The 2010s were a wonderful time in college basketball that saw a variety of great teams and great players come through some great arenas and gyms in the country. There were can’t-miss one-and-dones as well as four-year players who developed over time. Some became big-time NBA stars, and others found their professional paths taking them elsewhere.
We will attempt to wade through all the great talent of the past decade and pick the players to fill our 13 allotted spots to form our All-Decade team. The list includes two No. 1 overall picks and eight Naismith Award winners. Enjoy!
1 of 13
Jalen Brunson, Villanova
Brunson has the distinction of starting for two national championship teams. In 2016 he was more of a role player, as Kris Jenkins hit a buzzer-beater to beat North Carolina for the NCAA championship. He was a much larger part of the equation for a Villanova team that in 2017-2018 was ridiculously efficient and a lethal three-point shooting squad. The national Player of the Year was the perfect point guard for a team whose offense had some many diverse weapons but needed the right leader to bring it all together. He averaged 18.9 points and 4.6 assists for the 2018 national champions. 2 of 13
Anthony Davis, Kentucky
Davis may be the best player of the 2010s and certainly had the best freshman season of the decade. Davis averaged 14.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.7 blocks per game in 2011-2012, earning him national Freshman of the Year honors as well as numerous Player of the Year awards. His 188 blocks that season were more than what most Division I teams had all year. To top it all off, Davis led Kentucky to the 2012 national championship where he earned Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors. 3 of 13
Jimmer Fredette, BYU
“Jimmer Mania” ushered us into this decade. As a senior in 2010-2011, Fredette led the nation in scoring (28.9 ppg) and was the consensus National Player of the Year. Despite playing at BYU, his games were of national interest and his scoring exploits were a regular feature on highlight shows…including a 47-point effort against over Utah where he hit a half-court shot to close out a 32-point first half. He set many school and Mountain West Conference records and became a folk hero of sorts for fans around the country who were craving a Steph Curry-like, long-range gunner.
4 of 13
Buddy Hield, Oklahoma
Hield was a two-time Big 12 Player of the Year but it was his senior season that stands out as one of the best of the decade. In 2015-2016, Hield averaged 25.0 points and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 45.7 percent from three and winning the Wooden Award as the top player in the nation. This is how good Hield was: After scoring 46 points in a win over Kansas at “Phog” Allen Fieldhouse, the Jayhawks fans gave him an ovation. He would lift the Sooners to the 2016 Final Four before a nine-point effort from Hield ended their season in a 44-point route by Villanova. 5 of 13
Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin
Unlike many on this list, Kaminsky wasn’t a highly rated high school star nor was he the prototypical scorer one associates with an eventual national Player of the Year. He broke out during his junior season when he finally made it into the starting lineup and raised his scoring average from 4.2 to 13.9 ppg. As a senior, it increased to 18.8 points, which was quite a feat considering the Badgers played a deliberate style of offense. He was huge in Wisconsin’s win over undefeated Kentucky in the Final Four before losing to Duke in the NCAA championship game. Not only was Kaminsky tough to deal with in the post, but he also shot over 41 percent from three during that senior season. 6 of 13
Frank Mason III, Kansas
Mason was many different things during his four years at Kansas. He was a role player who was the tough-minded point guard then became an All-Defensive player as a junior. As a senior he shined, averaging 20.9 points and 5.2 assists, winning the Bob Cousy Award, and he became the national Player of the Year. It wasn’t just that he was a good player all year, but he also was at his best in the biggest games and one of the toughest guards of this decade.
7 of 13
Doug McDermott, Creighton
McDermott had arguably the best four-year career of anyone in the past decade. He was a three-time First Team All-American, a two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year and the 2013-2014 leading scorer and Wooden Award winner. When he finished his college career, he was fifth all time in scoring. He could put up points in a variety of ways as a post player and a shooter. (He made 49 percent of his threes as a junior.) He wasn’t just a great scorer though. As a senior he gave up his scholarship and became a walk-on to give a teammate a scholarship opportunity. 8 of 13
Jahlil Okafor, Duke
Okafor dominated the paint in Duke’s national championship season of 2014-2015. He was one of the more efficient big men whose combination of footwork and soft touch overwhelmed opponents who already had to deal with Duke’s other weapons. For the year, Okafor averaged 17.3 points and 8.5 rebounds while winning the ACC’s Player of the Year Award. That team had a major impact on Mike Krzyzewski’s recruiting philosophy of taking on more and more one-and-done players. 9 of 13
Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
People tend to forget about how good Sullinger, a Columbus native, was for Ohio State. As a freshman, he averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds and helped lead the Buckeyes to a 34-3 record and the top overall seed in the 2011 NCAA Tournament. He led them to the Final Four the following year, as his stats stayed around the same but he became a much better outside shooter.
10 of 13
Denzel Valentine, Michigan State
Valentine was a do-everything offensive talent at Michigan State. In his senior season, he averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.8 assists for the Spartans and won several national Player of the Year Awards. In a win over Kansas, Valentine became just the fourth Spartan to record a triple-double, joining Magic Johnson, Draymond Green and Charlie Bell. His unique blend of size and athleticism mixed with being a 44 percent three-point shooter made him a matchup nightmare. 11 of 13
Kemba Walker, UConn
Walker’s run in March 2011 is legendary. The Huskies finished 9-9 in the Big East standings but used an epic five-wins-in-five-nights conference tournament run (which included a buzzer beater against Pittsburgh) to lock down an NCAA Tournament berth. Once in the Big Dance, Walker carried UConn on his back and led it to the program’s third national championship. In that junior season, he averaged 23.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists and was a finalist for several Player of the Year Awards. 12 of 13
Zion Williamson, Duke
Have you heard of him? Williamson took college basketball by storm in 2018-2019, as it seemed as if every moment of his college career was dissected and debated. It was certainly covered by ESPN with a streaming series and wall-to-wall coverage of his exploits. (The network even had a camera devoted to him when he was injured.) His powerful yet graceful dunks filled highlight shows, but it was his motor and smile that made him a fan favorite. Sure the media overkill turned some fans away, but his impact on the sport was undeniable even if for just one season.
13 of 13
Trae Young, Oklahoma
Young led the nation in scoring in 2017-2018 with a 27.4 ppg average. He also led the country in assists that season (8.7), becoming the first player to ever head both categories. Seriously…how does that happen? He got off to a hot start at the beginning of the season before the Sooners cooled off a bit during conference play, as turnovers and his defense were criticized. Still there was no playmaker like Young all decade long. His 22 assists against Northwestern State tied the single-game record.
By: Shiloh Carder
