How the NBA ‘super team’ mentality is trickling down to college basketball
By Jordan Maly
The NBA has shifted the dynamic over the past decade with the transformation of ‘super teams.’ College basketball teams are starting to see the same trend.
The NBA has made a transition unlike any other in the past decade. Players have had more leverage on where they want to play and who they want to play with than ever before. Sure, many fans will say, “Super teams have been around for years!” and that might be true, but not the way it’s going down in 2017.
The first real combination of a super team draws me to the 2007-08 Celtics when they brought in Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to help win a Championship. Both Garnett and Allen were acquired via trade, but, nevertheless, they were joining superstar Paul Pierce and a young Rajon Rondo. In 2010, ultimately the start of player-driven super teams LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh decided to team up in Miami. This was the start of something transformational in the NBA.
So how does this transcend to college basketball? Well, some of the top recruits in the nation have yet to sign with schools. The Top-10 players in the class of 2018 have yet to commit to any school and are now looking at the possibility of forming their own version of super teams. Sporting News’ Mike DeCourcy talked with recruits and why their recruiting plans are on hold.
“Some of us are trying to make a package deal, so we’re still waiting on that,” five-star guard and the No. 8 prospect in the class of 2018 Darius Garland tells Sporting News. Plenty of top recruits every year are familiar with each other, whether it being former teammates or popping up as opponents in various leagues or showcases. In the case of Darius Garland he has been connections one way or the other with Marvin Bagley (No. 1), Cameron Reddish (No. 4), Romeo Langford (No. 5), and Tre Jones (No. 12).
The transformation of the recruiting process has changed vastly even over the past five years. The emergence of social media and digital networking has allowed for an expanded attention of young recruits. It has made the lives of recruits much easier and made programs shift their strategy in landing the best talent in basketball.
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The top recruits in college basketball are also not jumping on their first offer from blue blood programs like they once were. Do programs like Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Kansas still hold plenty of draw for recruits? Absolutely, but some players are looking for more than just historical dominance or even a NCAA Tournament bid. Players, especially the top recruits, want a program where they can shine, develop and compete in order to reach the ultimate goal of the NBA.
“I want to be around great people and be in an environment that’s helping me to grow. I’m excited about this college thing, man, wherever I go,” No. 1 recruit Marvin Bagley said after being asked about how recruitment is going. He also talks about the want for players to find a spot where they feel it’s comfortable. Contrary to that, Darius Garland emphasized that he wants players who are looking to win first. You can see that there are plenty of different scenarios recruits have to think about before making that choice.
The internet’s most talked about high school recruit, Zion Williamson, has also been rumored to want to team up with top players from his class. SEC Country reported that Williamson hopes to be able to play with five-star point guard Immanuel Quickley. Quickley has been linked with Kentucky and is the No. 10 recruit in the class of 2018. “That’s the real deal. I want to play with Immanuel Quickley when I go to college,” he said. “If he goes to Kentucky, then I’m going to look into Kentucky really hard.”
This sort of dynamic that college basketball is looking at certainly is not a bad look. We have seen top recruits all around the country go to big time programs with each other, but this is the first time we have seen it publicly wanted. Kentucky and coach John Calipari have been doing this for years but now it seems that the leverage is the player’s hands more than the coaches.
Believe me, if you are a college basketball fan you want the top recruits in the nation teaming up in what could be an epic NCAA Tournament. It will also entice some of the in conference rivalries and will have fans glued to their seats for some of these games.
For example, say Kentucky does in fact land Zion Williamson and Immanuel Quickley on top of whatever other recruits come in. In that same token, Indiana native Romeo Langford and Darius Garland link up in Bloomington just in time for a revitalization one of the most historic and oldest rivalries in college basketball. It would instantly become of the most anticipated and talked about match-ups of the year.
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That’s just one of the hundreds of scenarios that could have the NCAA secretly smiling for the foreseeable future. If recruits are banding together to try and form super teams, it makes for epic regular season and post season excitement. If most of these players are planning the ‘one-and-done’ exit to the NBA, teaming up to dominate in college for a year would be great exposure for all involved.