In the last decade of college basketball, there have been so many talented players who get to call themselves National Champions. Some of these players have gone on to have very successful NBA careers, while others aren’t even playing basketball anymore.
This article will take every starting 5 from all of the National Championship teams of the past decade, and will tell where they are now.
2009-2010 Duke Blue Devils:
This Duke team finished with a 33-5 record and won their title over Butler by a score of 61-59.
Starting 5:
G: Nolan Smith. 17.4 Pts, 2.8 Reb, 3.0 Ast. Smith is now on the Duke coaching staff as the director of basketball operations.
G: Jon Scheyer. 18.2 Pts, 3.6 Reb, 4.9 Ast. Scheyer is now on the Duke coaching staff as the associate head coach.
F: Kyle Singler. 17.7 Pts, 7.0 Reb, 2.4 Ast. Singler retired from professional basketball in October of 2019 after playing in the NBA and overseas for 8 years.
F: Lance Thomas. 4.8 Pts, 4.9 Reb, 0.9 Ast. Thomas is currently playing for Brooklyn Nets.
C: Brian Zoubek. 5.6 Pts, 7.7 Reb, 1.0 Ast. Zoubek is now a Real Estate Developer in Philadelphia.
2010-2011 Connecticut Huskies:
This UConn team finished with a 32-9 record and won their title over Butler by a score of 53-41.
Starting 5:
G: Kemba Walker. 23.5 Pts, 5.4 Reb, 4.5 Ast. Walker is currently playing for the Boston Celtics and is a 4x All-Star.
G: Jeremy Lamb. 11.1 Pts, 4.5 Reb, 1.6 Ast. Lamb is currently playing for the Indiana Pacers.
F: Alex Oriakhi. 9.6 Pts, 8.7 Reb, 0.4 Ast. Oriakhi last played for Vitória S.C. in Portugal.
F: Tyler Olander. 1.5 Pts, 1.8 Reb, 0.4 Ast. Olander is currently a volunteer assistant for the UConn women’s rowing team. He is also in the Management Program at Enterprise after playing overseas and in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league system.
F: Roscoe Smith. 6.3 Pts, 5.2 Reb, 0.5 Ast. Smith last played in the NBA G-League for the Greensboro Swarm.
2011-2012 Kentucky Wildcats:
This Kentucky team finished with a 38-2 record and won their title over Kansas by a score of 67-59.
Starting 5:
G: Doron Lamb. 13.7 Pts, 2.7 Reb, 1.5 Ast. Lamb last played for Darüşşafaka in Turkey.
G: Marquis Teague. 10.0 Pts, 2.5 Reb, 4.8 Ast. Teague is currently playing for the Memphis Hustle of the NBA G-League
F: Terrence Jones. 12.3 Pts, 7.2 Reb, 1.3 Ast. Jones last played for TNT KaTropa in the Philippines.
F: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. 11.9 Pts, 7.4 Reb, 1.9 Ast. Kidd-Gilchrist is currently playing for the Dallas Mavericks.
F: Anthony Davis. 14.2 Pts, 10.4 Reb, 1.3 Ast. Davis is currently playing for the Los Angeles Lakers and is a 7x All-Star.
2012-2013 Louisville Cardinals:
This Louisville team finished with a 35-5 record and won their title over Michigan (later vacated) by a score of 82-76.
Starting 5:
G: Peyton Siva. 10.0 Pts, 2.4 Reb, 5.7 Ast. Siva is currently playing for Alba Berlin in Germany.
G: Russ Smith. 18.7 Pts, 3.3 Reb, 2.9 Ast. Smith is currently playing for the Guizhou White Tigers in China.
G: Wayne Blackshear. 7.6 Pts, 3.1 Reb, 0.6 Ast. Blackshear is currently playing Spójnia Stargard in Poland.
F: Chane Behanan. 9.8 Pts, 6.5 Reb, 1.1 Ast. Behanan is currently playing for Santeros de Aguada in Puerto Rico
C: Gorgui Dieng. 9.8 Pts, 9.4 Reb, 2.0 Ast. Dieng is currently playing for the Memphis Grizzlies.
2013-2014 Connecticut Huskies:
This UConn team finished with a 32-8 record and won their title over Kentucky by a score of 60-54.
Starting 5:
G: Shabazz Napier: 18.0 Pts, 5.9 Reb, 4.9 Ast. Napier is currently playing for the Washington Wizards.
G: Niels Giffey. 8.4 Pts, 3.8 Reb, 0.8 Ast. Giffey is currently playing for Alba Berlin in Germany.
G: Ryan Boatright. 12.1 Pts, 3.5 Reb, 3.4 Ast. Boatright is currently playing for BC Avtodor is Russia.
F: DeAndre Daniels. 13.1 Pts, 6.0 Reb, 0.4 Ast. Daniels is currently playing for KTP Basket in Finland
F: Phillip Nolan. 3.3 Pts, 2.4 Reb, 0.2 Ast. Nolan last played for Team FOG Næstved in Denmark.
