NCAA Basketball: 2019 All-American teams announced, Sutton gets HOF snub
By Neil Adler
Some NCAA Basketball developments to share, as the AP All-America squads are revealed, and a prominent former head coach reportedly receives stunning news.
The 2019 Final Four is nearly here, but we’ve got some other NCAA basketball tidbits to digest in the interim. The Associated Press has announced its All-America units, headlined unsurprisingly by Duke’s sensational freshman, Zion Williamson.
Joining Williamson on the first team are fellow Blue Devils freshman RJ Barrett, Tennessee junior Grant Williams, Murray State sophomore Ja Morant, and Michigan State junior Cassius Winston. The second group features Gonzaga junior Rui Hachimura, Texas Tech sophomore Jarrett Culver, Marquette junior Markus Howard, Wisconsin senior Ethan Happ, and Purdue junior Carsen Edwards, who performed at an insane level in the Boilermakers’ run to the Elite Eight. The third crew includes a pair of Virginia studs, juniors De’Andre Hunter and Kyle Guy, along with Kansas redshirt junior Dedric Lawson, Gonzaga junior Brandon Clarke, and Kentucky sophomore PJ Washington.
Honestly, I don’t really have any beefs with the selections. Many of these players led their respective programs to lengthy March Madness journeys. Others, like Morant, Howard, Happ and Lawson, put up gaudy numbers, even if they didn’t go all that far in the Big Dance.
These All-America squads are obviously a tad subjective. A handful of additional collegiate stars whom I would have strongly considered are UVA’s Ty Jerome, North Carolina’s Cameron Johnson and Coby White, Buffalo’s CJ Massinburg, Washington’s Jaylen Nowell, Iowa State’s Marial Shayok, and LSU’s Tremont Waters. My only complaint is that Syracuse junior Tyus Battle, a top-five scorer in the Atlantic Coast Conference during the 2018-19 campaign, isn’t even listed in the “honorable mention” category. Sure, Syracuse is my alma mater, and I have Orange bias, but come on. That’s pretty silly.
Okay, that proved a fun discussion. This next part is, conversely, more than slightly irritating from my vantage point. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is scheduled to unveil its 2019 class in Minneapolis at the Final Four. According to numerous media outlets, one of the finalists for the Hall of Fame, long-time head coach Eddie Sutton, is not getting inducted this year. Sutton’s family reportedly got informed on Tuesday.
Next. Look at 2020 recruiting prospects. dark
I’ll make this concise. This is a total load of hot garbage. Sutton amassed more than 800 career victories. He advanced to three Final Fours, once with Arkansas and twice with Oklahoma State. Sutton had six Elite Eight and a dozen Sweet 16 appearances. Besides Arkansas and Oklahoma State, he took Creighton and Kentucky to the NCAA Tournament. Sutton earned National Coach of the Year honors on four occasions, yet he’s not in the Hall of Fame. I’d love it if someone could logically explain this to me.