The way back-to-the-basket centers have vanished from the game of basketball in the past decade, you'd expect to see a display soon at the Naismith Hall of Fame in memory of the era when giants used to dominate the sport in the paint.
The age of traditional centers is gone. Guards rule. But uber-talented big men still exist, especially in college basketball this season.
Just check out some of the top teams in the country right now. You've got Purdue relying on 7-footers Isaac Haas and Matt Haarms complementing a deadly three-point shooting attack. Duke's 6-11 freshman Marvin Bagley III is in the conversation for national player of the year as a high-scoring double-double machine. Kansas and Michigan State both have centers among their top scorers, including the Spartans' 6-11 freshman Jaren Jackson Jr., who is the best pro prospect in the Big Ten.
When it comes to remembering the great NBA centers of the 1990s, the conversation always includes Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing and Shaquille O'Neal.
Did you know Arizona's 7-1, 260-pound freshman Deandre Ayton is being compared to a young Robinson? His athleticism and physical tools are off the charts with chiseled biceps, a 7-6 wingspan and a 40-inch vertical leap. Ayton has range out to the three-point line like Wolves center Karl-Anthony Towns, but he prefers to do most of his damage closer to the basket with rim-rattling slams like the Admiral.
Ayton's not alone when it comes to true 7-footers from the 2017 high school class who have NBA potential. In early December, he went head-to-head against 7-1, 250-pound Nevada-Las Vegas freshman Brandon McCoy, who had 33 points and 10 rebounds in the overtime loss to Arizona. Ayton had 28 points in what was as close as this generation is likely to get to an old-school Ewing vs. Olajuwon college matchup.
There's even 7-1 former McDonald's All-American Mitchell Robinson, who could be a lottery pick this year despite sitting out and training on his own instead of playing college basketball this season.
Where did all these big men come from? I thought all players 6-10 or taller nowadays were trying to be stretch power forwards like Kevin Garnett or sharpshooting wings like Kevin Durant.
