The Big 12 doesn't really get the respect you'd expect when conversations start up about the greatest basketball conferences, because I guess historically they're not on the level of an ACC or Big East. But in the past decade or two, you can't really deny they deserve to be in the conversation. And when you think about how prolific they are in football every year, it could be argued that the Big 12, at least with the two cash money revenue sports, is the best athletic conference in college sports. The Big 12 tournament may not be as prestigious as some, especially factoring the thinking that the top few teams are already pretty much guaranteed entry into the Big Dance, but it's still something the players like to add to their resume. It gives them midwestern bragging rights, and if there's one thing the modern basketball player likes to do, it's talk shit. Here are the top fourteen overall scorers from the past four Big 12 basketball tournaments...
#1: A.J. Abrams (Texas guard; 161 points in Big 12 tourneys '06-'09) - People sometimes don't realize how hard it is to get into the NBA, as there are only so many spots for employment, much less stardom. Abrams is the type of guy that can bless a university program, because he's as good as they came, but he wasn't quite great enough (or big enough) to make the jump into the NBA. So he played in Austin for four years, and played on two Elite 8 teams with other guys who went on to the NBA. He was a solid shooter, and took his game to Greece where he played for AS Trikalia 2000 before being released in December.
#2: Curtis Jerrells (Baylor guard; 148 points in Big 12 tourneys '06-'09) - Jerrells was the force that led Baylor to a shocking championship game run in last year's tourney from the opening round (meaning four games in four days), which was a nice way to cap a collegiate career and help put some shine back to a program that a few years earlier had crazy players killing other players. Jerrells got a preseason sniff of the NBA in San Antonio, but is back in his hometown of Austin playing for the D-League's Austin Toros right now, where he made the D-League All-Star game.
#3: Mario Chalmers (Kansas guard; 136 points in Big 12 tourneys '06-'08) - Big 12 tourney MVP his freshman year, and helped take Kansas to a National Title his junior year, then made the jump to the NBA. He was drafted by the Timberwolves, traded to the Heat, and had girls hiding in his hotel room at rookie orientation, which showed he was more than ready for the NBA. He had done well with the Heat, and being a defensive minded point guard, could see a long career in a league where really only one or two dudes are gonna take the shots so a solid point guard who can disrupt on defense is always wanted.
#4: Brandon Rush (Kansas guard; 126 points in Big 12 tourneys '06-'08) - On the same three-year plan Chalmers was, bolting after the National Title they won for Bill Self, where he was drafted by the Trailblazers but ended up on the Indiana Pacers, where he's still starting and cashing large checks two years later.
#5: Damion James (Texas guard/forward; 98 points in Big 12 tourneys '07-'09) - Still in college; will speak upon him tomorrow.
#6: Henry Dugat (Baylor guard; 96 points in Big 12 tourneys '06-'09) - Dugat was also part of that Rebirth of Baylor team last year, and his career has gone south ever since, literally. He had a brief stint with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA D-League, but was cut, and moved across the border to play for Los Toros Nuevo Laredo.
#7: Kevin Durant (Texas guard/forward; 92 points in Big 12 tourney '07) - Kevin Durant was one-and-done, so all his points were from that single 2007 Big 12 tourney. He is already considered an upper echelon NBA star, with the Oklahoma City team being built around at him at this point. Man, remember the Kevin Durant or Greg Oden questions before that draft? Turned out to not even be close.
#8: Richard Roby (Colorado guard; 91 points in Big 12 tourneys '06-'08) - The light-skinned, soft-smiling, half-brother of Kenyon Martin who gave Colorado their best moments in recent memory, he tried to get into the NBA both summers since college has passed, but has ended up in the Israeli Premier League both times, last year for Bnei Hasharon, and this year for the always impressive Maccabi Haifa Heat.
#9: Jarrius Jackson (Texas Tech guard; 90 points in Big 12 tourneys '06 and '07) - A strong shooting guard who passed up his draft into the CBA by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers to go abroad, where he has played for Palma Aqua Magica (in Spain), Khimik OPZ Yuzny as well as MBC Mykolaiv (in the Ukraine), and now Fastweb Junior CM (in Italy). Seems to be setting up a career of overseas successes without an eye to the NBA, which is probably best for a guy who would want to be a part of the action, as starring in Europe is probably a lot more fun than sitting on the bench in the NBA, even if the latter paid far better.
#10: D.J. Augustin (Texas guard; 90 points in Big 12 tourneys '07 and '08) - Spent two years at Texas, including coming in as a freshman the same year Durant did, and now he's starting for the Charlotte Bobcats in the NBA, but not nearly as prominently as Durant does for Oklahoma City.
#11: LaceDarius Dunn (Baylor guard; 89 points in Big 12 tourneys '08 and '09) - Still in college.
#12: Byron Eaton (Oklahoma State guard; 88 points in Big 12 tourneys '06-'09) - I always used to like Oklahoma State's color scheme, but since they switched to those weird non-tank top sleeveless t-shirts that always look like they're too tight, it's hard to support them in anything. I hate to sound superficial but that's what's real. Eaton played all four years of eligibility with the Cowboys, and moved across state to play for the Tulsa 66ers in the NBA D-League this season.
#13: Josh Carter (Texas A&M guard/forward; 87 points in Big 12 tourneys '06-'09) - Four years of solid Big 12 competition has equipped him to fuck people up in the German Bundesliga for EWE Baskets Oldenburg.
#14: Sherron Collins (Kansas guard; 85 points in Big 12 tourneys '07-'09) - Still in college.
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