3rd Team All-Americans
PG Isaiah Taylor, Texas, So.
I have trouble doing this because of the fact that he is out indefinitely. But, he recently said he is hoping to play their Big-12 opener. Taylor reminds me of Chris Paul, as he can get to the rim any time he wants. He averaged almost 13 points per game last year, and 4 assists per game, but he is ready to step into a new role and become the top player on a top 5 team. Texas just beat UConn without Taylor, which makes me wonder how good they can be with him. He gives them confidence, poise, quickness, defense and offense out on the floor, and they seem to be a top 10 team without him. I am looking forward to seeing him back on the floor, as he has become one of my favorite young guards in college basketball.
PG Delon Wright, Utah, Sr.
Delon Wright has become the definition of a stat-sheet stuffer, as he is a guy that fills out every portion of the box score. He accumulates blocks, steals, points, rebounds, assists, the list goes on and on. One thing that I really love about Wright is his size. He is a 6 foot 5 point guard, one of the biggest point guards in the country. This gives Utah flexibility at all positions, especially on defense. Because of his size and athleticism, Wright can guard point guards, shooting guards, and even smaller forwards when he needs to. All of these attributes make Delon Wright one of the top point guards in all of college basketball.
C Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky, Jr.
I have decided that a team as good as Kentcuky has to have at least one All-American, and previously I was set on Aaron Harrison. However, my opinion was completely changed when watching the Texas-Kentucky game. Texas played well, and Kentucky played well, but the star of the game was Willie Cauley-Stein. Cauley-Stein scored 21, or a third of Kentucky's 63 points, easily the most in the game. He had 12 of their 31 rebounds, over a third of their team rebounds. He also had 5 steals, more than half of their total, and 3 blocks, all but one of that total. And these stats don't even include the alteration of shots he caused throughout the game. Texas couldn't score in the paint, which really hurt their overall game.
PF Branden Dawson, Michigan State, Sr.
Branden Dawson is an incredible rebounder. He is not very tall (only 6 foot 6) but averaged more than 8 rebounds per game last year, and is averaging 9 per game this year. He is a very scrappy player. I always like stars who are willing to dive for loose balls and fight for rebounds. This is exactly the type of player Dawson is. Not to mention he can score as well. The thing that impresses me the most is his postseason stats last year. According to the Michigan State team website, Dawson "averaged 15.7 points and 8.1 rebounds in seven postseason games, shooting .681 from the field." This is very impressive, considering that most of these games were high-pressure and against very good teams.
SG Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia, Jr.
Brogdon may not have fantastic stats (just under 13 points per game so far this year), but that is mostly because of Virginia's very, very, very slow style of play. Virginia is 168th in the country in points per game, despite being a top 10 team. Brogdon is definitely the best player, and he is their key guy with less than 10 seconds on the shot clock (which is almost every possession for Virginia). Overall, Brogdon is an extremely talented player and deserves to be an All-American regardless of his stats.
I have trouble doing this because of the fact that he is out indefinitely. But, he recently said he is hoping to play their Big-12 opener. Taylor reminds me of Chris Paul, as he can get to the rim any time he wants. He averaged almost 13 points per game last year, and 4 assists per game, but he is ready to step into a new role and become the top player on a top 5 team. Texas just beat UConn without Taylor, which makes me wonder how good they can be with him. He gives them confidence, poise, quickness, defense and offense out on the floor, and they seem to be a top 10 team without him. I am looking forward to seeing him back on the floor, as he has become one of my favorite young guards in college basketball.
PG Delon Wright, Utah, Sr.
Delon Wright has become the definition of a stat-sheet stuffer, as he is a guy that fills out every portion of the box score. He accumulates blocks, steals, points, rebounds, assists, the list goes on and on. One thing that I really love about Wright is his size. He is a 6 foot 5 point guard, one of the biggest point guards in the country. This gives Utah flexibility at all positions, especially on defense. Because of his size and athleticism, Wright can guard point guards, shooting guards, and even smaller forwards when he needs to. All of these attributes make Delon Wright one of the top point guards in all of college basketball.
C Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky, Jr.
I have decided that a team as good as Kentcuky has to have at least one All-American, and previously I was set on Aaron Harrison. However, my opinion was completely changed when watching the Texas-Kentucky game. Texas played well, and Kentucky played well, but the star of the game was Willie Cauley-Stein. Cauley-Stein scored 21, or a third of Kentucky's 63 points, easily the most in the game. He had 12 of their 31 rebounds, over a third of their team rebounds. He also had 5 steals, more than half of their total, and 3 blocks, all but one of that total. And these stats don't even include the alteration of shots he caused throughout the game. Texas couldn't score in the paint, which really hurt their overall game.
PF Branden Dawson, Michigan State, Sr.
Branden Dawson is an incredible rebounder. He is not very tall (only 6 foot 6) but averaged more than 8 rebounds per game last year, and is averaging 9 per game this year. He is a very scrappy player. I always like stars who are willing to dive for loose balls and fight for rebounds. This is exactly the type of player Dawson is. Not to mention he can score as well. The thing that impresses me the most is his postseason stats last year. According to the Michigan State team website, Dawson "averaged 15.7 points and 8.1 rebounds in seven postseason games, shooting .681 from the field." This is very impressive, considering that most of these games were high-pressure and against very good teams.
SG Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia, Jr.
Brogdon may not have fantastic stats (just under 13 points per game so far this year), but that is mostly because of Virginia's very, very, very slow style of play. Virginia is 168th in the country in points per game, despite being a top 10 team. Brogdon is definitely the best player, and he is their key guy with less than 10 seconds on the shot clock (which is almost every possession for Virginia). Overall, Brogdon is an extremely talented player and deserves to be an All-American regardless of his stats.
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