Nolan, JWill weigh in on all-time best lineups

[phaedrus]

As we all know, DBR has conclusively settled the question of Duke's all-time greatest lineups (see the 300 threads on that topic). Now, Jwill and Nolan have made their opinions public.

Nolan controversially picks three starters from the 2010 title team (none of whom, controversially, have their jerseys hanging):

https://twitter.com/NdotSmitty/status/657398463970344960

JWill slides himself into the lineup along with Kyrie and JJ (quite a backcourt):

https://twitter.com/RealJayWilliams/status/657551053789925376

Then JWill makes things personal:

https://twitter.com/RealJayWilliams/status/657557330184175616

For the record, the correct answer is Laettner, Hill, Battier, JWill, and Redick, and Ferry, and Dawkins, and Hurley, and Brand (and Heyman and Gminski and Groat, for you old timers).

[OldPhiKap]

You raise a question which goes to the fundamental being of DBR.

If you had a team of Nolan, Scheyer, JJ, JWill, Kyrie, Kyle, Grant, Christian, and Brand -- how would the minutes be divided?!?






{boom}

[juise]

You raise a question which goes to the fundamental being of DBR.

If you had a team of Nolan, Scheyer, JJ, JWill, Kyrie, Kyle, Grant, Christian, and Brand -- how would the minutes be divided?!?






{boom}

Totally dependent upon how they looked in summer scrimmages, Blue-White, CTC, etc. Obviously. There are no other relevant data points.

[FerryFor50]

You raise a question which goes to the fundamental being of DBR.

If you had a team of Nolan, Scheyer, JJ, JWill, Kyrie, Kyle, Grant, Christian, and Brand -- how would the minutes be divided?!?






{boom}


Nah what I want to know is, how many minutes is that incoming 5 star freshman going to get to prevent him from transferring?

[Ichabod Drain]

For clarification, the tweet Nolan initially responded to asked about his favorite Dukies, not necessarily what he considers the all time best.

[MChambers]

Totally dependent upon how they looked in summer scrimmages, Blue-White, CTC, etc. Obviously. There are no other relevant data points.
Could any of them start over Patrick Davidson?

[flyingdutchdevil]

Could any of them start over Patrick Davidson?

Debatable. Redick has equally good looks, but nowhere near the talent of PD. JWill has the speed to match, but nowhere near the IQ. Laettner has the silverware, but nowhere near the athleticism. Grant Hill has the defense, but nowhere near the leadership.

I think Jayson Tatum could compete with PD, however. Clearly he's amazing despite never playing a game for Duke yet (and never playing a HS senior game, either).

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Totally dependent upon how they looked in summer scrimmages, Blue-White, CTC, etc. Obviously. There are no other relevant data points.

No, the better question would be "in these line ups, why on earth isn't M. Plumber getting more playing time?"

[mattman91]

No, the better question would be "in these line ups, why on earth isn't M. Plumber getting more playing time?"

Not enough leaky faucets :cool::rolleyes:

[Pghdukie]

What, no cinder blocks. How can we define the actual measurements of these players ?

[NSDukeFan]

Pretty sure Greg Zoubek should be in there somewhere

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Not enough leaky faucets :cool::rolleyes:

Autocorrect!!! Grr

[devildeac]

As we all know, DBR has conclusively settled the question of Duke's all-time greatest lineups (see the 300 threads on that topic). Now, Jwill and Nolan have made their opinions public.

Nolan controversially picks three starters from the 2010 title team (none of whom, controversially, have their jerseys hanging):

https://twitter.com/NdotSmitty/status/657398463970344960

JWill slides himself into the lineup along with Kyrie and JJ (quite a backcourt):

https://twitter.com/RealJayWilliams/status/657551053789925376

Then JWill makes things personal:

https://twitter.com/RealJayWilliams/status/657557330184175616

For the record, the correct answer is Laettner, Hill, Battier, JWill, and Redick, and Ferry, and Dawkins, and Hurley, and Brand (and Heyman and Gminski and Groat, for you old timers).

Interesting both of them spell Christian's (not Ast) last name as Laetner. Neither of them would survive the spelling and/or grammar police here:p.

[Skitzle]

Pretty sure Greg Zoubek should be in there somewhere

You mean Brian right?

Brian Koubek..

[HK Dukie]

Could any of them start over Patrick Davidson?

