Top 10 College Basketball Small Forwards 2024 Rankings

Ranking the best NCAA College Basketball Small Forwards of 2024 with names such as David Jones, Dillon Jones, Harrison Ingram and more

By Sunday Umoh | April 22, 2024

The final few weeks of the 2023-2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball season has arrived as teams and players around the country continue to build resumes to receive a bid to March Madness. As the Men’s National Basketball Tournament approaches, many of the game’s top players including the best small forwards in the country continue to turn in strong performances while helping their teams put wins up in the win column. One of those star small forwards is David Jones of the Memphis Tigers who lands at number on the Top 10 College Basketball Small Forwards Rankings list.

Jones, who transferred in before the start of the 2023-2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball season, has put together a strong final season while averaging 22 points per game over his first 26 games of the season. As the Tigers small forward has been strong all season, another small forward putting together a big season is Dillon Jones of the Weber State Wildcats.

The junior small forward joins Jones of the Tigers as a top candidate for the Julius Erving Award handed out to the best small forward in college basketball. The Wildcats star is nearly averaging a double-double this season while averaging 20.5 points per game to go along with 9.5 rebounds.

Joining those two small forwards among the best in college basketball include Jaylon Tyson of the California Golden Bears, Baylor Scheierman of the Creighton Bluejays, and Tucker DeVries.

Here is a look at the Top 10 College Basketball Small Forwards Rankings:

Honorable Mention

Jamison Battle

School: Ohio State Buckeyes

Just missing the Top 10 College Basketball Small Forwards Rankings list is the Ohio State Buckeyes senior small forward Jamison Battle. Battle has been a key contributor for the Buckeyes all season while building a strong NBA Draft resume.

Battles’ latest strong performance came in the team’s upset win over the 2^nd ranked Purdue Boilermakers as Battles finished with 19 points to go along with four rebounds. On the season Battles is averaging 13.9 points per game to go along with 5.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.

Tre Mitchell

School: Kentucky Wildcats

Another talented small forward who just misses the list of the top small forwards in college basketball is the Kentucky Wildcats senior Tre Mitchell. Over the years John Calipari has put together talented teams on the hardwood each season including during his time as the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats.

One player helping to shape the 2023-2024 Wildcats team is senior transfer Tre Mitchell who transferred in after spending last season with the West Virginia Mountaineers.

The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native has been strong all season on both ends of the floor including averaging 7.5 rebounds and just over a blocked shot per game (1.1). In addition, Mitchell is averaging 12 points per game to go along with 3.1 assists while shooting 49.7 percent from the field.

Top 10 College Basketball Small Forwards

10. Tristan Da Silva

School: Colorado Buffaloes

Coming in at number 10 on the Top 10 College Basketball Small Forwards Rankings list is the Colorado Buffaloes small forward Tristan Da Silva. While Da Silva has the size to play at the power forward position, his ball handling skills and shooting abilities allows him to play small at the small forward position.

Da Silva, who is from Munich Germany, is ranked among the top small forwards in the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft later this summer.

The three-year starter of the Buffaloes is putting together his best all-around season posting 15.6 points per game to go along with a career high 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists.

9. Oso Ighodaro

School: Marquette Golden Eagles

Anytime a team is ranked among the top five teams in college basketball it is easy to see their success as the team is loaded with talent. That is the case for the 4^th ranked Marquette Golden Eagles who are currently sitting in second place in the Big East.

One of those stars stepping up for the Golden Eagles is the senior small forward Oso Ighodaro who is one of four players on the team averaging at least 10 points per game.

Currently Ighodaro is leading the team in rebounding while averaging 7.3 rebounds per game while also leading the team averaging 1.2 blocked shots per game. On the offensive end of the floor Ighodaro is averaging 14.2 points per game over his first 25 games of the season.

8. Anton Watson

School: Gonzaga Bulldogs

As the calendar approaches last February 2024, Anton Watson of the Gonzaga Bulldogs is one small forward to watch as conference tournament play approaches and March Madness gets set to tip off.

The fifth year senior small forward is putting together his best season of his career while averaging a career high 14.9 points per game over the first 26 games of the season.

As Watson has improved his all-around scoring game, the play on both ends of the floor has continued to develop including posting a career high 7.5 rebounds per game to go along with 1.7 steals per game and 7.2 assists.

