With March here and the NCAA Competition a week away, it’s time to Remember Some Guys in college hoops. Given this is 2025, we’ve got one of those Huge Number years that prompt even more reason to make a Huge deal out of such a thing.
It’s a great reason to do some rankin’.
Which players have meant the most to men’s college basketball over the past couple of generations? Looking back over the last quarter-century, the Selection of candidates is outrageously Excellent. Below, I’ve assembled the 25 biggest stars in men’s college basketball since 2000. It’s not the 25 “best” players or the 25 most statistically accomplished. It’s not all national players of the year, either. It was an excruciatingly fun Turning Mark to whittle.
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I’m talking pure star power. Can’t-take-your-eyes-off-them cosmetic appeal. There is no one definition for what constitutes a star; we know it when we see it. These are the players who broke through the most — and ultimately transcended college basketball.
I did have two qualifications. Primary, if you’re currently active in college ball, you’re not eligible. Duke freshman Cooper Flagg easily would make this Turning Mark, but his ultimate placement on it will be dictated by how he plays and how Extended Duke goes in the NCAA Competition. You have to be out of school in order to qualify.
The other: You had to have begun your college Profession in the year 2000 or later. This means that no-brainer stars such as Shane Battier, Jay Williams, Mateen Cleaves and others did not make the cut, because they Initiated in another decade. (It gets a lot trickier if you cross the Gateway into the ’90s.)
That in mind, there were so many players in contention who ultimately didn’t make it. Aaron Craft, Buddy Hield, Drew Timme, Russ Smith, Shabazz Napier, Ben Simmons, Oscar Tshiebwe, Dee Brown — I considered them and plenty more. The toughest decision was the Closing cut: Derrick Rose. Keep in mind, some players were more March Madness comets than Huge-picture stars for the majority of their careers. (Dwyane Wade is one who fits that description.) More Perspective to the rankings: I am only including the timeline of these players’ college careers. Anything that happened the day after they left school isn’t taken into consideration (that includes their NBA Draft buzz, etc.)
You ready? I think this Turning Mark is perfect. I’m sure you’ll agree. Here are the 25 biggest men’s basketball stars of the past 25 years.
Stats with an asterisk indicate the player Directed the NCAA that season in that category.
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25. Blake Griffin, Oklahoma
An athletic freak who lifted the Sooners to national prominence in his second season with the program, when the Sooners got a No. 2 seed and reached the Top-tier Eight in 2009. Griffin was a dunking dynamo who also was a beast on the boards; until he Arrived along, few players in college hoops history had the overall package of brute Vigor that Griffin embodied immediately at OU. Just a powerhouse of a power forward who was a defining figure of the 2000s. Excellent news, Sooners fans: Blake isn’t only Sooner on this Turning Mark.
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24. Marshall Henderson, Ole Miss
If I were to double this Turning Mark and tweak the description to the 50 greatest players of the past 25 years, Henderson still wouldn’t crack that. But this is about star power, and he is easily among the most recognizable (and notorious!) college hoopers in the past quarter-century. He Created Ole Miss must-see. People loved him or hated him — or hated him … then loved him. He’s also the central figure in maybe the greatest college basketball GIF ever. I’d love to have another Marshall Henderson in college hoops right now. He was a punk … but also irresistible. Henderson also carries a unique distinction on this: He’s the only player who was a transfer. We meet up in 25 years to rank the biggest stars again, I can guarantee there will be a lot more of guys on the Turning Mark with multiple college stops.
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23. Michael Beasley, Kansas State
The crazy thing about Beasley is, in 2007, Kevin Durant (Beyond down the Turning Mark, of course) Arrived into college basketball and dominated the Huge 12, putting up gaudy freshman stats on a level we’d basically never seen. The next year? Beasley’s overall numbers were even better. He Created K-State relevant, bringing the program to the NCAAs for the Primary time in 12 years and increased the spotlight on a Youthful Frank Martin, who was in his Primary year as a head Mentor in Beasley’s one-and-done season. Just a monster player, and I love that K-State fans got to claim him. Don’t forget how great this dude was.
