Kevin McCullar Jr. had a big decision to make and not a lot of time to make it. The 6-foot-6 guard from San Antonio entered the NBA Draft last spring following his junior season at Texas Tech. In an effort to maximize his options, he also put his name into the NCAA’s transfer portal. McCullar maintained his eligibility as he went through the pre-draft process, collecting information and feedback right up to the NCAA’s June 1 deadline to withdraw. In the end, McCullar decided he needed another year of college, but where should he play it? Should he go back to Texas Tech? Should he take his talents elsewhere? And if so, where should he go and what kind of role should he look to play?

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If it were just a matter of improving his draft stock, the choice would have been easy: Go somewhere where he could get the most minutes and take the most shots. There was no shortage of suitors promising him that very thing. “A lot of schools were telling me if I came there I could run the show and have the keys to the program,” McCullar says. “But I wanted to go somewhere where I knew I was going to get pushed and be held accountable at both ends of the floor. The one thing I wanted to do was win.”

With no time to do campus visits, McCullar narrowed his choice to two of the winningest programs in the country, Kansas and Gonzaga. He went with Kansas because of its proximity to home, his relationship with Jayhawks senior forward Jalen Wilson, a fellow Texan, and the belief that KU coach Bill Self would push him hard and hold him accountable.

Self was all too familiar with McCullar from having watched him at Texas Tech. He relished the chance to coach him rather than coach against him. “I’ve always been a fan,” Self says. “I thought he fit us better than anybody else in the portal. We could sell immediate playing time.”

The result has been a match made in Kansas. Even though the Jayhawks lost four starters and six of their top eight scorers from last year’s NCAA champs, they won yet another Big 12 regular season title and are a lock to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Wilson has played like an All-American, freshman sharpshooter Gradey Dick has been even better than advertised, 6-1 senior Dajuan Harris has emerged as one of the better point guards in the country, and 6-7 sophomore K.J. Adams has made a dramatic leap forward. Yet, for those who have paid close attention to Kansas’ remarkable season, there is no question that McCullar is the player who holds everything together.

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Besides being Kansas’ best and most versatile defender, McCullar has been proficient in every area. He leads the team (and ranks second in the Big 12) in steals at 2.1 per game. He is third on the team in scoring (11.1 points per game), second in rebounding (7.3), third in assists (2.4), and third in free-throw shooting (77.1 percent on 3.6 attempts per game). According to KenPom.com, McCullar ranks third in the Big 12 in offensive free-throw rate, fifth in defensive rebound percentage and seventh in steals percentage. He is both a jack and a master of all trades, and he has provided critical leadership for a squad that ranks 228th in the country in experience.

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Last week, McCullar was one of 10 players who were named finalists for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award. That aside, his name is not likely to pop up on many all-conference or All-America teams. There is one way, however, in which McCullar’s many contributions can be properly celebrated. He is the captain of the 2023 All-Glue team.

This sticky tradition has been around so long that we have finally reached a point where the All-Glue team is older than any of the players who have been named to it. The term “Glue Guy” was born on March 20, 2000, when my former Sports Illustrated colleague Alexander Wolff and I produced this story in the magazine’s 2000 NCAA Tournament preview issue. From that point on, I have named an All-Glue team every season. It is my way of shining a light on players whose invaluable contributions too often get lost in the shadows.

McCullar’s career almost ended before it could get started. As a sophomore at Karen Wagner High School in San Antonio, McCullar helped his team to reach the Class 6A title game. The following year, however, he fractured his tibia late in the season. He opted to rest and rehabilitate his leg rather than undergoing surgery, but a few weeks after he was cleared he fractured it again and had to get two screws inserted. As a result of those setbacks, McCullar was unable to showcase his abilities on the grassroots circuit that summer. Many of the coaches who had previously been recruiting him stopped calling.

One of those who maintained his interest was then-Texas Tech coach Chris Beard. McCullar’s father, Kevin Sr., played linebacker at Texas Tech, and several other family members, including Kevin’s mother, also went there. With Beard’s encouragement, McCullar reclassified and graduated high school in December of his senior year, and then joined the Red Raiders for the second half of the 2018-19 season. He had a great view from the bench as the Red Raiders reached the NCAA championship game, where they lost to Virginia in overtime. “That was an amazing experience for a 17-year-old guy,” McCullar says. “They treated me like I was out there playing every day.”