7. Harrison Ingram

School: North Carolina Tar Heels

The North Carolina Tar Heels continue to rank among the best teams in men’s college basketball this season while leading the ACC conference. One of the team’s top performers has been junior small forward Harrison Ingram.

Ingram, who spent his first two seasons playing for the Stanford Cardinal has been a bright spot all season for the Tar Heels while nearly averaging a double double per game over 26 games to start the season.

Ingram, who has posted nine double doubles on the season, is averaging a career high 12.5 points per game to go along with 9.1 rebounds per game. The junior small forward has also added a strong presence on the defensive end of the floor while averaging 1.4 steals per game.

6. Keion Brooks Jr.

School: Washington Huskies

Once a top tier recruit of the Kentucky Wildcats, Keion Brooks is finally living up to his former recruiting status while averaging 21.2 points per game for the Washington Huskies during his senior season.

Brooks Jr. enters the last full week of February 2024, having posted 19 20 point performances on the season including two games with at least 32 points scored. The strong performances has Brooks ranked among the leading scorers at the small forward position while averaging 21.2 points per game over 26 games played.

To go along with the strong scoring numbers Brooks Jr has added 6.8 rebounds per game and 1.4 assists per game while being a strong leader within the Huskies rotation.

5. Tucker DeVries

School: Drake Bulldogs

Rounding out the Top 5 small forwards on the Top 10 College Basketball Small Forwards Rankings list is the Drake Bulldogs standout junior Tucker DeVries.

DeVries, who was recently nominated to the Top 10 list for the Julius Erving Small Forward Award list is averaging a career high 20.8 points per game while helping the Bulldogs to an impressive 22-5 overall record as well as the top overall spot within the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC).

On the season DeVries has posted 5 double-doubles while also adding at least 20 points in 14 games across the season. Meanwhile the junior small forward is averaging 6.7 rebounds per game to go along with 3.5 assists per game.

4. Baylor Scheierman

School: Creighton Bluejays

Another talented small forward landing among the Julius Erving Award watch list as the final few weeks of the regular season has arrived is the Creighton Blue Jays star Baylor Scheierman.

Scheierman who is in his final season with the Bluejays has built a strong NBA resume while being a strong shooter as well as a taller athletic small forward that can handle the ball, run the team’s offense, find open teammates while also being able to attack the rim both offensively as well as rebounding.

Scheierman enters the final full week of February averaging 18.7 points per game to go along with 8.7 rebounds and four assists per game while also adding one steal per game on the defensive end of the floor.

3. Jaylon Tyson

School: California Golden Bears

An up-and-coming name to monitor down the stretch is the California Golden Bears small forward Jaylon Tyson who is also a strong candidate to take home the Julius Erving Award.

The Golden Bears small forward is an aggressive style forward who is currently ranked 24^th in the country in scoring while posting 20.3 points per game.

Over the course of the season Tyson has currently posted 15 20-point performances while also adding five double doubles across that stretch of time. In addition to scoring Tyson has added 7.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 48.8 percent from the field.

2. Dillon Jones

School: Weber State Wildcats

As far as the top two small forwards in the country it comes down to Dillion Jones and David Jones as both are as talented as any college basketball player in the country.

While the Weber State Wildcats don’t get the recognition of other clubs, the team should be on high notice as Jones has emerged as one of the top juniors in college basketball as well as the best small forward.

Through 26 games over the course of the 2023-2024 NCAA Basketball season, Jones is nearly averaging a double double while posting 20.5 points per game to go along with 9.5 rebounds. In addition, Jones has also added a strong presence on the defensive side of the floor while averaging two steals per game.

1. David Jones

School: Memphis Tigers

In at number one on the Top 10 College Basketball Small Forwards Rankings list is the Memphis Tigers senior David Jones. Jones, who is from the Dominican Republic, is one of the top scorers in all of college basketball while averaging 22 points per game while shooting 46.8 percent from the field.

In addition to the strong scoring numbers, Jones has been as consistent as any three-point shooter in college basketball while connecting on 40.1 percent of his three-point attempts.

To go along with those numbers Jones is averaging 2.2 steals per game and 7.5 rebounds while also adding 1.7 assists per game. With a few weeks left during the regular season, Jones has a potential to play himself into the Julius Erving Award.