Davis Sports Deli's
Pac-10 Basketball Coverage
By: Joshua Fischman

 

Pac-10 Preview: Pre-season All-Junior Team

In 2007-08, the Pac-10 is perhaps the most intruiging and exciting conference in college basketball. From the youthful athleticism of USC to the veteran experience of Washington State to the depth of UCLA, the Pac-10 is loaded with potential NCAA contenders. To celebrate the beginning of Pac-10 conference play, Joshua Fischman has compiled a list of the top talent in the conference, separated by class standing. To supplement these pre-season lists, Joshua has conducted exclusive interviews with some of the Pac-10's most talented players.

Today, Joshua releases his All-Junior team. And while there may not be as many pro prospects among the junior crop as there were in the sophomore and freshman classes, there certainly are a lot of players on this list who are highly important to their team dynamic. For instance, PG Darren Collison of UCLA is the catalyst for the Bruins' offense. Without him, they lack rthymn and their attack is far less potent. The same goes for Washington's Jon Brockman, except Brockman is the Huskies' leader down low rather than in transition. Although these players may not be first round draft material, they are still immensely important to UCLA and Washington respectively. Keep reading for Joshua's complete list of stand-out juniors in the Pac-10 conference.

Also, for a re-cap of Tuesday's Pac-10 All-Freshman Team, click here.

And if you're wondering who made the All-Sophomore team, check it out here.

Pac-10 Pre-season All-Junior Team

Guard - Darren Collison UCLA
Collison may be the best junior in the Pac-10. There is no doubt that his return from injury provides a significant boost to the Bruin effort.

Guard - Justin Dentmon Washington
When the game is on the line, put the ball in his hands.

Forward - Josh Shipp UCLA
Older brother Joe averaged over 20 points per game as a senior for Cal five years ago, and younger brother Jerren is a sophomore guard at ASU. When all is said and done, Josh will be the most successful of the Shipp brothers...by far.

Forward - Jon Brockman Washington
The country-strong Husky is the team's fearless leader. And he gets better every year.

Center - Aron Baynes Washington St.
Still needs to learn the game, but there is no question that he is steadily improving.

 

Honorable Mention

Forward - Luc Ricard Mbah a Moute UCLA
One of the most athletic players in the conference.

Guard - Anthony Goods Stanford
Goods has been a key contributor to the Cardinals' success thus far. He easily could have made the starting five instead of Dentmon.

 

Question Marks

Forward - Lawrence Hill Stanford
All-Pac-10 last year, but his minutes have fell off significantly and his scoring is also noticeably down.

Forward - Jeff Pendergraph Arizona St.
Like Hill, his minutes are way down and the rebound numbers have plummeted as well. Jeff only seems to show up for some games. But when he is present, he performs in a big way.

 

Keith Wilkinson Interview

Now that you've seen the Pac-10's All-Junior team, check out an exclusive interview with one of the conference's key "glue" players: Keith Wilkinson of USC. In the interview, Keith discusses USC's talent and offers a breakdown of Kevin Durant's athleticism.

Also, be sure not to miss out on Tuesday's posting: the Pac-10 All-Freshman team and Wednesday's version of the All-Sophomore team.