The Big East Coast Bias site http://www.bigeastcoastbias.com/ has been doing a series of All Half Decade teams for each Big East university.  They haven’t gotten around to the Jays yet.

Just for shucks n grins I decided to take a blue tinted, sideways glance at it.

All Decade Team:

All Half-Decade Team:

What shall be the criteria?  Well let’s see.

1 pick per position?  5 or 6 Best players? Spent at least 2 years aboard (so we can include jucos and transfers)? If a current player then have the 2 years and has played a significant role?  Picks by rankings?  Picks by on the court results?  Gakou, Tolliver, Funk, and Porter not included as were seniors on the 2006-07 team.  Kreklow, Morrison, Bock, and Miles only spent 1 year on the team.

Criteria:

a)  1 pick per position.

b)  Best Player is 6th man.

c)  Spent at least 2 years in the system, can be a current player.

d)  Results on the court – primary significance.

Candidates:

Point Guards:  2005 Josh Dotzler, 2007 Cavel Witter, 2008 Antoine Young, 2011 Austin Chatman, 2014 Maurice Watson

SGs:  2007 P’Allen Stinnett, 2007 Booker Woodfox, 2009 Josh Jones, 2009 Darrell Ashford, 2010 Jahenns Manigat, 2012 Isaiah Zierden, 2013 Devin Brooks, 2013 James Milliken, 2015 Marcus Foster

SFs:  2006 Casey Harriman, 2007 Kaleb Korver, 2008 Justin Carter, 2009 Wayne Runnels, 2011 Grant Gibbs, 2011 Avery Dingman, 2014 Ronnie Harrell

PFs:  2005 Dane Watts, 2007 Kenton Walker, 2008 Chad Millard, 2009 Ethan Wragge, 2010 Doug McDermott, 2011 Will Artino, 2011 Mo Oginni, 2013 Toby Hegner, 2014 Cole Huff

Ctrs:  2006 Kenny Lawson, 2010 Gregory Echenique, 2011 Geoff Groselle, 2013 Zach Hanson

All Decade Team:  Doug McDermott, Kenny Lawson*, Dane Watts, Justin Carter, P’Allen Stinnett, Josh Dotzler

All Half-decade Team:  Doug McDermott, Gregory Echenique*, Ethan Wragge, Grant Gibbs, Jahenns Manigat, Maurice Watson

• Kenny Lawson won 1 MVC Championship (2009), 1 MVC Tourney (2007)
• Gregory Echenique won 1 MVC Championship (2013), 2 MVCT (2012 & 13)

*Judgement call.  Lawson spent 5 years on the Hilltop and was a great teammate.  The Sr. was demoted as starter even though producing 12.3ppg/7.2rpg through the 1st 10 games of the season.  Preseason MVC PoY pick.  A close call between Kenny and Gregory.

IMHO the Lawson demotion was one of two major missteps by the new McDermott coaching staff in their initial campaign.  The other was the dismissal of Sr. SG P’Allen Stinnett, a 15+ ppg scorer.  The job description calls for winning games and championships, not for the appeasement of a fickle, politically correct fanbase.  But it is all water under the bridge now.

gtmo