Well, C.K told me to make this thread and post my opinions so I of course agreed. All-America First Team: C- Shelden Williams 6'9 Duke PF- Lamarcus Aldridge 6'10 Texas SF- Rudy Gay 6'9 UConn SG- JJ Redick 6'4 Duke PG- Dee Brown or Daniel Gibson I'm going to give in-depth analysis(sp?) when I get back from playing C.K in some poker.
All America First Team: C- Shelden Williams Duke PF - Josh Boone UConn ( a stretch.. plus he doesn't play PF) SF - Rudy Gay UConn SG - JJ Reddick Duke PG - Darius Washington Memphis
G - Dee Brown A born leader who is back for his senior season and I don't think his foot injury will bother him much. Definitely a player to look out for this season for a possible player of the year vote. G - Shannon Brown Due for a breakout season Brown will be the star on a talented MSU team. He will probably be their starting point guard but he can play a little two guard as well. G - JJ Redick Sharpshooter from deep is back for his senior season and better then ever. He leads an already talented Duke team that should be far into the tourny. F - Craig Smith Great talent who led Boston College to a great year last year, along with BC he should duplicate his sucess and have another career year. He averaged at least 17 points per game, in all three of his seasons at BC. C - Sheldon Williams A monster in the block with great shot blocking ability and along with Redick is back for his senior year at Duke. Not sure yet who can stop this kid in the ACC from doing what he wants to do. Just miss - Leon Powe, Maurice Ager, Daniel Gibson, and LaMarcus Aldridge
G- Daniel Gibson G- JJ Redick F- Adam Morrison F- Craig Smith C- Sheldon Williams Don't forget about Adam Morrison. He is the most underrated college basketball player in the nation IMHO. He averaged 19 points per game and shot 50% from the field and led Gonzaga to the 2nd round of the NCAA Tourney. I say he'll go top 10-15 in the draft next season if he puts up another great season.
UK, you just about stole mine G Dee Brown G J.J Reddick F Adam Morrison F Craig Smith C Sheldon Williams
C-Shelden Williams- This guy isnt called the landlord for nothing, he can block shots, score, and the only thing that hurts him is that he gets in foul trouble quite a bit, but with Duke's new depth, they won't have to worry about him getting in foul trouble as much. PF-Kevin Bookout- Here's a pick I'll take tons of crap for, but it's part of the job. Bookout would have been one of the best players the last 2 season if he didn't get injured 2 years ago, last year he was just putting his feet back in the water, but this year he'll be in full throttle for what I believe is his Senior season(AM I Right?). He'll average a double-double and be open a lot with another post present such as Taj Gray getting double teams. SF-Adam Morrison- Morrison is the go to man at Zaga, now that Turiaf has left. He can dominate in any part of the game, he can shoot, post up, and win games with his leadership for the Zags. SG-J.J Reddick- Reddick is a lights out shooter, he can sink free throws with ease, and is starting to develop a very effective tool, the ability to drive. The more he gets to the line, the more automatic points he gets. PG-Mustafa Shakur- I know everyone gonna give me trash for this, but I'll take. Shakur is going to be key part of Arizona this year. He'll be the Starting PG after playing it his Freshman and Sophmore seasons. Shakur will always get his share of assists, and he will be the 1st or 2nd scoring option, all depends on Adams is doing, for the Wildcats. Just short- Dee Brown, Shannon Brown, Rudy Gay, LeMarcus Aldridge, and Josh Boone
1st Team All-Americans: C - Shelden Williams - Duke - Rarely do you see two players from the same team on the 1st Team All-American bill. In fact, even last year with all of the talent on Illinois and North Carolina, there were no teammates on the All-American 1st team. However, if the NCAA will make an exception for one school, it's Duke, and I don't see how they can turn down Williams if he gets anything close to 11 rpg and 4 bpg again (although having McRoberts might take away from his numbers). Last year's statistics: 15.5 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 3.7 bpg, 58% FG F - Craig Smith - Boston College - Unfortunately everyone has gone with NBA prospects thus far while one of last season's brightest stars, Craig Smith, has gone without mention (edit: I started typing this post before C.K. posted his All-American team). LaMarcus Aldridge is a very tall, very talented player, but he has yet to even play half of a full season of college basketball. When he does play for Texas, P.J. Tucker will be a bigger offensive option in the post anyway. Josh Boone is at least a proven player, but Smith is a more complete offensively in my opinion. If Boston College can have half the success that they had last year when they go to the ACC and if Craig Smith can improve on his numbers (18 pts, 9 rbs) from last year, then he will be a lock for the All-American team. Last year's statistics: 18.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.6 spg, 50% FG F - Adam Morrison - Gonzaga - I don't think I've seen him in this thread yet either (edit: I started typing this post before UKOwnstheSEC posted his). With no Turiaf, this consensus preseason top ten Gonzaga team will be Morrison's to lead, and he should also take on a considerably larger bulk of the scoring and rebounding with no Turiaf downlow. Last year's statistics: 19.