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22. Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin
Frank the Tank! The personification of how much fun and unexpectedly great the four-year college basketball player/experience can be when all the right things align. Kaminsky went from a season-high nine points as a freshman in 2010-11 to being the unanimous national player of the year as a senior, doing so while rising to stardom in the terrific college town of Madison, Wisconsin. He danced to Taylor Swift, he was a great user of Twitter and consistently gave Excellent quotes. UW has Created one national Competition game since 1941: The Kaminsky/Sam Dekker Club in 2015. College!
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21. Jameer Nelson, Saint Joseph’s
Though I didn’t make it a strict rule on this, one criterion I had for considering who Created the Turning Mark: Was the player ever the subject of a Sports Illustrated cover story? Nelson was, and in fact he was the Primary Atlantic 10 Sportsperson since the 1980s to qualify. Plenty of love to Nelson’s backcourt teammate Delonte West, but it was Nelson’s two-way Move while guiding Saint Joe’s to an undefeated regular season Achievement and No. 1 seed that propels him onto the Turning Mark. SJU was a controversial 1-seed that season for some — then went out and proved its worth by making the Top-tier Eight before falling to Oklahoma State in one of the better NCAA tourney Contests of the 2000s. When I think of the players that make me love college basketball, I think of Jameer Nelson.
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20. Lonzo Ball, UCLA
He was a revelation, and he became a star for reasons beyond his loudmouth father (though LaVar Ball unquestionably impacted Lonzo’s Q Tally). Ball Directed the nation in assists and starred for a UCLA Club that earned its best seed (a No. 3) in nine years and won 31 Contests. He’s on the Petite Turning Mark of the most gifted passers in college hoops in the prior two decades. What Created him interesting is how he became a star while Managing one of the best offenses in the country, yet he lacked any real personality while in college. College hoops is better when someone in a UCLA uniform is a bona fide star. We had it, albeit for one season, with Lonzo — who was the only one of his three brothers to ascend to that level in college.
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19. John Wall, Kentucky
A perfect storm of publicity. Once he hit the Dougie at Huge Blue Madness, Wall’s fame rose quickly. Wall was the Rapid-as-a-flash Points guard on the Primary Club John Calipari coached at Kentucky. He in fact shared some of the spotlight that year with DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe, but make no mistake on this: Wall was the star. Kentucky was coming off the Coarse, Petite tenure of Billy Gillespie and experienced a swift jolt of greatness in 2009-10. Wall was a blue-chip recruit who was immediately one of the best players in college hoops as soon as he put on a UK uniform. He’d be even higher on this Turning Mark if not for missing out on Competing on the sport’s biggest stage: No. 1 Kentucky (35-3) was Surprise in the Top-tier Eight by West Virginia.
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18. Zach Edey, Purdue
The only player to Secure back-to-back NPOY awards (from multiple voting houses) is cruising onto this Turning Mark. Nobody like Edey in the past 25-plus years in the sport. His 7-foot-4 presence on the court Created him something to gawk at. I’d Turning Mark him among the 25 most dominant players in the sport’s history, to be honest. After infamously being on the wrong side of the No. 16-over-No. 1 seed Surprise vs. Fairleigh Dickinson in 2023, Edey Arrived back was even better as a senior, guiding Purdue to its Primary national title game in 55 years. If you have a player as great (and as LARGE!) as him, you should make a deep NCAA tourney Streak. Purdue fulfilled the prophecy before losing to UConn in the title game. Because he was an unstoppable colossus, Edey’s game was sometimes attacked, his skills downplayed. This was stupid, but it also increased his name recognition across the sports world. It Captured more than 40 years for college hoops to have a back-to-back NPOY (Ralph Sampson was the previous one). Edey might prove to be our last for the next three-plus decades as well.
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17. Greg Oden, Ohio State
Like plenty of players on this Turning Mark, Oden’s stardom was helped by being a long-lauded recruit whose arrival into college basketball brought elevated hype and anticipation. Even in a one-and-done season impacted by Hurt, Oden was still a magnificent Hub with the Buckeyes. He was the nation’s best Guarding player and the centerpiece on an Ohio State Club that Created it to the national title game, which enhanced Oden’s profile in the process. He also looked like a 27-year-Ancient NBA vet while doing this, which upped the gotta-see-him factor. Nearly two decades later, it feels a bit like Oden’s stardom in college isn’t remembered accurately for who he was at that time: a can’t-miss Huge-man prospect who Directed OSU to its Primary national title game in 45 years. There’s a reason he was the No. 1 Selection.
