Could Johnson, Brewer, Portis, Weems & Reid beat the '94 title team?

[edemire]

Here's a more fun way to wrap the season: No single Razorback team since 1995 could come within 25 points of beating the 1994-95 teams if all involved were playing at their highest levels. But what's the most likely hypothetical team composed of 1996-2014 players which could beat Corliss, Scotty, Dwight, Corey and Clint?

Below is the link to a poll - attached to an original article - asking you to choose five players from the below pool of candidates. In the early going, the top five vote-getters are Portis, Johnson and Brewer, along with Pat Bradley and Patrick Beverley.

http://www.sportinglifearkansas.com/evin-demirel-building-razorback-basketball-dream-team-post-95/

Best Perimeter Players since 1995:

    Kareem Reid

    Courtney Fortson

    Jannero Pargo

    B.J. Young

    Pat Bradley

    Rotnei Clarke

    Jonathan Modica

    Patrick Beverley

    Courtney Fortson

    Ronnie Brewer

    Sonny Weems

    Joe Johnson

Best Post Players since 1995:

    Marshawn Powell

    Derek Hood

    Mike Washington

    Nick Davis

    Bobby Portis

    Steven Hill

Here's my take:

    Forget trying to match the power of Williamson and Stewart inside. You're not going to do it. No matter what, you will take some lumps.

    The best tact to beat the national championship team is strangling them on the perimeter with size and strength, making those entry passes to Williamson difficult in the first place.

    That's why the core of my team is Joe Johnson, Ronnie Brewer and Sonny Weems. These three wingmen are all in the 6-6 to 6-8 range, very athletic, smart and able to create their own shots from almost anywhere on the floor. They have major height advantages over Beck and McDaniel while not sacrificing too much quickness. Each of these three Hogs would cause havoc in the passing lanes, and they could easily get their shots off. Moreover, each of them is more athletic and stronger than Thurman, which would diminish the sharpshooter's effectiveness.

    My big man is Corliss' former pupil, Bobby Portis. Williamson (as a sophomore) would have the advantage over Portis as a freshman. He would have a clear strength and quickness advantage. But Portis would not be absolutely manhandled. The strongest part of his body is his legs, which would would help him keep his balance against an opponent with a center of gravity advantage against any foe outside of Charles Barkley. Portis' four inch height advantage and reach would annoy Corliss enough to minimize the damage.

    With the offensive firepower and creativity of Johnson, Brewer and Weems, the key is to find someone who doesn't demand the ball but can clean up on the offensive boards, play sound post defense, has good hands and finishes around the basket. Portis is the best fit here.

    For the fifth player, we want someone who is quick, savvy, unselfish and a great passer. By far, the best candidate for the job on this team is Kareem Reid. Arkansas' all-time assists leader will give up inches and strength when guarding Beck or McDaniel, but his ability to penetrate the defense and pass to the Big Three outside or Portis inside will more than make up for this liability. Plus, Reid, who is third on Arkansas' steals list, has the ability to make Williamson and Stewart jumpy as he occasionally goes for strips coming around from the blindside on double teams and traps.

    I would put Weems on Stewart to start the game and dare Stewart to try to exploit his size advantage in the paint. You want Stewart trying to be the go-to guy down low. Because the post game was never the long-range bomber's strength, and extra shots for him would likely take his team out of its flow.

    On rebounds, Weems and Portis must hustle and keep their bodies on Stewart and Williamson. Johnson and Brewer will swoop in and take care of the boards.

[The_Iceman]

For post players, I understand if they are talking about careers at Arkansas. But if you are going by one season's production, Delvon Johnson was one of the best posts we've had since Corliss.

9.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.9 blks in 2010-2011. Very similar to Nicky Davis.

[Danny J]

For post players, I understand if they are talking about careers at Arkansas. But if you are going by one season's production, Delvon Johnson was one of the best posts we've had since Corliss.

9.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.9 blks in 2010-2011. Very similar to Nicky Davis.

