All Time College Basketball Team
You've already seen my All Time College Football Team, so here is my All Time College Basketball Team.
I stated in my All Time College Football Team article that college football is the purest form of football but, in all reality, college athletics are the greatest version of all sports. With that being said, here is my All Time College Basketball roster.
Head Coach: John Wooden, UCLA 1948-1975: The greatest college basketball coach and maybe the greatest college athletics coach to ever grace the Earth. In Wooden’s 27 years at UCLA he was 620-147 with 10 National Championship wins, 7 of which were from ‘66 to ‘73. Wooden also, coached and developed two of the NCAA’s and NBA’s best big men of all time, Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
G: “Pistol” Pete Maravich, LSU 1967-1970: A player averaging 44.2 points per game is absurd but, Pistol Pete did that before the three point line was invented. The best offensive player in college basketball history who had 56 40 point games in his career and recorded the most points in a single season with 1,381 in 1970. Maravich was a three time All American and the SEC Player of the Year.
G: Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Michigan State 1977-1979: Magic was a two time All American and a consensus All American who lead MSU to a National Championship win. He averaged, just under a triple double with 17.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game. In ‘79, when he lead the Spartans to a title, he was named the tournaments Most Valuable Player.
F: Christian Laettner, Duke 1988-1992: Laettner would probably find himself on a list of the most hated players of all time but, he deserves his spot in the all time staring 5. In his four seasons he brought the Blue Devils to the final four, four years in a row and back-to-back National Title wins. He was the National Collegiate Player of the Year, two time All American, and three time all ACC while averaging 16.6 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game. You may hate him but, I know you wish he played for your favorite college team.
F: Elvin Hayes, Houston 1965-1968: Hayes shining moment came when he led the Cougars to a National Title win over UCLA in 1968. That is not the lone reason he made this roster though. He averaged 31 points per game in his career to go with 17.2 rebounds. Elvin Hayes was also, a two time consensus All American. His biggest attribute to college basketball was breaking down the barrier of black college basketball players in southern universities.
C: Lew Alcindor, UCLA 1966-1969: Before he was Kareem, he was Lew Alcindor and was the most dominant collegiate basketball player of all time on possibly, the greatest team of all time. In his career, Alcindor averaged 26.4 points per game and 15.5 rebounds per game. In his three years playing for the Bruins, he led them to three National Titles and in his first collegiate game scored 56 points. In addition to three titles, he was also named the NCAA Tournament MVP three times.
Bench: Bill Walton, UCLA 1971-1974: The second Bruin big man to be on this roster for a good reason. Walton averaged 20.3 points per game and 15.7 boards. He was a huge piece of the last few championship runs for the UCLA dynasty while being named National Collegiate Player of the Year three times from 1972-1974. With Walton as the Bruins star, UCLA had two undefeated seasons and an unbreakable, 88 game winning streak.
Bench: Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1957-1960: The “Big O” went to two National Championship games but, could never seal the deal for himself and the Bearcats but, that’s not enough to keep him off this list. Robertson averaged 33.8 points per game and 15.2 rebounds per game. He also, found himself as a three time consensus All American. Even the National Basketball Hall of Fame called him “the best all-around player in the history of college basketball.”
Bench: Larry Bird, Indiana State 1976-1979: Birds arch nemesis Magic Johnson is in the starting 5 so its only fitting that Bird makes this roster. Bird averaged a double double in his college career with 30.3 points per game and 13.3 rebounds per game. He carried itty bitty Indiana State to a National Championship game where he lost to Magic’s Michigan State. He was also, a National Collegiate Player of the Year and a two time consensus All American pick.
Bench: Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina 2005-2009: What hasn’t Tyler Hansbrough done in his collegiate career? He is the first player in ACC history to be named All American and first team All ACC in all four years he played. Hansbrough is the Tar Heels all time leading scorer, rebounder, and a National Champion. The most unreal record Hansbrough holds is his career free throw record of 982 made.
Bench: Ralph Sampson, Virginia 1979-1983: For Ralph Sampson, his awards as a Cavalier speak volumes about his career. From 1981-1983 he was the National Collegiate Player of the year. The 7’4 Sampson is also a three time consensus All American which was definitely helped by his 3.5 blocks per game. Sampson closed his career as a Cavalier with 1,511 rebounds which places him fifth in that category amongst players since 1973.
Bench: Doug McDermott, Creighton 2011-2014: A lot of you may not like this but, deal with it because McDermott was one hell of a player for the Blue Jays. McDermott, opted to stay four years in college in the era of one and done players and he made those four years count. He was a three time consensus All American, he is fifth in all time points with 3,150, and has 135 career games with double digit points which is an NCAA record.
Bench: Michael Jordan, North Carolina 1981-1984: Jordan is the greatest player of all time in the NBA (and yes I said he is the GOAT) but, he doesn’t quite crack the starting five. He is a two time consensus All American and the 1984 National Collegiate Player of the Year. Jordans averages may not be as great as others on this list but, his defensive force is the reason he was an All American.
Bench: Bobby Hurley, Duke 1989-1993: Somewhat like Jordan, Hurley’s numbers don’t jump off the page but, Bobby Hurley was a phenomenal leader that held his two championship teams together. Hurley is the NCAA all time leader in career assists, a three time All ACC selection, and the 1992 tournament MVP.
Bench: JJ Redick, Duke 2002-2006: Redick is very Laettner esque in the way that non-Duke fans hate him. Redick is the purest shooter in college basketball history as he made 457 career three pointers. His 91.2 career free throw percentage is the best of any player to make 600. As a Blue Devil, he was a four time All ACC selection, a two time consensus All American, and became Dukes all time leading scorer. The one thing JJ could not accomplish was winning a National Championship.
Bench: Bill Russell, San Francisco 1953-1956: Russell is one of only five players to be apart of the 20-20 club, averaging 20.7 points per game and 20.3 rebounds per game. He also, carried San Francisco to back-to-back National Championship wins in ‘55 and ‘56.