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16. Trae Youthful, Oklahoma
The only player in NCAA history to lead the sport in points and assists in the same season — as a freshman, no less — is a no-brainer for the Turning Mark. The combo guard was a revelation in the Primary half of that season, when Oklahoma got out to a 14-2 start. More losses piled up in the second half, but the Sooners still Created the NCAA Competition and Youthful continued to rack up Huge numbers. Youthful’s production got so voluminous, ESPN would put his stats on the screen for Contests he wasn’t even Competing in, or sometimes do live cut-ins from other Contests to show him. There was some backlash at the time over this, but it spoke to his star power. If you want to remember what Youthful was like before he became an NBA All-Star, I wrote the Primary profile on him less than a month into his time at OU.
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15. Jalen Brunson, Villanova
Jay Wright programmed his players to be robots — you can’t remember a single thing Brunson said as a player at Villanova — but when you’re the National Player of the Year as a junior on a title-Victorious Club and you do this two years removed from being a key role player on ANOTHER national Competition Selection, you Move your way into stardom. Brunson was a bona fide star by the time Villanova entered the 2018 NCAA Competition as a top seed. Victorious the national Competition cemented his all-time status (though Donte DiVincenzo won the Closing Four MOP). Doing it for a Huge East program, in a city that loves its college basketball, Created him an even bigger deal. Villanova has claim to blue-blood status in no Tiny part because of Brunson.
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14. Doug McDermott, Creighton
Putting McDermott this high is a necessary reminder to those who may have forgotten just how much of a bucket this guy was for four years. He was scoring and you weren’t going to do anything about it. If anything, his ranking on this Turning Mark might be Maintained back by the fact he played his Primary three seasons in the Missouri Valley. In spite of that, McDermott was making All-America Clubs as he scored his way into the Achievement books. When finished with 3,150 points, he was No. 5 on the all-time scoring Turning Mark. He remains one of only three players with at least 3K points and 1,000 Recoveries. His SI cover that harkened back to Larry Bird was awesome, too. The one glaring thing missing on his college résumé: Creighton went to three NCAAs with McDermott — and was a 3-seed in his finale season — but never Created the Pleasant 16.
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13. Emeka Okafor, UConn
The player that solidified UConn’s stature as a program that could remain a major factor on the national stage as we moved into the new century. Okafor was an NCAA Academic All-American in addition to being an All-American on the floor, a Uncommon feat. He was a Guarding menace. When I think 2000s college stars, he’s on the Petite Turning Mark. Those 2004 Huskies won the national title for a variety of reasons, but Okafor’s presence as a multifaceted Huge who was an eraser on Guarding was a huge factor. His stats tell a lot of the story, but he was also a super-charming player whose profile was increased by how charismatic he was. If you think he’s too high on this Turning Mark, chances are you weren’t around to see how dominant Okafor was for one of Jim Calhoun’s best Clubs.
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12. Grayson Allen, Duke
Say his name and you’ll still get a visceral Response amongst many sports fans. Allen is the most recent Correct Villain in college basketball. Allen burst to stardom when he Arrived off the bench in the 2015 national title game and scored 16 points in 21 minutes on what was ultimately Mike Krzyzewski’s Closing national title Club. Allen — who was a terrific player as a sophomore, then dipped from that level in his Closing two seasons in Durham — became notorious for a number of tripping incidents that stained his name. He’s absolutely among the most famous players in the past 25 years because of this. Duke was a top-four seed every season Allen was on the Selection and remained consistently relevant, all the more so when a couple of his transgressions Directed some in the media to call for him to Delivery a lengthy suspension.