And Corliss would have literally owned Delvon. That's really the nicest way to say that.

I would also say the 89-90 team could have been great.

[yraciv]

I'd go with
PG Beverley
SG Johnson
SF Brewer
PF Portis
C  Hood

You need some man down in the post that can body up with Corliss, and I'd take Hood over Portis at this point.  Portis would have a much easier time playing Stewart who despite his big body would float out to the 3.  I like Sonny as well, but you need a PG, and Beverley could easily fill that.  Joe and Ronnie don't have that capability.

I'd take that team over the National Champs maybe 6 times out of 10.  They'd get torched in the post, but if Johnson is hitting shots they'd win the majority. 

[clew]

There is not one player post 1996 that could have stopped Corliss from getting 25 - 30 points in a man defense scenario. And, if you played zone to stop Corliss, the NC guards/forwards would have destroyed you from 3pt range.  That doesn't even take into account the big men down low.  The inside play of that team was light years beyond anything we have seen since.

[hvsupastar]

Beverly
Joe
Ronnie
Portis
Steven Hill

Enough offense will come from 1-4 I think Hill is out best post defender post 94

[Marshfieldhog]

94 team would have killed a 2000's all star team, only team that could have beaten 94 team was the 91 team which I still think was the best team we ever had talent wise

Day
Mayberry
Miller
Huery
Howell
Many others

[tophawg19]

most don't remember Hood but he was great on the boards and a rock solid player

[Marshfieldhog]

Actually Howell was gone, we had Isiah Morris, bowers, Wallace, and Ernie Murray on that team. Went 34-4 and had 2nd half meltdown vs Kansas or we would have went to final four.

[Uncle_dad]

Keep in mind D Stew is going to pull a big away from the paint. Switch on him he is going to kill you inside. You need at least two quality big men to guard this team. I would include Hood. Another person I always felt was underrated (maybe because of his attitude) was Townes. Townes was the best low post player in the post Nolan era in my opinion. He also lost a lot of minutes to Hill because of his defensive prowess, but Townes was no slouch on defense.

Which brings me to this- why not Hill? If you have a Johnson, Brewer, and Weems on the team you are not going to need an offensive presence in the post. You are going to need someone to clean the boards and play defense. Hill would get embarrassed by Corliss, but he would match up well with D Stew. He also has the athleticism to play him on the perimeter when he plays away from the basket.

[Danny J]

Actually Howell was gone, we had Isiah Morris, bowers, Wallace, and Ernie Murray on that team. Went 34-4 and had 2nd half meltdown vs Kansas or we would have went to final four.

Correct which is why I mentioned 89-90 team. That team had the potential to be WOW.

[JONAS]

94 team would have killed a 2000's all star team, only team that could have beaten 94 team was the 91 team which I still think was the best team we ever had talent wise

Day
Mayberry
Miller
Huery
Howell
Many others

I don't think Lenzie Howell was on the 1991 team.  He was a JC transfer.  He played on the 1989 and 1990 team.  I agree the 1991 team was the best.  They went 34-4.

[JONAS]

Actually Howell was gone, we had Isiah Morris, bowers, Wallace, and Ernie Murray on that team. Went 34-4 and had 2nd half meltdown vs Kansas or we would have went to final four.

Should have read your post before I responded.

[popcornhog]

most don't remember Hood but he was great on the boards and a rock solid player

Who doesn't remember D. Hood!?!! Unless maybe you are under 20 years old.

[kingofdequeen]

Is it a full size nolan or a mini-nolan?

[yraciv]

Keep in mind D Stew is going to pull a big away from the paint. Switch on him he is going to kill you inside. You need at least two quality big men to guard this team. I would include Hood. Another person I always felt was underrated (maybe because of his attitude) was Townes. Townes was the best low post player in the post Nolan era in my opinion. He also lost a lot of minutes to Hill because of his defensive prowess, but Townes was no slouch on defense.

