The Gators have made the FF six times. Which team was best? Which players were the greatest? These Qs beget another: What might Gator all-star teams look like and how might those teams compare? Ever play a game where you and another captain picked your teams? Sure you did. It was essentially a rite of passage for team sports participants, whether in kickball, dodgeball, football, or kick the can. In the current scenario, we picked four teams consisting of players from each of the Gator FF teams: 1994, 2000, 2006, 2007, 2014, and 2025. First, I wanna thank @jeffphillips21, who helped shape this off-season preoccupation and also drafted two of the four Gator all-star teams. Special thanks also go to @tampajack1 and @rserina, who evaluated the player and team lists. Their assessments were statistically reliable (I'll spare y'all the math, as they didn't say there would be any). They knocked it out of the park. The game: Consider how the following four collections of players might matchup. Which would be the strongest? Offense/defense/chemistry, etc. We'll even image that the teams played each other and elicit your choices for matchup winners. The game ends with two teams challenging for the championship, determined by your votes and scores derived from the judges. More on the game details soon. In the meantime, have a look at these 7-player rosters. How might they matchup? .............Team A..............Team B...............Team C...........Team D G...........W Clayton Jr........Scottie Wilbekin....Taurean Green...Dan Cross G...........Teddy Dupay........Lee Humphrey......Alijah Martin.....Michael Frazier G/F.........D Finney-Smith....Casey Prather.......Corey Brewer.....Mike Miller F............Brent Wright........Alex Condon........Al Horford.........Thomas Haugh C............Patric Young.......Udonis Haslem.....Ruben Chinyelu..Joakim Noah --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bench......Kenyan Weaks....Craig Brown.........Will Richard.......Donnell Harvey Bench......Andrew DeClercq..Chris Richard......Will Yeguete.....Dametri Hill
For all on NBN wondering if they should participate, it might be more fun that you think...Davis and I enjoyed playing GM, imagining how teams would look if we could combine Gator greats across generations. Team chemistry, opposing matchups, who gets the ball in a tight game, what kind of play you run...and who would be the alpha dog(s) and team leader(s)
Here we go . . . each team will play three games in a round-robin style tournament. The top two vie for the 'chip. Games will be decided by your votes and we will take the first seven votes for each game. Which team wins? Feel free to drop a comment along with your selection. .............Team A..............Team B G...........W Clayton Jr........Scottie Wilbekin G...........Teddy Dupay........Lee Humphrey G/F.........D Finney-Smith....Casey Prather F............Brent Wright........Alex Condon C............Patric Young.......Udonis Haslem --------------------------------------------- Bench......Kenyan Weaks....Craig Brown Bench......Andrew DeClercq..Chris Richard.
Don't count my vote but I want to make some observations. Clayton and Dupay were both within range for their shot when they entered the gym. Scottie and Lee were both solid on ball defenders but could be beaten by quick guards. Napier did it twice to Scottie. Can Team B spread the floor enough to free up Lee for Three? DFS gets a slight edge over Casey. Brent Wright had a better outside game than Alex but Alex is more of a beast inside. Patric vs the U is edge to Haslem. Where Team A gets a HUGE edge is AD versus Richards off the bench. AD was a guy that could get rebounds in bunches and run the floor like a deer. I would take Team A in a close one.
Floor spacing would be a real problem for B, but Craig Brown is a difference maker off the bench. Very similar team to 2014. What I like about A in this matchup is the backline D with Young and that length/switchability of DFS and Wright. Plus you just could not stop Clayton and Dupay together offensively. Weaks would help them defensively. Bottom line for me: both are outstanding defensively, but A is better offensively, and Walt is unstoppable. I could envision an outcome like the 2014 loss to UConn, where A’s second half offense pulls away in a lower scoring game. UD and Condon battle in the paint, but it’s not enough.
I think you could make this more interesting by assigning a coach to each team - one for Todd, two for Billy and one for Lon. Otherwise, it is hard to say which team is better if you don't know the style of play. If Todd is coaching Team A and Lon is coaching Team B, then I am taking Team A. But if Lon is coaching Team A and Billy has Team B, then I am taking Team B. But whoever picked these two teams did a masterful job, because I don't see a lot of separation between them.
Thanks - I like the suggestion. Can't really tweak the game while it's going, but I like it. If you would, could you please vote? It would help the game. P.S. Later you will find out how our two judges evaluated the players and teams. Talk about a masterful job - they nailed it.
We usually refer to that team as Cheese’s team, even though Mike White did not start Cheese in a single game that season. I think that he didn’t start Cheese at all because Cheese liked to pass the ball.
Mike White is a perfect fit for mid-major teams. Perfect fit for the Dawgs. Would have been a better season with a healthy John Egbunu at the end.
