Our first semifinal pits top seeded David Piper (Addicted to Quack) up against the fifth seeded, two-headed monster in Mark Sandritter and Jeff Nusser (CougCenter). Below are the rosters, followed by commentary from the respective owner:
David Piper
Head Coach – Pete Newell, California
Guard – Terrell Brandon, Oregon
Guard – Harold Miner, USC
Guard – Andre Miller, Utah
Guard – Aaron Brooks, Oregon
Forward – Luke Jackson, Oregon
Forward – Greg Ballard, Oregon
Forward – Keith Van Horn, Utah
Forward – Adam Keefe, Stanford
Center – Sidney Wicks, UCLA
Center – Brook Lopez, Stanford
David’s Take:
Obviously, all of these teams are filled with great players, but none are as versatile as mine. At the guard spots, I have two of the best all-time scorers at guard in Terrell Brandon and Harold Miner, who both averaged over 27 PPG a game, but Brandon and Andre Miller are also two of the better distributors in league history, while Aaron Brooks is lightning quick and has an unlimited range. Miller and Brandon, two of the better all-around guards not only in college, but in the NBA over the last two decades, are both fantastic defenders as well. In the frontcourt, three of the forwards are 20/10 guys while the fourth is one of the best all-around forwards in league history. Keith Van Horn nearly won a national title at Utah, and has the ability to go inside out, while Adam Keefe was a physical banger at Stanford who went for 26-12 his senior year. Greg Ballard’s was the equal of Marques Johnson, drafted two rounds earlier, he just didn’t have the name “UCLA” on his jersey, and Luke Jackson was a triple-double waiting to happen who could score from anywhere on the floor and once had 39 straight in a game. At center, Sidney Wicks was a national player of the year who won a national title at UCLA while, Brook Lopez is a 20/10 seven footer. My team has four first-team All-Americans (Miller, Van Horn, Jackson, and Wicks) and two national players of the year (Wicks and Van Horn).
But, most importantly, there isn’t a thing this team cannot do. I can put out guard combinations that score at the rim, from three, or distribute. I can put in posts who will score back to the basket, or hit jump shots. Only Brooks isn’t a great rebounder or defender; everyone else is plus in both areas. Oh, and they are coached by national champion Pete Newell, who, if not for health reasons, would be the greatest coach ever (and is the only coach in conference history to have a winning record over John Wooden).
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.
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Voting begins now and will close at 6:00 PM PT on Tuesday. The winner is off to the championship, where it will face the winner of our next semifinal matchup between Adam Butler and Connor Pelton.
Good luck to all, and happy voting.