HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

The 2011 Final Four gets underway on Saturday and with the close of the college basketball campaign comes award season.  Here is a look at HOOPSWORLD’s 2010-11 NCAA Men’s Basketball All-America Team. 

First Team

Kemba Walker, Connecticut – Kemba Walker had a three-week stretch (from Jan. 17 to Feb. 10) in which he shot .309 from the field and averaged just 16.6 points per game as the team went 4-3, but his ability to carry this edition of Connecticut basketball simply cannot be overlooked.  The junior point guard was arguably the most dominant player in college basketball this season.  Walker averaged 23.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game, helping the Huskies (who didn’t even receive a vote in either of the pre-season polls) to a Big East Tournament title and a trip to the Final Four. 

Jimmer Fredette, BYU – The nation’s leading scorer, Jimmer Fredette put together one of the most prolific offensive seasons in recent memory averaging a mind-blowing 28.9 points and 4.3 assists while shooting .396 from three-point range and .894 from the free throw line.  The senior helped BYU reach the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in some 30 years, set a school record with 32 wins and peaked with No. 3 national ranking at one point in the season despite the suspension of forward Brandon Davies, the team’s leading rebounder and third-leading scorer.  A 6-2 guard, Fredette scored at least 30 points in 15 games this season and averaged a ridiculous 33.4 points over the Cougars last 10 games. 

Nolan Smith, Duke – Coming off of a surprising (I know Duke was a No. 1 seed, but I was still surprised) run to the 2010 National Championship Nolan Smith opted to return to Durham for his senior season and the move paid great dividends.  Early on, Smith played off the ball and, while playing great basketball, sacrificed huge numbers for team success (read: making way for Kyrie Irving).  When Irving went down with a foot injury, however, Smith slid over to the point, running the team and turning himself into a National Player of the Year candidate.  The combo-guard averaged 20.6 points, 5.1 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals while helping Duke to an Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament title and 32 wins.

Jared Sullinger, Ohio State – Coming into the season Jared Sullinger was touted as one of the nation’s top freshmen, but was over-shadowed by North Carolina-bound wing Harrison Barnes, a pre-season All-America selection by several outlets (not HOOPSWORLD).  Sullinger quickly established himself, however, as one of the best players in the country regardless of age, exploding on to the scene with a dominant performance at Florida in his second collegiate game.  The 6-9 forward had 26 points (on 13-17 shooting), ten rebounds and two steals as Ohio State dismantled the Gators.  Sullinger had 18 double-doubles (most among freshman this season) in 37 outings, averaging 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game while shooting .541 from the field. 

Kenneth Faried, Morehead State – One of the best kept secrets in college basketball, Morehead State’s Kenneth Faried has been, perhaps, the best player you hadn’t seen play in college basketball for the past two seasons.  This year, however, the 6-8 forward established himself as one of the elite players in the country.  Faried finished his senior campaign ranked in the top-45 nationally in field-goal percentage (.623; 3rd), blocked shots (2.3; 27th), steals (1.9, 44th), double-doubles (29; 1st) and rebounds (14.5; 1st) while averaging 17.3 points per game as the Eagles earned an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time since 1984, knocking off fourth-seeded Louisville.

Second Team

Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin – After a solid, but unspectacular, sophomore season, Jordan Taylor came into this year with little fanfare but quickly established himself as one of the top playmakers in the country, eventually helping Wisconsin to the Sweet Sixteen.  The 6-1 point guard led the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.83) while averaging 18.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists and shooting .429 from behind the three-point line. Taylor was first team all-Big Ten and all-defensive team. 

Tu Holloway, Xavier – With Jordan Crawford (now starting for the Washington Wizards) no longer the trigger man at Xavier, point guard Tu Holloway took the reins of the program and quickly proved to be one of the top lead guards in college basketball.  The 6-0 junior averaged 19.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.4 steals while leading the Musketeers back to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth consecutive season. 

Ben Hansbrough, Notre Dame – The younger brother of former UNC star Tyler Hansbrough, Ben Hansbrough busted out of his brother’s shadow this season, on his way to earning Big East Player of the Year honors.  The 6-3 combo-guard helped Notre Dame to 27 wins and a second-place finish in the competitive Big East by 18.4 points, 4.3 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals while shooting .479 from the field and .435 from behind the three-point line.

{AUTHOR_BOX}Derrick Williams, Arizona – Sophomore forward Derrick Williams got strong consideration for first team honors but, ultimately, landed here.  The Pac-10 Player of the Year was the only player on Arizona’s Elite Eight team to average at least 10 points per game, leading the Wildcats in scoring (19.5 points per game), rebounding (8.3), steals (1.0), blocks (0.7) and field-goal percentage (.595) while shooting .568 (42-74) from deep. 

JaJuan Johnson, Purdue – A second-team All-Big Ten selection a year ago, JaJuan Johnson  emerged as Purdue’s go-to player this season, averaging 20.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game.  The 6-10 senior scored in double-digits in every game this season, helping the Boilermakers to a 27-win season and a second-place finish in the Big Ten. 

Third Team

Jacob Pullen, Kansas State – 20.2 points, 3.7 assists, 1.6 steals, .381 3FG%

Jordan Hamilton, Texas – 18.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 steals

Klay Thompson, Washington State – 21.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.6 steals, .398 3FG%

Marcus Morris, Kansas – 17.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, .570 FG%

Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State – 15.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.4 steals

Honorable Mention

Marshon Brooks, Providence; Charles Jenkins, Hofstra; Andrew Goudelock, College of Charleston; Chandler Parsons, Florida; Jordan Williams, Maryland; Keith Benson, Oakland; John Henson, North Carolina; Rick Jackson, Syracuse; Adrian Oliver, San Jose State; Alec Burks, Colorado

Sure, the NCAA basketball season is just about over, but don’t forget to keep checking back here at HOOPSWORLD as we begin to shift our focus to the upcoming 2011 NBA Draft.  You can follow Luke Byrnes on Twitter and drop him questions from all levels of basketball in his weekly chat.