A Sea Of Red

Having a discussion with SJ about comparing a couple of college basketball players, made me think...

What if you could make your own 5 man lineup using any of the players you have seen play in recent memory?

I am thinking I would have...

Mateen Cleaves
JJ Redick
Kevin Durant
Josh Heytvelt
Blake Griffin

(Changed it up a little to focus on college only)


Who would you take as your starting five from the past decade or so?

Are we judging these players on how they were in college or what they've become in the pros? Wade is amazing now but wasn't close to that in college. The same can be said for Paul. Then again, Redick was great in college and not so much in the pros.

College.

Off the top of my head, I'm thinking:

Felton
Redick
Morrison
Hansbrough
Okafor


I haven't thought much about it. I did try to get guys that played 3-4 years though as opposed to the Durant's and Beasley's that only played a year.

Here's mine:

Chris Paul
JJ
Morrison
Grant Hill
Tim Duncan



My team is ready to run...

Hold My Own wrote:Here's mine:

Chris Paul
JJ
Morrison
Grant Hill
Tim Duncan



My team is ready to run...

Are we going back to Grant Hill and Tim Duncan? I assumed he meant in the 2000's. Even so, those guys graduated early to mid 90's.

Yeah, I was thinking Mateen Cleaves from 2000ish would be the farthest back we can go.

Otherwise, You just have too many guys to choose from.

Also, I only say this because HMO has him in his, and Lefty had him originally, but Chris Paul isn't even in the Top 5 point guards I would pick if we were going on what they did in college in the last ten years. He may not even be Top 5 in the ACC. I would put Felton, Jay Williams, and maybe even Ty Lawson ahead of him if we're talking purely college (and that's off the top of my head).

SuperJon wrote:

Hold My Own wrote:Here's mine:

Chris Paul
JJ
Morrison
Grant Hill
Tim Duncan



My team is ready to run...

Are we going back to Grant Hill and Tim Duncan? I assumed he meant in the 2000's. Even so, those guys graduated early to mid 90's.

Fair enough:

Chris Paul
JJ
Morrison
Battier
Thabeet (this is a hard one for me to come up with...Oak would be a good option but I dont want to repeat 3 players SJ had)

SuperJon wrote:Also, I only say this because HMO has him in his, and Lefty had him originally, but Chris Paul isn't even in the Top 5 point guards I would pick if we were going on what they did in college in the last ten years. He may not even be Top 5 in the ACC. I would put Felton, Jay Williams, and maybe even Ty Lawson ahead of him if we're talking purely college (and that's off the top of my head).

I had Jay Williams but I felt like I had to many Dookies....dude CP avg 15 and 6...I'll take that from my PG!

Paul was good, don't get me wrong, but I remember him more for punching Julius Hodge than anything. I was at Paul's first ever preseason game in the LJVM. I've heard about him forever. I saw the potential.

I think the thing with me is Paul left after two years. Most of these guys I would mention as maybe better than him (Felton, Williams, Lawson, Singletary, Duhon) played three or four years. If CP3 would've stayed another year, I could put him up there in an "all-college" team but I just have a hard time putting anyone who only played 1-2 years up there. The only one I would maybe consider is Kevin Durant. He was freakishly good and good on a good team.

Hold My Own wrote: I had Jay Williams but I felt like I had to many Dookies.

That just proves how good Duke has been the past ten years, especially the early part of the decade.

SuperJon wrote:Are we judging these players on how they were in college or what they've become in the pros? Wade is amazing now but wasn't close to that in college. The same can be said for Paul. Then again, Redick was great in college and not so much in the pros.

Did you not see him in the ncaa tournament his last year? He dropped a freaking triple double and thoroughly dominated a Kentucky squad that was pretty good that year...

That's one game. I tried to judge people by more than just one game or one break out tournament.

PG: TJ Ford
SG: Dwyane Wade (dude was a first-team All-American, not sure how that doesn't impress you SJ...)
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Michael Beasey
C: Emeka Okafor

Good call on TJ I had him typed out but retracted it with someone closer to home

flamesbball84 wrote:PG: TJ Ford
SG: Dwyane Wade (dude was a first-team All-American, not sure how that doesn't impress you SJ...)
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Michael Beasey
C: Emeka Okafor

This is where we're different: you have four guys who played two years or less. Yes, Wade was a first team All-American his sophomore year, but in regards to best college players of the decade, he was a one-hit wonder.

Jay Williams, Adam Morrison, Emeka Okafor, Tyler Hansbrough, JJ Redick, Raymond Felton, Shane Battier, etc all had great careers 3-4 years.


I'm not saying these guys you mentioned weren't good players because their accolades prove that they are. I'm just saying in terms of an All-College Decade Team, I'm picking guys that played 3-4 years. That's just my opinion though.

I haven't given this a lot of thought and it goes outside the scope of the criteria you guys set but my best 5 of all time college careers:

Christian Laetner
Lew Alcindor
Bill Walton
Pete Maravich (although no NCAA championships)
Patrick Ewing (3 final 4's one Championship)

If we are going back to the 90's to today then I have to have this team based on their impact on the NCAA Tournament

Grant Hill
Chris Webber
Ed O'Bannon - UCLA
Joakim Noah
Stephen Curry

SJ approves of 3 of my 5! In baseball that would put me in the HOF

And Scar please read the rules...we need your 2000 and above team....thanks

Let's see...

Sean Singletary
Juan Dixon
Adam Morrison
Shane Battier
Andrew Bogut

How recent are you saying?

2000 and above


Heck for you anything more then that you were hearing about it in the womb!

Antawn Jamison needs to be in the discussion.

Hold My Own wrote:2000 and above


Heck for you anything more then that you were hearing about it in the womb!

I got you