2003 Top 50 List: Yes
Dan Collins List: Yes
Dennis Scott’s 1990 season is one of the truly special, remarkable seasons in ACC history. I was 15 at the time, and I remember just being in awe of what he was doing. Looking back on it as an analyst rather than a fan, it still looks amazing.
When it comes to great scorers, you’re looking for two things. You’re looking for guys who score a lot, and who score efficiently. There are guys who score a lot because they take a lot of shots, and there are guys who score efficiently because they only shoot when they’re wide open under the basket. But when you put them together, that’s a special scorer.
Scott in 1990 averaged 27.7 points per game, and his True Shooting Percentage was 59.3%. To put that in context, I searched sports-reference.com for other seasons in college basketball where a player averaged 27+ points and had a True Shooting Percentage of 59% or above. In the past 30 years for which they have data, there have been 14 such seasons. The most notable are:
- 1993, JR Rider, UNLV, 29.1 PPG, 61.7 TS%
- 1995, Kurt Thomas, TCU, 28.9 PPG, 59.1 TS%
- 2006, Adam Morrison, Gonzaga, 28.1 PPG, 60.5 TS%
- 2009, Steph Curry, Davidson, 28.6 PPG, 60.4 TS%
- 2011, Jimmer Fredette, BYU, 28.9 PPG, 59.4 TS%
And it’s worth noting that none of those seasons, as great as they are, was compiled against the ACC of 1990. Let’s list it again, but this time, I’ll include Scott’s season, and I’ll also include the team’s strength of schedule according to sports-reference:
- 1990, Dennis Scott, Georgia Tech, 27.7 PPG, 59.3 TS%, 14th of 292
- 1993, JR Rider, UNLV, 29.1 PPG, 61.7 TS%, 47th of 298
- 1995, Kurt Thomas, TCU, 28.9 PPG, 59.1 TS%, 132nd of 302
- 2006, Adam Morrison, Gonzaga, 28.1 PPG, 60.5 TS%, 31st of 326
- 2009, Steph Curry, Davidson, 28.6 PPG, 60.4 TS%, 69th of 330
- 2011, Jimmer Fredette, BYU, 28.9 PPG, 59.4 TS%, 62nd of 345
So when you consider everything – the volume of scoring, the efficiency of scoring, the strength of the competition –Dennis Scott’s 1990 season is one of the great scoring seasons in college basketball history.
Is there another season in the ACC to compare to it? I think there are a few. Here are the ones that stand out to me:
- 1962, Len Chappell, 30.1 PPG, 59.8 TS%, 34th of 178
- 1966, Bob Lewis, 27.4 PPG, 59.8 TS%, 10th of 181
- 1971, Charlie Davis, 26.5 PPG, 56.4 TS%, 13th of 203
- 1975, David Thompson, 29.9 PPG, 57.5 TS%, 1st of 234
- 1990, Dennis Scott, 27.7 PPG, 59.3 TS%, 14th of 292
- 1991, Rodney Monroe, 27.0 PPG, 57.4 TS%, 23rd of 295
- 1992, Walt Williams, 26.8 PPG, 59.5 TS%, 45th of 298
- 2006, JJ Redick, 26.8 PPG, 63 TS%, 6th of 326
- 2013, Erick Green, 25.0 PPG, 59.2 TS%, 49th of 347
Looking at the list, I think the best seasons in addition to Scott are Chappell, Lewis, Thompson, and Redick, in no particular order.
That 1990 team was the famous “Lethal Weapon 3” Georgia Tech team with Scott, Kenny Anderson, and Brian Oliver that won the ACC Tournament and made it to the Final Four. Scott had some monster games along the way, including 40 in the regional final against Minnesota to send the Jackets to the Final Four. Everyone remembers how UNLV destroyed Duke in the final that year, but do you remember the semifinal? Georgia Tech was not intimidated. Scott had 20 in the first half, and the Jackets led 53-46. In the second half, Stacey Augmon tightened the defense on Scott. UNLV made an early run to grab the lead and went on to win by nine.
Scott wasn’t a one-year wonder either. He was the ACC Rookie of the Year in 1988, and averaged 20 PPG in 1989, yet somehow failed to make All-ACC, finishing behind the likes of Steve Bucknall and Kevin Madden. He is still all over the ACC record books. Highest scoring average (27.7) in a season since David Thompson in 1975; most points (970) in a single season; most three-pointers (11) in a game; third in career three-pointers made (and in only three seasons), 351; 11th in career three-point percentage (42.2%); most three-pointers (3.6) made per game, career; longest streak (69) of consecutive games with a three-pointer; second-most three-pointers in a season (137). I mentioned in the Trajan Langdon post that Scott is, in my opinion, the greatest three-point shooter in ACC history.
I’m not sure Scott received the recognition he deserved nationally for his accomplishments. He made second team All-American in 1990, which seems like an injustice considering how great a season he had. Then again, when you look at who did make it, it’s hard to see who you would leave off. The Sporting News named him their national player of the year. He may have suffered from some vote splitting, considering how good Anderson and Oliver were. And the timing of the vote probably hurt him as well; both the AP and UPI at the time voted before the conference tournaments.