Which brings me to this- why not Hill? If you have a Johnson, Brewer, and Weems on the team you are not going to need an offensive presence in the post. You are going to need someone to clean the boards and play defense. Hill would get embarrassed by Corliss, but he would match up well with D Stew. He also has the athleticism to play him on the perimeter when he plays away from the basket.

I prefer boards and defense over blocks, especially with Corliss down there. I feel Portis, Hood, and hell even Nicky Davis did that better than Steven Hill. Hill could clog the lane and block shots, but he averaged 3 boards a game.  Plus how is he going to attempt to matchup with Stewart or Williamson?

[yraciv]

Guys I put a team out there called All Razorbacks on whatifsports. They don't have our rosters from 96-00, so no Hood's or Reid's on the team, but all the 2000 guys in the discussion are on there.  Play them heads up against the 90 and 94 Hogs yourself.
http://whatifsports.com/ncaab/default.asp#top

I went with the following lineups for 40 min a game, and they would sub players out and use bench if someone got in foul trouble.
94 - Beck, McDaniel, Thurman, Corliss, Stewart
All - Bev, Johnson, Brewer, Townes, Portis

The National Champs won all 5 neutral court simulations by a final score of 98.4 - 90.2. Now to be fair, that was just my lineup opinion, and the other team might have more success if you put Washington, best statistical season in at C, but I went with my post 2000 roster.

[Uncle_dad]

I prefer boards and defense over blocks, especially with Corliss down there. I feel Portis, Hood, and hell even Nicky Davis did that better than Steven Hill. Hill could clog the lane and block shots, but he averaged 3 boards a game.  Plus how is he going to attempt to matchup with Stewart or Williamson?

Good points. I mistakenly thought Hill was good for 5-6 rebounds a game. Townes would be the better choice. His block totals weren't far off of Hill's and his offensive totals were much better while playing about 70% of the minutes Hill played. Plus he had that mean streak.

[razorback93]

Post '95:

PG Reid
SG JJ
SF Weems
PF D. Hood
C  D. Townes

Bench:

Brewer
Pargo
Bradley
Beverly
Hill
Powell
Young
Portis

That's a full 13 man roster that would be pretty salty.  I originally had Modica, but replaced him with P-Bev because he was more versatile.  Pookie was an underrated player, but I think BJ would be a more explosive scorer.

I think the height of this team would bother Big Nasty, but he would still get his.

[The real Hogules]

No, the NC team was deep and had quality players from one end of the bench to the other.

They'd beat almost any all star Razorbacks team that you'd care to throw together.

[Wild Bill Hog]

No, the NC team was deep and had quality players from one end of the bench to the other.

They'd beat almost any all star Razorbacks team that you'd care to throw together.

This is the truth.

[The_Iceman]

If it was starters vs. starters, the lineup I would put together to beat them would be:

G: Ronnie Brewer- solid all around player capable of scoring, playing defense, and distributing the ball
G: Rotnei Clarke- with this lineup, just stick him out there and have him shoot.
F: Sonny Weems- athletic forward that will be catching oops from Ronnie and Joe, while also knocking down the corner three.
F: Joe Johnson- will provide a mis-match on offense with Corliss having to guard him (while the same is also true on the other end.
C: Delvon Johnson- enforcer inside to grab rebounds and block shots. His size and strength make him more suitable for that role than Steven Hill.

Coach: Mike Anderson. Will probably go with a high pressure zone with Ronnie and Rotnei up top and Weems and Johnson at the bottom. The problem will be defending Corliss and Darnell/Dwight inside. But the offensive size should be able to keep up.

[downsouthhawg72]

Nobody on this team could hold Big Nasty, NOBODY. Nobody on this team would even play a meaningful minute on that 94-95 team. The Only team that could beat or come close to beating that 94-95 team is the May/Day/Miller duo. That duo was good.

[20gauge]

JJ would have gotten some minutes on the 94-95 team. But dont see any combination of players post 95 that would win a series against them. One game scenario yes, series match up all you can say is there would be just ot much BIG NASTY.

