College Football 2011: South Carolina Players I'd Want on My Basketball Team
With South Carolina point guard Bruce Ellington deciding to play football for coach Steve Spurrier, I started to think about the sports situation at USC (specifically the basketball team), and I came up with a perfect solution: Make a basketball team out of the football players!
Now, I don't know if they can shoot...or dribble...or really do anything basketball-oriented...but for fun, who would be on my team?
PG: Connor Shaw, QB
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Connor is quick, fast and, given that he is a quarterback, could probably pass a basketball. He has a pretty good frame and at 6'1" has good size.
He would probably be a pass first point guard, and I appreciate a traditional point guard much more than a scoring one.
SG: Stephon Gilmore, CB
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Stephon Gilmore is one of the most athletic players on the football team. He is a quick and intelligent player and has good jumping ability. At 6'2" he also has good height.
Another plus...a coach always wants to have guards that are versatile. With Stephon's quarterback background, he could be capable of running the 1 and the 2 spots, which could be helpful.
SF: Alshon Jeffery, WR
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Alshon Jeffery, jump ball master, and one of the best wide receivers in college football, would make an awesome small forward, LeBron James style. Fast, strong and built like a tank, Jeffery could out-rebound and out-hustle the opposition.
This is probably the player that I most likely see ACTUALLY being a good ballplayer (no offense to the other guys).
PF: Devin Taylor, DE
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At 6'7", Devin Taylor is the tallest (and possibly most intimidating) player on South Carolina's roster. So why isn't he at center? Well, simply, his speed and freakish athleticism leads him to a more Pau Gasol/Chris Bosh/Amar'e Stoudemire type of play.
Beside Alshon Jeffery, this player would be the one I'd think most likely to be a good basketball player. He is such a smooth athlete that he would be an imposing figure on the basketball court.
Darrin Horn, get on the phone! Offer Spurrier a trade! Bruce for Devin?
C: Travian Robertson
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The big man...Travian Robertson. At 6'4", he is a little short to be playing center...but with 298 pounds of pure athlete, I am sure he could make it work. He is an athletic defensive tackle, one who has played well and has shown himself to have good quickness and footwork...something a center could use.
I am not sure about his vertical leap, however...that could be an issue. Robertson could be a big banger, however. Imagine watching this guy go up for a dunk (or layup, depending on that vertical!).
Your Starting Five
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Strengths: Speed, quickness, power and athleticism
Weaknesses: Size (height), vertical jump (other than Alshon and Stephon) and general basketball ability (unknown)
Who knows? Maybe this starting five could give VCU, Butler, UConn or Kentucky a run for its money!
But not without a bench...
The Bench
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PG: Bryce Sherman, WR
SG: Marcus Lattimore, RB
SF: D.L. Moore, WR
PF: Chaz Sutton, DE
C: Byron McKnight, DE
So here are my thoughts on the bench...
Bryce Sherman is your typical speed point guard. Very quick. I would guess that he would be the shoot first type of guard who would be a nice complement to Connor Shaw.
Lattimore, while possibly the best football player on the team, would make an excellent backup shooting guard. His speed, aggressiveness and strength would make him a beast to take down on drives.
D.L. Moore is basically an unrefined clone of Alshon Jeffery. Who better to be his backup?
Chaz Sutton has speed and strength. He may not be particularly coordinated, so I would put him at the deep bench level.
Byron McKnight, a player not used much on the football team at this point, would add some size to the bench and could add a couple of fouls to the team...the guy is athletic, so he could contribute.
