College Basketball 2011-12: Picking Your Preseason All-American Teams
The 2011-12 college basketball season is still a ways away, but now that the field of early entrants for the 2011 NBA Draft is set, we can finally take an honest look at how the All-American teams might shake out.
With all the top-tier talent returning for another year in school, from Jared Sullinger to Terrence Jones to Harrison Barnes, there will be no shortage of electrifying stars to keep an eye for the most coveted honors in the sport, including the John R. Wooden Award and the James Naismith Award.
Add in some sensational seniors, like Pitt's Ashton Gibbs and Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor, and a few of the top incoming freshmen (Duke's Austin Rivers, Kentucky's Anthony Davis and Marquis Teague) and, well, narrowing the long list of candidates down to 15 players to populate the top three All-American teams becomes a rather difficult task.
Nonetheless, let's have a look at 15 guys who, based on their talent and their expected roles on their respective college clubs, could and should garner All-American honors at season's end.
Third Team: Josh Smith, UCLA
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This year's group of standouts will include plenty of sophomores, not the least of whom is Josh Smith.
The massive center for UCLA averaged 10.9 points and 6.3 rebounds as a freshman, and his game improved significantly during the course of his first year under Ben Howland.
With a summer dedicated to improving his feel in the post and his conditioning, Smith, who will also be getting plenty more touches now that Malcolm Lee and Tyler Honeycutt are gone, will be a force to be reckoned with in the newly-expanded Pac-12.
Third Team: Yancy Gates, Cincinnati
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Like the rest of the Cincinnati Bearcats, Yancy Gates took a significant step forward in his development while leading Mick Cronin's club back to the NCAA tournament for the first time in the coach's five-year tenure.
With fellow senior-to-be Dion Dixon by his side, Gates will be ready to take over the Big East as one of the conference's fiercest big men while mounting a challenge for the league's Player of the Year honors.
Third Team: Tyler Zeller, North Carolina
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North Carolina will have All-Americans up the wazoo, and Tyler Zeller might only be the third- or fourth-best one on the roster.
Nevertheless, the rising senior from Indiana looks poised to prove he was worth the hype coming out of high school after showing the world what he was capable of during his first fully healthy season in Chapel Hill.
Zeller averaged a sturdy 15.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks as a junior while helping to lift Roy Williams' Tar Heels back toward the top of the ACC.
Don't think he won't accomplish even more for his swan song.
Third Team: Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh
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It's tough to fault Ashton Gibbs too much for Pitt's repeated tournament shortfalls.
Gibbs averaged 16.8 points, 2.8 assists and 2.4 rebounds as a junior for Jamie Dixon's Panthers, though he managed only 11 points in the team's disappointing second-round loss to eventual runner-up Butler.
The team's leading scorer decided to return to school after testing the NBA draft waters and should have no problem getting his on a Panthers team that might be Dixon's best yet.
Third Team: Peyton Siva, Louisville
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Ashton Gibbs won't be the only newsworthy guard in the Big East this year.
Peyton Siva will be back at Louisville to help guide the Cardinals, a preseason top 10 favorite, back to the top of the Big East.
The pint-sized point from Seattle averaged 9.9 points, 5.2 assists and two steals while establishing himself as possibly the best lead guard in the Big East, if not one of the top three or four at the position in the entire country.
Second Team: Perry Jones, Baylor
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There were plenty of guys out there who shocked the world when they decided to forgo the 2011 NBA Draft for another year in school, though no one left more observers aghast than Perry Jones.
The ridiculously athletic and multitalented 6'11" forward logged 13.9 points and 7.2 rebounds for Baylor as a freshman, which actually left some pundits disappointed considering the astronomical expectations for a guy of his considerable abilities coming in.
Jones surely would have gone in the top two or three of this year's shallow draft, but the big kid from Duncanville, Texas apparently loved Waco and his teammates so much that he felt compelled to return (read: fear of an NBA lockout).
Either way, Scott Drew will have an embarrassment of riches with Jones at his disposal, though another "subpar" season might lead scouts to question whether he's worth such an early selection.
Second Team: John Henson, North Carolina
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Speaking of wiry big men who've left something to be desired since entering college as much-hyped freshmen, John Henson still has much to prove during his junior year at North Carolina.