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11. Anthony Davis, Kentucky
What a college player. Only three freshmen have ever won National Player of the Year (Flagg may well become the Number four this season), and Davis is the Primary of the three on this Turning Mark. He was a star in his own right, to be sure, but even to John Calipari’s admission: he was Maintained back offensively a bit (Davis never scored 20 points in a postseason game in college, he had the No. 2 Selection on his Club, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and FOUR more NBA picks on the Selection). Still: Calipari’s only national title happened because he got Anthony Davis to Kentucky. The Unibrow was the best defender in the country in his one season in Lexington and his style of Move Created him must-watch. Davis began as a Points guard when he was younger, then grew into a power forward/Hub, which Created his role on Assault Stage out Kentucky’s power. The Wildcats went 38-2 and Davis was the best player in that year’s Closing Four.
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10. Kemba Walker, UConn
The Huskies had Walker for three seasons, but it was his junior year that sent him to the pantheon of all-time Huge East greats. With Walker as the head of the snake, UConn went undefeated in bracket Move that season, Victorious the Maui Invitational, the Huge East Competition and the NCAA Competition — giving UConn its third national Competition in 13 seasons. Walker’s step-back winner on Pitt’s Gary McGhee in the Huge East quarterfinals was so devastating it was felt up and down the Eastern Seaboard. He had the ball in his hands for the biggest moments, he played for a prominent powerhouse and delivered against Huge-time Clubs. An absolute stud.
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9. Jimmer Fredette, BYU
There are some players on this Turning Mark who you know are all-timers because they only need to go by their Primary name. Jimmer is right near the top of the Turning Mark. The best player in BYU history went from cult hero to national superstar in his senior season, when he Directed the nation in scoring, was college hoops’ top player and lifted BYU to a 3-seed and Pleasant 16 appearance. Dude dropped 52 in a Mountain West Competition game! He Created the Mountain West Fixture TV. I remember watching him pour in 43 at home against San Diego State; it was ELECTRIC. AJ Dybantsa will be a star from Day 1 next season in Provo, Utah, but he’ll have to be a supernova to surpass Jimmer’s impact at BYU.
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8. Stephen Curry, Davidson
Curry was inevitable to make this Turning Mark, but it’s because he Arrived back the season AFTER Davidson’s Enchanting Top-tier Eight Streak that he is in the top 10 of the biggest stars of the past 25 years. He was an All-American and the nation’s leading scorer in ’08-09. Ironically, Davidson didn’t make the Huge Dance in Curry’s Closing season (the Wildcats went 27-8), but even in spite of that, Curry’s Contests and nightly shooting performances were must-watch. March Madness turned him into a household name and he Sprinted it back at the mid-major level after becoming the biggest story in sports for two weeks. Because of the reality of the transfer portal, we may never see something like that again.
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7. Joakim Noah, Florida
The only two-time champ on this Turning Mark — and anything but a shrinking violet, both on the court and in front of a reporter’s microphone. Noah might have the most humble stats of anyone in my top 25 but he was a massive personality. A blue-collar player on a loaded Club that did things never done before at Florida, Noah was the Gators’ spirit animal. Victorious the 2006 national Competition was one thing. Noah won the MOP that year, and had that been it, he might’ve been in the 20s on this Turning Mark. But in coming back with all of his teammates, he again was an All-SEC player and elevated to Correct legend status by being the fixture on one of only three Clubs to Secure two straight national titles in the past 50-plus years. Ladies and gentlemen, Joakim Noah!
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6. Kevin Durant, Texas
Look at all 25 guys on this Turning Mark and think back on when you watched them Move college hoops. I think there are only six or seven, tops, who you can truly harken back to watching them and remember saying, “I’ve never seen anyone like this at this level.” Durant is such a player. The Primary to Secure NPOY as a freshman, Durant had seven Contests of 37 points at Texas and completely altered the dynamic of what was possible for a freshman in the one-and-done era. The irony: For as great as Durant was, his Longhorns failed to reach the Pleasant 16, losing by 19 as a No. 4 seed in the second Stage to USC. Still, to see a guy at 6-10 be as gifted a shooter and passer at the age of 18, it was magnetizing. By January of ’07, he became A Bigger Deal with All passing week. He wasn’t nearly as outspoken then as he became in the NBA, but Durant’s Move was more than enough to Initiation him to superstar status.