As a redshirt freshman, McCullar entered Texas Tech’s starting lineup for the season’s final six games. Over the next two seasons he started 43 of 49 games, averaging 10.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 steals while twice being named to the league’s All-Academic team. He also shot 30.1 percent from 3-point range, which was the primary weakness that caused him to withdraw from the draft. McCullar is still not much of a long-range threat — his percentage from behind the arc has dipped to 28.6 — but he has developed into a more efficient scorer. He has had some high-scoring games this season (21 at Missouri, 18 against Wisconsin, 17 against Seton Hall, all wins), and he has shown a knack for making timely shots.

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In fact, McCullar has had a knack for making all sorts of plays that have decided close games. He banked in a late 3-pointer to beat West Virginia. He helped close out a win over TCU with a late block. When Kansas was on the brink of losing at home to Oklahoma State on Dec. 31, McCullar blocked a potential game-tying bucket by Cowboys guard Bryce Thompson with 1.1 seconds left. While playing against his former team, Texas Tech, on Feb. 28, McCullar had 14 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and a steal to help the Jayhawk clinch the outright Big 12 title.

McCullar rolled his ankle during Kansas’ Feb. 14 win at Oklahoma State. He did not practice during the four days leading up to the Jayhawks’ next game at home against Baylor. When KU fell behind 45-32 at the half, Self told McCullar and Harris not to switch off their men and focus solely on locking down Bears guards Adam Flagler and L.J. Cryer. That move turned the tide and propelled the Jayhawks to an 87-71 victory.

“I thought he was tough before, but he’s way tougher than I thought,” Self says. “He plays hurt. His IQ is off the charts. He’s just a winner.”

Suffice to say, McCullar is thrilled with the choice he made, and he hopes the winning will continue after the NCAA Tournament begins next week. As Kansas’ Glue Guy, he sees it as his responsibility to make sure that it does. “Being an older guy, I’ve got to bring energy, because I know the younger guys are looking up to me,” he says. “If we keep trusting each other and competing and bringing our energy every game, we have the pieces to get it done.”

Here are the other members of the 2023 All-Glue team, as well as a complete list of all the previous editions:

Trey Galloway, 6-4 junior guard, Indiana

Mike Woodson got his first look at Galloway shortly after taking over as Indiana’s coach in the spring of 2021. He was underwhelmed, to say the least. “Maybe it’s just because of I came from the NBA,” Woodson says. “But he grew on me. He just played so hard, man. When you play hard for me, that goes a long way. That’s why he’s playing so many minutes, because he does a lot of the stuff that nobody wants to do.”

That begins on the defensive end, where Galloway is always assigned to lock up the opponent’s primary ballhandler. “He’s average athletically, but he fights over screens, he gets up in a guy’s face when he’s dribbling,” Woodson says. Those assets were especially useful during the Hoosiers’ two wins against Purdue, when Galloway forced Boilermakers point guard Braden Smith into a combined 10 points on 3-of-19 shooting. Galloway had 13 points in the second win, but his most memorable bucket was a shot he didn’t make, when he tried to dunk over Purdue’s 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey with 7:34 remaining in the second half. The dunk bounced hard off the back rim, but it set the tone for the rest of the way.

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Offensively, Galloway has made a dramatic leap forward, raising his 3-point shooting from 19.7 his first two seasons to 50 percent as a junior. That skill has been critical since he was inserted into the starting lineup in mid-December after the team’s starting point guard, 6-3 senior Xavier Johnson, suffered a season-ending foot injury.

Galloway played high school ball at Culver (Ind.) Military Academy, where his father, Mark, was his coach. Together they won a state championship and lost another in the final, but Trey and his dad had some pretty pitched battles. When Trey was younger, his mother, Dawn, tried to be on hand for their one-on-one games in case there was need for a peacemaker — which often times there was. “It got to the point where we couldn’t really work out together unless we were shooting around,” Trey says. “It’s funny now to talk about, but it wasn’t funny at the time. But it was all worth it because it made me so much better. He prepared me to be coachable.”

Much like McCullar with regard to the transfer portal, Galloway faced a pivotal decision when Indiana fired coach Archie Miller following his freshman season. Many players in that situation would at least wait to see whom the school hires to figure out his next move, but Galloway immediately issued a statement declaring his intention to remain a Hoosier. “This place is home to me,” Galloway says. “I have a pretty good relationship with our athletic director (Scott Dolson). I trusted the process, and now I’m so glad that I stayed.”

