After not making first-team All-Big Ten last season, Denzel Valentine knew he would have to come out and prove everyone wrong in 2015-16. ESPN is apparently on notice for the senior guard/forward as the worldwide leader in sports ranked Valentine the No. 3 player in college basketball.
Michigan State is losing Travis Trice and Branden Dawson from a Final Four squad, so Valentine will be relied on to become the team’s unquestioned leader, along with Lourawls Nairn, and help the Spartans get back to the promised land.
Valentine is ranked No. 3 behind LSU freshman Ben Simmons and Providence guard Kris Dunn — and right above Maryland point guard Melo Trimble.