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.