POTD!

[NSDukeFan]

You mean Brian right?

Brian Koubek..

He won a couple titles, didn't he?

[gurufrisbee]

It's funny to me that Jay took JJ over Battier. I can totally see guys leaning towards guys who were their actual teammates. I would have expected Williams to do so with Battier.

Also interesting they both took Laettner and Grant. I wonder if any Duke all time top five doesn't start with those two.

I also wonder if those two guys were asked if either would take Nolan or Jay - I'm guessing they both might start with a certain other guard.

[OldPhiKap]

Battier won the "favorite DBR Blue Devil" bracket contest a few years ago, so that will have to suffice.

[cspan37421]

Also interesting they both took Laettner and Grant. I wonder if any Duke all time top five doesn't start with those two.

I also wonder if those two guys were asked if either would take Nolan or Jay - I'm guessing they both might start with a certain other guard.

You mean Elizabeth's kid brother?

;)

[SilkyJ]

The fact that Shane hasn't been mentioned yet is breaking my internets.

Gimme Hurley, JWill, Grant, Shane, Laettner. Easily the best defensive combination of the players mentioned so far.

[Native]

Everyone has their own opinion on this, so I'll inject mine:

Hurley, J-Will, Heyman, Singler, Laettner.

That team is going to win: either the game or the fight in the parking lot after the game. They might not out-talent you, but they will go down swinging until the clock says 0:00 (and most likely after).

But still my all-time favorite Dukie is Shane. So conflicted.

[Dukehky]

Everyone has their own opinion on this, so I'll inject mine:

Hurley, J-Will, Heyman, Singler, Laettner.

That team is going to win: either the game or the fight in the parking lot after the game. They might not out-talent you, but they will go down swinging until the clock says 0:00 (and most likely after).

But still my all-time favorite Dukie is Shane. So conflicted.

The answer is J-Will, Dawkins, Grant, Shane, and Laettner. Art Heyman, great as he was, wouldn't have scored a bucket on grant hill or shane battier. It's like saying Bob Cousy is a better PG than Kyrie, dude couldn't dribble with his left hand.

The only question mark in the above line-up is whether you want Hurley over J-Will for distributing the ball.

[Skitzle]

The fact that Shane hasn't been mentioned yet is breaking my internets.

Gimme Hurley, JWill, Grant, Shane, Laettner. Easily the best defensive combination of the players mentioned so far.

Got to disagree with you and switch out Grant for Justise. I mean he IS the best defensive player to play at Duke.

[gurufrisbee]

My all time Duke starting line up:

Laettner, Battier, GHill, Scheyer, Tyus.

It might just be me, but I think win it comes to absolutely willing/carrying/doing whatever to absolutely guarantee your team wins - those five have it.

[Trey21]

Got to disagree with you and switch out Grant for Justise. I mean he IS the best defensive player to play at Duke.

I love Justise as much as any Blue Devil and he's part of one of my favorite teams ever, but I don't know if I'd rank him as high as Shane. It's an interesting debate though. Justise has looked fantastic on D in the NBA, its his best attribute right now. His rep of being the best defender on the youth USA team and his year at Duke prove to me that he really could become one of the best defenders of his generation.

Shane has great size and feel to the game, but he also has an all time great basketball IQ. Shane became one of the elite defenders of his era. I think Justise's floor in the league is becoming a superb defender (ala Battier), but he'll hopefully develop his offense within the next couple years. He's in a great situation right now with the Heat. It's gonna be a crazy year from that team, but he's around legit greatness (and you know Shane lives there).

[Edouble]

I love Justise as much as any Blue Devil and he's part of one of my favorite teams ever, but I don't know if I'd rank him as high as Shane. It's an interesting debate though. Justise has looked fantastic on D in the NBA, its his best attribute right now. His rep of being the best defender on the youth USA team and his year at Duke prove to me that he really could become one of the best defenders of his generation.

Shane has great size and feel to the game, but he also has an all time great basketball IQ. Shane became one of the elite defenders of his era. I think Justise's floor in the league is becoming a superb defender (ala Battier), but he'll hopefully develop his offense within the next couple years. He's in a great situation right now with the Heat. It's gonna be a crazy year from that team, but he's around legit greatness (and you know Shane lives there).

