Who are the top men's college players of the past 25 years?
From Rip Hamilton to Zion Williamson, this list has national champs and Wooden Award winners, highlight reel makers and future Hall of Famers.
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Myron Medcalf, ESPN Staff Writer
The men's college basketball offseason offers an opportunity not only to reflect on the previous season, but to look back at nostalgic moments in the history of the sport. But sometimes, those conversations are complicated by a boundless time frame. How can one compare players or teams from the 1980s to players or teams from the last few years? The game has changed -- dramatically -- and that makes it difficult to have any fruitful conversations.
That's why we've decided to launch a series that focuses only on the past 25 years of college basketball. Any team, player, coach or moment who was part of the sport between the 1998-99 and 2022-23 seasons is eligible. The rest? That's someone else's problem.
For the first installment of our "25 in 25" series, we present the top 25 Division I college basketball players over the past 25 years.
It was a challenging endeavor.
First, this goes beyond résumés. It's about talent, skill, dominance and impact. The past 25 years feature an interesting mix of stars: from veterans who bucked the 1990s trend of turning pro right out of high school to young players who lasted a season in the one-and-done era. The latter group has an advantage here, because we can only imagine what they might have done with three or four years of college basketball, while the former is competing for spots against a strong list of their peers who also enjoyed significant achievements, longevity and consistency.
In both cases, we've made a strong attempt to select the best men's college basketball players of the past 25 seasons.
1. Kevin Durant | F | Texas | 2006-07
Career stats: 25.8 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 1.9 BPG, 1.9 SPGCareer highlights: Wooden Award, first-team AP All-American, Big 12 Player of the Year, Big 12 All-Defensive Team
The only blemish on Durant's résumé from his lone season of college basketball was his failure to reach the second weekend of the NCAA tournament (the Longhorns lost to USC in the second round). But an effortless offensive output -- Durant connected on 40% of his 3-point attempts, 50% of his shots inside the arc and 82% of his free throw attempts -- punctuates one of the greatest performances within the sport over the past 25 years.
2. Anthony Davis | F | Kentucky | 2011-12
Career stats: 14.2 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 4.7 BPG, 1.4 SPGCareer highlights: National championship, Wooden Award, Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA tournament, first-team AP All-American, SEC Player of the Year, SEC Defensive Player of the Year
Davis gave John Calipari his lone NCAA title as a two-way force who made 65% of his shots inside the arc and led the nation in blocks (186). That season, the decorated Wildcats lost just two games (on a buzzer beater at Indiana, and against Vanderbilt in the SEC tournament) and beat their NCAA tournament opponents by an average of 11.8 PPG.
3. Zion Williamson | F | Duke | 2018-19
Career stats: 22.6 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 2.1 SPG, 1.8 BPGCareer highlights: Wooden Award, first-team AP All-American, ACC Player of the Year, all-ACC Defensive Team
Williamson is responsible for one of the most dominant seasons in college basketball history. He secured every reputable regular-season award while playing next to R.J. Barrett, a consensus first-team All-American and eventual NBA draft lottery pick. After connecting on nearly 75% of his shots inside the arc and producing a series of uncanny highlights -- see: the De'Andre Hunter block at Virginia -- Williamson needed just the one season to round out the top three on this list.
4. Jay Williams | G | Duke | 1999-2002
Career stats: 19.3 PPG, 6.0 APG, 2.2 SPGCareer highlights: National championship (2001), Wooden Award (2002), first-team AP All-American (2001, 2002), first team all-ACC (2001, 2002)
Long before his tenure as an ESPN analyst, Williams was a speedy Duke guard with a quick first step and a set of skills that separated him from his college peers. He shot 39% from 3 and 51% from inside the arc during his outstanding three-year career, too.
5. Steph Curry | G | Davidson | 2006-09
Career stats: 25.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.7 APG, 2.1 SPGCareer highlights: First-team AP All-American (2009), Southern Conference player of the year (2008, 2009)
During Curry's final season at Davidson, before he achieved superstar status in the NBA, he led Division I men's basketball in scoring (28.6 PPG), and the Southern Conference in assists (5.6 APG). His 3-point barrage was also impossible to defend, as he made 41% of his shots from beyond the arc in three seasons.
6. Tyler Hansbrough | F | North Carolina | 2005-09
Career stats: 20.2 PPG, 8.6 RPGCareer highlights: National championship (2009), Wooden Award (2008), first team AP All-American (2008, 2009), ACC Player of the Year (2008), all-ACC first team (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)
North Carolina has a long list of elite players, but few can match what Hansbrough -- who earned a spot on the AP first, second or third teams each year of his collegiate career -- did. Hansbrough was also one of the most consistent players in recent college basketball history, as proved by four consecutive seasons in which he averaged at least 18 PPG and 7 RPG.
7. JJ Redick | G | Duke | 2002-06
Career stats: 19.9 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2.2 APGCareer highlights: Wooden Award (2006), first-team All-American (2005, 2006), ACC Player of the Year (2005, 2006)
As Duke's all-time leading scorer (2,769 career points), Redick remains one of college basketball's most polarizing players, only because he was so damn good and consistent. He collected multiple ACC and national honors after connecting on 41% of his 3-point attempts and going 91% from the free throw line over four years.
8. Carmelo Anthony | F | Syracuse | 2002-03
Career stats: 22.2 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 1.6 SPGCareer highlights: National championship, Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA tournament, second-team AP All-American
We'll never know what Anthony might have done had he decided to play another year or two for Jim Boeheim. On the other hand, as the catalyst of Syracuse's only national title run, he didn't need a lot of time to leave his mark.
9. Kenyon Martin | F | Cincinnati | 1996-2000
Career stats: 11.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.5 BPGCareer highlights: Wooden Award (2000), First-team AP All-American (2000), NABC Defensive Player of the Year (2000), Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year (1998,1999, 2000), all-Conference USA first team (1999, 2000)
The 1999-2000 Cincinnati team will always be one of men's college basketball's biggest "What if?" cases because Martin suffered a season-ending leg injury before the NCAA tournament. Outside of that, his senior season was remarkable (18.9 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 3.5 BPG), and proof that he is one of the best two-way college players of the last quarter century.
10. Trae Young | G | Oklahoma | 2017-18
Career stats: 27.4 PPG, 8.7 APG, 1.7 SPGCareer highlights: First-team AP All-American, all-Big 12 first team
Although Young's efficiency waned midway through the season after an electric start, he became the first player in NCAA history to lead the nation in both points and assists (the latter became an official NCAA stat in 1983) -- and he did it as a freshman. He also averaged 1.7 SPG and made 86% of his free throw attempts.