Louisville basketball: Most underrated players of the 21st century

Louisville basketball: The most underrated players of the 21st century

SEATTLE, WA - MARCH 20: Wayne Blackshear #25 of the Louisville Cardinals celebrates after defeating the UC Irvine Anteaters during the second round of the 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at KeyArena on March 20, 2015 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) /

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DALLAS, TX – FEBRUARY 5: Stephan Van Treese #44 of the Louisville Cardinals grabs a rebound against the SMU Mustangs on February 5, 2014 at Moody Coliseum in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) /

Stephan Van Treese

Career Stats: 2.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG

Van Treese, also formerly known as Vanilla Godzilla, was an unsung hero on Louisville basketball’s 2013 national championship team.

During his time with the Cards, SVT actually started in 34 career games and averaged almost 22 minutes per contest during his senior year. But many Louisville fans don’t think of SVT at all when they think about the golden years under Rick Pitino.

Van Treese was a player who gave maximum hustle when he was on the court. He was a big anchor down low and loved to do all of the little things.

Van Treese only scored in double figures on four occasions during his five seasons as a Cardinal, but don’t let the stat sheet fool you- he was an important piece for Louisville’s success. He became known for his timely rebounds and tip-ins in 2012-13 and was a monster on the boards giving Louisville quality minutes behind Gorgui Dieng in the 2013 postseason.

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