He was joking. Grant called Justise the best defensive player ever at Duke, in the heat of the moment during an early tournament game this past year, and then got called out for it... royally.

[eddiehaskell]

It's like saying Bob Cousy is a better PG than Kyrie, dude couldn't dribble with his left hand.
From what I can tell, Cousy is universally recognized as one of the top 50 players ever. Yeah he's short and white, but so are John Stockton and Steve Nash who both played in modern era and rank among the best ever. As good as Kyrie is, he'd probably be lucky to crack the top 150 at this point in his career.

[johnb]

The question for Nolan and JWill was favorite Dukies. Most of us would all put Battier alongside GHill and Laettner or Brand for an awesome front line. Why isn't he mentioned by them? They're guards, so maybe they're prone to want a 3 guard lineup. it's Twitter, so maybe they were joking around.

But maybe it reflects an nba perspective on his skill level (ie, he was never as Awesome as he'd been anointed by us .). some of it may be his self described isolation in the nba; he's said on more than one occasion that he didn't fit in the locker room culture (and neither would most of us)., and i'd guess that most of his strongest supporters/employers saw him as a glue guy rather than a guy who could carry a team. NBA players and management also never saw him as an elite nba athlete (God knows what they'd think of my athleticism). and while we await his running for president, "political" guys may not be fun. otoh, maybe he just slipped their minds or they were trying to make a different point, and it's a nonissue.

[The Gordog]

As we all know, DBR has conclusively settled the question of Duke's all-time greatest lineups (see the 300 threads on that topic). Now, Jwill and Nolan have made their opinions public.

Nolan controversially picks three starters from the 2010 title team (none of whom, controversially, have their jerseys hanging):

https://twitter.com/NdotSmitty/status/657398463970344960

JWill slides himself into the lineup along with Kyrie and JJ (quite a backcourt):

https://twitter.com/RealJayWilliams/status/657551053789925376

Then JWill makes things personal:

https://twitter.com/RealJayWilliams/status/657557330184175616

For the record, the correct answer is Laettner, Hill, Battier, JWill, and Redick, and Ferry, and Dawkins, and Hurley, and Brand (and Heyman and Gminski and Groat, for you old timers).

As much as I respect and love JWill and Nolan, I think JDawkins was a better player than either of them at both ends of the floor. JWill was a great scorer form the get go, but Dawkins got it done (from day 1) on BOTH ends of the floor with a far inferior supporting cast. JWill had 5 future pros on his team. Dawkins had 2 (him and Alarie) for most of his career.

By "position": JD, JJ, Grant, Shane, Laettner

[OldPhiKap]

As much as I respect and love JWill and Nolan, I think JDawkins was a better player than either of them at both ends of the floor. JWill was a great scorer form the get go, but Dawkins got it done (from day 1) on BOTH ends of the floor with a far inferior supporting cast. JWill had 5 future pros on his team. Dawkins had 2 (him and Alarie) for most of his career.

By "position": JD, JJ, Grant, Shane, Laettner

Absolutely agree. Although I think my backcourt may be JD and JWill. (Kyrie and JD would have been sick too).

[Dukehky]

From what I can tell, Cousy is universally recognized as one of the top 50 players ever. Yeah he's short and white, but so are John Stockton and Steve Nash who both played in modern era and rank among the best ever. As good as Kyrie is, he'd probably be lucky to crack the top 150 at this point in his career.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZcxYUCQOZI

Bob Cousy would not get a shot off in the NBA right now. I understand that he was great in his era, but that's the point, you can revere the great players from different eras, but there is no comparison to today's game. The level of skill and athleticism is not even close. So ranking Cousy as a top 50 player is more of a tribute to how he grew the game, but if Cousy played an modern NBA game in his prime, come on...

[Faison1]

A couple of the responses to the original Twitter blasts mentioned the best ever Kentucky and UNC squads. If I had to pick a team to match up against their best front courts, I might go with:

C Junior or Senior Jah
PF Brand
SF Hill
SG JD
PG JWill

I know it's blasphemous not to have Laettner, but he was more of an outside-in presence. If I want to match up with Rasheed Wallace and the likes, I might want more of a true center, especially if we go for a 5 or 7 game series...

Plus, a back court of JWill and JD really wouldn't want any kind of distraction from their finesse and creativity.

