Denzel Valentine

Valentine, son of former Michigan State basketball player Carlton Valentine, was born Nov. 16, 1993. He attended J.W. Sexton High School in Lansing, Michigan, where he was a four-year letter winner. Valentine helped the team to a state title his sophomore year with a double-digit scoring effort in the championship game. As a senior, he averaged a double-double per game and was named the Lansing State Journal Player of the Year while leading Sexton to a 27-1 record. He went on to play college ball at Michigan State, joining high school teammate Bryn Forbes. Valentine has a brother, Drew, who played college basketball at the University of Oakland. You can follow Valentine on Twitter (@denzelvalentine) and Instagram (@denzelvalentine). Valentine spent all four years of college playing for Michigan State. As a sophomore in 2013-14, he was named to the All-Big Ten Honorable Mention Team with averages of 8.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists. In 2014-15, he was named to the All-Big Ten Third Team with averages of 14.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists. As a senior in 2015-16, he was named the AP Player of the Year, averaging 19.9 points on 14.3 shot attempts, 7.8 assists, 7.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 33.0 minutes. Valentine's best performance in college was Feb. 14 during a win over Indiana. Across 38 minutes, he posted 30 points (11-19 FG, 5-8 3Pt, 3-3 FT), 13 assists, five rebounds, three steals and one block.