So, too, is Hoosier nation. Galloway has grown on them, too.

When Jackson was in fifth grade growing up in Amsterdam, N.Y., his mother, Tricia Altieri, took him to a local baseball field to watch some amateur boxing. There were several bouts on the card that night. His mom fought in one of them. “I was nervous, man,” Jackson says. “I was worried she was going to get punched, but she knocked the other woman out in the first round.”

Jackson’s mother also played basketball in college and is one of many athletes in his family. His father, Andre Sr., played basketball at Division II Mercy College, and many of his family members were competitive powerlifters and martial arts enthusiasts. “My uncle has cauliflower ears and everything,” Jackson says. Moreover, as a biracial child reared in a multicultural family, Jackson developed a worldly essence that allows him to relate to people with different backgrounds and life experiences. “It’s definitely given me the ability to adapt to a lot of different scenarios,” Jackson says. “I can see where people are coming from and really try to help them up.”

Jackson concedes it has not been easy for him to embrace his role as UConn’s Glue Guy. As a senior at Albany Academy, he was ranked No. 50 nationally in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index. But when he got to Storrs, he was stuck behind two veteran, potent scoring guards, James Bouknight and R.J. Cole. Jackson missed seven games that December and January because of a left wrist injury, and he played just eight minutes in the Huskies’ loss to Maryland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. “That humbled me a lot,” Jackson says. “I thought I was going to be more of a star.”

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Things came to a head with UConn coach Dan Hurley during Jackson’s sophomore season, when he kept taking ill-advised shots. At one point during a film session, Hurley told Jackson, “I know you have aspirations to be a pro, but you need to learn how to be an effective player for us right now.” The message broke through. “That was the day I changed,” Jackson says. “I figured that I need to be whoever I am right now, and be a star in that role.”

Jackson missed the first three games this season while recovering from a fractured pinky finger, but he has indeed been a star in his role. With East Carolina transfer Tristen Newton taking over the point and sophomore Jordan Hawkins emerging as an elite scorer, Jackson has embraced the notion of playing Draymond to their Steph and Klay. His passing skills have been especially useful as Newton has grown accustomed to playing the point full-time alongside new teammates. Jackson’s 4.3 assists per game are only slightly behind Newton’s team-leading 4.5. Jackson ranks sixth on the team in scoring at 6.6 points per game, and he is second in both rebounding (6.3) and steals (1.0).

Jackson has worked hard on his shooting, but he is still only making 27.1 percent from 3. Lately, he has been much savvier in his shot selection and leaned into his explosiveness to get to the free-throw line. After failing to score in double figures since Dec. 31, Jackson has now done so in three of his last four games. “We’ve figured out the puzzle together,” Hurley says. “He works like a dog. His release looks good, his shot looks good. He just needs more confidence.”

Hurley acknowledges that “it’s been a battle” to get Jackson to bring that dog mentality to his role as a Glue Guy. Now that he has, the Huskies are steeled for a deep run in March. “At this point he has played close to 80 college games,” Hurley says. “He knows what we need from him, and what we expect. Now it’s up to him to keep performing at a high level and let it happen.”

At most places, the Glue Guy is appreciated. At Marquette, he’s celebrated. Aside from praising the qualitative contributions that Glue Guys make, Golden Eagles coach Shaka Smart tries to quantify them as well. He counts deflections (as well as deflection intervals, which is the average time between deflections) and awards a ”deflection belt” to the player who has tallied the most. He also gives out an offensive rebounding chain and has his managers chart EGB’s, which is Smart’s acronym for “Energy Giving Behaviors” like slapping the floor, patting a teammate on the back, chest bumps, and vocal encouragement. Before the season started, Smart took the team on a retreat and held small group meetings so the team could discuss what everyone’s role should be offensively, defensively and culturally.

Thus, it hasn’t been difficult for Mitchell to play the role of Glue Guy while other players get to be stars. At Marquette, the Glue Guy is the star. “Our coaches do an awesome job showing appreciation for everything a Glue Guy does,” Mitchell says. “They make you feel like the man.”

