Good offseason fodder.
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...vote-best-college-basketball-teams-never-were
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...vote-best-college-basketball-teams-never-were
Best college basketball team that never was? You decide
- Thread starter dukiejay
- Start date
I'll start the homer train by saying the final two should be Duke and UK 2010-2012. But if they're going to include Wall for UK, Duke's 5 should've been from 2013-2015. I know Ingram is included because he's about to be in the draft, but if guys were still in school, a 2013-2015 Duke roster would've included KI, Rivers and Hood and those three would've replaced Jones, Ingram and maybe Winslow in the starting group and would surpass that 2010-2012 UK bunch. JMHO.
KI
Rivers
Hood
Parker
Okafor
No one better in the one and done era.
KI
Rivers
Hood
Parker
Okafor
No one better in the one and done era.
I'm with you. The UK team that would overlap the Wall/Cousins and Davis groups would be solid, but I would take a squad with Okafor, Parker, Jones, Winslow, Ingram, and company over ANYONE.
Duke 1999-2000 Jay Williams, Elton Brand, Corey Maggette, Shane Battier, William Avery, Mike Dunleavey, Boozer. On and on. No oads but what could have been. There were several 2 and throughs.
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I wonder if a Duke team in their prime consisting of Hurley, JJ, Laettner, Battier and Grant Hill could beat them. OFC
2017 takes the cake for me:
Tyus Jones, JR
Brandon Ingram, SO
Justise Winslow, JR
Jabari Parker, SR
Jahlil Okafor, JR
Frank Jackson, FR
Grayson Allen, JR
Jayson Tatum, FR
Harry Giles, FR
Amile Jefferson, SR
Luke Kennard, SO
Matt Jones, SR
Javin DeLaurier, FR
Chase Jeter, SO
Marques Bolden, FR
1st-round projections: 10.. Parker, Okafor, Winslow, Jones, Ingram, Giles, Tatum, Allen, Bolden, Jackson
Tyus Jones, JR
Brandon Ingram, SO
Justise Winslow, JR
Jabari Parker, SR
Jahlil Okafor, JR
Frank Jackson, FR
Grayson Allen, JR
Jayson Tatum, FR
Harry Giles, FR
Amile Jefferson, SR
Luke Kennard, SO
Matt Jones, SR
Javin DeLaurier, FR
Chase Jeter, SO
Marques Bolden, FR
1st-round projections: 10.. Parker, Okafor, Winslow, Jones, Ingram, Giles, Tatum, Allen, Bolden, Jackson
Would never work, NOT ENOUGH BALLS TO GO AROUND!!!!!!! Also way to many scholarships, got to cut a couple guys.
Pretty filthy to see those names all joking aside.
In this scenario, Amile probably wouldn't have the option of having his scholarship renewed for a fifth-year. And maybe we don't offer DeLaurier because we're super picky, five-star recruits only. Sorry Javin.. And if you're wondering about Matt, he gets to keep his scholly only because he's a senior. This is an exclusive 5-star only team; Matt was fortunate enough to become an honorary member.
Another scenario would be that 2 of the players could be considered "walk-ons".
I forget the year but that Maryland team with Lucas, Benard King, was also supposed to get Moses Malone if didn't go straight to the pros. Buck Williams and Moses down low and the stable of scorers they had over thoses years would have been if nothing else a lot of fun to watch and a lot more UNC losses....
Yeah, I chuckled at the fact that it was a hypothetical"if they all stayed" scenario, and the UNC example was basically a team that did exist.
Kyrie never would have been teammates with Okafor. His senior year would have been 2014, meaning he would have missed Jah and company by a year.
Which is why I chose the parameters of 2013-2015 which also doesn't include Ingram. I'll take having KI and Rivers over just having Ingram.
I don't believe ESPN is comprising the best what-if teams the way you are outlining them, dukehokie. They speculate what teams could have been formed if OAD players stayed for three years. Duke 2014-2016 was used as an example, which was just naming all the OAD players that played during those three years. But the players would need to have overlapping years where they could have been on the same team, so it's essentially the what-if 2016 Duke team. The Kentucky team of 2010-2012 is essentially what could have been the 2012 UK team if everyone stayed.
The 2013-2015 Duke team, the way I interpret it, would only include players that played between the years of 2013, 2014, 2015. This means KI and Rivers would not be eligible for that team since they already left the program (again, the 2013-2015 is basically just the 2015 team if everyone stayed). ESPN is projecting these guys staying 3 years like baseball, so Irving would only go out to 2013. The 2011-2013 Duke team then would be Irving, Rivers, Curry, Cook, Kelly, MP2.
Well in this hypothetical situation, Kyrie would've pulled an Amile because he knew he needed 5 years of eligibility. Bam. Done.