Andy Katz dropped his top 20 returning college basketball players at the end of August. Our college basketball writer took a crack at his own top 10 and found himself also making some interesting choices:

1. Luka Garza, Iowa

Essentially the consensus runner-up for national player of the year honors last season behind Dayton’s Obi Toppin, Garza is the frontrunner heading into 2020-21. For good reason. The 6-foot-11 center is a constant double-double threat AND a solid three-point shooter.

2. Remy Martin, Arizona State

Need a bucket? Martin can get it. The 6-1 guard topped 20 points on 18 different occasions last season and averaged 19.1 points, 4.1 assists and 3.1 rebounds on the year. His three-point shooting could be better. It was, in fact, when he shot 37 percent as a freshman.

3. Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois

Dosunmu cemented his status as perhaps the best closer in college basketball in 2019-20, hitting game-winner after game-winner. A strong finisher at the rim and improved in the mid-range, the Illini guard’s efficiency behind the three-point line has to be better.

4. Jared Butler, Baylor

Scott Drew is sleeping a little easier now that Butler is back in the fold after testing the NBA draft waters. The 6-3 guard was (and still is) the Bears’ best player, having averaged 16 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists with a 42/38/77 shooting slash line.

5. Colbey Ross, Pepperdine

The best returning player in the West Coast Conference doesn’t play for Gonzaga or Saint Mary’s. It’s Ross, and it might not even be all that close a competition. His efficiency dipped last season as his usage increased, but his all-around production was still elite.

6. Marcus Zegarowski, Creighton

Zegarowski benefitted from playing next to Ty-Shon Alexander last season, but the Bluejays’ guard doesn’t have his backcourt running mate anymore. Instead, Zegarowski becomes the guy at Creighton. Count on his usage taking another leap in 2020-21.

7. Jalen Crutcher, Dayton

Speaking of lost running mates, Crutcher will play on without Toppin as a release valve. The effect? It’s not unreasonable to see Crutcher’s scoring numbers go up and efficiency take a slight dip. If the latter doesn’t happen, he’ll belong higher on this list after the season.

8. Terry Taylor, Austin Peay

Odds are you haven’t heard of Taylor unless you follow the Ohio Valley Conference or nerd out on college hoops in general. He’s basically the Governors’ version of Draymond Green — an undersized forward at 6-5, who averaged 21.8 points and 11 rebounds last season.

9. Garrison Brooks, North Carolina

The 2019-20 season obviously didn’t work out all that well in Chapel Hill. No, that undersells it. The Tar Heels were as bad as they’ve ever been. Brooks, though, showed he was ready for a bigger role and had his best individual season. A reworked UNC roster will need him to do it again.

10. Chris Smith, UCLA

This is more projection than anything, but the idea Smith should be improved in his final season in Westwood isn’t without merit. He’s gotten better and essentially doubled his production every single year for the Bruins.

Scott Richey is a reporter covering college basketball at The News-Gazette. His email is srichey@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@srrichey).