Little wonder why the Golden Eagles have been one of the season’s biggest surprises, going from being picked to finish ninth in the Big East in the preseason to winning the regular season outright. That was what both Mitchell and Smart envisioned when they spoke on the day that Smart took the job in March 2021. Mitchell had given his commitment to Steve Wojciechowski, the previous coach, and though he still wanted to come to Marquette, he didn’t solidfy that decision until he had a chance to talk to the new hire. “He just seemed like someone I wanted to play for,” Mitchell says. “He cares about you as a basketball player, but his emphasis is on helping you be a better person on or off the court.”

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Mitchell played 10.8 minutes per game as a freshman, but he has started all 31 games this season and has contributed every which way possible: scoring (7.2 points per game), rebounding (2.7), passing (1.1 assists) and defense (1.7 steals). Offensively, Mitchell has had his share of standout games, most notably on New Year’s Eve when he returned home to spark a win at Villanova by going for 19 points, four steals, two assists and no turnovers. During a pivotal home win over Xavier on Feb. 15, Mitchell had 17 points, four rebounds and a career-high six steals while chasing Musketeers point guard Souley Boum all night.

“He’s a Glue Guy, but he’s really a do whatever the team needs guy,” Smart says. “Even more important than the basketball stuff, he’s just an unbelievable teammate. He pours everything he has into his guys.”

Smart also appreciates that Mitchell is an excellent student who carries a 3.9 grade point average. Michell may be playing a much different role than the one he played at Wilson High School in Reading, Pa., where he set the school’s all-time scoring record en route to being named the state’s Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year, but he is smart enough to understand his value to the team, and feel confident that his teammates and coaches see that value as well. “He’s really hard on himself, so my message to him is, trust yourself and shoot the ball when you’re open,” Smart says. “The most important message is that we really value you and we really appreciate you. This team would be nowhere near where it is if it wasn’t for Stevie.”

The Cougars are the nation’s No. 1 team and are loaded with star power, but the season’s biggest moment so far was delivered by their Glue Guy on Sunday afternoon in Memphis. With the game tied at 65-all and 8.9 seconds remaining, Shead took an inbounds pass and began to dribble upcourt. The team had one time-out remaining, but Shead did not bother to look at his coach, Kelvin Sampson, because he knew Sampson would not want him to use it. Shead calmly crossed halfcourt, scanned the floor for passing options and, seeing none, resolved to take the last shot himself. He dribbled around a ball screen set by forward J’Wan Roberts, drove into the lane, leaned ever so slightly into his defender (asked later if he pushed off, Shead laughed and said, “I definitely did!”), stepped back, rose up, and buried a 15-foot jumper just as time expired.

JAMAL SHEAD. HOUSTON SURVIVES AT THE BUZZER 😱

(via @CBSSports)

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 5, 2023

Speaking by phone about 30 minutes later during the team’s bus ride to the airport, Shead was asked if he felt nervous as he went up for the shot. “After the first two minutes, if you’re still nervous in the game you shouldn’t be in it,” he said. “I’d say it was more just trying to will us to win. My teammates and coaches are so confident in me, it gives me that extra boost of confidence. It was an amazing feeling when that shot went in. I don’t think I’ve ever felt anything like that before in my life.”

Shead isn’t as well-known as Houston’s All-America guard Marcus Sasser or its one-and-done freshman wing Jarace Walker, but the fact that Sampson trusted Shead so much in that moment speaks volumes about the role Shead plays on this team. “Marcus is our best player, but our most valuable player on this team without question is Jamal,” Sampson says. “I don’t think I’ve had a more natural leader.”

That was not apparent when Sampson first recruited Shead as a high school player. “He would play hard against good teams and not so hard versus other teams,” Sampson says. “Half the time I wanted to blow my whistle and put him on the line.” Those frustrations continued when Shead got to Houston. “He might have set a record for turnovers in the month of October,” Sampson says. “He would come up with these phantom injuries to get out of practice, so I’d send him to the weight room. He didn’t handle it very well, but he kept coming back every day.”

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One day during Shead’s freshman season, Sampson got so angry with Shead’s turnovers that he threw the whole team out of practice. During an early morning workout the following day, Shead and Sasser got into a scrap. From that point on, Shead understood that he would either have to raise his toughness and decision-making, or he would have a hard time earning minutes. “It’s just about playing hard and being consistent” he says. “You can’t go hard one day and be the softest person in the world the next.”

