THE TOP PLAYERS IN NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL
by Gerry Wang

_____I know what will happen to you guys when March Madness rolls around. You'll be watching early-round action, like Miami (Ohio) vs. Pittsburgh and find yourselves bored to death. Why? This is because, unlike the NBA, the players aren't too well-known, and aren't marketed to the point of insanity. You wouldn't expect to be seeing two future NBA stars battling one another in Wally Sczerbiak (Miami-Ohio) and Vonteego Cummings (Pittsburgh).

_____This is why I've prepared a list of the top players in the NCAAs that you should look out for. Hell, some of these guys won't even make it to the NCAA Tournament, but if you check out Sportscenter, you might see highlights of these unknown athletes and find yourselves marvelling.

_____I find certain aspects of college basketball is better than the NBA. There are no cocky millionaires in college ball. No trash-talkin, hip hop, rainbow-haired ballers. There are no labor disputes, no marriages to big-breasted women, no thuggery like choking your coach and throwing midgets through windows.

_____Yup, college ball is all about heart and hustle. The goal is to win. And you do it for free. If you trash-talk, you get a T. If you fight, your team forfeits. You disobey your coach, you're off the team.

_____In college basketball we find names like Scoony Penn, last names like Dickle and Dickau, a Baron (Davis) and Earl (Watson) in the same backcourt....... yes, NCAA ball is full of uniqueness.

_____The fans are rabid. They paint themselves and chant throughout the entire game, never ceasing to hop up and down, ala the Cameron Crazies of Duke.

_____In college ball, the mascot is in danger, witness the kidnapping of Stanford's Tree.

_____In college ball, rivalries are more passionate. We antagonize the other team, associating them with Satan. We find T-shirts cursing rival schools, like "SUC" for USC, and a lynched Bruin for UCLA.

_____In college ball, team names are much more original. The NBA has teams named the Heat and the Nuggets. College ball has teams like the Banana Slugs (UC Santa Cruz) and the Blue Devils (Duke).

_____But what I like most about college ball, which stands out most clearly from the NBA is the equal opportunity. Every team will have a few white guys who can't jump but hustle after the ball like they're possessed by a demon. Asians can even make the team. Not lying, Ma Jian was a solid contributor on Utah. There is a Korean dude on Cal-Berkeley's team. There are fat people who could make the team. Witness Robert "Tractor" Traylor from Michigan and Dametri Hill (Da Meat Hook) from Florida a few years back. Short dwarves like 5'5" Earl Boykins could become stars, as he did for Eastern Michigan.

_____All you need is talent. Not like the NBA, where veterans go out of their way to freeze out newcomers, and white guys are bagged on like crazy. NBA is a bunch of gangsta ballers who are very elitist. Yet we watch because it's flashy as hell, and NBA ballers can blow us away with their mad skillz.

_____But when the NCAA Basketball Tournament rolls around, there is no other playoff tournament in all of sports that creates more drama and suspense. You lose, and you're gone. If you're a high seed, it's a fate worse than death to lose to an inferior team. Legends are made in the NCAAs, and I can remember more memorable NCAAs moments than NBA Playoff moments.

_____So here's a list of players who are good, and whom you'll probably be hearing about when the NBA Draft comes in June or July or something. I'll sort them by team, so you can use this as a guide when you watch the Tournament on TV.

1.) DUKE
-> Trajan Langdon- this guy can pop off a screen and knock down a jumper better than anyone since Reggie Miller
-> Elton Brand- Big Boy! He is a musclehead who likes to dunk. Call him Baby Shaq
-> James Avery- I think he'll be a superstar point guard one day. Like Gary Payton

2.) UCONN
-> Richard Hamilton- he's a slasher with a deft outside touch
-> Khalid El-Amin- He blubbery roly-poly of a player that scurries all over the court and plays with intensity

3.) MARYLAND
-> Steve Francis- high-flying PG. Look for Steve Francis highlights whenever you see a Maryland highlight on TV
-> Terrence Morris- looks like a taller Sean Elliot, but this guys does everything with those long arms of his

4.) KENTUCKY
-> Scott Padgett- damn white guy, but he got game
-> Heshimu Evans- lefty scorer
-> Wayne Turner- did you know he graduated from HS the same year as Kevin Garnett??

5.) CINCINATTI
-> Melvin Levett- he truly believes he can fly, as does the rest of his teammates

6.) UCLA
-> Baron Davis- he's an awesome PG, plays awesome D, hits clutch shots
-> Jaron Rush- a Scottie Pippen prototype, who can rebound, very smooth
-> Dan Gadzuric/Jerome Moiso- they platoon the center spot, and both can take over games. Gadzuric is like Alonzo, Moiso is a left Hakeem.

7.) SYRACUSE
-> Etan Thomas- leads the Big East in blocks

8.) STANFORD
-> Michael Madsen- He plays like a muscled Tom Gugliotta
-> Tim Young- 7-footer
-> Arthur Lee- a clutch tournament player

9.) ARIZONA
-> Jason Terry- he'll win Pac-10 Player of the Year
-> A.J. Bramlett- a double double guy

10.) ARIZONA STATE
-> Eddie House- great scorer

11.) UNLV
-> Marion Jones- lottery pick for sure, he can hook a shot in from anywhere, plus he has mad dunks

12.) MIAMI (OHIO)
-> Wally Sczerbiak- a white boy baller, but he can play, and routinely schools black guys

13.) PITTSBURGH
-> Vonteego Cummings- a Sprewell type player

14.) RHODE ISLAND
-> Lamar Odom- he could be the first pick in the draft. He's 6'11" but he can handle the ball like a guard. Think a Kevin Garnett with Chris Webber skills and size.

15.) GEORGIA
-> Jumaine Jones- He is like Dominque Wilkins, and can play defense

16.) GEORGIA TECH
-> Alvin Jones- a shot blocking machine

17.) SETON HALL
-> Shaheen Holloway- solid PG

18.) NORTHWESTERN
-> Evan Eschmeyer- another lottery pick, except he plays on a loser team, a tall white guy-- expect a huge influx of tall white guys in the NBA in the future

19.) AUBURN
-> Chris Porter- oh my goodness this guy is awesome. He had the best tip in dunk I've ever seen. The ball was fall DOWN to the ground and he goes and stuffs it

20.) OHIO STATE
-> Scoony Penn- he is a great transition player

21.) MICHIGAN STATE
-> Mateen Cleaves- reigning Big 12 Player of the Year, he has a sweet touch and great leadership qualities

22.) MIAMI-FLORIDA
-> Tim James- their leading scorer

23.) TENNESSEE
-> Vincent Yarbrough- freshman high flyer
-> Tony Harris- a little general in their backcourt

24.) ARKANSAS
-> Derek Hood- rebounder and scorer

25.) OKLAHOMA STATE
-> Desmond Mason- another rebounder/scorer