College basketball’s All-time Starting Five: Arizona Wildcats
With March Madness right around the corner, the Dagger is picking an all-time starting five from some of college basketball’s most tradition-rich programs.
Our picks were based on a variety of factors, including stats, tourney success, All-America selections, and of course, our opinions.
First up: Arizona Wildcats.
Who we considered from Arizona:
1. Sean Elliott, F, 1985-89 (19.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg)
2. Damon Stoudamire, G, 1991-95 (15.0 ppg, 5.4 apg)
3. Mike Bibby, G, 1996-98 (15.4 ppg, 5.4 apg)
4. Bob Elliott, F/C, 1973-77 (18.7 ppg, 9.5 rpg)
5. Steve Kerr, G, 1983-88 (11.2 ppg, 3.4 apg)
6. Miles Simon, G, 1994-98 (14.6 ppg, 4.0 apg)
7. Jason Terry, G, 1995-99 (11.3 ppg, 3.8 apg)
8. Jason Gardner, G, 1999-2003 (14.6 ppg, 4.6 apg)
9. Khalid Reeves, G, 1990-94 (15.0 ppg, 3.1 apg)
10. Derrick Williams, F, 2009-11 (17.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg)
Arizona’s All-time Starting Five
• Feb. 12: Georgetown
• Feb. 17: Louisville
• Feb. 19: UConn (women)
• Feb. 22: Indiana
• Feb. 24: Syracuse
• Feb. 26: Michigan St.
• Feb. 29: Kentucky
• March 2: UCLA
• March 4: UConn (men)
• March 7: Duke
• March 9: UNC
• March 11: Kansas
G — Mike Bibby
The only point guard to lead Point Guard U to a championship did so as a freshman. Bibby spearheaded Arizona’s national 1997 title run, averaging 18 points per game during the NCAA tournament as the Wildcats became the only team to topple three No. 1 seeds in one year. Bibby was actually even better as a sophomore even though Arizona fell in the Elite Eight. He was a first-team All-American and led the Wildcats to a 30-5 record and the Pac-12 title.
G — Damon Stoudamire
For a 5-foot-10 point guard nicknamed “Mighty Mouse,” Stoudamire made a big impact in four seasons at Arizona. He led Arizona to a 101-24 record during that span, winning the Pac-10 in 1994 and leading the Wildcats to the Final Four that same year. Stoudamire averaged 18.3 points and 5.9 assists during Arizona’s Final Four season and then increased those numbers as a senior the following year. He is still sixth on the school’s career scoring list with 1,849 points.
F — Sean Elliott
The greatest player in Arizona history is a Tucson native who chose to stay at home for college. Elliott played four seasons at Arizona, scored the second most career points in Pac-12 history and earned national player of the year honors in 1989. The 6-foot-8 forward led the Wildcats to four straight NCAA tournaments, three Pac-10 regular season titles, two Pac-10 tournament titles and a Final Four appearance in 1988.
F — Derrick Williams
A late-blooming, lightly regarded prospect, Williams originally signed with USC but backed out when Tim Floyd resigned and Sean Miller came calling. Arizona is glad Williams did because the 6-foot-8 power forward enjoyed one of the all-time great seasons in school history as a sophomore. He averaged 19.5 and 8.3 rebounds, earned All-American honors and led an otherwise underwhelming Arizona roster to within one basket of the Final Four. The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Williams second in the 2011 NBA draft.
C — Bob Elliott
The first great big man in Arizona history, Elliott averaged at least 16.5 points and 7.7 rebounds during four seasons in Tucson. The 6-foot-9 Michigan native is still Arizona’s second all-time leading scorer behind only Sean Elliott. While Bob Elliott’s finest individual season came as a sophomore, it was his junior and senior season that he led the Wildcats to the NCAA tournament. Arizona reached the Elite Eight in 1976 but fell to UCLA.
Toughest omissions: Arizona’s history of producing elite guards makes for some difficult cuts in the backcourt. Steve Kerr was one of the stalwarts of Lute Olson’s early teams and one of the most deadly shooters of all time. Miles Simon was even more productive than Bibby during the 1997 NCAA tournament. Khalid Reeves and Jason Terry both generated two of the great individual seasons in school history in 1994 and 1999. There’s little doubt that Bibby and Stoudamire belong in Arizona’s all-time starting five, but you can probably make a case that one of the above should join them in a three-guard look. If so, Sean Elliott could be an undersized power forward and Williams might be relegated to the bench.
That’s the five we’re going with. Who would you take?