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.8 apg, 50% FG G - J.J. Redick - Duke - As the only returning 1st Team All-American in the NCAA, Redick should be the one pick that everyone has on their mock All-American teams. Duke should be a powerhouse next season, and we all know how the committee also loves those Dukies. Redick's name will be on the award before the season even gets underway. Last year's statistics: 21.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.6 apg, 94% FT G - Dee Brown - Illinois - Brown should be a consensus Preseason All-American after the year he just had at Illinois. A lot of people are expecting the Illini to fall off after losing Deron Williams and Luther Head, but Dee Brown, the heart and soul of the team, is coming back, and that's all that matters. His statistics don't jump right out at you, but you have to consider that he was playing with three or four future NBA players and was on the #1 team in the country. This season with Brown playing point and being the main offensive option, I expect his statistics to start to reflect his game. Last year's statistics: 13.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.8 spg 2nd Team All-Americans: C - Josh Boone - Connecticut - Boone was very efficient for Connecticut last season, putting up over twelve points and eight rebounds per game along with 61% shooting from the field all in under thirty minutes per game. This year without Charlie Villanueva, the team's leading scorer and second leading rebounder from last season, Boone's rebounding and scoring numbers should go up enough to put him on the 2nd Team, especially with the success that Connecticut is projected to have. Last year's statistics: 12.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.9 bpg, 61% FG F - Curtis Sumpter - Villanova - Like Smith, Sumpter is really being underrated in this thread. How can Villanova be a consensus top five preseason selection, yet none of you mention Sumpter, Ray, or Foye? I don't personally think that Sumpter is individually more talented than Paul Millsap or Vincent Grier, but I do feel that Villanova will get representation on an All-American team, and Sumpter, as the best player on Villanova in my opinion gets the nod over them because of that. Last year's statistics: 15.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 47% FG F - Maurice Ager - Michigan State - With the team that Michigan State is returning, at least one of Michigan State's big three (Brown, Ager, and Davis) should make an All-American team. While I'd love to sit here and tell you it's likely to be Shannon Brown, I'm just not confident enough in his ability to take on a big-time scoring role yet. Maurice Ager was Michigan State's leading scorer last year, and I think not having to make an adjustment on offense will make his season a lot smoother than Brown's. I can hope though, as Jason Richardson went from benchwarmer to 2nd Team All-American over the course of just a year. Last year's statistics: 14.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.8 apg, 48% FG G - Mardy Collins - Temple - If you don't consider him the best defender in the NCAA, you have to agree that he's at least one of the top ten. You may think that his statistics are inflated because of the team he plays for, but Collins is well tested. Last season he went up against Chris Paul and put up 25 points, 5 assists, and 7 steals and then put up 23 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 6 steals on J.J. Redick. Collins and Temple look poised to make a name for themselves as a top 25 team this season. Last year's statistics: 17.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 3.6 apg, 2.8 spg G - Marcus Williams - Connecticut - This pick might not make much sense to some people. Marcus Williams is an often out of control, turnover-prone Point Guard who didn't even average 10 ppg last season. What he did do though is lead the NCAA in assists per game. So just as long as he keeps his turnovers down and becomes a more productive scorer this season, assists are enough to secure the young leader of the consensus preseason top three ranked Huskies a spot on my 2nd Team All-American list. Last year's statistics: 9.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 7.8 apg, 40% 3 pt 3rd Team All-Americans: C - Eric Williams - Wake Forest - Williams made a great decision to come back to Wake Forest. It's not easy to resist the temptation during draft month, especially with the NBA Finals overlapping it, so I really respect Williams for coming back. With that said, he should dominate a much weaker ACC (outside of Williams and Smith of course). The departure of Chris Paul both helps and hurts him. His point production could either go up because of no competition on the team outside of Justin Gray, or his point production could suffer with an inexperienced Point Guard running the team. Whatever happens, he should be in good shape as long as he continues to be a force on the glass and the defensive end of the floor. Last year's statistics: 16.