Our second matchup of the summer pits fourth seeded Andy Wooldridge (Building the Dam) up against the five seed, two-headed monster in Mark Sandritter and Jeff Nusser (CougCenter). The winner of this matchup will meet David Piper, who won our first game, in the semifinals. Below are the rosters, followed by commentary from the respective owner:
Andy Wooldridge
- Head Coach – Sean Miller, Arizona
- Guard – Byron Scott, Arizona State
- Guard – Kevin Johnson, California
- Guard – Lionel Hollins, Arizona State
- Guard – Lester Conner, Oregon State
- Forward – A.C. Green, Oregon State
- Forward – Detlef Schrempf, Washington
- Forward – David Meyers, UCLA
- Forward – Jim Barnett, Oregon
- Center – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, UCLA
- Center – Lonnie Shelton, Oregon State
Andy’s Take:
I had the opportunity to put not only the best post player in the history of the Pac, and quite possibly also the NBA on the floor, so it made sense to surround Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with a cast of players designed to support him, and also to do so night in and night out, and regardless of the strategy employed against them. In Kevin Johnson, we have fill it up scoring ability that will discourage anyone from just packing it in, to deny the entry. Byron Scott brings proven ability to score or distribute. A.C. Green can run the floor, but can also play the opposite side of the floor from wherever we choose to post Abdul-Jabbar up. Detlef Schrempf can rebound as well as score, either as a primary option or working off the boards, and both David Meyers and Jim Barnett can shoot over any defensive back line that doesn’t step out to them.
In the backcourt, Lionel Hollins can also play a variety of styles, capitalizing on whatever the opponent’s weakness is. Lester Conner was best known for his defense (hence the nickname “The Molester”), but also led a Pac-10 conference winning team in scoring and rebounding from the guard position, as well as in steals. And if an opponent wants to try to out-physical this team inside, big Lonnie Shelton can take care of that idea. The team can challenge anyone defensively as well as offensively, and as the numerous long and productive NBA careers many of these players had demonstrate, they know how to play the game over the long haul.
A team that is versatile and also loaded with a variety of personality types needs a flexible coach, and in Sean Miller, we have a leader who has demonstrated his ability to adapt to the talent at hand (and there’s certainly plenty of it on the roster). Miller has a tremendous number of options about how to match up with a variety of quality opponents, and won’t hesitate to change things up as needed.
Team CougCenter
- Head Coach – Mike Montgomery, Stanford/California
- Guard – Jason Kidd, California
- Guard – Andre Iguodala, Arizona
- Guard – Eddie House, Arizona State
- Guard – Darren Collison, UCLA
- Forward – Marques Johnson, UCLA
- Forward – Ryan Anderson, California
- Forward – David Greenwood, UCLA
- Forward – Josh Childress, Stanford
- Center – Andrew Bogut, Utah
- Center – Mel Counts, Oregon State
CougCenter’s Take:
If you are looking for a team with depth across the board, too many accolades to count and eye-popping statistics, this is the team for you. Here is a quick rundown of what the 10 players accomplished during their careers:
- Two National Player of the Year Awards
- Six Pac-10/12 Player of the Year awards
- Seven consensus All-Americans
- Nine NBA first round picks, including seven top 10 and four top three picks
- 16 NBA All-Star appearances
- Six NBA first-team appearances
- Five NBA championships
- 14 Pac-10/12 first-team appearances
- Three gold medals
To direct the attack, we have possibly the best point guard in Pac-12 history in Jason Kidd. Kidd owns the Pac-12 record for assist average at 8.4 per game. He could do it all on the floor, evidenced by the fact he is the conference leader in career triple-doubles with four (Side note: He did that all in one season – three of them were in a span of three weeks!). Andre Iguodala joins Kidd as the only other player to have at least three career triple-doubles in conference history. He also is a lock-down defender, an area where Kidd was no slouch, either. Kidd — not someone like Gary Payton — holds both the Pac-10 single-season and career records for steals per game. Eddie House brings the scoring in the backcourt, averaging 23 PPG his final season. He is the author of a 61-point game, the highest in Pac-12 history. He also holds the conference record for most 40+ point games. Few guards in Pac-12 history could light it up the way House could. Darren Collison rounds out the backcourt as another complete point guard. A four-year starter at UCLA and one of the quickest guards in recent history.
The forwards are led by national player of the year Marques Johnson and two-time Pac-10 Player of the Year David Greenwood. Both players averaged a double-double their final college season. Johnson parlayed his skills into a third overall draft pick and five NBA all-star appearances. Better known now for his TV work, he is widely regarded as one of the best forwards in conference history. Ryan Anderson is one of the better scoring power forwards in the last 20 years, averaging 21.1 and 9.9 his final season. Josh Childress won Pac-10 Player of the Year honors for his all around play. Childress might be the best defensive small forward on any team.
The duo at center is unmatched. Andrew Bogut was a dominant college player, averaging 20.4 and 12.2 his final season en route to National Player of the Year honors and selection as the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. You might never have heard of Mel Counts, but he is quite frankly one of the best players in conference history – the seven-footer’s name is littered all over the Pac-12 record book. His career averages of 22.2 PPG and 15.4 RPG are both third in Pac-12 history. In his final season, Counts averaged 26.7 PPG and 16.9 RPG, both of which are the second-highest single season totals in conference history. Behind Abdul-Jabbar, Counts is the second most dominant center in Pac-12 history.
They are coached by one of the best in Pac-12 history. Mike Montgomery is a four-time Pac-12 coach of the year and two-time National Coach of the Year. His .654 winning percentage in conference is the fourth highest of any coach with 10 or more years.
As far as this matchup goes, our depth is too much to overcome. Counts cancels out Abdul-Jabbar like no other player in conference history can and the other nine players give CougCenter an advantage in scoring and rebounding. Here are the two teams’ averages during the player’s final college seasons:
CougCenter: 192.2 PPG, 91.1 RPG
Wooldridge: 184.7 PPG, 71.2 RPG
We hold a slight 7.5 PPG advantage but a 19.9 RPG advantage. How many teams dominate the boards and still lose? Not many.
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Voting begins now and will close at 12:00 PM PT on Thursday. The winner is off to the semifinals, where it will face David Piper’s team.
Good luck to all, and happy voting.