The College Dream Team

My NCAA Fave Five

March 26, 2008

Skimming through the NCAA tournament’s first two rounds, I got the idea of writing a column on this year’s best draft prospects. About two seconds later, I realized that about ten thousand bloggers had probably had the same idea – not counting the professional and semi-professional draftnik-websites that overpopulate the web.

So I decided to go a different route. Since I play basketball myself, I was trying to figure out who of these guys on TV I would most like to have on my team. Unfortunately, this is never going to happen but you can always dream, right? Thus I proudly present (with lots of apologies for the awful pun) my College Dream Team!

1. My point guard has to be someone who can penetrate at will, thus forcing the opposing defenders to collapse and create space for everyone else including me. Since he has got the ball in his hands most of the time and has the main responsibility for running the show, he should also be one hell of a cool guy. The one that immediately comes to mind is Derrick Rose from Memphis. Not only does he get anywhere he wants to on the court and defenders just bounce off him but Rose looks completely unfazed by what’s going on around him. In fact, he only seems to have a single facial expression that he puts on every morning. I’ll take him.

2. At shooting guard, I’d like a guy that really sticks to the job description and doesn’t clog the lane. Stephen Curry, son of former NBA player Dell Curry, is my man. The Davidson star can hit from 27 feet and beyond and also has a highly developed mid-range game. Curry also has the added bonus of being rail-thin and having a baby-face devoid of any hint of facial hair. So, opposing teams are going to underestimate him and initially leave him open. It’s always good to have such a guy on your team.

3. At small forward, I am not looking for a dominant scorer but somebody who is an amazing athlete that crushes the offensive glass and can slash to the hoop on occasion. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute fits the bill to perfection. He doesn’t have to score to impact the game, he defends the opposing team’s best player and he has got the coolest name in basketball. Luc also happens to be a prince in his native Cameroon and some royalty on the roster can’t be a bad thing. He may be injured at the moment but my Dream Team will only start playing once he has recovered. He’s in.

4. Power forward was the hardest choice as it is also my least favourite position. In the end I opted for the second Memphis guy on this list: Joey Dorsey. Dorsey is not a skilled basketball player but at 6-9 and 260 lbs, he doesn’t have to be. All he has to do is harass, bully and scare the other team’s players until they are too afraid to enter the paint or to go after a loose ball. And if I get fouled hard, I know that Joey will have my back. Dorsey has also shown that he is a big-time trash talker, calling out Greg Oden before their teams met in last year’s NCAA Elite Eight. While that turned out to be not a particularly good idea, every team absolutely needs an over-confident bully. He’s mine.

5. At center, I am feeling the love. I despise variety so I am going with my second UCLA star, 6-10 270 lbs freshman center Kevin Love. Love has plenty of savvy moves in the paint but he can also draw his defender out to the three-point line, opening up space for the other guys like myself. Watching his two-handed outlet passes is a thing of beauty and I’d love to be on the receiving end to go in for easy lay-ups. Plus: wouldn’t it be sweet to have guys called “Love” and “Rose” on your squad? Even girls would watch us!

Now, with my dream team assembled, I only have one more thing to ponder. What on earth is my role on the team? But there’s a solution for everything. I am going to fill the one, glaring void this team still has: the token foreign guy waving a towel on the bench, screaming and cheering with a funny accent.

Oh, and if you are indeed curious about my candidate for No.1 in the upcoming draft, it’s the No.1 on my own team: Derrick Rose. Michael Beasley may seem like the safe choice but Rose looks like a player who is going to lead one lucky franchise to the promised land. I may be wrong but in the end: who cares? After all, it’s not my job that is in danger if I pick the wrong guy…

- Ole

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Created by: Ole