Power Forward – Keita Bates-Diop (2014-2018)
It took a bit for Bates-Diop to realize his potential, battling injuries throughout his career, but he became the Big Ten’s Player of the year during his 2017-2018 senior campaign. Bates-Diop averaged 19.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per contest to lead the team.
He had the length and shooting ability to be a matchup nightmare, and made the best of it against opposing defenders in the Big Ten. Truth be known, Chris Holtmann’s first team in Columbus didn’t have that much talent, but just missed out on a regular-season Big Ten title largely because of Bates-Diop and what he meant that year.