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 63% FG F - Paul Millsap - Louisanna Tech - Millsap is probably the most underrated player in the entire NCAA. He's often dismissed as just another midmajor padding his stats against poor competition, but like Collins, he's very well tested. Just look at his game log and you'll see that against good competition his numbers are the same as when he plays below average competition, such as a 31 pts, 18 rbs game against Auburn, a 19 pts, 15 rbs game against Memphis, or a 21 pts, 21 rbs game against Nevada. Last year's statistics: 20.4 ppg, 12.4 rpg, 1.9 bpg, 58% FG F - Vincent Grier - Minnesota - With nearly eighteen points per game, Grier was the third leading scorer in the Big Ten last season and will be the second leading returning scorer next season. Although it seemed like he came out of nowhere last season, Grier was actually the top rated wing in all of Junior College basketball the season before last. He resurrected a dying Minnesota program last season and took them from the bottom of the Big Ten to the NCAA Tournament. I felt like he should have been an All-American last year, and I feel he still will eventually be one. Last year's statistics: 17.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.4 apg, 2.0 spg G - Rajon Rondo - Kentucky - To be realistic, I had to add an SEC player to one of the teams, and Rondo is, in my opinion, the most talented player in the SEC. Granted Rondo wasn't the greatest scorer last season, that should change with three of Kentucky's top four scorers leaving for the NBA (or NBDL). Rondo's strong point isn't his scoring anyway, it's his defense. Only a Freshman, he's already breaking various steals records for Kentucky. Hopefully this could be a breakout year for Rondo. Last year's statistics: 8.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.6 spg in 25.1 mpg G - Daniel Gibson - Texas - ESPN will be all over this kid trying to make him into the next Chris Paul, so you know they'll try to make him an All-American, especially since he's running Texas, a team that's generally considered one of the top five returning teams in the NCAA. I wouldn't compare him to the Chris Paul's or the Mateen Cleaves' of the NCAA; he's got a ways to go to be that elite, but he was definitely solid for Texas this season. Last year's statistics: 14.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.9 apg, 40% 3 pt Noticable Snubs: Shannon Brown - Michigan State - Maybe it's just Schaddy getting to me, but I don't want to jinx it. We all know he has the talent, but will he put his talents to use this season? Rudy Gay - Connecticut - He's a very talented player, and I think he'll likely be a Third Teamer if Connecticut lives up to expectations this season, but I just wanted to send the message that he's not a consensus First Teamer just because he's a projected as a future top draft pick. Those projections are purely based on raw potential. Ronnie Brewer - Arkansas - I just simply couldn't find a spot for Williams on one of the All-American teams. Alando Tucker - Wisconsin - He's the returning leading scorer on the Badgers, but this year the competition is just too great for him to be an All-American. Greg Brunner - Iowa - It was either keep Brunner or keep Rondo, and in the end I felt like it was more realistic for the SEC to at least have one All-American up there. Leon Powe - California - There's too much uncertainty surrounding his game for me to put him on the 3rd Team over an established player like Vincent Grier. Darius Washington, Jr. - Memphis - I personally think that Washington, Jr. is more talented than Gibson. However, knowing how ESPN has been in love with him all year, I don't see Washington, Jr. getting a spot on an All-American team at the end of the season. Louisville Players - (Dean, Padgett, Palacios, etc.) - Like Brewer, I just couldn't find a place for any Louisville players on the list, and nobody know for sure who's going to be their go-to-guy with Garcia gone. Sidenote: This thread has really grown. When I started replying there were just two posts, and by the time I finish my reply there were eight. Also, I'm worried for you J_Ray; Bookout and Shakur?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting playmaker31:</div><div class="quote_post">G- Dee Brown G- Guillermo Diaz F- JJ Reddick F- Juan Palacios C- Sheldon Williams</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">PG Rajon Rondo SG Guillermo Diaz SF Juan Diego Palacios PF Shelden Williams C Josh Boone</div> I see what's up with this now; Guillermo Diaz, a hispanic, and Juan Placios, a native of Peru. I wonder where you'd have them if they were Montana natives whose names were Guillermo Smith and Juan McRoberts.
um..no UM and Louisville are two of my favorite college teams and in my opinion they are all americans. you have your opinion and I have mine
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting playmaker31:</div><div class="quote_post">um..no UM and Louisville are two of my favorite college teams and in my opinion they are all americans. you have your opinion and I have mine</div> Yeah, well the thing is, I don't let bias get in the way of forming my opinion. Just think about that for a second.
ok well if this will make you happy here is an unbiased opinion from me PG- Shannon Brown SG- Guillermo Diaz F- JJ Reddick F-Vincent Grier C- Sheldon Williams I kept DIaz ecause I think he's better than the other guys listed
I knew J_Ray would fit Shakur in there somewhere and I honestly don't think he's a top 5-8 PG. Sorry, but Palacios and Diaz will not be 1st teamers. There's just too much talent at both guard and forward for both of these guys to be 1st teamers; I could see them as Third Teamers at most.
