College Hoops is still Great

As the College basketball season draws to a regular season close this week and we get ready for March Madness (and the inevitable some chick picking the teams cause they have pretty colors winning the damned pools that Rick Neuhisel is in) I begin to reflect back on this season. For years now we have had an influx of high school stars shoot straight to the NBA, (by the way this is the only time I ever here the term influx ever used, nobody says I had an influx of Doritos into my stomach this afternoon) and hey good for them, but the debate remains is that a good thing. For me, I see it as a good thing all around, I really do. The kids get their money which is what they want, the NBA gets, hopefully, the “next big thing” which is what they want, and college basketball gets a product filled with kids who actually want to be in college and as competitive a field as ever before.

Now I am not going to sit here and tell you that ever college basketball player truly loves his university and would do anything so that he could help the student body celebrate a championship, I am not naive. But the influx of top tier talent to the NBA has helped bring the “Mid Major” programs on a much more competitive level with college basketballs elite. The poster child for this is the Gonzaga Bulldogs, who over the past 6 seasons have risen to the level of any big time program in the country. Other schools are beginning to join Gonzaga as well, out of there own conference the St. Mary’s Gaels are program on the rise and should get an at large bid to the NCAA tournament. The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is perhaps the most underrated in the country, with 5 teams vying to get into the tournament field this season. The Southern Illinois Salukis are on their way to their 4th straight NCAA tournament. This is no fluke either, since 1989 the Salukis have played the post season 11 times (6 NCAA’s & 5 NIT’s). Also in the Missouri Valley Conference Dana Altman’s Creighton team is most likely on their way back to the big dance. Creighton has played in 7 consecutive post seasons, book ending five straight trips to the NCAA Tournament with NIT appearances last year and in 1998. The list of these teams goes on.

You can also see that these teams are going to begin to make serious noise in the tournament as their talent level increases and that is done so through recruiting. No longer is a kid just considering going to a major program. Many kids who may have an opportunity to go to a big time program and maybe not start until they are a Junior are electing to go to these schools were they can contribute right away.

I know the one negative about some of this is people will say is the unfamiliarity with the players. I believe that is true to some degree. You sometimes have trouble figuring out which kids went pro and why Arizona doesn’t have a certain guy you remember. But as college coach’s and fans of the game say, you play for the name on the front of the jersey, not the name on the back. There are though plenty of recognizable stars in the game today; Hakim Warrick, Charlie Villanueva, Wayne Simien, Chris Paul, JJ Redick, Sean May, and Rashaad McCants to name a few. To me college basketball is doing as well it as ever done, and this year’s tournament will be one doozy to pick because of all the great teams that will be there.

Without further adieu, here are your 2004-2005 All Americans:

Hakim Warrick, F-Syracuse: What can you say about this guy? He is a great interior player. When he gets the ball deep just get out of the way, because he will dunk the hell out of it. He has developed a good mid-range game and good face up post game. Dropped in 21 PPG with 8 RPG. Scored over 20 points in 11 of 16 conference games. He comes to play every night and I love his tenacity.

Sean May, F-North Carolina: May has become the best post player in America. His effort on the glass is superior to anyone in college basketball. I have gone back and forth between May and Duke’s Shelden Williams, but with his 26 point 24 rebound performance against Duke May gets the nod. He had 11 double/doubles in league play and had 15+ rebounds 5 times this year, including 19 against Kentucky and 18 against Duke in their first match up. I love guys who do it in the big games.

JJ Redick, G-Duke: Lead the ACC in scoring this year. Scored over 20 points in 12 of 16 league games, pretty remarkable when you consider the other players he has on his team. Has very good skills going to the basket and finished plays in traffic this year, which helped him get to the line where he shoots a ridiculous 93%. The kid plays big all the time even while fans ride him, he just keeps performing and I love his toughness.

Andrew Bogut, C-Utah: And no this is not just because ESPN.com picked him as their player of the year. This guy is outstanding in all facets of the game. He can shoot, plays terrific on the interior, rebounds well, passes the ball, is a solid defender and all while being a 7 feet tall and 250 lbs, and most importantly he is a leader. His team played 5 NCAA tournament teams this year, and in those games he only averaged 21.2 PPG and 14.4 RPG. He scored over 20 points in 18 games They guy is simply the best basketball player in the country regardless of what school or what league he plays in.

Adam Morrison, G-Gonzaga: There isn’t much you can say about this guy that does not praise his basketball skills. He is a very good shooter, has excellent ball skills and finishes very well in the open floor. He has been the leader of the Zags all year long, leading them in scoring and playing huge in their big games. In wins against Washington & Ga. Tech he scored 24 & 26 points. In close loses at Illinois & on a neutral court against Oklahoma St. he had 26 & 19 points. And in the last 2 games in the WCC conference tournament he poured in a total of 55 points.