Power of Caring
  presented by CIGNA

Position-by-Position Top 10 Rankings

Shooting Guards 1. Richard Hamilton, Jr., 6'6", Conn. 1997-98 Stats: 21.5 ppg, 40.4% 3-pt Too quick for big defenders; too big for quick ones. 2. Quentin Richardson, Fr., 6'6", DePaul 1997-98 Stats: 25 ppg, 12 rpg at Chicago Whitney Young H.S. His versatility will lead young Blue Demons back to glory. 3. Trajan Langdon, Sr., 6'3", Duke 1997-98 Stats: 14.7 ppg, 39.5% 3-pt Treys as easy as layups for cool-headed Alaskan. 4. BJ McKie, Sr., 6'2", South Carolina 1997-98 Stats: 18.8 ppg, 41.5% 3-pt Plays both backcourt spots very well. 5. Steve Francis, Jr., 6'3", Maryland 1997-98 Stats: 25.3 ppg, 8.7 apg, 7.1 rpg How will Allegany College (Md.) transfer's Iverson-esque skills mix within team chemistry? 6. Michael Redd, Soph., 6'5", Ohio State 1997-98 Stats: 21.9 ppg, 30.3% 3-pt Teammate Scoonie Penn stretches defenses, helps Redd. 7. Louis Bullock, Sr., 6'3", Michigan 1997-98 Stats: 17.1 ppg, 41.9% 3-pt Weak team means lots of shots—and points. 8. Jaraan Cornell, Jr., 6'3", Purdue 1997-98 Stats: 12.8 ppg, 50.0% 3-pt Finally, a shooter who thinks before firing. game. 9. Lamont Long, Jr., 6'4", New Mexico 1997-98 Stats: 14.1 ppg, 31.8% 3-pt With Clayton Shields gone, Kenny Thomas distracted and Damion Walker new, it's Long time. 10. Open In honor of what—or who—might have been: seniors Vince Carter (North Carolina) and Ron Mercer (Kentucky), juniors Corey Benjamin (Oregon State) and Kobe Bryant (Duke/LaSalle), sophomore Larry Hughes (St. Louis).

Small Forwards 1. Wally Szczerbiak, Sr., 6'8", Miami (Ohio) 1997-98 Stats: 24.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg We might as well jump on Wally's crowded bandwagon. 2. Ron Artest, Soph., 6'6", St. John's 1997-98 Stats: 11.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg Recovery from thumb surgery aside, the most talented SF in the nation. 3. Jumaine Jones, Soph., 6'7", Georgia 1997-98 Stats: 14.7 ppg, 8.5 rpg Flashed brilliance as a frosh, polish over the summer during Goodwill Games. 4. Laron Profit, Sr., 6'5", Maryland 1997-98 Stats: 15.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg Perfect fit in Gary Williams' up-tempo game plan. 5. Jamel Thomas, Sr., 6'6", Providence 1997-98 Stats: 18.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg Stephon Marbury's cousin has guard skills and a PF body. 6. Lamar Odom, Soph., 6'10", Rhode Island 1997-98 Stats: Sat out season due to academic eligibility issues. Believe the hype? We'll see. Can he share? 7. Hanno Mottola, Jr., 6'10", Utah 1997-98 Stats: 12.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg Flying Finn expected to pick up the scoring slack. 8. Luke Recker, Soph., 6'6", Indiana 1997-98 Stats: 12.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg Will Bobby Knight take the clamps off this high flyer? 9. Yegor Mescheriakov, Sr., 6'8", George Washington 1997-98 Stats: 12.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg The Belarus native will thrive in Tom Penders' frenetic system. 10. Heshimu Evans, Sr., 6'6", Kentucky 1997-98 Stats: 13.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg Exceptionally talented, but 'Cats are so deep he blends into the background.

Power Forwards 1. Kenny Thomas, Sr., 6'8", New Mexico 1997-98 Stats: 16.8 ppg, 9.3 rpg No. 2 post player in country, behind Elton Brand; knows how to use his body. 2. Lee Nailon, Sr., 6'9", Texas Christian 1997-98 Stats: 24.9 ppg, 8.9 rpg Lefty has to show a greater variety of skills before moving on to NBA. 3. Scott Padgett, Sr., 6'9", Kentucky 1997-98 Stats: 11.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg Dare we say his game has touches of Bird? 4. Mark Madsen, Jr., 6'8", Stanford 1997-98 Stats: 11.7 ppg, 8.2 rpg Ferocious competitor needs to develop an offensive repertoire. 5. James Posey, Sr., 6'8", Xavier 1997-98 Stats: 15.3 ppg, 8.4 rpg Wiry but deceptively strong; will move to the wing at the next level. 6. Marcus Fizer, Soph., 6'8", Iowa State 1997-98 Stats: 14.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg Not super-athletic, but a talent nonetheless; bonus points for prescription specs. 7. Tim James, Sr., 6'7", Miami (Fla.) 1997-98 Stats: 16.8 ppg, 9.4 rpg Two-time Big East high jump champion is more of a 3, but with his rebounding totals who are we to argue? 8. Omar Sneed, Sr., 6'6", Memphis 1997-98 Stats: 20.9 ppg, 9.2 rpg Former juco transfer might be most productive player you've never heard of; height-challenged but effective. 9. Lester Earl, Jr., 6'8", Kansas 1997-98 Stats: 7.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg Explosive athlete is a key to Jayhawks' success; should flourish with LSU transfer completely behind him. 10. C.J. Black, Jr., 6'8", Tennessee 1997-98 Stats: 12.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg Bruiser is rapidly developing a potent offensive game to go with his physical style.

Centers 1. Elton Brand, Soph., 6'8", Duke 1997-98 Stats: 13.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg Great hands and soft touch in the paint; extra-long arms make up for lack of height. 2. Evan Eschmeyer, Sr., 6'11", Northwestern 1997-98 Stats: 21.7 ppg, 10.7 rpg Can get up and down the floor with the best; keep your fingers crossed that he stays healthy. 3. Todd MacCulloch, Sr., 7'0", Washington 1997-98 Stats: 18.6 ppg, 9.7 rpg Winnipeg native has led the nation in field-goal percentage the last two seasons. 4. Chris Mihm, Soph., 7'0", Texas 1997-98 Stats: 12.4 ppg, 8.0 rpg Great variety of post moves for a young player; just needs to get stronger. 5. Tim Young, Sr., 7'1", Stanford 1997-98 Stats: 11.3 ppg, 8.1 rpg Has skills of a smaller player, but unfortunately also tends to play like one. 6. Lari Ketner, Sr., 6'10", UMass, 1997-98 Stats: 15.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg Wide-body has to be more consistent; displays a multitude of moves in the paint. 7. Etan Thomas, Jr., 6'9", Syracuse 1997-98 Stats: 11.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg Emerged as a terrific shot-blocker (3.9 per game); has to develop offensively. 8. Brad Millard, Jr., 7'3", St. Mary's 1996-97 Stats: 12.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg Missed last season with broken foot, but Big Continent showed Big Country game in '97 NCAAs when healthy. 9. Obinna Ekezie, Sr., 6'10", Maryland 1997-98 Stats: 12.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg Very similar build to former Kentucky C Nazr Mohammed, with long arms and a wide bottom. 10. Alvin Jones, Soph., 6'11" Georgia Tech 1997-98 Stats: 6.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg Led country in total blocks (141); will need to pick up scoring to offset loss of SG Dion Glover.