Month: May 2020

This is Part 2 of my series in which I’m re-imagining All-American teams for my fantasy world in which all great basketball players play for 4 years in college. In Part 1, we looked at the 1970s and 1980s. In this initial phase, going all the way through 1994, the pattern was quite similar. Each year there were 3-5 players in the NBA who had left college early. While many of these players were great college players, the volume was not enough to really make a mark on the broader landscape of college basketball. It was a blip on the radar. College basketball still had 99.9% of the players of college age, and even 99% of the really good ones. 1995 marks the point at which this began to change. Early departures spiked in 1995 and began the rapid increase which has continued practically to this day, and which has transformed college basketball.

As in Part 1, NBA players are in red and National Players of the Year (Naismith Award) winners are in bold.

1989-90

First Team

Actual	Modified
Derrick Coleman	Derrick Coleman
Chris Jackson	Chris Jackson
Larry Johnson	Larry Johnson
Gary Payton	Gary Payton
Lionel Simmons	Lionel Simmons

Second Team

Actual	Modified
Hank Gathers	Hank Gathers
Kendall Gill	JR Reid
Bo Kimble	Bo Kimble
Alonzo Mourning	Nick Anderson
Rumeal Robinson	Rumeal Robinson
Dennis Scott	Dennis Scott
Doug Smith	Doug Smith

No changes here to first team. And – spoiler alert – this is the last year for which that will be true. I debated putting Rex Chapman on the second team, but couldn’t decide whom to take off.

1990-91

First Team

Actual	Modified
Kenny Anderson	Dennis Scott
Jimmy Jackson	Chris Jackson
Larry Johnson	Larry Johnson
Shaquille O’Neal	Shaquille O’Neal
Billy Owens	Shawn Kemp

Second Team

Actual	Modified
Stacey Augmon	Stacey Augmon
Keith Jennings	Kenny Anderson
Christian Laettner	Christian Laettner
Eric Murdock	Jimmy Jackson
Steve Smith	Billy Owens

Pretty good squad here, don’t you think? Can you imagine Dennis Scott and Chris Jackson/Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf on the same team? Not enough basketballs to go around. And I have to get Shawn Kemp in there.

1991-92

First Team

Actual	Modified
Jimmy Jackson	Jimmy Jackson
Christian Laettner	Christian Laettner
Harold Miner	Kenny Anderson
Alonzo Mourning	Shawn Kemp
Shaquille O’Neal	Shaquille O’Neal

Second Team

Actual	Modified
Byron Houston	Byron Houston
Don MacLean	Harold Miner
Anthony Peeler	Alonzo Mourning
Malik Sealy	Malik Sealy
Walt Williams	Billy Owens

All due respect to Harold Miner aka “Baby Jordan”, but I have to get Kenny Anderson as a senior in there. And Shawn Kemp, who I strongly considered for Player of the Year, but in the end I stuck with Laettner. Alonzo Mourning was a great player, but somebody had to make room for Kemp.

1992-93

First Team

Actual	Modified
Calbert Cheaney	Calbert Cheaney
Penny Hardaway	Harold Miner
Bobby Hurley	Jimmy Jackson
Jamal Mashburn	Jamal Mashburn
Chris Webber	Shaquille O’Neal

Second Team

Actual	Modified
Terry Dehere	Penny Hardaway
Grant Hill	Grant Hill
Billy McCaffrey	Bobby Hurley
Eric Montross	Chris Webber
J. R. Rider	J. R. Rider
Glenn Robinson	Glenn Robinson
Rodney Rogers	Rodney Rogers

An easy player of the year pick with Shaq over Calbert Cheaney. Harold Miner and Jimmy Jackson bump Penny Hardaway and Bobby Hurley to second team.

1993-94

First Team

Actual	Modified
Grant Hill	Penny Hardaway
Jason Kidd	Jason Kidd
Donyell Marshall	Chris Webber
Glenn Robinson	Glenn Robinson
Clifford Rozier	Jamal Mashburn

Second Team

Actual	Modified
Melvin Booker	Rodney Rogers
Eric Montross	Grant Hill
Lamond Murray	Donyell Marshall
Khalid Reeves	Clifford Rozier
Jalen Rose	Jalen Rose
Corliss Williamson	Corliss Williamson

I don’t feel great about bumping Grant Hill to second team, but something has to give. Penny, Webber, and Mashburn have to be there. Player of the Year is a really tough call here, but I’m going with Mashburn.