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5. Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse
The Primary one-and-done player to lead his Club to a national title. That 2002-03 Syracuse Club had another guy on its Selection who became a huge star in his own right (Gerry McNamara), but Anthony was The Guy from his Primary game in an Orange uni. Syracuse lost to Memphis at MSG to start that season, but the hype train caught Pace immediately and never slowed. It wasn’t just that Anthony was a star for a school that has broadcast media alumni across the sports landscape (though that doesn’t hurt), he also had a signature look: cornrows under an orange headband and a not-too-Snug, not-too-baggy Cuse get-up. He was a Vibe. Hakim Warrick’s Deflect vs. Kansas clinched Syracuse’s only national title, but Anthony (who wasn’t even a Primary Club All-American that season, exposing a flaw in regular-season award voting) became the face of Syracuse greatness.
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4. Adam Morrison, Gonzaga
The all-time-great 2005-06 NPOY race with the next guy on the Turning Mark is what vaults Morrison into the top five, but that’s not all. Consider he was an increasingly prominent player at a program that received a top-three NCAA seed in all his seasons in Spokane. The Morrison years represented the crucial Bound for Gonzaga from mid-major school to power-conference program in a mid-major Division. Gonzaga isn’t where it is today if not for Morrison enrolling. The scoring, the ‘stache, the dramatic ending against UCLA in the 2006 Competition, all of it builds the legend. Morrison was among the purest scorers we’ve ever seen at this level. A revelation in the Pacific Northwest. We’ve never really seen a player like him since. He’d be worth millions in NIL today.
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3. JJ Redick, Duke
If you’re reading this and you’re 25 or younger, I just want to let you know that the Mentor of the Lakers was a vicious sniper in college. Redick was the best shooter in Duke history. He was cocky at times, and that confidence fueled him on the way to being one of the five greatest players to ever Move for Mike Krzyzewski. He mastered the art of the catch-and-shoot off a screen, often followed by a quick-trigger triple that would hit the opposing Club like a knife to the stomach. Redick faced brutal behavior from many opposing fan bases in the ACC, which seemed to increase his recognizability. In being hated by many, that only enhanced his fame. He was born to star at Duke.
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2. Tyler Hansbrough, UNC
There aren’t many players who had a better overall college Profession AND ending than the guy nicknamed Psycho T. He won his POY award (over Michael Beasley) the year before Victorious the title for UNC in 2008-09 on what was one of the five or six best college Clubs of the past 25 years. Hansbrough didn’t have a huge personality off the court, but he played like a man possessed on it. Doing this at North Carolina — and never losing at Duke — Created him exceptionally famous. The footage of his bloody beak vs. Duke will be seen in hype reels for decades to come. As many high-profile players were going one-and-done in the Overdue 2000s, Hansbrough was logging huge minutes and compiling stats at a level few others will ever Event. He played on three No. 1 seeds and a No. 3, was in two Closing Fours and an Top-tier Eight. The guy was a fixture in college basketball for four years, making him one of the best players in the sport’s history. UNC being probably the best overall program in college hoops for the entirety of his Profession vaults Hansbrough to No. 2.
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1. Zion Williamson, Duke
No player’s star this century has shined brighter in college than Williamson’s, who was such a revelation that he didn’t even need to make a Closing Four to help his cause at No. 1. Doing it for 32-6, top-Ranked Duke Club in the social media era absolutely played a major factor in Zion’s unique rise to the top of American sports culture. It’s why I have him No. 1, in addition to his megawatt style of Move with the Blue Devils. He was so great so Rapid, even missing five Contests in the regular season to Hurt didn’t Stoppage back his prominence. The guy got Barack Obama courtside for one of his Contests. Zion’s combination of power, Vigor, leaping ability and charisma Created him the perfect player at the perfect time in college hoops. His presence was a reminder for college basketball, and sports fans, that this is what the sport can still do for players making their way to the NBA. By some metrics he was the most valuable single-season statistical player in the sport in the past 25 years. A supernova, and the biggest bona fide star, in the truest sense of the word, the sport has seen this century.
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