NCAA Basketball: Mount Rushmores for the top 25 programs of all-time

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Joakim Noah, Florida Gators. (Photo by Gary W Green/Orlando Sentinel/MCT via Getty Images) /

Florida Basketball Mount Rushmore: Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Neal Walk, Ronnie Williams

Joakim Noah

The Florida Gators are the last college program to win back-to-back national titles (2006, 2007). Joakim Noah was the heart and soul of those talented Gators teams. A defensive stalwart, Noah was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2006 Final Four and then was a Second-Team All-American in 2007.

Much like his successful NBA career, numbers and statistics don’t tell the whole story with Noah. His impact defensively went far beyond the box score and his leadership was immensely valuable. The most recognizable player in Florida history, Noah is an easy first entrant on this Mount Rushmore…

Al Horford

…but Al Horford is a very close second. Noah’s teammate on those national championship teams, Horford’s defense and all-around excellence made him one of the sport’s most valuable players during his career.

His averages of 13.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game as a junior don’t exactly jump off the page but, like Noah, his all-around impact is more than just lines in a box score. Horford was also named a Second-Team All-American in 2007.

Neal Walk

If you’re looking at the Florida record books, you’re going to see Neal Walk’s name a lot. He’s the only player in program history to average at least 20 points per game for his career. He’s also the program’s career rebounding leader with 1,181 (15.3 per game) just for good measure.

Walk also went on to have a solid NBA career, but is most noted for being the No. 2 pick in the 1969 NBA Draft – one pick after Lew Alcindor, later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Ronnie Williams

Ronnie Williams was as consistent as they come. He was Florida’s leading scorer in each of his four years at the school, was an All-SEC selection in all four years and is the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,090 career points.

The big man was also a solid rebounder, as his 954 rebounds are also in the top-five in school history.

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