Now Shead is the model of effort, consistency, toughness and leadership. He is Houston’s fifth-leading scorer at 9.7 points per game, but he also averages 5.3 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals. He scored a team-high 16 points in Sunday’s win over Memphis, which came just three days after he scored a season-high 25 in a win over Wichita State.

Shead’s game-winner on Sunday will forever be etched in Cougars lore, but his actions following a loss last season at Alabama were more telling. The one-point loss was emotional and controversial, and an assistant coach and player kicked over a garbage can on their way to the locker room. As Shead walked by the mess, he stopped, picked up the can, and replaced the scattered trash. A spectator captured the moment on a cell phone, and the video was shared widely on social media.

Game winners are nice, but losing can be defining as well, and at that moment, Shead showed the world what being a leader – and a Glue Guy – was all about. “I was just trying to be helpful,” he says. “My parents always taught me to treat people how I want to be treated and never think you’re too good to do anything. I’m trying to be that mature guy that everybody can look to when things get rough. We have such a talented team. I’d love to be that leader.”

Watson wasn’t exactly the toughest recruitment Mark Few has ever been through. He grew up in nearby Coeur d’Alene and Mullan, Idaho, and was a four-year starter at Gonzaga Preparatory School in Spokane, where his teams went 102-6 and won two state championships. He was twice named the state’s player of the year by The Seattle Times. Starting in the seventh grade, Watson played on a local grassroots team coached by Gonzaga legend John Stockton, and his teammates included one of Few’s sons as well as the son of his longtime assistant, Tommy Lloyd. Watson didn’t make much of an effort to consider other colleges. He committed to Gonzaga the summer before his junior year of high school.

While watching Watson play for Stockton, Few was mystifed as to why Watson didn’t take more shots, even though he was clearly the best player on all his teams. The answer is twofold. First, Stockton coaches an egalitarian system where the ball moves and everyone gets a similar number of attempts. That approach also dovetailed with Watson’s selfless nature. “Growing up, my dad always told me to try to make my teammates better,” Watson says, referring to his father, Deon Sr., who is still the career rebounds leader at the University of Idaho. “When I was in fifth and sixth grade, I was usually the best player on my teams, but we weren’t very good. I’d much rather be on a team with better players.”

Watson’s college career has developed in fits and starts. He only played 15 games as a freshman because he had to have shoulder surgery. He admits that the missed time dented his confidence, but by last season he emerged as the Zags’ sixth man as he averaged 7.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.3 steals in 18.1 minutes off the bench. This season Watson has excelled in the starting lineup alongside All-America forward Drew Timme and his high-scoring sidekick, Julian Strawther. For the first time in his career, Watson started every game and posted career-high averages across the board: 11.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals. He is also shooting a career-best 31.4 percent from 3.

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Watson turned in his best performance on Feb. 25, when he had 17 points, eight rebounds, four steals, three assists and a block in Gonzaga’s 77-68 win over Saint Mary’s. His strength, athleticism, versatility, intelligence, and wickedly fast hands have made him a major asset at both ends. “He’s switchable and can guard one through five on defense,” Few says. “He can break a press. Against a zone he’s a guy you can flash in the middle. He’s an amazing cutter, and he’s a great duck-in guy. We get a lot of layups because he’s ducking in the big.”

Watson is respected as a leader, but he is more a strong-and-silent type than an alpha male. Few’s main complaint is that he still plays like John Stockton is coaching him. “I’ve told him, I don’t you care if you shoot five 3s and they don’t go in,” Few says. “If someone is open, Anton will automatically throw him the ball. I tell him, you need to be a little selfish here, but he just wants to make the right basketball play.”

Some habits, alas, are hard to break. “I’m a little stubborn when it comes to that,” Watson says. “It’s hard for me to go out and jack some 3s. I’m always looking for a good shot.” The way Watson sees it, his ways have worked quite well this season, both for him and Gonzaga, and there’s no reason to change now. “I think being a Glue Guy is just playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played,” he says. “I appreciate everyone calling me that, but it’s really just how I play. It’s natural to who I am.”

