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.