Yesterday we unveiled our RTC Pac-12 All-Freshmen and All-Transfer teams. Tomorrow, we’ll release our All-Conference teams. And on Friday, just before the first games tip off, we’ll have the results of our preseason conference poll. Today, we will have a little fun though and unveil our specialty teams, ranging from our Gary Payton All-Defensive team, to our Jorge Gutierrez All-Glue team to our Russell Westbrook All-Dunktastic Team. Enjoy. And feel free to let us know where we screwed up.
The Gary Payton Pac-12 Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: T.J. McConnell, Arizona
He won’t wow you with his athleticism or make opponents look silly with soul-crushing blocks or quick-handed steals, but McConnell is the consummate veteran who is always in the right place at the right time, funneling opponents toward long-armed and intimidating opponents. Sure, McConnell probably gets this award because he plays on a team with so many other terrific defenders (Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Stanley Johnson can destroy opponents with their athleticism, while Brandon Ashley and Kaleb Tarczewski are capable rim-protectors), but he’s a fundamentally-minded defender who always makes things difficult on opponents.
Joining McConnell on the All-Defensive Team are:
- Delon Wright, Sr, Utah
- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Soph, Arizona
- Shaquielle McKissic, Sr, Arizona State
- Norman Powell, Sr, UCLA
The Jorge Gutierrez Honorary Pac-12 All-Glue Team
- T.J. McConnell, Sr, Arizona
- Norman Powell, Sr, UCLA
- Delon Wright, Sr, Utah
- Tyrone Wallace, Jr, California
- Anthony Brown, Sr, Stanford
There are a couple of overarching themes among the members of this team: these are upperclassmen who also appeared on our All-Defensive team. The reason for these corresponding traits is simple. By the time a player has been around the league a few times, they know the ins and outs of the game and are more capable of influencing action in a wide variety of ways. One of those ways is by being a disruptive force on the defensive end, as McConnell, Powell and Wright are each known to do. The five players on this team have the combination of intelligence, motor and versatility that helps make their teammates better.
The Russell Westbrook Memorial All-Dunktastic Team
- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Soph, Arizona
- Stanley Johnson, Frosh, Arizona
- Norman Powell, Sr, UCLA
- Tyrone Wallace, Jr, California
- Jordan Bell, Frosh, Oregon
Hollis-Jefferson and Johnson each earned a couple of first-place votes among our five voters, but RHJ appeared on every ballot, earning him the preseason title of conference dunk king. Wallace earned the other first-place vote. Meanwhile, Oregon freshman Jordan Bell nudged out Shaquielle McKissic at the wire to earn early recognition in his career. Between he and frontcourt mate Elgin Cook, the Ducks should be plenty fun to watch for their rim-rattling ways this year.
The Steve Kerr Dead-eye Shooter Team
- Anthony Brown, Sr, Stanford
- Joseph Young, Sr, Oregon
- Jabari Bird, Soph, California
- Jonathan Gilling, Sr, Arizona State
- Chasson Randle, Sr, Stanford
The four players on this team not named Joseph Young combined to shoot 40 percent from three-point range and 76.4 percent from the free throw line last season. Young thinks those numbers are cute. He drilled 41.5 percent of his threes and 88.1 percent of his free throws, not to mention another 52.8 percent of his two-point attempts. At the end of the year, he thought those numbers were a little disappointing. So, how did he finish second in the voting for this team, behind Stanford’s Brown. Ay-yi-yi. I wish I had a good answer for you.
The Nate Robinson All-Excitement Squad
- Delon Wright, Sr, Utah
- Stanley Johnson, Frosh, Arizona
- Chasson Randle, Sr, Stanford
- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Soph, Arizona
- Askia Booker, Sr, Colorado
It’s not always good. It’s not always bad. But it sure is exciting. These were some of the traits Robinson brought to the Huskies back in his day (as did Isaiah Thomas and Tony Wroten during theirs, for that matter), and these are some of the traits that this group brings to the floor with them. Some of the upperclassmen on this team are a little more fundamentally sound than the youngsters, but every one of these guys is capable of doing something “wow”-inducing at a moment’s notice.