Chicago Bulls: 3 players who were stars in March Madness

Maybe the most experienced of the bunch on the current Chicago Bulls roster that had a few very solid runs in March Madness is the former Michigan State Spartans shooting guard Denzel Valentine. Any college hoops player that gets to participated in a double-digit number of NCAA Tournament games is more fortunate than most.

Contrary to the other shooting guard on the Bulls roster, rising star 25-year-old Zach LaVine, Valentine had a very successful run in March in college. LaVine was an utter letdown during his one year playing in the NCAA Tournament in a UCLA Bruins uniform. There was not a single game in which LaVine got in double-digits scoring in the NCAA Tournament during his time at UCLA.

However, Valentine got to play in a whopping 13 games, registering a total of more than 130 points. He’s the definition of a true battle tested veteran in the Big Dance. He averaged 9.4 points per game, 6.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and one steal, while shooting 40.6 percent from the field and 38.6 percent from beyond the arc.

It’s a shame that Valentine never got a championship ring or even an All-Tournament Team nod during his four years under the direction of head coach Tom Izzo in East Lansing. But he did prove his worth enough to become a lottery pick for the Bulls in the 2016 NBA Draft. He is currently playing out the final year of his rookie contact.