Kahlil Felder isn’t just a basketball player, he’s a warrior. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound junior represents everything that you want in a point guard and even more of want you want as a leader.

Felder has been under-appreciated ever since he was young. Coming out of high school, Felder was only rated as a two-star recruit by ESPN. Essentially, they tabbed him to be irrelevant in the large scope of college basketball. What did Felder do in response? He fought every day to prove that he was as good as anyone in America. Here we are three years later, and Oakland’s point guard is having one of the best seasons that any point guard has put together in college basketball history.

Yesterday was the first time that Felder was given the national spotlight to prove why he is as dominant as any player in the country. Going up against the top-ranked Michigan State Spartans, the undersized point guard played as big as anyone on the court. He was the focus of an elite defense and still managed to put up 37 points while dishing out nine assists. But this wasn’t an out-of-body experience for Felder. On the year he is averaging 26.9 points and a nation-leading 8.9 assists per game. He’s also getting to the line about nine times a game. That’s pretty good for a guy who is routinely the shortest player on the court. Part of what makes Felder so special is his tenacious mentality that has allowed him to excel against the odds.

Felder’s personality radiates through his play style. You can tell that he values every possession as if it’s his last. When Oakland needs a big play, Felder will not fail. However, his personality transcends his actions on the court. After graduating high school with a 3.6 GPA, Felder used education as one of his main criteria for choosing his college. Of course, Felder also appreciated the fact that his coach, Greg Kampe, trusted him enough to give him the freedom to be the aggressive player he wanted to be. Oakland has been the perfect fit for Felder.

After his monster outings against Washington and Michigan State, Felder finally has the attention that he deserves. I thought Felder was an elite talent last season, but he has surpassed the expectations of even the most dedicated Oakland fans. He has never stopped improving and is a legitimate National Player of the Year candidate.

Felder has been overlooked forever and finally has the spotlight. He is a tremendous leader and is as unguardable as any player in the nation, but most importantly, Felder is a fighter.