[yraciv]

No, the NC team was deep and had quality players from one end of the bench to the other.

They'd beat almost any all star Razorbacks team that you'd care to throw together.

Oh come on! Starting 5 wise, you can certainly make that argument, but when you throw in the bench Post 95 would be much deeper.  Sonny Weems would be a 6 man on the post era team.  Are you really going to argue that Al Dillard, Darnell Robinson, Davor Rimac, and Lee Wilson would be better then BJ Young, Rotnei Clarke, Sonny Weems, Derrick Hood, Jannero Pargo, Jonothan Modica...I could go on?

[yraciv]

JJ would have gotten some minutes on the 94-95 team. But dont see any combination of players post 95 that would win a series against them. One game scenario yes, series match up all you can say is there would be just ot much BIG NASTY.

You are crazy if you don't think Ronnie Brewer would have got minutes back then. We have all kind of posts since then who could have played over Stewart.

[yraciv]

If it was starters vs. starters, the lineup I would put together to beat them would be:

G: Ronnie Brewer- solid all around player capable of scoring, playing defense, and distributing the ball
G: Rotnei Clarke- with this lineup, just stick him out there and have him shoot.
F: Sonny Weems- athletic forward that will be catching oops from Ronnie and Joe, while also knocking down the corner three.
F: Joe Johnson- will provide a mis-match on offense with Corliss having to guard him (while the same is also true on the other end.
C: Delvon Johnson- enforcer inside to grab rebounds and block shots. His size and strength make him more suitable for that role than Steven Hill.

Coach: Mike Anderson. Will probably go with a high pressure zone with Ronnie and Rotnei up top and Weems and Johnson at the bottom. The problem will be defending Corliss and Darnell/Dwight inside. But the offensive size should be able to keep up.

I'd have Joe Johnson bring it up, but yeah that lineup would definitely give them a run.  Joe's ball handling is better than Brewer's, and I'd prefer to have my best player bringing it up without a true point.

[bphi11ips]

No.

[FelixJonesorDMAC?]

I don't believe there is any team of Razorbacks post 95 that could even come close to defeating the 94 title team.  They may play them close and even win a game or two in a 5 game series but overall if you gave me one game to win it and both teams playing their best ball, easily the 94 team.  I believe that 94 team is one of the best college basketball teams of all time. 

[yraciv]

I don't believe there is any team of Razorbacks post 95 that could even come close to defeating the 94 title team.  They may play them close and even win a game or two in a 5 game series but overall if you gave me one game to win it and both teams playing their best ball, easily the 94 team.  I believe that 94 team is one of the best college basketball teams of all time. 

I agree that the 94 team was a great National Champion, but lets stop looking at this through Hog colored glasses.  Yes they were a great college team, but they only produced 1 quality NBA player, who was at his best a good 6 man.  No one on that Bench was a future all SEC player.  There have definitely been more talented National Champions out there. Now maybe the Hogs meshed a lot better, and played greater team ball but they were certainly far from unbeatable. An all time Hog team since 95 would have 4 guys who have produced as NBA starters, 1 all star, and some posts who were All SEC. I wouldn't expect them to gel and all mesh as a team if you threw the college version of themselves in a pickup game with the National Championship team, but if you gave them a month to grow they certainly would have the talent to give them a tight game. 

And obviously, they would kick their ass in current shape. Maybe Thurman, McDaniel, & Corliss could still hit some shots, but Beck, Stewart, Wilson...half those guys have let themselves go.

[CDBHawg]

No

[FelixJonesorDMAC?]

