Pollard is going to stun you with his play...
First of all, just to answer a question I am frequently asked - who is the best player you've ever seen play in the SEC? Pete Maravich hands down. It's a lot harder to pick the top Alabama players. There are some obvious picks. Let me quickly say one thing - starting with the CM Newton teams through todays teamsI find no significant skill or talent level.When a player is still active you tend to think the skill level is higher in my opinion. Then, after the years and decades pass you tend to look at them as mythical figures. Setting aside bias is tough. Objectivity is a high standard. I also think players like Bob Andrews and Mike Nordholtz could play and star today. Andrews was perhaps the most dominant inside player and glass sweeper who ever played at Alabama. Nordholtz could have averaged a thousand with the three point line. The overall talent level when those two played was not what it is today. Players have evolved. The game has evolved. What is commonplace now might have even been imagined years ago. In the 50 plus years of watching Alabama basketball games there have been hundreds of good and great players. When you have personally attended over a thousand Alabama games you do get a sense of skill levels on a "historical" basis.
So who do I think are the greatest freshmen players who ever hit the hardwood or that silly rubber stuff that was the passing fancy for a decade or so. You have to start with Leon Douglas. Grandpa was the transitional player in the history of Alabama player. He could have started when he was a tenth grader for the Tide. I'm sure that Alabama would have moved their program forward without Douglas, but with Douglas it was almost instantaneous. Douglas didn't ease Alabama into national prominence. He jerked it by the collar. I've give some special mention to Wendall Hudson as well. I don't Wendall would start for Alabama today though. His contribution to Alabama basketball is the stuff of myth and lore. In a broader sense Wendall Hudson is Alabama basketball, and in my mind he holds a special place. It bothers me when people criticize his coaching. He deserves better, but most Alabama fans really can't understand the credit he is due. Let me say this - Wendall was a brave young man in aye very dangerous time. He will always be my favorite player. If Reggie King was playing today he'd be the star. He had no outside shot. He played around the basket when there wasn't that stupid three point line. Back in Reggie's day the paint was no place for the timid or feint of heart. Reggie dominated the interior like no other player in Alabama history in the modern times. He just posted you low and destroyed you with his muscle and skill. Let me just mention a few names that come to mind who I didn't put in their category. Derrick McKey, Antonio McDyess, Buck Johnson, Eddie Phillips, and Robert Horry. Horry is perhaps the most complete player the Tide has ever played. I know there are plenty of players not mentioned here.
But we are talking about incoming freshman and those players stick out. From a pure skill viewpoint James Hollywood Robinson and Mo Williams are near the top as well. I'd have put T.R. Dunn and Anthony Murry in that group if they could have scored. If Gary Waites hadn't suffered a devastating knee injury in AAU ball the summer before his first fall he'd been there as well. Trevor Releford falls in that category as well. His play at point guard was stunning for a true freshman. So where does Pollard fall in that long history of Alabama basketball freshman. Given my history of half a decade I can say he is the most talented freshman I've ever seen at the Capstone. We all need to remember that talent doesn't guarantee success. But in watching him play with current Bama players he is the best I've ever seen. The term dominating comes to mind. He can outrun anyone on the team (I believe). He is quick as Trevor. You post him low and he outquicks you to the basket. Give him an outlet pass and he runs like a gazelle. He can also shoot from the outside. He is already a good defender bending toward great with some coaching from Anthony Grant. He could be one and done. I didn't think he was that good but watching him play with talented players he's the man. He is poetry in motion as the old saying goes. After writing all this about him I don't think I've fairly expressed just how good he is right now.
You probably can name a dozen other incoming freshmen and put together a great list. My five are Douglas, King, Robinson, and Williams. McKey and McDyess are very close. If you picked them I would argue. The last name is Pollard. If Devonta reaches his potential he will be the player against all future Tide players are measured. The last player I saw who made me think along similiar lines was named Durant.