[Edouble]

A couple of the responses to the original Twitter blasts mentioned the best ever Kentucky and UNC squads. If I had to pick a team to match up against their best front courts, I might go with:

C Junior or Senior Jah
PF Brand
SF Hill
SG JD
PG JWill

I know it's blasphemous not to have Laettner, but he was more of an outside-in presence. If I want to match up with Rasheed Wallace and the likes, I might want more of a true center, especially if we go for a 5 or 7 game series...

Plus, a back court of JWill and JD really wouldn't want any kind of distraction from their finesse and creativity.

If only Laettner had been a true center, he might have been able to handle guys like Shaq and Alonzo.

You're picking Jah for his defense? I know it's all hypothetical anyway, but it seems that some line is being crossed when your all time lineup includes "Senior Jah".

[phaedrus]

A couple of the responses to the original Twitter blasts mentioned the best ever Kentucky and UNC squads. If I had to pick a team to match up against their best front courts, I might go with:

C Junior or Senior Jah
PF Brand
SF Hill
SG JD
PG JWill

I know it's blasphemous not to have Laettner, but he was more of an outside-in presence. If I want to match up with Rasheed Wallace and the likes, I might want more of a true center, especially if we go for a 5 or 7 game series...

Plus, a back court of JWill and JD really wouldn't want any kind of distraction from their finesse and creativity.

C Senior Jah
PF Senior Brand
SF Senior Jabari
SG Senior Winslow
PG Senior Kyrie

6th man: Senior Deng

What?

[kAzE]

If we're going purely for the best 5 man pick up team, assuming everyone is healthy and in the prime of their career, in my opinion it's this:

Elton Brand, Christian Laettner, Grant Hill, Jason Williams, Kyrie Irving.

Yes, Redick and Battier absolutely deserve to be in this discussion (and probably Luol Deng too), and I wouldn't have a problem with including either of them in this lineup. But in terms of pure basketball talent and God-given physical ability, those 5 are maybe the 5 most talented players to ever play for Duke. Okafor, Parker, and Winslow have NOT done enough in their careers to be in this conversation yet. In fact, none of them have reached their prime yet, so it's impossible to tell how good they will be right now. And I realize J-Will didn't really play that much at the NBA level either, but at least we saw 3 years of him at Duke and 1 in the NBA, and I believe he did enough to be on this list.

Laettner gets shot down for lists like this because of his perceived lack of success in the NBA, but I think if he were in the NBA today, he'd be one of the best power forwards in the league. 7 footers who can shoot like him are amazing in today's NBA style. He also blew out his achilles at age 29, which was basically a deathknell for NBA careers back in the 90s. Laettner would be dominant as a stretch 4 on almost any team in the NBA this decade, and in my opinion would have made multiple All-Star teams. (He was a 1 time All-Star)

Also, can I just point out how sad it is that those 5 players I just listed are all, or have all been the victim of serious, career-threatening injuries? Kyrie is the only one still in the league, and he's WELL on his way to joining the other 4 in having his career cut short by injuries . . . I hope he can stay healthy going forward.

[OldPhiKap]

C Senior Jah
PF Senior Brand
SF Senior Jabari
SG Senior Winslow
PG Senior Kyrie

6th man: Senior Deng

What?

Tiny Ditka would still roll this team by himself. Sorry.

[SilkyJ]

Tiny Ditka would still roll this team by himself. Sorry.

Ditka vs a Hurricance....named Hurricane Ditka: who wins?

[Faison1]

If only Laettner had been a true center, he might have been able to handle guys like Shaq and Alonzo.

You're picking Jah for his defense? I know it's all hypothetical anyway, but it seems that some line is being crossed when your all time lineup includes "Senior Jah".

Clarification: 1. I agree that Laettner was one of the all-time college greats...amazing player, amazing career; however, even he would admit that in a 5 or 7 game series, it would be tough for him to defend Shaq consistently.

2. The main reason I took Laettner out of the lineup was because I wanted a true center who would stay low, while JD, JWill, and Grant would roam the outside.

3. I wasn't trying to name the all-time best list...I was only trying to piece together players who would beat the aforementioned Kentucky and UNC squads

4. If you look back at one of UNC's strengths over the years (when they were cheating), it would probably be their frontcourt...if I was trying to put together our biggest and best back to the basket scorers and defenders, I would definitely include Brand, and most likely add Jah in hopes he would become as amazing on defense as he was on offense. (that's why I added "Junior or Senior")

[jimsumner]

C Senior Jah
PF Senior Brand
SF Senior Jabari
SG Senior Winslow
PG Senior Kyrie

6th man: Senior Deng

What?