1994-95

First Team

Actual	Modified
Ed O’Bannon	Chris Webber
Shawn Respert	Donyell Marshall
Joe Smith	Glenn Robinson
Jerry Stackhouse	Jalen Rose
Damon Stoudamire	Jason Kidd

Second Team

Actual	Modified
Randolph Childress	Ed O’Bannon
Kerry Kittles	Shawn Respert
Lou Roe	Joe Smith
Rasheed Wallace	Clifford Rozier
Corliss Williamson	Juwan Howard

This is the year that everything changed. In addition to Webber, who came out the year before, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jason Kidd, Donyell Marshall, Clifford Rozier, Lamond Murray, and the Big Dog all came out early. This included four of the five first-teamers from the previous year. Joe Smith was National Player of the Year, and he was a great, great, player; but in the end, I couldn’t find a spot for him.

1995-96

First Team

Actual	Modified
Ray Allen	Corliss Williamson
Marcus Camby	Marcus Camby
Tony Delk	Jason Kidd
Tim Duncan	Jerry Stackhouse
Allen Iverson	Joe Smith
Kerry Kittles	Rasheed Wallace

Second Team

Actual	Modified
Danny Fortson	Ray Allen
Keith Van Horn	Tim Duncan
Jacque Vaughn	Allen Iverson
John Wallace	Kerry Kittles
Lorenzen Wright	Gary Trent

Some incredible players getting bumped here, including Ray Allen, Tim Duncan, and Allen Iverson. I’m not necessarily convinced that Duncan would have been the fourth-best player in the ACC had Smith, Stackhouse, and Wallace stayed. I’m only sorry that we didn’t get to find out. What a year it would have been in the ACC. Notice too that Gary Trent, the “Shaq of the MAC”, slips onto Second Team.

1996-97

First Team

Actual	Modified
Tim Duncan	Tim Duncan
Danny Fortson	Joe Smith
Raef LaFrentz	Kevin Garnett
Ron Mercer	Marcus Camby
Keith Van Horn	Jerry Stackhouse

Second Team

Actual	Modi
Chauncey Billups	Rasheed Wallace
Bobby Jackson	Antonio McDyess
Antawn Jamison	Allen Iverson
Brevin Knight	Ray Allen
Jacque Vaughn	Keith Van Horn

The only thing better than imagining Duncan, Stackhouse, Wallace, and Smith as junior is imagining them as seniors. And yet, I couldn’t put them all on First Team because of another emerging star – 19-year old Kevin Garnett. This team is so good that Allen Iverson and Ray Allen can’t crack First Team either.

1997-98

First Team

Actual	Modified
Mike Bibby	Allen Iverson
Antawn Jamison	Antawn Jamison
Raef LaFrentz	Raef LaFrentz
Paul Pierce	Kevin Garnett
Miles Simon	Ron Mercer

Second Team

Actual	Modified
Vince Carter	Danny Fortson
Mateen Cleaves	Kobe Bryant
Pat Garrity	Shareef Abdur-Rahim
Richard Hamilton	Stephon Marbury
Ansu Sesay	Mike Bibby

Allen Iverson finally makes it to First Team as a senior. Notice a couple of new names making their debuts on Second Team – sophomore Kobe Bryant and junior Paul Pierce. The last spot on Second Team was a tough call between Bibby and Raef LaFrentz.

1998-99

First Team

Actual	Modified
Elton Brand	Paul Pierce
Mateen Cleaves	Kobe Bryant
Richard Hamilton	Ron Mercer
Andre Miller	Kevin Garnett
Jason Terry	Antawn Jamison

Second Team

Actual	Modified
Evan Eschmeyer	Elton Brand
Steve Francis	Andre Miller
Trajan Langdon	Shareef Abdur-Rahim
Chris Porter	Stephon Marbury
Wally Szczerbiak	Mike Bibby

Another clean sweep. Elton Brand, you had a really nice year, but who am I leaving off to keep you on First Team? Kobe? Garnett? Paul Pierce? Jamison? I can’t find a spot. I feel bad about leaving Andre Miller off as well, but I don’t see where to put him. Stephon Marbury as a senior, Rip Hamilton and Bibby as juniors, these guys have to be on the list.

That’s it for the 90s. Next up will be the 00s.

The quality of play in college basketball has declined over the past 25 years or so. I think that conclusion is inevitable for anyone who thinks about it for a few minutes. When most of the top 19, 20, and 21 year olds are in the NBA, how could it be otherwise?