Past All-Glue teams

2022: Dalen Terry, Arizona (captain); Justin Minaya, Providence; Paul Mulcahy, Rutgers; Tyler Wahl, Wisconsin; Da’Monte Williams, Illinois; Jaylin Williams, Arkansas

2021: Herb Jones, Alabama (captain); Trent Frazier, Illinois; Marcus Garrett, Kansas; DeJon Jarreau, Houston; Justin Smith, Arkansas; Mark Vital, Baylor

2020: Mark Vital, Baylor (captain); K.J. Feagin, San Diego State; Andres Feliz, Illinois; Marcus Garrett, Kansas; Trey Landers, Dayton; Darryl Morsell, Maryland

2019: Zavier Simpson, Michigan, and Matisse Thybulle, Washington (co-captains); Zylan Cheatham, Arizona State; Nojel Eastern, Purdue; Trent Forrest, Florida State; Ashton Hagans, Kentucky; Galen Robinson, Houston

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2018: Theo Pinson, North Carolina (captain); Isaiah Wilkins, Virginia; Rashard Kelly, Wichita State; Rawle Alkins, Arizona; Dakota Mathias, Purdue; Silas Melson, Gonzaga

2017: Jordan Bell, Oregon (captain); Landen Lucas, Kansas; Dakota Mathias, Purdue; Ben Moore, SMU; Nathan Adrian, West Virginia; Isaiah Briscoe, Kentucky

2016: Matt Costello, Michigan State (captain); James Farr, Xavier; Landen Lucas, Kansas; Kaleb Tarczewski, Arizona; Raphael Davis, Purdue; Marshall Plumlee, Duke

2015: Rico Gathers, Baylor (captain); Alex Barlow, Butler; Josh Gasser, Wisconsin; Dustin Hogue, Iowa State; Tekele Cotton, Wichita State; Raphael Davis, Purdue; Briante Weber, VCU (honorary member)=

2014: Patric Young, Florida (captain); Tekele Cotton, Wichita State; Josh Gasser, Wisconsin; Justin Jackson, Cincinnati; T.J. McConnell, Arizona; Akil Mitchell, Virginia

2013: Mike Hart, Gonzaga (captain); Kyle Anderson, UCLA; Melvin Ejim, Iowa State; Roosevelt Jones, Butler; Nate Lubick, Georgetown; Travis Releford, Kansas

2012: Darius Miller, Kentucky (captain); Quincy Acy, Baylor; Travis Releford, Kansas; Toure’ Murry, Wichita State; Anthony Marshall, UNLV; Jorge Gutierrez, Cal; Zack Novak, Michigan

2011: Tyrone Nash and Carleton Scott, Notre Dame (co-captains); Terrell Bell, Virginia Tech; Brady Morningstar, Kansas; Draymond Green, Michigan State; Zack Novak, Michigan

2010: David Lighty, Ohio State (captain); Chris Kramer, Purdue; Reggie Redding, Villanova; Willie Veasley, Butler; Rick Jackson, Syracuse

2009: J.T. Tiller, Missouri (captain); Taylor Griffin, Oklahoma; Jermaine Dixon, Pitt; Garrett Temple, LSU; Travis Walton, Michigan State

2008: Stanley Burrell, Xavier (captain); Tory Jackson, Notre Dame; Dave Pendergraft, Gonzaga; Derrick Jasper, Kentucky; Justin Mason, Texas; Wisconsin Badgers (team)

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2007: Dane Bradshaw, Tennessee (captain); Kyle Shiloh, Nevada; Dominique Kirk, Texas A&M; Othello Hunter, Ohio State; Marcus Landry, Wisconsin

2006: Sean Dockery, Duke (captain); Dane Bradshaw, Tennessee; Mike Hall, George Washington; Sean Marshall, Boston College; Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, UCLA; Kenton Paulino, Texas

2005: Jamaal Levy, Wake Forest (captain); Louis Hinnant, Boston College; Erroll Knight, Gonzaga; Christian Moody, Kansas; Ellis Myles, Louisville; Roger Powell, Illinois

2004: Jaron Brown, Pittsburgh (captain); Tyrone Barley, Saint Joseph’s; Erroll Knight, Gonzaga; Roger 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; Ellis Myles, Louisville; Tony Robertson, Connecticut

2002: Gerald Fitch, Kentucky (captain); Dahntay Jones, Duke; Billy Knight, UCLA; Byron Mouton, Maryland; Jarrad 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; Stevie Johnson, Iowa State

(Illustration: John Bradford / The Athletic; Photos of Stevie Mitchell, Kevin McCullar and Jamal Shead: Patrick McDermott, Jay Biggerstaff and Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)