21st Century All-MU Teams
Looking back on all MU players who played on any MU team beginning with the 2000-2001 season, I tried to put together a first-team, second team, and third team by position. The only requirement was that a player must have completed his college career at MU, even if he did not begin at MU. Here's what I came up with along with some thoughts.
First Team:
Point Guard - Dominic James (This was a close contest between DJ and Travis. Travis was a better shooter and scorer, but DJ was a superior defender, maybe the best on-ball defender we've had at MU this century.)
2-Guard - Dwyane Wade (This was a no-brainer.)
Small Forward - Jimmy Butler (Another close contest between Jimmy B. and Wes with a slight edge to J.B.)
Power Forward - Jae Crowder (This was a pretty tight contest between Jae and Steve N., but Jae was, after all, BE POY and made second team A-A as a senior.)
Center - Davante Gardner (DG was our only 5 during this era to earn all-conference recognition.)
Second Team:
Point Guard - Travis Diener (TD as much as any MU player this century personified the concept of "Warrior." The fact that he played in the NBA for five years despite being 5'11" tells you all you need to know about his skill level, his smarts, and his heart.)
2-Guard - Jerel McNeal (D. Wade made first team A-A, but Jerel made second team his senior year. He improved every year and averaged just shade under 20.0 ppg as a senior.)
Small Forward - Wes Matthews (Wes came out of D.J.'s and Jerel's shadows his senior year, and he, too, made all-BE during his career at MU.)
Power Forward - Steve Novak (S.N. made all-BE as a senior and was the best shooter MU has had this century, maybe ever. Plus there was that monster game against UConn in his first BE game that made a huge statement about MU in the BE.)
Center - Scott Merrit (To me, S.M. was under-appreciated by many MU fans, but he had a solid career at MU and was willing to be that third or fourth offensive option and play solid defense and grab boards. Quite simply, while Wade, Diener, and RJax got most of the publicity, we don't get to the Final Four without S.M.)
Third Team:
Point Guard - Cordell Henry (Cordell improved substantially each year. He diversified his offensive game, including his shooting, and became a respectable defender, despite his height. I picked him ahead of Junior Cadougan because he was a key factor in helping the program reach the next level.)
2-Guard - Darius Johnson-Odom (I almost went with Vander Blue, but DJ-O, over his three years at MU was more productive than Vander was. Vander had one really solid year; DJ-O had three. I also picked him ahead of Brian Wardle, though that was really close. B.W. pretty much had to carry his teams offensively, while DJ-O had other strong offensive players alongside him, but DJ-O did make all-BE his senior season.)
Small Forward - Lazar Hayward (I know. Lazar played power forward his three years with the Amigos and even played center as a senior, but I could not imagine L.H. not earning a spot on one of the three teams. Plus, he, too, made all-BE during his career, and, according to some reports, was the toughest SOB at MU in the past 15-20 years.)
Power Forward - Henry Ellenson (I picked Henry over RJax, but it was close. H.E., did after all make first team all-BE in his only season at MU. Plus, he led the conference in rebounding at almost 10 rpg, which is pretty extraordinary. But he was only at MU for one year, and his defense left a great deal to be desired despite his shot-blocking ability. RJax, of course, also played for only one year at MU, but he was key in that team's Final Four run. Lazar had a better career at the 4 than either Henry or RJax, but I was able to slide him in at the 3.)
Center - Luke Fisher (I thought about putting Luke ahead of Merrit. It was kind of a push for me - six of one, half dozen of the other. I guess the tie-breaker was Scott playing for four years while Luke played two and a half years.)
Others who received at least some consideration:
Vander Blue, Brian Wardle, Robert Jackson, Dwight Buycks, Junior Cadougan, Jamil Wilson, Matt Carlino
It will be interesting to see what these teams might look like after the 2019-2020 season.
I'm sure others will take issue with some of my "selections," but that's what these boards are for, right? And, it is, after all, a slow season.