2001-02 through 2010-11 seasonsEach team includes the top 5 players from that program over the course of the past 10 years. As mentioned previously, I have not attempted to put together teams that fill all 5 positions on the floor.
The order in which the programs are listed corresponds to the power rankings from my previous post, "A Decade of Pac-10 Basketball." This order should not be construed as a ranking of top 5s. In other words, just because I have Arizona listed second and UCLA first does not mean that I believe UCLA's top 5 is better than Arizona's top 5. That being said, I have ranked the players within each program.
Where part of a player's career came before the 2001-02 season, I have taken those years into consideration for purposes of this post.
Where a player transferred to a Pac-10 program, I have not taken into account the year(s) prior to the transfer. Similarly, where a player transferred away from a Pac-10 program, I have not taken into account the year(s) subsequent to the transfer.
Admittedly, my decision to rank Luke Walton ahead of both Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill lends itself to criticism. (A pretty good argument for Hassan Adams could also be made.) Budinger and Hill had better numbers than Walton. Budinger put together three very productive years in Tucson, and Hill's junior season, in which he averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds per contest, was outstanding. Walton only had one season in which he played more than 30 minutes per game - his junior year. After that junior season, in which Walton averaged 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists per contest, his numbers fell off during his senior year. Walton scored fewer points in four seasons than Budinger and Hill did in three. So, how do I justify ranking Walton ahead of Budinger and Hill? For me, it comes down to winning and Walton's remarkable passing ability. Yes, Walton had the good fortune to play on some very talented Arizona teams, but he had a huge impact on those teams. He was quite possibly the best passing forward we have seen in the past ten years. As a senior, he averaged over 5 assists per game, despite playing just over 27 minutes per contest. Budinger and Hill were the most talented players on chronically underachieving teams. The 06-07 and 07-08 seasons ended with first round NCAA tourney losses. Their junior campaign saw Arizona reach the Sweet 16, after just slipping into the tournament as a 12-seed, only to lose by 39 to Louisville. In contrast, Walton's teams reached the second round, the National Championship game, the Sweet 16, and the Elite Eight during his career. And then there's the eye test, which Walton passes with flying colors. Budinger left me wanting more, as I wandered why he wasn't more assertive. Hill was phenomenal during his junior campaign, but too often his performances failed to translate into wins. Walton was the consummate teammate and the smartest player on the floor. Most importantly, he made everyone around him better.
1. UCLA
1. Arron Afflalo (05-07)
2. Kevin Love (08)
3. Darren Collison (06-09)
4. Jason Kapono (00-03)
5. Dijon Thompson (02-05)
2. Arizona
1. Derrick Williams (10-11)
2. Salim Stoudamire (02-05)
3. Channing Frye (02-05)
4. Jason Gardner (00-03)
5. Luke Walton (00-03)
3. Washington
1. Brandon Roy (03-06)
2. Isaiah Thomas (09-11)
3. Jon Brockman (06-09)
4. Quincy Pondexter (07-10)
5. Nate Robinson (03-05)
4. Stanford
1. Casey Jacobsen (00-02)
2. Brook Lopez (07-08)
3. Josh Childress (02-04)
4. Landry Fields (07-10)
5. Chris Hernandez (02-06)
5. Oregon
1. Luke Jackson (01-04)
2. Luke Ridnour (01-03)
3. Aaron Brooks (04-07)
4. Fred Jones (99-02)
5. Malik Hairston (05-08)
6. California
1. Leon Powe (04-06)
2. Jerome Randle (07-10)
3. Joe Shipp (00-03)
4. Ryan Anderson (07-08)
5. Patrick Christopher (07-10)
7. USC
1. Sam Clancy (99-02)
2. Nick Young (05-07)
3. Taj Gibson (07-09)
4. Brandon Granville (99-02)
5. O.J. Mayo (08)
8. Washington State
1. Klay Thompson (09-11)
2. Marcus Moore (01-04)
3. Kyle Weaver (05-08)
4. Derrick Low (05-08)
5. Thomas Kelati (02-05)
9. Arizona State
1. James Harden (08-09)
2. Ike Diogu (03-05)
3. Jeff Pendergraph (06-09)
4. Kevin Kruger (04-06)
5. Curtis Millage (02-03)
10. Oregon State
1. David Lucas (02-05)
2. Philip Ricci (02-03)
3. Calvin Haynes (08-11)
4. Brian Jackson (00-03)
5. Jared Cunningham (10-present)
Posts
If you're just going to make up names for the Oregon State decade team, at least use funny names. You know, like name them after characters from the Mighty Ducks (Averman, Fulton Reed, Adam Banks, etc.). That would be better.
ReplyDeleteAlso, was it a really difficult choice for you to keep Brockman behind Isaiah Thomas? Thanks for your help.
Daniel,
ReplyDeleteThe first 4 names on the Oregon State list are made up. They are the names of the kids from the movie Sandlot. Jared Cunningham is real, though, and, just a third of the way into his junior season, I'd say he has a pretty good argument for the number one spot.
With regards to your Washington question, the answer is yes. And I'm still not sure I got it right.