2014-2015 Duke Blue Devils:
This Duke team finished with a 35-4 record and won their title over Wisconsin by a score of 68-63.
Starting 5:
G: Quinn Cook. 15.3 Pts, 3.4 Reb, 2.6 Ast. Cook is currently playing for the Los Angeles Lakers.
G: Matt Jones. 6.0 Pts, 2.3 Reb, 1.0 Ast. Jones is currently playing for Bank of Taiwan in Taiwan.
G: Tyus Jones. 11.8 Pts, 3.5 Reb, 5.6 Ast. Jones is currently playing for the Memphis Grizzlies.
F: Justise Winslow. 12.6 Pts, 6.5 Reb, 2.1 Ast. Winslow is currently playing for the Memphis Grizzlies.
C: Jahlil Okafor. 17.3 Pts, 8.5 Reb, 1.3 Ast. Okafor is currently playing for the New Orleans Pelicans.
2015-2016 Villanova Wildcats:
This Villanova team finished with a 35-5 record and won their title over North Carolina by a score of 77-74.
Starting 5:
G: Ryan Arcidiacono. 12.5 Pts, 2.9 Reb, 4.2 Ast. Arcidiacono is currently playing for the Chicago Bulls.
G: Josh Hart. 15.5 Pts, 6.8 Reb, 1.9 Ast. Hart is currently playing for the New Orleans Pelicans.
G: Jalen Brunson. 9.6 Pts, 1.8 Reb, 2.5 Ast. Brunson is currently playing for the Dallas Mavericks.
F: Kris Jenkins. 13.6 Pts, 3.9 Reb, 2.2 Ast. Jenkins is now on the Villanova staff with a role in Student-Athlete Development.
F: Daniel Ochefu. 10.0 Pts, 7.5 Reb, 1.7 Ast. Ochefu is currently playing for the Ibaraki Robots in Japan.
2016-2017 North Carolina Tar Heels:
This North Carolina team finished with a 33-7 record and won their title over Gonzaga by a score of 71-65.
Starting 5:
G: Joel Berry II. 14.7 Pts, 3.1 Reb, 3.6 Ast. Berry is currently playing for the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G-League.
F: Theo Pinson. 6.1 Pts, 4.6 Reb, 3.7 Ast. Pinson is currently playing for the New York Knicks.
F: Justin Jackson. 18.3 Pts, 4.7 Reb, 2.8 Ast. Jackson is currently playing for the Dallas Mavericks.
F: Isaiah Hicks. 11.8 Pts, 5.5 Reb, 1.4 Ast. Hicks is currently playing for the Seoul Samsung Thunders in South Korea.
F: Kennedy Meeks. 12.5 Pts, 9.5 Reb, 1.0 Ast. Meeks last played for Levanga Hokkaido in Japan.
2017-2018 Villanova Wildcats:
This Villanova team finished with a 36-4 record and won their title over Michigan by a score of 79-62.
Starting 5:
G: Jalen Brunson. 18.9 Pts, 3.1 Reb, 4.6 Ast. Brunson is currently playing for the Dallas Mavericks.
G: Phil Booth. 10.0 Pts, 3.2 Reb, 2.9 Ast. Booth is currently playing for the Capital City Go-Go of the NBA G-League.
G: Mikal Bridges. 17.7 Pts, 5.3 Reb, 1.9 Ast. Bridges is currently playing for the Phoenix Suns.
F: Eric Paschall. 10.6 Pts, 5.3 Reb, 2.2 Ast. Paschall is currently playing for the Golden State Warriors.
F: Omari Spellman. 10.9 Pts, 8.0 Reb, 0.8 Ast. Spellman is currently playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
2018-2019 Virginia Cavaliers:
This Virginia team finished with a 35-3 record and won their title over Texas Tech by a score of 85-77.
Starting 5:
G: Ty Jerome. 13.6 Pts, 4.2 Reb, 5.5 Ast. Jerome is currently playing for the Phoenix Suns
G: Kyle Guy. 15.4 Pts, 4.5 Reb, 2.1 Ast. Guy is currently playing for the Sacramento Kings.
G: Kihei Clark. 4.5 Pts, 2.3 Reb, 2.6 Ast. Clark is still playing for Virginia.
F: De’Andre Hunter. 15.2 Pts, 5.1 Reb, 2.0 Ast. Hunter is currently playing for the Atlanta Hawks.
F: Mamadi Diakite. 7.4 Pts, 4.4 Reb, 0.3 Ast. Diakite just graduated from Virginia and will start a pro career next season.
There is a wide variety of places where these players have gone, whether that be to the NBA, the G-League, overseas, coaching, or normal jobs. These players do however all have one thing in common, as starters on National Championship teams.
Photo Credit: Harry How / Getty Images
