1. 2003 St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio)The player who could have had one of the single greatest collegiate basketball careers never played a single minute in a college game.
LeBron James could have notched
an opening-round victory.
Photo courtesy of Golin Harris
LeBron James did not succeed in March Madness solely because he opted for the NBA draft. Had he played even one year in college, he would have had a Carmelo Anthony-like impact in the tournament. Actually, had James' 2003 St. Vincent-St. Mary team been placed in the bracket, he still would've had success.
Everyone is well aware of how utterly dominant James was in high school, from the time he first solidified his spot at the nation's top player when he out-dueled Lenny Cooke, then regarded as the country's best player, in a summer camp showdown.
Here's something that very few people realize about his St. Vincent-St. Mary Fighting Irish: James' teammates were very good.
Forward Romeo Travis, one of James' lifelong friends, was a great scorer and crucial rebounder. He averaged 14 points and seven boards. The program's second all-time leading scorer, Marcus Johnson, was only a freshman on the 2003 team, but was still a scoring threat.
Helping to ease the pressure on LeBron was point guard Dru Joyce III. Joyce, who went to play at Akron alongside Travis, averaged more than 10 points and six assists per game. His poise helped to free up James, whose 6-8 frame even in high school was more developed than most college players.
Also physically imposing was Sian Cotton, whose aggressiveness and 6-4, 315-pound frame helped him win a scholarship to Ohio State to play football.
Guards Brandon Weems and Corey Jones, both of whom went on to play at Walsh University, could have done damage in a tournament game. Jones' 3-point range was frightening. He shot nearly 49 percent on 3-pointers and would have knocked down open attempts as tournament teams collapsed on James.
The Fighting Irish criss-crossed the country dominating high caliber opponents that year, beating the likes of Oak Hill Academy (Va.), Mater Dei (Calif.) and Westchester (Calif.), a game in which James ripped off 52 points.
Any tournament team preparing to play the 2003 St. Vincent-St. Mary team would have keyed on James, perhaps running a box-and-one to force other players to score. His teammates would have contributed, and no team would have been able to keep James from impacting the game. The 2003 Fighting Irish would have been a Sweet 16 Cinderella team.
E-mail Steve Spiewak at sspiewak@maxpreps.com. Dave Krider, Kevin Askeland, Ted Silary, Tom Markowski and T.C. Cameron contributed to this story.