I agree that the 94 team was a great National Champion, but lets stop looking at this through Hog colored glasses.  Yes they were a great college team, but they only produced 1 quality NBA player, who was at his best a good 6 man.  No one on that Bench was a future all SEC player.  There have definitely been more talented National Champions out there. Now maybe the Hogs meshed a lot better, and played greater team ball but they were certainly far from unbeatable. An all time Hog team since 95 would have 4 guys who have produced as NBA starters, 1 all star, and some posts who were All SEC. I wouldn't expect them to gel and all mesh as a team if you threw the college version of themselves in a pickup game with the National Championship team, but if you gave them a month to grow they certainly would have the talent to give them a tight game. 

And obviously, they would kick their ass in current shape. Maybe Thurman, McDaniel, & Corliss could still hit some shots, but Beck, Stewart, Wilson...half those guys have let themselves go.

We are talking college ball, not NBA.  I'm not looking through Hog Colored glasses, those 94-95 teams were some of the best basketball teams to ever play the college basketball game along with the 90-91 UNLV team, the Jordan Worthy UNC team, the early 90's Duke teams and the Fab Five.  Even though we lost to UCLA in 95, if we played them 5 times we would win more than lose.  The NC team had the perfect player for each position, which is hard to come by.  Usually a team has a weak spot and that team did not have a weak spot.  They could shoot, pass, hustle, steal, block shots, they were a perfect mesh of players. 

Bobby Hurley and Christian Laetnner were no world beaters in the NBA, but you can't tell me that team wasn't one of the greatest college basketball teams of all time.   Although UNLV would have something to say about that. 

I'm just saying, that 94 team could play against any NC team in history and keep it close if not win.

[choppedporkextrasauce]

Actually Howell was gone, we had Isiah Morris, bowers, Wallace, and Ernie Murray on that team. Went 34-4 and had 2nd half meltdown vs Kansas or we would have went to final four.

more a series of injuries. Bowers meant more than most realize

[kingofdequeen]

Lulz.  Stephen Hill? 

Corliss would have kicked his ass.  not even close.  Hill would foul out in 3 minutes.

Beverly
Joe
Ronnie
Portis
Steven Hill

Enough offense will come from 1-4 I think Hill is out best post defender post 94

[Danny J]

Lulz.  Stephen Hill? 

Corliss would have kicked his ass.  not even close.  Hill would foul out in 3 minutes.

Yep and I literally just LOL'd a little just thinking about it.

[avatar]

i hate stupid polls like this. but here is one
would obomba beat abraham lincoln

[Danny J]

i hate stupid polls like this. but here is one
would obomba beat abraham lincoln

No way!!! The Vampire hunter would have sliced and diced him baby!

[Marshfieldhog]

i hate stupid polls like this. but here is one
would obomba beat abraham lincoln

In the 1860s or today? If today, people are so freaking stupid Obama would have won. 1860s Obama never could have been a candidate.

[lwillin]

I don't think so, but it would be interesting to watch such a game. What I remember about the 94 team is their tremendous heart and will to win. The Mayberry/Day/Miller team would also put up quite a game against 94, also. Many people think May-Day-O would win.

[Hog1952]

No but...
How about Moncrief,Ron Brewer,Marvin Delph,Alvin Robinson,Joe Kline and Big O. These guys would give them a run!

[seasonhog]

No, the NC team was deep and had quality players from one end of the bench to the other.

They'd beat almost any all star Razorbacks team that you'd care to throw together.

That team fit together like a glove.....everyone knew their job & did it well.

[kingofdequeen]

MayDay hogs would've beaten them more often than not.

[Hog_One_Stop]

No way they loose

[Dr. Starcs]

^^^^

But they could tighten?


Also, Eugene Nash has got to be on that team.

[bigredone]

No but...
How about Moncrief,Ron Brewer,Marvin Delph,Alvin Robinson,Joe Kline and Big O. These guys would give them a run!

As much as I thought of Klein he would never keep up with the game of the 94 team. He was too thick to run the court. If you let him stay on the offensive end he would score some points, though.

Hastings would be more of a fit for that kind of game in my opinion.

I wish we could have seen the triplets with the freedom of 40 minutes of hell and the three point line. Delph would still be counting his points.