The Tar Heels' 6'10" forward had solid averages of 11.7 points and 10.1 rebounds along with a breathtaking 3.2 blocks per game, thereby asserting himself as a defensive force of sorts in the ACC.
Henson is still rather lean at only 210 pounds, though a summer spent expanding his game and bulking up could have him ready for a truly explosive 2011-12 season for the preseason No. 1 team.
Second Team: Tyshawn Taylor, Kansas
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The Kansas Jayhawks will be a completely different team next season without the Morris twins and Josh Selby, who are sticking with the draft, and guards Brady Morningstar, Tyrel Reed and Mario Little will no longer be around after graduating.
If Bill Self's boys are to have any shot at an eighth straight Big 12 title, they'll need senior guard Tyshawn Taylor to step up in a big way.
Taylor will have every opportunity to improve his junior year averages of 9.3 points and 4.6 assists amongst a depleted but still talented team in Lawrence.
Second Team: Marquis Teague, Kentucky
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There are a number of big-time freshmen who have a shot to put up even bigger numbers once they hit the college hardwood, though Marquis Teague has arguably the best opportunity of all to do so.
The younger brother of Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague will be starting at the point from day one for a preseason top-two team that will feature three other five-star freshmen phenoms and a returning Terrence Jones in the front court.
And that's to say nothing of Teague's own considerable talents, for which he was ranked as the best point guard prospect in his high school graduating class nationally.
All of which adds up to him likely being the third straight one-and-done point guard for John Calipari at Kentucky.
Second Team: Austin Rivers, Duke
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As long as we're on the topic of surefire freshmen stars for the 2011-12 season, let's not forget about Duke's Austin Rivers.
The son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers may have to battle incumbent starter Seth Curry for some touches, though that should do little to deter the 6'5" guard, who was ranked by Scout.com as the second-best prospect in the high school class of 2011.
First Team: Terrence Jones, Kentucky
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Terrence Jones is just the first of three sophomores who will make First-Team All-America.
The versatile forward took his talents back to Kentucky after dipping his toes in the NBA draft waters and finding a spot in the mid-to-late lottery less than appetizing.
Jones, who chipped in 15.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.9 blocks to a Wildcats team that reached the Final Four, will be an "elder statesman" for John Calipari's club, which will be attempting to break in a fabulous freshman class to pick up for a number of key departures while remaining in the national championship picture.
First Team: Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
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Terrific as Terrence Jones was last season, Jared Sullinger was doing even bigger and better things for the Ohio State Buckeyes just a state north of where Jones' Wildcats reside.
The 6'9", 280-pound forward was an absolute load in the post and, well, just about everywhere else, leading Thad Matta's Buckeyes in scoring (17.2 points) and rebounding (10.2 rebounds) while making his name a legitimate one for National Player of the Year honors as a freshman.
The onus will be on Sullinger to carry Ohio State to a national title without the likes of Jon Diebler and David Lighty around to spread opposing defenses, though the Buckeyes will still have no shortage of talent with which to surround Sullinger in search of greater glory.
First Team: Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
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Rounding out the trio of tremendous returnees on the 2011-12 First Team is North Carolina's Harrison Barnes.
The fantastic freshman came on late for the resurgent Tar Heels, upping his stats to 15.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game by season's end, though he ultimately forfeited a shot at being the first player taken in the 2011 NBA Draft in pursuit of national title glory in Chapel Hill.
Look for the 6'8" swingman from Ames, Iowa to do his best Michael Jordan impression for the preseason pick to win it all at the 2012 Final Four in New Orleans.
First Team: Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin
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The All-American First Team will have its fair share of true veterans of the college game as well, including senior-to-be Jordan Taylor.
The native of Bloomington, Minnesota averaged 18.1 points, 4.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds for Wisconsin during the 2010-11 season, and he'll be relied upon more heavily than any single player during the Bo Ryan era to deliver the Badgers to the top of a deep Big Ten Conference.
First Team: Kenny Boynton, Florida
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Kenny Boynton may not be a name that strikes many as a potential Player of the Year candidate, but his name will be on the tip of most every tongue in the college basketball world by season's end.
The combo guard has averaged at least 14.0 points in each of his first two seasons at Florida and will be poised to put up even more as Florida's focus shifts to its backcourt without Vernon Macklin, Alex Tyus and SEC Player of the Year Chandler Parsons around to boost the Gators' front line.
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