Texas Basketball: 3 most underrated players of the 2010’s
We start off the list with one of the most tenured big men to play for the Longhorns, both during the Barnes and Smart-eras on the Forty Acres. Former standout Texas 6-foot-9 and 285 pound big man Cameron Ridley played three seasons under Barnes’ direction, and his final year with the program was the first under Smart.
Ridley didn’t get all that much recognition among the fan base, or the media and accolades for his efforts during his college career. While he was one of the most efficient Longhorns big men over the last decade, the only significant honors he received during his Texas men’s hoops career was All-Big 12 Defensive Team during the 2013-14 season.
Those are the only honors he received during the 2013-14 or 2015-16 seasons despite leading the Big 12 in offensive rebounds and offensive rebounding rate in 2013-14 and ranking in the top 20 in win shares in the conference on both occasions.
Granted he might have received more accolades during the 2015-16 season had he played in more than 15 games during the regular season slate.
The best season for Ridley in terms of the all-encompassing stats came during his senior campaign in 2015-16. He registered a box plus/minus rating of 7.4, .169 win shares per 40 minutes, 58.7 true shooting percentage, and a sparkling 28.7 player efficiency rating. But his best and most credible season in terms of overall production came in 2013-14.
During the 2013-14 campaign, Ridley played in 35 games (starting in every single one of them). He averaged 11.2 points per game, 8.2 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.5 steals, and a whopping 2.2 blocks. Ridley shot 54.5 percent from the field and a career-best 62.6 percent from the free-throw line. That resulted in a box plus/minus rating of 6.1 and a 57.6 true shooting percentage.
The proven production and consistency that Ridley showed for the Longhorns as a towering presence down low makes him one of the most notable under-the-radar standouts for the program in the last decade.