Woodling: Jayhawks lead way on mythical Big 12 team
With 95 games down and one to go, here’s my retrospective on the Big 12 Conference men’s basketball race in an all-league format.
All-Big 12 Team
Nick Collison, Kansas
Hollis Price, Oklahoma
Kirk Hinrich, Kansas
T.J. Ford, Texas
Michel Morandais, Colorado
Note: Morandais came out of nowhere to claim the fifth slot, edging Missouri’s Rickey Paulding and Arthur Johnson, and league scoring leader Andre Emmett of Texas Tech.
All-Freshman Team
Antoine Wright, Texas A&M
Kevin Bookout, Oklahoma
Brad Buckman, Texas
Jimmy McKinney, Missouri
De’Angelo Alexander, Oklahoma
Note: It would be nice to call this one of the great Big 12 freshman crops, but that wouldn’t be accurate.
All-Newcomer Team
Ricky Clemons, Missouri
Tony Allen, Oklahoma State
Andrew Drevo, Nebraska
Jeff Graves, Kansas
Jackson Vroman, Iowa State
Note: Vroman, apparently tired of all the bad-hair cracks, had a haircut last week.
All-United Nations Team
Gilson DeJesus, Kansas State (Brazil)
Michel Morandais, Colorado (French West Indies)
Stephane Pelle, Colorado (Cameroon)
Robert Tomaszek, Texas Tech (Poland)
Jozsef Szendrei, Oklahoma (Hungary)
Note: Pelle typified the Buffs. He played like Tarzan at home and like Jane on the road.
All-Lord of the Rings Team
Andrew Drevo, Nebraska
Bronsen Schliep, Nebraska
Adam Bohac, Nebraska
Garth Glissman, Nebraska
John Turek, Nebraska
Note: Frodo and Gandolf might not want to go to the two towers with these guys, though.
All-Mr. President Team
Marcus Jefferson, Iowa State
Quentin Buchanan, Kansas State
T.J. Ford, Texas
Josh Washington, Texas Tech
David Harrison, Colorado
Note: As far as I know, the Big 12 never has had a player named Millard Fillmore.
All-Pretty-Good-Player-on-Bad-Team Team
Jared Homan, Iowa State
Bernard King, Texas A&M
Antoine Wright, Texas A&M
Pervis Pasco, Kansas State
Andrew Drevo, Nebraska
Note: Pasco would be a great player if he had a shot.
All-Three-Point Shooter Team
Kirk Hinrich, Kansas
Hollis Price, Oklahoma
Gilson DeJesus, Kansas State
Blair Wilson, Colorado
Rickey Paulding, Missouri
Note: If I need a three-point goal, I want Price or Hinrich to shoot it.
All-Southpaw Team
Keith Langford, Kansas
Bernard King, Texas A&M
Travon Bryant, Missouri
Gilson DeJesus, Kansas State
Nick Collison, Kansas
Note: Yeah, I know Collison is right-handed, but he can shoot left-handed, too.
All-Season Interrupted Team
Wayne Simien, Kansas
Jake Muhleisen, Nebraska
Nick Valdez, Texas Tech
Chris Alexander, Iowa State
Mookie Wright, Colorado
Note: Simien and Muhleisen both suffered season-ending injuries. Valdez and Alexander took hikes in February. Wright didn’t come into CU’s good graces until late February.
All-Underrated Team
Blair Wilson, Colorado
Quannas White, Oklahoma
Jabahri Brown, Oklahoma
James Thomas, Texas
Keith Langford, Kansas
Note: Put these five guys on the floor at the same time, and you surely wouldn’t be embarrassed.
All-Overrated Team
David Harrison, Colorado
Andre Emmett, Texas Tech
Jake Sullivan, Iowa State
Lawrence Roberts, Baylor
Ebi Ere, Oklahoma
Note: Ere’s late-season tailspin has been perhaps the league’s biggest mystery.
All-Seven-Foot-Suspects Team
Tomas Ress, Texas A&M
Andy Slocum, Texas A&M
Frans Steyn, Oklahoma State
Andrew Skoglund, Iowa State
Brian Conklin, Nebraska
Note: These guys aren’t much on the floor, but they look terrific in airports.