Ranking the 20 best men's college basketball players from Illinois this past season

The recently concluded college basketball season was again littered with former Illinois prep prospects across the country impacting the sport.

That included Morez Johnson Jr., the former St. Rita and Thornton star, who made a mammoth impact in helping lead Michigan to a national championship.

With Johnson right near the top, the following is a ranking of the top individual seasons from former Illinois prep stars.

The list is ultra-subjective when you consider the individual production and weigh it against the different levels of college basketball. But here is where they rank when it comes to the impact each had at the college level.

1. Jeremy Fears, Jr., Michigan State (Joliet West)

A second-team All-American after helping the Spartans to the Sweet 16, Fears finished the year averaging 15.2 points a game and led the nation in assists with 9.4 a game. The vigorous point guard will be one of the POY frontrunners next season.

2. Morez Johnson Jr., Michigan (Thornton)

Johnson became one of the faces of a national championship team. The rugged 6-9, 255-pound Johnson put up a double-double in the national title game win over UConn and finished the year with 13.1 points and 7.3 rebounds a game.

3. Nick Martinelli, Northwestern (Glenbrook South)

With 23 points a game as a senior, Martinelli finished the year as the eighth leading scorer in the country. The second-team All-Big Ten selection finished his career as the sixth all-time leading scorer in NU history with 1,787 points.

4. Braden Huff, Gonzaga (Glenbard West)

The 6-10 redshirt junior was in the midst of a monster season for the Zags, averaging 17.8 points a game while shooting 66% from the field, before a midseason injury sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

5. Robbie Avila, Saint Louis (Oak Forest)

The bespectacled look, the entertaining game at 6-10 and the array of nicknames put Avila in the national spotlight as he became a household name in college basketball. He was the A-10 Conference Player of the Year while averaging 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists for an NCAA Tournament team.

6. Bryce Hopkins, St. John’s (Fenwick)

Following stops at Kentucky and Providence, Hopkins became a second-team All-Big East player in his final college season at St. John’s. Hopkins, who put up 13.6 points and 6.2 rebounds, helped the Red Storm to the Sweet 16.

7. Rashaun Agee, Bogan (Texas A&M)

The athletic big man hit the jackpot with his fourth and final college spot, averaging 14.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists a game for a NCAA Tournament team. He went for 22 points and nine rebounds in a NCAA Tournament win.

8. Tavari Johnson, Akron (Lyons)

The All-MAC point guard led the conference in scoring with 19.7 points a game, along with five assists, in leading the Zips to the NCAA Tournament.

9. Dai Dai Ames, Cal (Kenwood)

A potent scorer who is in the portal yet again, the scoring guard is headed to Tennessee and will play for his fourth school in four years. Ames averaged 16.9 points a game and was a third-team All-ACC choice.

10. Zach Cleveland, Liberty (Normal)

You want a stat-sheet-stuffer? The 6-7 senior had some eye-popping numbers — 11.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.3 blocks a game — for a team that finished 26-8. He was named Conference USA Player of the Year.

11. Drew Scharnowski, Burlington Central (Belmont)

A coveted big man in the transfer portal who is rising fast and recently committed to Duke. A productive redshirt sophomore season led to 10.7 points, six rebounds and 1.3 blocks a game. He’s turned into a dunking machine who converted on 68 percent from the field.

12. Sam Lewis, Virginia (Simeon)

The athletic Lewis has turned into a shooting weapon in college as he converted on 40% from three while averaging 10.6 ppg for an NCAA Tournament team.

13. Miles Rubin, Loyola (Simeon)

A defensive stalwart since he entered college, the 6-10 junior is headed to Tennessee for his senior year after putting up 11.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists a game while blocking 76 shots this past season for Loyola.

14. Brock Harding, TCU (Moline)

After making the move from Iowa to TCU this past season, the heady point guard helped the Horned Frogs to the NCAA Tournament as the point guard averaged eight points and 5.6 assists a game.

15. Jake Fiegen, Cornell (New Trier)

A first-team All-Ivy League selection, Fiegen became a hot name in the transfer portal following an impactful junior year: 17.1 points and 5.1 rebounds a game while shooting over 40 percent from beyond the arc. He recently committed to Villanova.

16. Cooper Noard, Cornell (Glenbrook South)

The senior guard wrapped up his career with a bang, leading the Ivy League in scoring with 18.2 points a game and burying 80 three-pointers. He was a second-team All-Ivy League selection.

17. Ethan Roberts, Penn (Hersey)

An injury ended what was an outstanding senior season after 23 games. The second-team Ivy League selection averaged 16.9 points and 3.9 rebounds a game while shooting 40 percent from three. He will play his final season at Notre Dame.

18. NJ Benson, DePaul (Mount Vernon)

The big man played a key role, consistently producing and providing a presence for the improving DePaul program. He finished his career averaging 11.7 points and 7.7 rebounds as a senior.

19. Je’shawn Stevenson, North Texas (Lindblom)

The offensive numbers were impressive. The 6-2 guard’s 17.2 points a game and 74 made three pointers landed him on the All-American Conference second team.

20. Cooper Koch, Metamora (Iowa)

The 6-8, space–the-floor Koch started every game for an Elite Eight team and shot 40% from three. The sophomore averaged 7.8 points a game on the year.