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10 February 2010
Over the past two years people have talked (at length) about which sport has the most athletic players. Recently, the talk generally spirals into a discussion of how Lebron James would be a Pro Bowl tight end. I can't argue against that after the success that Antonio Gates has had in the NFL. Lebron is much more athletic than Gates, and has the type of frame that any GM would love to have lining up in the slot against NFL linebackers.
Professional sports are one thing, but let's take the talk down to the NCAA level. Further, let's assume that there are no time constraints on your players. Classes don't take time out of their day (not so far from the truth) and let's allow that practices and functions required for a player to play two sports would be workable. So the question is, who on your favorite college basketball team would you put on the football team and who would you take off the gridiron and place on the hardwood?
At the University of Kentucky it's a hard choice to decide on a player to move from the football team to the basketball team. The major reason being that the basketball roster is absolutely ludicrous now that John Calipari is the head coach. But this is just a hypothetical, so let's give it a shot.
My first thought was Aaron Boyd. The sophmore stands 6'4", weighs 210 pounds, and is a tremendous athlete. He also played 5 years of varsity basketball in high school at Henry Clay. Boyd was All District and All Region while also earning honorable mention for All State and being a McDonald's All American nominee (which actually doesn't mean as much as it sounds). The only problem I have with Boyd is the same one I have with him on our football team. Aaron was hyped coming out of high school as a huge recruit for Kentucky, but he has yet to produce on the field. This is mostly due to his lack of playing time which has been cited on more than one account to work ethic and attitude. I would like to think this is only because the young man is still maturing, but as much of a distraction as he could be on a large football roster he could potentially be a larger one on a small 15 man basketball squad.
The player I would take from the football team to the basketball team is also a tremendous athlete. No surprise there, but the reason I would take this player is the exact reason Boyd didn't make the cut. If I had to transpose one player to the UK basketball team it would be Randall Cobb. Cobb would be an odd position player. Standing only 5'11" and weighing in at 190, Cobb would likely need to play point guard or some spot duty at shooting guard. Randall was an All District basketball player as a high school junior in Alcoa, TN and ran multiple races in track. He's got the athleticism to compete on a basketball team, but he gets the nod because he's a tremendously hard worker and finds ways to get things done on the football field. Cobb is not the biggest or faster player on the field in football, but he always makes plays in the clutch and has a knack for being in the right spot when he needs to be. This transitions extremely well to basketball where a player that will fight for the ball, play good defense, and know where to be at all times can be very helpful to a team full of star players.
With all the gifted basketball players on UK's roster it is hard to pick one to take over to football. Many would possibly say John Wall, citing the Freshman's 6'4", 195 pound frame and lighting quickness as ideal for a wide out position. Eric Bledsoe could similarly take over a position at wide out for the Cats football team, but the guy I would love to see on the grid iron is DeMarcus Cousins. At 6'11" and 260 lbs., Cousins would be a beast going over the middle off the tight end position. He may not have tremendous speed to blow past even linebackers, but just the fact that he could go up for a high ball over the middle, using his tremendous frame to shield the defender off, would make him useful on short third down plays and on the goal line. DeMarcus has also shown amazing footwork and spectacular hands in his Freshman season for the Cats baskeball team. Both of these things are important for a good tight end. Cousins seems to have attitude problems at times; however, as it has been previously stated, this is less of an issue on a 60 man roster.
So there you have it; my picks for pushing players back and forth between the major sports at the college level. They may not be ideal, but it is interesting to think of how players would transition to another sport. Have thoughts on your own favorite teams switching players? Sound off in the comments.
