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What is your UK All Defensive Team?

Ryan Lemonds Diary

Ryan Lemonds Diary

All-SEC
Apr 4, 2006
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If you could make up an all defensive team of current and/or former UK players who would it be? Mine would be...

C- Willie Cauley Stein
PF- Anthony Davis
SF- MKG
2G- Deandre Liggins
PG- Wayne Turner

Honorable Mention

Sam Bowie
Nerlens Noel
Rajon Rondo
Cliff Hawkins
 
Taking a player for each position, I'd chose these


Davis PF
Bowie C
MKG SF
Cliff Hawkins PG
Derek Anderson SG
 
C - Davis (6 on blocks list in just one season, plus, he good)
PF - Issel (all-time rebounds leader)
SF- Tayshaun Prince (long arms, I don't care if this is his natural position or not)
SG - Delk (2nd all-time steals leader and an offensive assassin)
PG - Wayne Turner (all-time steals leader)

Agree with OP's Honorable Mention. Liggins would be in my honorable mention section.
 
Davis
Bowie
MKG
Hawkins
Rondo


If Cal can play 3 point guards I can play 2...
 
Some of you leaving WCS off is an absolute crime. Not sure people realize how good his perimeter defense was.
 
Man I forgot how many good defenders we've had. How do you pick between Hawkins, Rondo, Turner, Delk, & Liggins at the 1 & 2?

MKG, Davis, & WCS make up my 3-5. Only remember to about '90.
 
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brianpoe said:
Which game? I dont recall Sam or AD going into witness protection some nights.
Click to expand...

Virtually every time we played a team with a top scoring guard he shut them down. Only time I remember last year a guy beating him on the dribble a little bit was Dekker, and since I refuse to watch that game again all I recall is Sam hitting a pretty difficult fade away runner and then maybe 1 or 2 other baskets on him. The rest of his points seemed to come when he was guarded by other players.

He shut down Kris Dunn (POTY candidate) last year and I remember him absolutely putting a clamp on K.T. Harell of Auburn in the tournament after he had come off 3 of his better games of the season. I remember him blocking Grant last year which knowing how that game went that shot probably goes in and we lose.

Yes, WCS didn't always bring his best effort, but that was primarily on offense, and whenever there was a challenge he brought it.
 
aceman509 said:
Virtually every time we played a team with a top scoring guard he shut them down. Only time I remember last year a guy beating him on the dribble a little bit was Dekker, and since I refuse to watch that game again all I recall is Sam hitting a pretty difficult fade away runner and then maybe 1 or 2 other baskets on him. The rest of his points seemed to come when he was guarded by other players.

He shut down Kris Dunn (POTY candidate) last year and I remember him absolutely putting a clamp on K.T. Harell of Auburn in the tournament after he had come off 3 of his better games of the season. I remember him blocking Grant last year which knowing how that game went that shot probably goes in and we lose.

Yes, WCS didn't always bring his best effort, but that was primarily on offense, and whenever there was a challenge he brought it.
Click to expand...


No doubt he was a specimen and was a great defender. I had to give big Sam some love.
 
I've been watching the 'Cats since 1954, and I don't remember Bowie being a particularly strong defender. I'd be interested to know what All-Defensive Teams Bowie was named on -- if any. Neither do I recall Issel ever playing any defense. He was certainly a tremendous rebounder, but IMHO a "defender" and a "rebounder" are apples and oranges.
 
brianpoe said:
No doubt he was a specimen and was a great defender. I had to give big Sam some love.
Click to expand...

Bowie was a freak of nature, no doubt. I admit I am clearly biased because I'm younger than most and don't remember anything pre-2000 (although I have gone back and watched pretty much every game since '95 and obviously seen the spare historic game here and there) but I think people criminally underrate how good WCS was on defense. He was a consensus first team all american averaging less than 10 ppg last season and that was for a reason. I'd arguably take him over AD on defense depending on what kind of team you are playing. If it is a guard heavy team, I for sure take WCS, otherwise AD gets the nod. I've never seen a guy with the ability to guard 1-5 like that, and the scary thing was he guarded the 1-3 positions better than the 4 and 5 positions. He was so elite at it that he got drafted in the top 10 just based off that alone.
 
ZenCatFan73 said:
Meh. IMHO he wasn't better than any of the big men on my list.
Click to expand...

He may not have the motor some others like MKG have but for a 7 footer to be able to shut down a guard is hard to fathom. I doubt there are many others who could other than AD and no others that have played here that I can recall.
 
aceman509 said:
Bowie was a freak of nature, no doubt. I admit I am clearly biased because I'm younger than most and don't remember anything pre-2000 (although I have gone back and watched pretty much every game since '95 and obviously seen the spare historic game here and there) but I think people criminally underrate how good WCS was on defense. He was a consensus first team all american averaging less than 10 ppg last season and that was for a reason. I'd arguably take him over AD on defense depending on what kind of team you are playing. If it is a guard heavy team, I for sure take WCS, otherwise AD gets the nod. I've never seen a guy with the ability to guard 1-5 like that, and the scary thing was he guarded the 1-3 positions better than the 4 and 5 positions. He was so elite at it that he got drafted in the top 10 just based off that alone.
Click to expand...


I dont care if they play 5 guards, WCS doesnt have near the instincts or the ability of Anthony Davis.

In fact, Noel was a much better interior defender than WCS, not quite as good on the perimeter.

WCS is at the bottom of the list of our AA's and as to the draft, wasn't impressed with the talent. When we have 2 guys who didnt start and didnt do that much go in the Top 13 it makes me wonder.

That said, this year's draft will make last year's look like 1984's.
 
Ripcord65 said:
I've been watching the 'Cats since 1954, and I don't remember Bowie being a particularly strong defender. I'd be interested to know what All-Defensive Teams Bowie was named on -- if any. Neither do I recall Issel ever playing any defense. He was certainly a tremendous rebounder, but IMHO a "defender" and a "rebounder" are apples and oranges.
Click to expand...
I don't know what you watched. Bowie was a great defender, not a good one.
 
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lots of good names here

here are some others for consideration - coming off the bench though:

G - Ravi Moss
G - Dale Brown
F - Chuck Hayes
F - Charles Hurt
F - Winston Bennett
 
Last year's team. I wouldn't take anyone out. Let's remember that for most of the season they had the greatest defensive season ever going.
 
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