2003 Top 50 List: Yes, both
Dan Collins List: No for both
The class of 1974 had four outstanding big men: Bobby Jones, Len Elmore, Tom Burleson, and Tom McMillen. All four of them clearly belong in the Top 100, but it’s challenging to differentiate them. Here’s how they stack up:
1972:
| Player | Points | Rebounds | All-ACC | All-America | Other |
| Burleson | 21.3 | 14.0 | 178 points (1st) | ||
| Elmore | 10.8 | 11.0 | 69 points (2nd) | ||
| Jones | 10.2 | 6.3 | |||
| McMillen | 20.8 | 9.6 | 198 points (1st) | 3-AP, UPI |
1973:
| Player | Points | Rebounds | All-ACC | All-America | Other |
| Burleson | 17.9 | 12.0 | 238 points (1st) | 2-USBWA; 3-NABC, UPI | ACC Tourney MOP |
| Elmore | 10.0 | 11.2 | 84 points (2nd) | ||
| Jones | 15.0 | 10.5 | 163 points (2nd) | ||
| McMillen | 21.2 | 9.8 | 212 points (1st) | 2-NABC, UPI; 3-AP |
1974:
| Player | Points | Rebounds | All-ACC | All-America | Other |
| Burleson | 18.1 | 12.2 | 163 points (2nd) | 2-UPI; 3-AP, NABC | ACC Tourney MOP |
| Elmore | 14.6 | 14.7 | 195 points (1st) | 2-AP, USBWA, NABC, UPI | |
| Jones | 16.1 | 9.8 | 209 points (1st) | 2-AP, USBWA, NABC, UPI | |
| McMillen | 19.4 | 10.0 | 160 points (2nd) | 2-NABC, UPI; 3-AP |
If you’re interested in the results of their head-to-head matchups during those three years, that goes like this:
- NC State vs. Maryland: 6-2
- NC State: vs. UNC: 7-2
- Maryland vs. UNC: 4-4
(Of course, Burleson had a little help…)
While it’s all very close, I think you have to give McMillen and Burleson a slight edge over Elmore and Jones, based on what they did as sophomores and juniors. Picking between Elmore and Jones… there’s just not much to go on there. Their credentials are really, really similar. My gut says that Jones was just a hair better. It seems like his best was a little better than Elmore’s best.
Jones ranks 9th in career FG% in the ACC. He and Duke’s Carroll Youngkin are the only players to lead the league in that category three times.
All four were drafted in the first 13 picks of the 1974 NBA draft. Jones went on to have a Hall of Fame NBA career and is considered one of the greatest defensive players of all time; the other three had OK-but-not-special pro careers.