But how much has it declined? It’s impossible to answer this precisely, but I thought of one fun way to think about it. What if we had preserved the conditions that obtained until the mid-1970s, which is to say, everyone played in college, and nobody left early. How would that have affected the All-American teams over the years?

So I’ve been digging through the Consensus First and Second Team All-American rosters since about 1975, looking at the best players who were college age but already in the NBA, and trying to figure out who would have made All-American had they still been in college, and which of the guys who made the actual team would have been displaced.

One of the things I hope to gain from this is to get an idea of how much these honors have been cheapened over the years. For example, Jared Sullinger and Danny Manning both made First Team All-American twice. Does that make Sullinger as good as Manning? Manning was competing against the best players of his age group, save two or three. By the time Sullinger came along, there were probably 60 guys who were college age who weren’t there anymore. Would Sullinger still have been an All-American if all those guys had been in college? That’s what I’m trying to determine.

Of course this is a speculative exercise. Nobody really knows how good, say, Moses Malone would have been in college. And since nobody knows, I figure my opinion is as good as anybody else’s. In a few cases, it’s easy. If a guy made First Team as a junior and then turned pro (Shaquille O’Neal), it seems a safe bet that he would have made it as a senior. And then there are the no-brainers. You think LeBron and Kobe would have been All-Americans? Probably a safe bet.

But in a lot of cases, it requires looking at the college and NBA performance of the players in question, and making a judgment call, which I did as best I could. I’ll offer some explanation of my decisions as we go along. Which you probably won’t agree with, and isn’t that the fun of these “what if?” games?

Without further ado, let’s get started.

1974-75

First Team

Actual	Modified
Adrian Dantley	Adrian Dantley
John Lucas	Moses Malone
Scott May	Scott May
Dave Meyers	Dave Meyers
David Thompson	David Thompson

Second Team

Actual	Modified
Luther Burden	Luther Burden
Leon Douglas	Leon Douglas
Kevin Grevey	Kevin Grevey
Ron Lee	Ron Lee
Gus Williams	John Lucas

Moses Malone got it all started. He was an NBA All-Star as a rookie in 1975, so I’m going to guess he would have been an All-American. John Lucas or Scott May are the most likely to have been pushed down; I’m going with Lucas.

1975-76

First Team

Actual	Modified
Kent Benson	Kent Benson
Adrian Dantley	Adrian Dantley
John Lucas	Moses Malone
Scott May	Scott May
Richard Washington	Richard Washington

Second Team

Actual	Modified
Phil Ford	Phil Ford
Bernard King	Bernard King
Mitch Kupchak	Mitch Kupchak
Phil Sellers	Phil Sellers
Earl Tatum	John Lucas

Sorry John.

1976-77

First Team

Actual	Modified
Kent Benson	Kent Benson
Otis Birdsong	Adrian Dantley
Phil Ford	Phil Ford
Rickey Green	Rickey Green
Marques Johnson	Richard Washington
Bernard King	Moses Malone

Second Team

Actual	Modified
Greg Ballard	Otis Birdsong
Bill Cartwright	Bill Cartwright
Rod Griffin	Marques Johnson
Ernie Grunfeld	Ernie Grunfeld
Phil Hubbard	Phil Hubbard
Butch Lee	Bernard King
Mychal Thompson	Mychal Thompson

Dantley and Washington were first teamers the year before, so they have to be on the list. And Moses is still around. It’s hard to say who would have been displaced, but I’m guessing that if Washington were still around, there wouldn’t have been enough shots for Marques Johnson. Birdsong and Bernard King are the other guys whose spots on First Team seem the most tenuous.

1977-78

First Team

Actual	Modified
Larry Bird	Larry Bird
Phil Ford	Phil Ford
David Greenwood	David Greenwood
Butch Lee	Butch Lee
Mychal Thompson	Bernard King

Second Team

Actual	Modified
Ron Brewer	Ron Brewer
Jack Givens	Jack Givens
Rod Griffin	Mychal Thompson
Rick Robey	Rick Robey
Freeman Williams	Freeman Williams

In this season, we have Bernard King, Darryl Dawkins, and Kenny Carr to worry about. I think Bernard is a safe bet for first team, and Mychal Thompson is the victim. Dawkins was never a great player, and wasn’t at his peak yet in 1978, so I’m leaving him off. Carr very well could have been an All-American had he returned, but I’m giving the other guys the benefit of the doubt.

