There can be only five

Choosing First-Team All-Americas no easy task this time

By Mark Button, SI.com

Funny how much can change in a year.

We don't expect you to remember, but last year at this exact time, in this exact space, we bragged about how easy it was to select the First-Team All-Americas. Five players -- Steve Logan, Jason Williams, Drew Gooden, Juan Dixon and Dan Dickau -- clearly separated themselves from the rest of country's top players. In other words, choosing the First-Team All-Americas proved to be one of the easiest tasks of the season.

Not this year.

In 2002-03, there was no clear separation. The Year of Parity produced at least 15 players with legitimate arguments for First-Team honors. Big-time players such as Brian Cook, Luke Ridnour, Carmelo Anthony (a.k.a., 'Melo), and Emeka Okafor made it tough to chisel the group down. Alas, we can only take five, so let's get to it.

As often is the case, the numbers don't tell the whole story. All of our first-teamers have nice stats, but they all bring more to the hardwood than scoring averages and shooting percentages. In the end, that's what separates them from the others: that something special that transcends mere digits.

David West has it. Xavier's power forward can hurt you inside and he can hurt you outside. West made 35 percent of his 26 3-point attempts, including a night against, yes, Dayton, where he connected on 3-of-3 from behind the arc. He's a migraine to opposing coaches. You can double-team him, and he'll still get 25 points (meanwhile XU shooting guard Romain Sato is liable rain 3-pointers all night), or you can play West straight up and watch him pile up points and boards like he did when he put 47 and 18 on Dayton.

Josh Howard has it, too. Probably the nation's most complete player, what we love most about Howard is his ability to make everything look so darn easy. He reminds us of a bigger Juan Dixon. Everything is under control, smooth.

Hollis Price and Dwyane Wade definitely have it. Both shooting guards are tough as nails. Price needs little more than an inch to get off a perimeter jumper, which he makes more than 40 percent of the time. He's the heart and soul of one of the toughest teams in the country and it's difficult to say where he hurts opponents more: on offensive or defense. Wade is similiar, perhaps the best defensive guard in the nation. He has an NBA player's array of offensive moves complemented by a college player's unselfishness. He basically put Conference USA basketball on his shoulders this season and carried it into the national spotlight.

All four of the above made strong cases for national Player of the Year. Above all, however, the one player who has made college basketball special this year is Texas' T.J. Ford . Because of his ballhandling skills, speed and sheer artistry, he's the one guy who can take over a game at any point. Texas knows it is going to a have chance to win every game while Ford wears burnt orange. No one passes better. No one reads defenses better. No one makes their teammates better. No one shoots the 10-foot fade-away jumper from the paint better -- and no team has found a way to defend it.

When you play Texas -- whether or not the Longhorns finish with more points on scoreboard -- Ford is going to beat you, and smile while he's doing it. That's special.

And now on to the awards ...

First Team All-America
AP	T.J. Ford, PG, Texas PLAYER OF THE YEAR 15.1 ppg., 7.3 apg., 42% FG, 81% FT The Skinny What separates Ford as the best in the nation is his ability to make his teammates better. No one sneaks a pass through traffic like Ford, and no one demands more defensive attention.

AP	Hollis Price, G, Oklahoma 19.5 ppg., 47% FG, 44% 3-pointers, 93% FT The Skinny One of the nation's smallest players, Price has one of the biggest hearts. He's resilient, a gnat on defense and money at the free-throw line. No one is better in crunch time.

AP	Dwyane Wade, G, Marquette 21.5 ppg., 6.3 rpg., 4.1 apg, 50% FG The Skinny You can bet sportswriters know how to spell his name now. One of the most dangerous one-on-one players -- both offensively and defensively -- Wade is a highlight waiting to happen.

AP	Josh Howard, F, Wake Forest 20.0 ppg., 8.1 rpg., 48% FG, 82% FT The Skinny Mr. Versatility is the only Division I player to average at least 15 points, seven boards, two steals, two assists and one block per game. Any other year, he's the Player of the Year.

AP	David West, F, Xavier 20.3 ppg., 12.0 rpg., 3.3 apg, 52% FG, 82% FT The Skinny West is one of the few players in the nation who can post up for 20 points just as easily as he can stop and pop a 3-pointer in a guard's eye or take an opponent off the dribble.

Second Team All-America
Troy Bell Boston College	Reece Gaines Louisville	Carmelo Anthony Syracuse	Nick Collison Kansas	Mike Sweetney Georgetown
25.4 ppg 4.8 rpg	17.7 ppg 5.0 apg	22.7 ppg 10.0 rpg	18.4 ppg 9.3 rpg	22.6 ppg 10.4 apg
Honorable mention: Keith Bogans, Kentucky; Matt Bonner, Florida; Matt Carroll, Notre Dame; Brian Cook, Illinois; Ruben Douglas, New Mexico; Jarvis Hayes, Georgia; Marcus Hatten, St. John's; Kirk Hinrich, Kansas; Brandon Hunter, Ohio; Chris Kaman, Central Michigan; Kyle Korver, Creighton; Chris Massie, Memphis; Jameer Nelson, St. Joseph's; Emeka Okafor, Connecticut; Kirk Penney, Wisconsin; Luke Ridnour, Oregon; Ron Slay, Tennessee.

Best of the rest

Mark Button covers college basketball for SI.com.