VC, I'm curious, why Rondo over your boy Shannon Brown, it makes no sense to me. Rondo is still a year away from becoming an all-american at both ends of the court; where Shannon is due for a break out year. Shannon is bigger, stronger, and just well better in all aspects of his game right now it just baffles me that you put Rondo over him. Plus Shannon is on a better team then Rondo and will get overhyped by the media
Great to see Millsap get some love on here. Like you said, he's extremely underrated. He puts up absolutely monster numbers outside the spotlight.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting UKOwnstheSEC:</div><div class="quote_post">I knew J_Ray would fit Shakur in there somewhere and I honestly don't think he's a top 5-8 PG. Sorry, but Palacios and Diaz will not be 1st teamers. There's just too much talent at both guard and forward for both of these guys to be 1st teamers; I could see them as Third Teamers at most.</div> Diaz had a rookie ACC season, and preformed great, proving himself to be an elite guard out of the ACC. The guy is just learning how to play basketball, started playing 4 years ago, his potential to breakout in his junior year is unlimited especially with an experience of ACC ball under his belt with a better supporting case, Diaz will remove himself from the underrated catorgory and get alot of attention this season. You can't possibly tell me JJ Redick is more talented than Diaz, JJ Redick is on a better team, but Diaz overall blows him away in every catorgy except 3pt % and FT% Palacios is my sleeper, especially with Garcia gone from the crew, he'll have a bigger role, and chowcase his all around talent.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting UKOwnstheSEC:</div><div class="quote_post">I knew J_Ray would fit Shakur in there somewhere and I honestly don't think he's a top 5-8 PG.</div> Well, the only reason he isn't noticed is because he's in the west. Most of the players in the west are in the shadow of others. Look at players most ppl dont even know about that are good Adams, Morrison(some one actually remembered him), Bryce Fisher, Jordan Farmar, and many others. Shakur was the top PG in his class. He was so high because he was on the East coast, the he moved to the west coast and everyone forgot about him. What exactly do you mean 5-8 PG, so if he's not in the top 5-8 range, is he better?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting C.K.:</div><div class="quote_post">VC, I'm curious, why Rondo over your boy Shannon Brown, it makes no sense to me. Rondo is still a year away from becoming an all-american at both ends of the court; where Shannon is due for a break out year. Shannon is bigger, stronger, and just well better in all aspects of his game right now it just baffles me that you put Rondo over him. Plus Shannon is on a better team then Rondo and will get overhyped by the media </div> Maybe so, but like I said in my explanation, I don't want to jinx it. What's better, to get your expectations up only to be disappointed or to have no expectations and be pleasantly surprised? I'm also not sure how Brown will adjust to being such a high offensive option next season, and you have to keep in mind that even though Torbert, Anderson, and Hill are leaving, Maurice Ager, Paul Davis, and new addition Marquise Gray are still going to demand a lot of shots and a lot of playing time. Brown may not even be the team's <u>main</u> option until the '07 season. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Shakur was the top PG in his class</div> If you want to be technical, that was Shannon Brown. Although Brown has played Shooting Guard a lot more in college than in High School. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Diaz had a rookie ACC season, and preformed great, proving himself to be an elite guard out of the ACC. The guy is just learning how to play basketball, started playing 4 years ago, his potential to breakout in his junior year is unlimited especially with an experience of ACC ball under his belt with a better supporting case, Diaz will remove himself from the underrated catorgory and get alot of attention this season. You can't possibly tell me JJ Redick is more talented than Diaz, JJ Redick is on a better team, but Diaz overall blows him away in every catorgy except 3pt % and FT% Palacios is my sleeper, especially with Garcia gone from the crew, he'll have a bigger role, and chowcase his all around talent.</div> Thanks for at least providing some reasoning for the bold picks you made. As for Diaz, it shocks me to learn that he just started playing basketball four years ago. I suppose that any freak athlete like him could pick up a sport that fast though. I don't think it's fair to say that Diaz is more talented than Redick, and I don't understand where you get off saying that Diaz blows him away in every category either. J.J. Redick has higher scoring numbers, and his rebounding/assist numbers are barely below Diaz's. Think about how much better Duke is than Miami though. I don't want to inspire a "Miami is underrated" speech, but Duke is one of the premier teams in the nation and the numbers that Redick puts up are just that much more impressive because of it.