1978-79

First Team

Actual	Modified
Larry Bird	Larry Bird
Mike Gminski	Mike Gminski
David Greenwood	David Greenwood
Magic Johnson	Magic Johnson
Sidney Moncrief	Sidney Moncrief

Second Team

Actual	Modified
Bill Cartwright	Bill Cartwright
Calvin Natt	Calvin Natt
Mike O’Koren	Mike O’Koren
Jim Paxson	Jim Paxson
Jim Spanarkel	Jim Spanarkel
Kelly Tripucka	Kelly Tripucka
Sly Williams	Sly Williams

No changes from the actual team.

1979-80

First Team

Actual	Modified
Mark Aguirre	Mark Aguirre
Michael Brooks	Magic Johnson
Joe Barry Carroll	Joe Barry Carroll
Darrell Griffith	Darrell Griffith
Kyle Macy	Kyle Macy

Second Team

Actual	Modified
Mike Gminski	Mike Gminski
Albert King	Albert King
Mike O’Koren	Mike O’Koren
Kelvin Ransey	Michael Brooks
Sam Worthen	Sam Worthen

Gotta make room for Magic Johnson. Sorry, Michael Brooks. Cliff Robinson is also worthy of consideration, but I’m not sure he was All-American caliber at age 19. Wait until next year.

1980-81

First Team

Actual	Modified
Mark Aguirre	Mark Aguirre
Danny Ainge	Danny Ainge
Steve Johnson	Magic Johnson
Ralph Sampson	Ralph Sampson
Isiah Thomas	Isiah Thomas

Second Team

Actual	Modified
Sam Bowie	Sam Bowie
Jeff Lamp	Jeff Lamp
Rudy Macklin	Rudy Macklin
Kelly Tripucka	Kelly Tripucka
Danny Vranes	Cliff Robinson
Al Wood	Steve Johnson

Same two guys, Magic and Cliff Robinson. Robinson averaged 19.5 PPG in the NBA, so I’m going to say he would be at least a second teamer. Steve Johnson gets knocked down to Second Team, and Danny Vranes and Al Wood are out.

1981-82

First Team

Actual	Modified
Terry Cummings	Terry Cummings
Quintin Dailey	Quintin Dailey
Eric Floyd	Mark Aguirre
Ralph Sampson	Ralph Sampson
James Worthy	Isiah Thomas

Second Team

Actual	Modified
Dale Ellis	Dale Ellis
Kevin Magee	Kevin Magee
John Paxson	Eric Floyd
Sam Perkins	James Worthy
Paul Pressey	Paul Pressey

Isiah Thomas and Mark Aguirre have to be on the list. It was hard to say who would be displaced, but it wouldn’t be Cummings or Sampson, so I picked Sleepy Floyd and James Worthy. The other player who came out early is Buck Williams. He’s a hard player to rank; he was a very good, but not All-American caliber player at Maryland. However he was outstanding in the NBA from the beginning. Perhaps he would’ve had a great senior season and been an All-American, but again I’m erring on the side of giving the benefit of the doubt to the guys who stayed.

1982-83

First Team

Actual	Modified
Dale Ellis	Terry Cummings
Patrick Ewing	Dominique Wilkins
Michael Jordan	Michael Jordan
Keith Lee	James Worthy
Sam Perkins	Isiah Thomas
Ralph Sampson	Ralph Sampson
Wayman Tisdale	Quintin Dailey

Second Team

Actual	Modified
Clyde Drexler	Clyde Drexler
Sidney Green	Keith Lee
John Paxson	John Paxson
Steve Stipanovich	Dale Ellis
Jon Sundvold	Patrick Ewing
Darrell Walker	Sam Perkins
Randy Wittman	Wayman Tisdale

Now it gets interesting. Early departures were Terry Cummings, Dominique Wilkins, James Worthy, Quintin Dailey, Clark Kellogg, LaSalle Thompson, and one more year of Isiah Thomas. Cummings, Worthy, Dailey, and Thomas are no-brainers. Considering how ‘Nique exploded onto the NBA scene, I think it’s fair to assume that he would have made the list. But the guys they are displacing are pretty darn good too. Tisdale and Ewing were sophomores, so they weren’t at their peaks yet. Sam Perkins gets the shaft again. I chose not to put Kellogg or Thompson on the second team, but both were excellent players and could have had an All-American caliber senior season.

