TSN's All-America Basketball Teams

Sporting News, The, March 15, 1999

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First team

Pos.    Player                  School          Ht./Wt.    Year

G       Andre Miller            Utah            6-2/205    Senior
G       Jason Terry             Arizona         6-2/169    Senior
G/F     Richard Hamilton        Connecticut     6-6/185    Junior
F       Wally Szczerbiak        Miami (Ohio)    6-8/240    Senior
C       Elton Brand             Duke            6-8/260    Soph.

Second team

Pos.    Player                  School          Ht./Wt.    Year

G       Mateen Cleaves          Michigan St.    6-2/195    Junior
G       Steve Francis           Maryland        6-3/194    Junior
G       Trajan Langdon          Duke            6-3/200    Senior
F       Chris Porter            Auburn          6-7/218    Junior
C       Evan Eschmeyer          Northwestern    6-11/244   Senior

Others with multiple votes: Ron Artest, St. John's; Ed Cota, North Carolina; Baron Davis, UCLA; Khalid El-Amin, Connecticut; Tim James, Miami; Quincy Lewis, Minnesota; Todd MacCulloch, Washington; Mark Madsen, Stanford; Kenyon Martin, Cincinnati; Lee Nailon, TCU; Lamar Odom, Rhode Island; Scoonie Penn, Ohio State; Shawnta Rogers, George Washington; Jamel Thomas, Providence; Kenny Thomas, New Mexico.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Elton Brand, Duke

In the past 30 years, three sophomores have been named THE SPORTING NEWS Player of the Year. One is arguably the best center to play college basketball (Bill Walton, 1971-72), and another is recognized by most as the greatest basketball player ever (Michael Jordan, 1982-83).

The third could equal Walton and Jordan in at least one category--helping his team win an NCAA championship.

Duke's Elton Brand is the most important player on the nation's best team. Brand easily outdistanced UConn's Richard Hamilton for the TSN award in balloting by coaches.

In his first full season with the Blue Devils--he missed 15 games as a freshman with a broken foot--Brand averaged 17.7 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.4 blocks, and he shot 61.3 percent from the field.

Brand has drawn on his versatility to help Duke become the first ACC team to go 16-0 in conference play. When he gets the ball in the low post, Brand is equally adept at spinning baseline or turning into the lane for a shot. He also has been able to defend effectively in the post and on the perimeter.

Brand has benefited from a talented supporting cast, led by Trajan Langdon. Brand and his teammates improved their ball movement--Brand, in passing out of the post, and his teammates, in making entry passes to the post--to help Duke finish the regular season 2 9-1. --Sean Stewart

COACH OF THE YEAR

Cliff Ellis, Auburn

When people mentioned Auburn basketball before this season--provided they mentioned it at all--the talk usually included Charles Barkley, even though the Round Mound hadn't pulled down a rebound for the Tigers in more than 14 years. And why not? Auburn had played in only four NCAA Tournaments in the post-Barkley era--none since 1988--and who would call the time Chris Morris spent anywhere being an em?

The 1998-99 season marks coach Cliff Ellis' fifth at the school, and the Tigers couldn't be happier. Picked to finish anywhere but first in the SEC West, Auburn stunned everyone, going 26-2 in one of the nation's toughest leagues.

Forward Chris Porter has been the Tigers' best player, but he doesn't compare with the top players on elite teams such as Duke, Michigan State and Connecticut.

The difference has been Ellis, who easily won THE SPORTING NEWS Coach of the Year Award in balloting by his peers. His ability to get a lot from a little was rewarded last Sunday, when Auburn received its highest-ever seed in the NCAA Tournament. --Dave Sloan

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR

Quentin Richardson, DePaul

You don't need to know what Quentin Richardson looks like or which number he wears to identify him on the court. You'll figure it out after a minute or so.

He has the moves--the drive to the basket, the spin step along the baseline, the pull-up jumper from long range--that shout star. Those moves translated into big numbers and a beefed-up win total for a struggling DePaul program. It's no wonder the 6-6 Richardson was a runaway winner for THE SPORTING NEWS Freshman of the Year Award, beating out St. John's Erick Barkley, Arizona's Michael Wright and Virginia's Chris Williams.

Much was expected of Richardson upon his arrival at DePaul, which was 21-64 over the previous three seasons. A product of Whitney Young High in Chicago, Richardson and ballyhooed local products Lance Williams and Bobby Simmons proved to be the program's elixir. The 6-9 Williams and 6-7 Simmons also are standout freshmen, but Richardson is the star.

Richardson's 19.1-point scoring average ranked second in Conference USA, and his 10.9-rebounding mark paced the league and ranked fourth nationally. He earned first-team all-conference honors and helped the Blue Demons improve to 16-11 in the regular season and 10-6 (third-place tie) in the C-USA American Division. --Tom Dienhart

WOMEN

First team

Pos.    Player                      School       Ht./Wt.   Year

G       Stephanie White-McCarthy    Purdue       5-11      Senior
G/F     Dominique Canty             Alabama      5-10      Senior
F       Chamique Holdsclaw          Tennessee    6-2       Senior
F       Tamika Catchings            Tennessee    6-1       Soph.
C       Michele VanGorp             Duke         6-6       Senior

Second team

Pos.    Player                 School            Ht./Wt.   Year

G       Tamicha Jackson        Louisiana Tech    5-5       Junior
G       Becky Hammon           Colorado State    5-6       Junior
F       Svetlana Abrosimova    Connecticut       6-1       Senior
F/C     Maylana Martin         UCLA              6-3       Junior
C       Tamika Whitmore        Memphis           6-2       Senior