This is absolute nonsense.

Senior Maggette should be the 6th man. :)

[Pghdukie]

My all-time favorite line up has always been and will continue to be the one that wins their last game.
Granted this thread is controversial, and argumentative, so I'll add my .02 worth. Boozer,Laettner, Hill, Hurley, and JJ. I will add Mr. Love to handle any diplomatic controversial calls by sec refs

[oakvillebluedevil]

Kyrie
J-will
Grant Hill
Winslow
Laettner

Kyrie and J-will on a spread floor would be devastating.

I'd love a second unit of:
Hurley
Redick
Nate James
Battier
Jahlil

To come in and out-execute the other guys if things slow down.

Rounding out the rest of the team:
Dick Groat - admittedly I know very little about his game, but if you win NPOY at Duke and a World Series with the Cardinals you're on just about every 'all time' team I can ever pick
Elton Brand
Singler
Nolan
Mason - Note: would also pick him over DeMarcus Cousins on 10 out of 10 Olympic teams

[Pghdukie]

Groat won World Series with Pirates in 1960 also. He's also not shabby at golf. The guy still got game !

[Edouble]

My all-time favorite line up has always been and will continue to be the one that wins there last game.
Granted this thread is controversial, and argumentative, so I'll add my .02 worth. Boozer,Laettner, Hill, Hurley, and JJ. I will add Mr. Love to handle any diplomatic controversial calls by sec refs

their

I think you may have made the thread controversial by adding Boozer.

[NSDukeFan]

Clarification: 1. I agree that Laettner was one of the all-time college greats...amazing player, amazing career; however, even he would admit that in a 5 or 7 game series, it would be tough for him to defend Shaq consistently.

2. The main reason I took Laettner out of the lineup was because I wanted a true center who would stay low, while JD, JWill, and Grant would roam the outside.

3. I wasn't trying to name the all-time best list...I was only trying to piece together players who would beat the aforementioned Kentucky and UNC squads

4. If you look back at one of UNC's strengths over the years (when they were cheating), it would probably be their frontcourt...if I was trying to put together our biggest and best back to the basket scorers and defenders, I would definitely include Brand, and most likely add Jah in hopes he would become as amazing on defense as he was on offense. (that's why I added "Junior or Senior")

If your picking a team to compete, wouldn't Brand and Jahlil have a tough time playing together the way the game has been going lately with a "stretch 4" becoming so popular? Wouldn't Laettner be the all-time greatest stretch 4?

[Faison1]

If your picking a team to compete, wouldn't Brand and Jahlil have a tough time playing together the way the game has been going lately with a "stretch 4" becoming so popular? Wouldn't Laettner be the all-time greatest stretch 4?

Hmmm...good point. Here is the proposed lineup for UNC on the Twitter feed:

"Ty, Jordan, Stack, Worthy, Sheed"

Do you think Laettner/Worthy, Brand/Wallace is more favorable than Brand/Worthy, Jahlil/Wallace?

I can see where Elton would have a tough time matching up with Worthy...tough call. My impression of Brand coming into college was that he was a true power forward.

Just so you don't have to scroll back, my original suggestion was JWill, JD, G Hill, Brand, Jah vs. Ty, Jordan, Stackhouse, Worthy, Wallace

Wow, that would be so frickin' incredible to watch!!!

[Faison1]

Here was Kentucky's:

Wall, Delk, Mashburn, Davis, Cousins

[NSDukeFan]

If your picking a team to compete, wouldn't Brand and Jahlil have a tough time playing together the way the game has been going lately with a "stretch 4" becoming so popular? Wouldn't Laettner be the all-time greatest stretch 4?

Sorry, you're.

[NSDukeFan]

Hmmm...good point. Here is the proposed lineup for UNC on the Twitter feed:

"Ty, Jordan, Stack, Worthy, Sheed"

Do you think Laettner/Worthy, Brand/Wallace is more favorable than Brand/Worthy, Jahlil/Wallace?

I can see where Elton would have a tough time matching up with Worthy...tough call. My impression of Brand coming into college was that he was a true power forward.

