Tuesday, May 14, 2013

A 2000 Collegiate Men's Olympic Basketball Team

Continuing from my previous work of making up Olympic teams made up of college players, I'm now up to 2000. The group of eligible players wouldn't have been as stout from top to bottom as the 1992 and 1996 teams would have probably looked. By now skipping college altogether was becoming more common(Kobe Bryant and Jermaine O'Neal would have been seniors in 2000) and early entrants were as well.
But looking at the top college players here, I think this group would probably be a better "team" from top to bottom rather than a collection of stars. I think Coach K would have again been the coach, after getting Duke back to prominence from a lull in the mid-90s and he likely would have again brought several of his guys to enhance the team setting.

Starters

  • C Brendan Haywood (North Carolina)
  • PF Troy Murphy (Notre Dame)
  • F Shane Battier (Duke)
  • SG/SF Chris Carrawell (Duke)
  • PG Mateen Cleaves (Michigan State)
Bench
  • C Chris Mihm (Texas)
  • PF/C Kenyon Martin (Cincinnati) *
  • PF Marcus Fizer (Iowa State)
  • SF Morris Peterson (Michigan State)
  • SF/SG Tayshaun Prince (Kentucky)
  • SG/SF Courtney Alexander (Fresno State)
  • PG Jason Williams (Duke)
  • PG Speedy Claxton (Hofstra)




This would definitely have been an athletic team, with forwards with size, speed and agility. The only downside is there isn't that many true shooting guards besides Carrawell, but the versatile forwards like Prince and Battier, make up for it. And there quite a few good point guard candidates that didn't make the roster, A.J. Guyton and Scoonie Penn, were both first team All-Americans, plus there was Ed Cota and Khalid El-Amin too...
And I realize my teams are more star and All-American heavy that historical college Olympic teams. Quite a few of the stars wouldn't want to play, some guys wouldn't make it due to needing various role spots(Height, shooters, mid size defensive stopper, etc.) and there likely have been a couple true two guards. But I also figure that as the game became more international, kids would want that exposure for the future and its a combination of taking as many of the best players and filling roles.
No matter who would have made up the roster( if it were made up of college players), I think this group of players(as well as the options available in 1992 and 1996) would have continued USA Basketball's winning way in Olympic play. But 2004 might be a different story..

*- I'm assuming Kenyon Martin wouldn't have been able to make the team after breaking his leg during the Conference USA Tournament, but as the player of the year in college basketball, he would have definitely been a starter.

No comments:

Post a Comment