1983-84

First Team

Actual	Modified
Patrick Ewing	Patrick Ewing
Michael Jordan	Michael Jordan
Akeem Olajuwon	Clyde Drexler
Sam Perkins	Sam Perkins
Wayman Tisdale	Wayman Tisdale

Second Team

Actual	Modified
Michael Cage	Akeem Olajuwon
Devin Durrant	Ennis Whatley
Keith Lee	Keith Lee
Chris Mullin	Chris Mullin
Melvin Turpin	Darrell Walker
Leon Wood	Leon Wood

In 1984 we have Clyde Drexler, Ennis Whatley, and Darrell Walker to deal with. Drexler and Walker made second team the year before, so they belong somewhere. I’m guessing that Clyde the Glide would have edged out his teammate Hakeem, and Darrell Walker bumps Melvin Turpin. Ennis Whatley was very close to making All-American the year before, so I’m going to give him the edge over Devin Durrant.

1984-85

First Team

Actual	Modified
Johnny Dawkins	Michael Jordan
Patrick Ewing	Patrick Ewing
Keith Lee	Keith Lee
Xavier McDaniel	Akeem Olajuwon
Chris Mullin	Chris Mullin
Wayman Tisdale	Wayman Tisdale

Second Team

Actual	Modified
Len Bias	Johnny Dawkins
Jon Koncak	Alvin Robertson
Mark Price	Ennis Whatley
Kenny Walker	Charles Barkley
Dwayne Washington	Xavier McDaniel

Jordan and Olajuwon have to be on First Team, obviously. Johnny Dawkins and Xavier McDaniel seem like the most likely candidates to get bumped. On Second Team, I’m going for a clean sweep, making room for Whatley again, Charles Barkley, and Alvin Robertson.

1985-86

First Team

Actual	Modified
Steve Alford	Wayman Tisdale
Walter Berry	Walter Berry
Len Bias	Len Bias
Johnny Dawkins	Johnny Dawkins
Kenny Walker	Kenny Walker

Second Team

Actual	Modified
Dell Curry	Benoit Benjamin
Brad Daugherty	Brad Daugherty
Ron Harper	Ron Harper
Danny Manning	Danny Manning
David Robinson	Steve Alford
Scott Skiles	Scott Skiles

Tisdale and Benoit Benjamin are the guys we have to make room for. I think Alford is the most likely candidate to get bumped. I’m guessing that Benjamin would have edged out Dell Curry.

1986-87

First Team

Actual	Modified
Steve Alford	Steve Alford
Danny Manning	Danny Manning
David Robinson	David Robinson
Kenny Smith	Dwayne Washington
Reggie Williams	William Bedford

Second Team

Actual	Modified
Armon Gilliam	Armon Gilliam
Horace Grant	Kenny Smith
Dennis Hopson	Dennis Hopson
Mark Jackson	Mark Jackson
Ken Norman	Reggie Williams

Early departures this year were Pearl Washington, William Bedford, and John “Hot Plate” Williams. Washington and Bedford were borderline All-American caliber players the year before, so I’m going to guess they would have made it. Hot Plate was good, but wait another year.

1987-88

First Team

Actual	Modified
Sean Elliott	Sean Elliott
Gary Grant	Gary Grant
Hersey Hawkins	Hersey Hawkins
Danny Manning	Danny Manning
J.R. Reid	Derrick McKey

Second Team

Actual	Modified
Danny Ferry	Danny Ferry
Jerome Lane	John Williams
Mark Macon	Mark Macon
Mitch Richmond	J.R. Reid
Rony Seikaly	Rony Seikaly
Michael Smith	Michael Smith

It’s only Derrick McKey and Hot Plate this time. McKey was excellent, borderline All-American the year before, so I’m giving him the nod over J.R. Reid. Williams gets the nod over Jerome Lane.

1988-89

First Team

Actual	Modified
Sean Elliott	Sean Elliott
Pervis Ellison	Jerome Lane
Danny Ferry	Danny Ferry
Chris Jackson	Chris Jackson
Stacey King	Stacey King

Second Team

Actual	Modified
Mookie Blaylock	Mookie Blaylock
Sherman Douglas	Sherman Douglas
Jay Edwards	Jay Edwards
Todd Lichti	Rod Strickland
Glen Rice	Pervis Ellison
Lionel Simmons	Lionel Simmons

Jerome Lane gets his revenge, sending “Never Nervous” Pervis Ellison down to Second Team. We also have Rod Strickland and Rex Chapman to deal with. Each of them has a case, but I’m going to wait a year on Chapman. Strickland gets the nod over Todd Lichti.

In my next post, I’ll deal with the 1990s.