With his ruggedness and versatility, Wake's Jamaal Levy is the captain of this year's SI All-Glue Team. Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
	Past All-Glue Teams 2004: Jaron Brown, Pittsburgh (captain); Tyrone Barley, Saint Joseph's; Knight, Gonzaga; Powell, Illinois; Nick Robinson, Stanford; Robert Tomaszek, Texas Tech. 2003: Rick Anderson, Arizona (captain); Jaron Brown, Pittsburgh; Justin Hamilton, Florida; Chuck Hayes, Kentucky; Robert Johnson, Oregon; Myles, Louisville; Tony Robertson, Connecticut. 2002: Gerald Fitch, Kentucky (captain); Dahntay Jones, Duke; Billy Knight, UCLA; Byron Mouton, Maryland; Jarrod Odle, Indiana; Antoine Pettway, Alabama. 2001: Sergio McClain, Illinois (captain); Nate James, Duke; Luke Walton, Arizona; Justin Hamilton, Florida; Marcus Toney-El, Seton Hall; Jason Capel, North Carolina. 2000: Lavor Postell, St. John's (captain); Alex Jensen, Utah; Nate James, Duke; Brian Beshara, LSU; Stanford (glue team).

It started as an idea. The idea spawned the magazine story. The magazine story begat the web column.

Now it's a movement.

Welcome to the fifth annual SI All-Glue Team. As usual, it's hard to pick out Glue Guys and even harder to explain why they were picked, because their efforts are not easily translated into statistical analyses. Yet, devoted college hoops fans like us know Glue Guys when we see them. And we appreciate them, deeply.

Since glue is in the eye of the beholder, it's possible your favorite Glue Guy is not on this list. I've tried to focus mainly on teams that have a legit chance to make the Final Four. In some cases - Syracuse guard Josh Pace and North Carolina forward Jawad Williams come to mind - I've left players off because they have crossed the proverbial line between Glue Guys and stars. I wish them well in the firmament, but I can't include them here.

For the second consecutive year, I've also included an Honorable Mention team and a list of past All-Glue teams. Those guys might be gone from the college game, but here in Hoop Thoughts, they will never be forgotten.

Herewith the 2005 squad:

Jamaal Levy, 6-foot-9 senior, Wake Forest (captain). Try as he might, Levy (rhymes with Chevy) has never been able to eclipse the 200-pound mark. These days, the Panama City native is listed at 186 pounds, but when it comes to the ruggedness and versatility associated with Glue Guydom, he's the heavyweight champ. On a team full of potent offensive weapons, Levy is just potent enough -- 8.1 ppg, 49.6 percent shooting, 7-for-19 from 3 -- to keep defenses honest. Despite his lack of size, he leads this team in rebounding (7.4 average) and offensive rebounding (2.7), which allows him to punish opponents who double-team Eric Williams in the post. Levy is Wake's best defensive player and is thus assigned to the opponent's best perimeter scorer, whether he's a point guard or a power forward. He is also part of a senior class that is on track to accumulate more wins than any class in school history. Versatility, efficiency, winning, leadership -- this Panamanian Strongman deserves the captaincy of this hallowed team. Stick it to 'em, Jamaal!

Louis Hinnant, 6-foot-4 junior, Boston College. It's an unwritten rule that you can't be a Glue Guy and a point guard, but I'm temporarily suspending that rule for Hinnant. The Eagles are often described as a team without stars, but Craig Smith and Jared Dudley have shined as brightly as any players this season, and 6-foot-10 freshman Sean Williams is well on his way. Hinnant provides this team with efficiency and direction, calling plays and directing traffic on both ends of the floor. Though the Eagles are sixth in the Big East in scoring, Hinnant ranks fourth in assists and second in assist-to-turnover ratio. Like most of his teammates, Hinnant was not highly recruited -- Richmond, George Mason and Central Florida were the only other Division I schools to offer him a scholarship -- so he has worked hard to prove he belongs. The conditioning work he put in during the offseason is paying off, as he's playing around 37 minutes per game while his backup, Steve Hailey, recovers from injury.

Erroll Knight, 6-foot-6 junior, Gonzaga. One of three repeat selections on this estimable list, Knight is even more critical to Gonzaga's success this year. Two of the Zags' four losses have come when Knight was injured, including their three-point upset at San Francisco on Jan. 20. Gonzaga's Achilles heel is defense, and Knight is by far the team's best defender. He also excels at hitting the offensive boards, a critical Glue Guy trait. Of Knight's rebounds this season, 39 percent have been on the offensive glass. He helps the team's depth, which has been especially important since Gonzaga lost 6-foot-4 junior Nate Doudney for the season with a knee injury back in December. While his higher-scoring teammates have had their share of ups and downs (including Adam Morrison, who is trying to break out of a recent slump), Knight has been a model of dependability.

Christian Moody, 6-foot-9 junior, Kansas. Moody's selection represents an historic occasion: He's the first walk-on to be selected to my All-Glue team. Moody grew up in Asheville, N.C., and attended the same high school as Roy Williams. He received scant notice from colleges, so his coach sent Williams a tape of Moody playing, and Williams agreed to let the kid walk on. Moody played all of 49 minutes as a freshman and averaged just 7.0 minutes last season. Now, however, he has started all but two games (and the two he missed were because he was hurt), and he is averaging 6.2 points and 4.9 rebounds (second on the team) in 21.6 minutes. Moody also takes on the assignment of guarding the opponent's best big player, so Wayne Simien can be protected from foul trouble. What's amazing about Moody's role on this team is that Bill Self brought in four players -- C.J. Giles, Sasha Kaun, Darnell Jackson and Alex Galindo -- for the sole purpose of offering an interior complement to Simien, yet none of them could take the starting job away from a walk-on. Something tells me this kid will have a scholarship next year.

Ellis Myles, 6-foot-7 senior, Louisville. I came very close to naming Myles, who was on my 2003 team, my captain. He has bounced back incredibly well after missing all of last season with a knee injury, and he gives the Cardinals some much-needed interior toughness. His 9.1 rebounding average is ranked second in Conference USA, but even though he only scores 10.2 points per game, he leads the league in double-doubles this season with eight. That shows remarkable consistency. Myles doesn't have many low-post moves, but he is tied for second on the team in assists. And how's this for toughness: After Myles broke his left thumb during the first half of Louisville's game against East Carolina on Jan. 19, he not only finished that game but hasn't missed a start since. Despite wearing a splint on the hand last Saturday, Myles helped handle the ball against UAB's tenacious pressure and had four assists and no turnovers in the Cardinals' win.

Roger Powell, 6-foot-6 senior, Illinois. Every team needs a spiritual leader, and Powell provides that for Illinois in ways that go beyond the license he earned in October as a Pentecostal minister. The Rev, as he is known, leads the team in charges taken. That alone would merit his second straight inclusion on my All-Glue team, but Powell is also second on the team in rebounds (5.0 average), is third in scoring (12.7), and he is shooting 55.7 percent from the floor. I must say, I was concerned Powell might play his way off this team after he scored 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting in the win over Wake Forest on Dec. 1, but all Powell was doing was letting the world know he can put up points if he's left alone. The fact that nobody leaves Powell alone anymore is making life easier for Dee Brown, Deron Williams and Luther Head.

Honorable mention: Eddie Basden, Charlotte; Sean Dockery, Duke; Bobby Jones, Washington; Jackie Manual, North Carolina; Anthony McHenry, Georgia Tech; Jonathan Modica, Arkansas.