Top 5 players to come out of Utah colleges


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SALT LAKE CITY — Ranking the top players that come from Utah is an interesting adventure. There are awards, championships, longevity and stats. Damian Lillard won the NBA Rookie of the Year award Wednesday, and that is a good starting point, but he just needs more time to make the list.

No, there is no Jimmer on this list, half the people reading this just stopped and the other half just cheered. Of course, both sides will switch once they realize he got worked into this article for no real reason. This list is about NBA accomplishments, not college careers.

There is a pretty formidable team that could be compiled from this list. Every position is accounted for. Unfortunately Utah Valley University's lone product, Ronnie Price, didn't make the list. Neither did anyone from Weber State, Utah State or the schools from southern Utah.

Andrew Bogut is close, but he isn't the top five yet. If he can stay healthy he will make it.

5. Shawn Bradley - C - BYU:

He was tall — boy was he tall. He didn't have a great offensive game, but he could change shots and force people outside. He is 16th in career blocks and ninth in blocks per game.

In his best scoring season, Bradley had 14.6 points per game. The year before he blocked 4 shots per game. He also averaged 6.3 rebounds and made four 3-pointers in 39 attempts in his career. He is 7-foot-6-inches, was drafted second-overall in 1993 and is the definition of if you are tall, you have a spot in the NBA. He played for 11 years.

4. Keith Van Horn - SF/PF - Utah:

His last few years were dominated by being traded everywhere. He might still be getting traded and it's just not reported. But, Van Horn should be remember for how much he actually did in his career.

Van Horn never lived up to the bill of being the second-overall pick, but had a very serviceable career. However, he just shouldn't have been relied on as a No. 1 option. He ended his career with 16 points per game. He had a few seasons where he was an amazing shooter, though. In 2003, he shot 39.9 percent on the season.

Danny Ainge had his good times with the Celtics while they were winning rings in the '80s.
Danny Ainge had his good times with the Celtics while they were winning rings in the '80s.

In the 1998-1999 season he came in fifth in scoring per game with 21.8 points. He could do a little bit of everything, but might have been played as too much of a tweener. He was a slow small forward and a light power forward. He was good to great at times and even earned the right to get swept by the Lakers in 2002 — a team that featured Jason Collins and Richard Jefferson as rookies and Jason Kidd in his prime.

3. Danny Ainge - SG/PG - BYU:

This is sticking with stats over championships. He did win two NBA Championships with the Boston Celtics, but those teams were pretty good.

The numbers are what separate him from being higher on the list. This isn't meant to downplay him as a player, but justify his spot. Ainge averaged 11.5 points per game over his 12-year career. He is a fantastic shooter, but benefited from great shooters like Larry Bird around him to get him open shots.

Ainge was an All-Star in 1988 and is a top-100 player in dozens of categories including games played, steals, assists, free throw percentage, 3-pointers made and attempted.

2. Andre Miller - PG - Utah:

Andre Miller might be among the most underrated players of all time. He's never been considered great, and has never been an All-Star, but is still around because he is so smart at what he does. His best year in Cleveland he had 16.5 points per game, 10.9 assists and 4.7 rebounds, and wasn't an All-Star. Ainge's top season — his All-Star season — he had 17.5 points, 5.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds.

He has played on some terrible teams and has always been a rock of consistency. Over his career, Miller has averaged 13.8 points per game. He is still playing and he is in the top-10 all-time leaders in assists. Miller is also in the top 50 in steals.

He was an athletic guard at one point in his career, but now it doesn't seem like he jumps. Yet, Miller is still giving the Denver Nuggets big minutes. He even adds 4 rebounds per game as a guard. If he could add a championship, he would make this decision a lot easier.

1. Tom Chambers - PF - Utah:

There is nothing more surprising than Tom Chambers topping this list. He played for a long time and was very consistent for a long time. In his top season, Chambers averaged 27.2 points per game. Chambers averaged 18 points in his career, but his last four seasons he played a lot without scoring. In his first 11 seasons he scored an average of 20 points per game.

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Chambers could also grab rebounds, averaging 6.7 rebounds per game in his prime. He is a four-time All-Star and two time second-team All-NBA. He actually had MVP votes in his two best years. He actually developed an outside shot and ended his career shooting 30 percent from beyond the arc.

Oh, and he has one of the best dunks ever. Check it out, he actually knees Mark Jackson in the face.

Is Tom Chambers the best player to come from a Utah college? Is there someone missing? Feel free to voice your opinion on the comment boards.

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