Each 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 SEC Basketball." This order should not be construed as a ranking of top 5s. In other words, just because I have LSU listed fifth and Mississippi State fourth does not mean that I believe Mississippi State's top 5 is better than LSU'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 SEC program, I have not taken into account the year(s) prior to the transfer. Similarly, where a player transferred away from a SEC program, I have not taken into account the year(s) subsequent to the transfer.
Ranking Kentucky's top 5 was especially difficult - perhaps even more difficult than ranking Arizona's top 5. Players such as Jodie Meeks, Chuck Hayes, and Rajon Rondo would have made lesser programs' top fives with relative ease. However, those three very good college players probably slide into the 8 through 10 spots at Kentucky. I feel confident about my top 3 - Tayshaun Prince, John Wall, and DeMarcus Cousins. Prince is a no-brainer. Wall was sensational during his single season in Lexington, and DeMarcus Cousins was an absolute force of nature. Even though Wall and Cousins were only in Lexington for one year, the impact they had on college basketball and the Kentucky program during that short period of time justifies their rankings. The 4 through 7 spots are where it gets tricky. Patrick Patterson is my #4. He was a bright spot during the dark days of the Billy Clyde era in Lexington. Patterson excelled on the defensive end of the floor and on the glass but could also score. While his numbers were impressive, Patterson is best remembered for putting forth more effort than just about anyone else possessing his level of talent and athleticism. Gerald Fitch, one of the most underrated players of the last decade, is my #5. Fitch was the ringleader of two fabulous college basketball teams - the 02-03 and 03-04 Wildcats. Because neither team made it to a Final Four (and neither produced an NBA star), these teams have largely been forgotten outside of the Bluegrass state. Fitch was a crafty scorer, a good defender, and one of the best rebounders from the guard position I've ever had the pleasure of watching. His numbers, while solid, were not spectacular, but that largely can be chalked up to playing in Tubby Smith's system. I have Brandon Knight at #6 and Keith Bogans at #7. A strong case could be made on behalf of either of them for inclusion in the top 5. In his one season in the college ranks, Knight led the Cats to the Final Four. It's hard for me to leave Knight off this list, as I don't believe the gap between Wall and Knight is all that significant. (Also, Knight is going to be a better pro than Kyrie Irving, but that's a topic for another day.) Bogans was a solid (and probably underappreciated) four-year player, but I think of Bogans as more of a gunner than a guy who would go out and get you a win (see Fitch, Gerald).
*Note that Lawrence Roberts (Mississippi State), Marco Killingsworth (Auburn), and Toney Douglas (Auburn) also made the top 5 at Baylor, Indiana, and Florida State, respectively.
1. Florida
1. Al Horford (05-07)
2. Joakim Noah (05-07)
3. Corey Brewer (05-07)
4. Udonis Haslem (99-02)
5. Matt Bonner (00-03)
2. Kentucky
1. Tayshaun Prince (99-02)
2. John Wall (10)
3. DeMarcus Cousins (10)
4. Patrick Patterson (08-10)
5. Gerald Fitch (01-04)
3. Tennessee
1. Chris Lofton (05-08)
2. Vincent Yarbrough (99-02)
3. Ron Slay (00-03)
4. Tyler Smith (08-10)
5. C.J. Watson (03-06)
4. Mississippi State
1. Lawrence Roberts (04-05)
2. Jamont Gordon (06-08)
3. Jarvis Varnado (07-10)
4. Mario Austin (01-03)
5. Charles Rhodes (05-08)
5. LSU
1. Glen Davis (05-07)
2. Brandon Bass (04-05)
3. Ronald Dupree (00-03)
4. Marcus Thornton (08-09)
5. Jaime Lloreda (03-04)
6. Vanderbilt
1. Shan Foster (05-08)
2. Matt Freije ((01-04)
3. Derrick Byars (06-07)
4. John Jenkins (10-present)
5. Jeffery Taylor (09-present)
7. Alabama
1. Erwin Dudley (00-03)
2. Rod Grizzard (00-02)
3. Kennedy Winston (03-05)
4. Richard Hendrix (06-08)
5. Mo Williams (02-03)
8. Arkansas
1. Ronnie Brewer (04-06)
2. Sonny Weems (07-08)
3. Jonathon Modica (03-06)
4. Jannero Pargo (01-02)
5. Patrick Beverley (07-08)
9. Georgia
1. Jarvis Hayes (02-03)
2. Trey Thompkins (09-11)
3. Ezra Williams (01-03)
4. Travis Leslie (09-11)
5. Sundiata Gaines (05-08)
10. South Carolina
1. Devan Downey (08-10)
2. Carlos Powell (02-05)
3. Tre Kelley (04-07)
4. Zam Fredrick (08-09)
5. Sam Muldrow (08-11)
11. Mississippi
1. Justin Reed (01-04)
2. Chris Warren (08-11)
3. Dwayne Curtis (06-08)
4. Aaron Harper (01-04)
5. Terrico White (09-10)
12. Auburn
1. Marquis Daniels (00-03)
2. Korvotney Barber (06-09)
3. DeWayne Reed (07-10)
4. Marco Killingsworth (02-04)
5. Toney Douglas (05)
Posts
The most glaring omission in my opinion has to be Joe Johnson of Razorback fame. Although, even as an All-Star with a $100,000,000 contract, he's easy to forget. And I did expect to see Renaldo "Humpty" Balkman on the South Carolina team. But great lists overall. I also appreciated the explanation of the all-decade Cats team.
ReplyDeleteLil' Smelly,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your comment. Thanks for taking a look at the blog. Joe Johnson certainly would have been included in Arkansas' top 5, but his career just missed the cutoff for consideration. (His last year in Fayetteville was the 2000-01 season.) The ten years I'm looking at run from the 2001-02 season to the 2010-11 season. If a player's final season was the 2001-02 season, I did take into consideration their entire career. However, they had to play at least one season within the ten years I have identified to be eligible.
In terms of Balkman, I, too, expected to him to make the Gamecocks' top 5. However, after taking a closer look at his career stats, I just couldn't do it. Surprisingly, Balkman only averaged 20 minutes per game only once during his three-year career in Columbia (and even then it was only 25.7 minutes per contest). He also never averaged double digits in points or more than 6.3 rebounds per game. Stats don't tell the whole story for an energy guy like Balkman, and I do think a solid case can be made on his behalf. However, I ended up giving Sam Muldrow the nod at the five spot. Big Sam was a double digit scorer for his junior and senior seasons, but his biggest contribution came on the defensive end, where he averaged more than 3 blocks per contest for each of his last two seasons. He was RBP's SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2010-11.