League before making the move to Europe.
Harangody played in Russian, Turkey, Germany, and most recently, Spain. With the pandemic making travel in Europe difficult for Americans, Harangody has taken this year off.
Antawn Jamison
Antawn Jamison had an incredible career in his three seasons at North Carolina. Jamison left after his junior year with his legacy secured. Jamison finished with career averages of 19.0 PPg and 9.9 RPG.
After his junior year, Jamison was named both the Naismith and Wooden Award winner. A few years later, Jamison’s #33 jersey became the seventh jersey lifted to the rafters forever in the Dean Dome.
Antawn Jamison
Jamison entered the NBA with a bang, with his performances earning him a spot on the All-Rookie team. Jamison would have a stellar career, being named to two All-Star Games and averaging 18.5 PPG over 17 NBA seasons.
Not even retirement can keep Jamison away from the game of basketball. Immediately upon his retirement, Jamison was hired as an analyst for Lakers broadcasts as well as a scout for the team. In 2019, Jamison was hired by the Wizards as their Director of Pro Personnel.
Glen “Big Baby” Davis
Big Baby Davis was a phenomenon. His college career was as big as he was. A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Davis spurned offers from better programs to stay at home.
The move panned out for both parties involved as Davis led the Tigers to a Final Four, and Davis was named SEC Player of the Year and an All-American his sophomore season. Davis was the most exciting Tiger basketball player since another very large Louisianan was patrolling the paint.
Glen “Big Baby” Davis
“Big Baby” joined the Boston Celtics at exactly the right time. Davis had a front-row seat to the original “Big 3” as the pushed the Celtics to the 2008 NBA Championship. That would be Davis’ only title or post-season accolade.
Davis’ final season in the NBA was 14-15 with the Clippers. He left the league with averages of 8.8 PPG and 4.4 RPG. At the time, Davis said he was going to go into film production. There’s no word on how well that’s going.
Brandon Roy
Brandon Roy was a solid player during his first three seasons of college basketball at the University of Washington. As is the case with Pac-12 sports, they don’t get much attention from the rest of the country, so you could be forgiven for not knowing his name.
But his senior year, Roy made sure everyone knew his name. He exploded for 20 PPG, 6 RPG, and 4APG. That was good enough to earn him a First Team All-American selection.
Brandon Roy
Brandon Roy was described as a “natural” when he showed up in Portland as the 6th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. He had an immediate impact too, winning Rookie of the Year in a near-unanimous vote. However, long-term success was not in the cards.
Roy developed a degenerative knee condition that forced him to retire after just 5 seasons. In retirement, Roy returned to Seattle to coach basketball. He was named the 2017 Naismith Coach of the Year after his team posted a perfect 29-0 record.
Wayne Simien
Wayne Simien, one of the finest players of his generation not to win an NCAA championship. Simien was old school, staying in school all four years, but more than that he focused on his job. He grabbed rebounds and scored put-backs.
Simien finally got the credit he deserved in his stellar senior season when he averaged 20 PPG and 11 Rebounds. He was named a first-team All-American. Simien made it to two Final Fours but never won the big one.
Wayne Simien
Simien was drafted 29th overall by in 2005 by the Miami Heat. The next season he won an NBA title on the Shaq/D-Wade-led team. The following offseason Simien was traded to Minnesota but was cut shortly after.
After not finding a team for the 07-08 season, Simien signed a contract with a professional team in Spain. A year later Simien retired to focus on Christian ministry with his wife, Katie.
Randy Foye
Randy Foye tried his hardest to do what Scottie Reynolds did just a few years later in taking the Villanova Wildcats to the Final Four. Unfortunately, he ran into the buzzsaw that was the 2006 Florida Gators and came up short.
Foye was also a four-year player and averaged 21 PPG and 6 RPG his senior year. He was named a First-Team All American his senior season.
Randy Foye
Randy Foye may not have lived up to his selection as the 7th overall pick in the 2006 Draft, but he still had a pretty solid NBA career. He was named to the All-Rookie team his first year with the TImberwoles.
Foye bounced around the NBA, playing for 7 teams over 10 seasons. He retired after the 2017 season with a career scoring average of 10.3 PPG. Foye currently works as a color analyst with the YES Network.
Kyle Singler
Kyle Singler was the rare college basketball star who didn’t look like a college basketball star. Frankly, he didn’t look that athletic, yet he averaged 16 PPG and 7 RPG for Coach K’s Duke Blue Devils.
In fact, Singler was the lead dog on the Duke squad that won the 2010 National Championship his junior year. Coach K must really be a heck of a coach if he can make Kyle Singler a college basketball star.
Kyle Singler
Singler was drafted with the 33rd overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. Because the league was in a lockout, Singler hopped on a plane and played a season in Spain before returning after the lockout ended.
Singler played 7 seasons in the NBA with Detroit and Oklahoma City before playing one final season in Spain before retiring in 2019.
Hakim Warrick
Hakim Warrick was one of the unsung heroes on that 2003 Syracuse National Championship winning team. Carmello Anthony gets all the credit, but who blocked Kansas’s David Lee’s shot near the finish of the game? That’s right, Hakim Warrick.
Warrick was a transformative big man inside, scoring 21 PPG and 9RPG his senior season. He was named First-Team All American in that senior season.
Hakim Warrick
Despite being an explosive college player at Syracuse, Hakim Warrick had a journeyman’s career in the NBA. Warrick spent 8 seasons in the NBA and played for 6 teams during that time. Warrick averaged just 9.4 PPG and 4.0 RPG before heading overseas.
Like so many on this list, Warrick’s time in basketball was ended by the pandemic. However, Warrick is now 38 years old and his time was likely up soon anyway.
T.J. Ford
T.J. Ford gave Texas basketball a moment they’ll never forget. Ford has a sophomore season for the ages. The lightning-quick guard averaged 15 PPG, 8 APG, and 4 RPG on his way to picking up the Naismith Player of the Year Award.
But more importantly, Ford led the Longhorns to the Final Four, a feat they’ve yet to replicate since he left Austin. Not even Kevin Durant managed that feat.
T.J. Ford
T.J. Ford came into the NBA with scouting reports claiming he had a basketball IQ like Magic and MJ. He may have, but spine injuries derailed his career and prevented him from developing into the player he looked like he could have been.
Ford retired in 2012 with career averages of 11.2 PPG and 5.8 APG. Ford’s time now is spent with his foundation which works with youth in Texas and Wisconsin.
Ty Lawson
Without Ty Lawson, UNC head coach Roy Williams would have won a lot fewer games. His speed and handles made him the perfect point guard for Roy’s up and down offense.
Lawson averaged 13 PPG, 6 APG, and 3 RPG. He won 13 NCAA Tournament games, advanced to two Final Fours, and picked up a National Championship. More importantly, though, Lawson was a leader and a team-first player, which is likely why he only ever made one All-American team.
Ty Lawson
Lawson achieved about everything you could in college, but his NBA career was less glory-filled. Lawson had a respectable career in the NBA. He spent 6 seasons with Denver before playing for 3 teams in 2 seasons. Lawson left the NBA with career averages of 12.7 PPG and 6.0 APG.
Believe it or not, Lawson is still in the game. In late 2020, Lawson signed with a Greek team but never made the move due to visa issues. So, if you’re a European general manager looking for an experienced point guard, give Lawson a call.