Just so you don't have to scroll back, my original suggestion was JWill, JD, G Hill, Brand, Jah vs. Ty, Jordan, Stackhouse, Worthy, Wallace

Wow, that would be so frickin' incredible to watch!!!

I didn't see Worthy in college, but imagine he would be a tough matchup for Brand or Laettner. Mind you, I think Brand or Laettner would also be a tough matchup for Worthy as well. They would all be fun to watch, as would a game with the UK team.

[Edouble]

Hmmm...good point. Here is the proposed lineup for UNC on the Twitter feed:

"Ty, Jordan, Stack, Worthy, Sheed"

Do you think Laettner/Worthy, Brand/Wallace is more favorable than Brand/Worthy, Jahlil/Wallace?

I can see where Elton would have a tough time matching up with Worthy...tough call. My impression of Brand coming into college was that he was a true power forward.

Just so you don't have to scroll back, my original suggestion was JWill, JD, G Hill, Brand, Jah vs. Ty, Jordan, Stackhouse, Worthy, Wallace

Wow, that would be so frickin' incredible to watch!!!

Well, Stackhouse played power forward in college, so I think he would get manhandled by Hill, assuming this is the college version of these players.

Laettner/anyone is more favorable than not-Laettner/anyone. Christian, in college, could do it all. He's widely regarded as one of the Top 10 players ever in the NCAAs. Picking Jahlil over Christian is laughable, IMHO. I don't mean to be rude, but Laettner handled college Shaq two times, as well as many other talented big men.

Personally, I would never pick my Duke 5 based on how they match up against the UNC 5. I would just pick Duke's best guys and let the other team worry about it. Nobody else has Christian, Grant, and Jason Williams, so they should be the ones scrambling to put together a competitive lineup.

[Faison1]

Laettner/anyone is more favorable than not-Laettner/anyone. Christian, in college, could do it all. He's widely regarded as one of the Top 10 players ever in the NCAAs. Picking Jahlil over Christian is laughable, IMHO. I don't mean to be rude, but Laettner handled college Shaq two times, as well as many other talented big men.

Hey, I get it...he's a legend. Definitely not arguing that. But let me ask a question to put it in perspective. Would you hold Laettner in the same light if he had decided to leave for the NBA after his freshmen year?

It's easy to see Jah would have a pretty good shot at retiring his number if he stayed 4 years. Was it as easy to see the same thing with Laettner after his freshman year? True, he was playing behind the shadow of Ferry, but still, did you think he was going to be one of the all-time college greats?

[Edouble]

Hey, I get it...he's a legend. Definitely not arguing that. But let me ask a question to put it in perspective. Would you hold Laettner in the same light if he had decided to leave for the NBA after his freshmen year?

It's easy to see Jah would have a pretty good shot at retiring his number if he stayed 4 years. Was it as easy to see the same thing with Laettner after his freshman year? True, he was playing behind the shadow of Ferry, but still, did you think he was going to be one of the all-time college greats?

1. I have no idea what this line of questioning has to do with picking Duke's all-time best lineup.

2. You are comparing apples and oranges. Laettner's freshman year was close to 30 years ago when player development and freshman expectations were completely different. Why not compare Jah's freshman year to Lew Alcindor's for a measure of greatness? Jah's freshman year blows Lew's out of the water... I'm being a bit snarky, but I don't think that your way of putting things in perspective is very sensible. Laettner would never have left after his freshman year-he would not have been drafted and people would have said that he was crazy.

I just think that if you want to argue about who was a better college player, you can only look at what they did in their respective college primes.

[Faison1]

1. I have no idea what this line of questioning has to do with picking Duke's all-time best lineup.

2. You are comparing apples and oranges. Laettner's freshman year was close to 30 years ago when player development and freshman expectations were completely different. Why not compare Jah's freshman year to Lew Alcindor's for a measure of greatness? Jah's freshman year blows Lew's out of the water... I'm being a bit snarky, but I don't think that your way of putting things in perspective is very sensible. Laettner would never have left after his freshman year-he would not have been drafted and people would have said that he was crazy.

I just think that if you want to argue about who was a better college player, you can only look at what they did in their respective college primes.

I was never arguing "all-time bests". Nor was I arguing who was a better college player. I was having a good time imagining matchups with UNC and Kentucky from a Twitter post...until now.