Any question about just how freakishly athletic he is vertically were answered as we watched him perform a series of highlight reel caliber dunks as the day of workouts came to a close-360s, off the backboard, windmills, the Vince Carter “honey-dip”/elbow inside the rim, between the legs, taking off from a step inside the free throw line, he visibly wowed each and every one of the players on the sidelines with his antics. Just for good measure, he finished off by jogging lightly towards the basket, jumping off two feet and viciously head-butting the rim.
For the first time since they started compiling their rankings online in 2002, rivals.com has a white-boy atop their boys H.S. basketball ratings. B.J. Mullens, a 7′1” Ohio State commit, took the place of Greg Monroe after Rivals released their final rankings following the all-star circuit. While high ranking recruits don’t always pan-out, you could say that Rivals has been pretty good at getting it right. Here are their top ranked players since 2002.
2002- Carmelo Anthony
2003- LeBron James
2004- Dwight Howard
2005- Gerald Green
2006- Greg Oden
2007- Michael Beasley
2008- B.J. Mullens
With the exception of Green, that’s pretty much a list of superstars and #1 picks in the draft. So what kind of player is Mullens? According to Rivals:
Size, athleticism and skill are the big three that separate Mullens from the rest of this class. It just isn’t very often that you find a 7-foot plus center who can run, jump and shoot like Mullens. He has the type of athleticism that makes you think of Bill Walton and then he has the shooting touch that makes you wonder if he could develop into a Dirk Nowitzki type player. Mullens does need to become a tougher defender and rebounder, but the pieces are there for him to be a number one pick in the draft and premiere big man in the League.
Most of the clips I’ve seen on YouTube certainly display unique athleticism for someone his size, and if he has the shooting touch to go with it, his ceiling looks to be that of a more athletic Nowitzki. The White-Boy Report will certainly be keeping an eye on him during his upcoming freshman campaign.
For what it’s worth - here are the highest ranking White-Boys since 2002, this list is not nearly as promising as the previous list:
2002- Paul Davis (Rivals only ranked by position in 2002 - though ‘Melo was the consensus #1)
2003- David Padgett, #7
2004- Robert Swift, #14
2005- Josh McRoberts, #2
2006- Chase Budinger, #4
2007- Kyle Singler, #5
2008- B.J. Mullens, #1
2009- Travis Wear, #19 (Committed to UNC, along with his twin brother, ranked #20)
Here is my first contribution to the White-Boy Report and I wanted to have some fun. Most fans of basketball are familiar with the NIKE advertising campaign featuring LeBron James with the phrase “We Are All Witnesses.” I found the White-Boy version of those commercials on youtube. Enjoy.
The White-Boy Report is going to be a recurring feature that keeps an eye on the progress of the American-born white basketball player. They are a dying breed, becoming less and less relevant in the NBA.
The reason why is anyone’s guess - and will remain that way because it is an issue too layered, potentially controversial, and almost impossible to tackle without sounding racist, that no major sports provider will touch it - and neither will I…at least not right now.
The reason for this feature is simple. I love basketball, and one of the things I love most about it is that it is as diverse as any sport - with players from about 70 different countries and Americans with backgrounds from all across the country - all bringing unique styles and culture to the game.
Well, right now, the part of the NBA puzzle that represents my demographic is sucking it up pretty badly. To the point that the best American-born white player ever, Larry Bird, has gone so far as to say “As far as playing, I didn’t care who guarded me -red, yellow, black. I just didn’t want a white guy guarding me, because it’s disrespect to my game.” Thanks Larry, Wally Szczerbiak and I appreciate it.
I am confidant that somewhere, there is someone who can bring some respect back to us, lead his team to a championship, win an MVP (Steve Nash is Canadian, folks) and put an end to the running punch-line that is the American-born white basketball player.
SO - this feature will follow, obviously, the players that are already in the NBA, but also, look over the horizon at the players in the college game, and the players being recruited out of high school. We will look at the success stories (Chris Kaman, I guess?), embarrassing failures (Nice work, Adam Morrison) and the up-and-comers (turn that fat into muscle, Kevin Love!).
And as a final note, to be perfectly clear, this is not about “taking the back the game” or anything horrendously, or even slightly, racist. It’s about giving young white boys hope that they can one day make the NBA, and not have to look like Ashton Kutcher, or play in Utah, to get attention.
NOTE: Since this is going to be a recurring feature, I would like to make a banner. Any suggestions as to who should be on it?
Coming Up in the White-Boy Report
- State of the White-Boy: From Jerry West to Mike Dunleavy Jr. The statistical decline currently in it’s 4th decade
- NBA Draft Previews: Kevin Love, Chase Budinger, Joe Alexander, Tyler Hansborough - what’s the upside? - and - is there anything TV Analysts like to do more than argue how white-boy’s games translate to the pros, without actually pointing out the guy is white?
For the first time since they started compiling their rankings online in 2002, rivals.com has a white-boy atop their boys H.S. basketball ratings. B.J. Mullens, a 7′1” Ohio State commit, took the place of Greg Monroe after Rivals released their final rankings following the all-star circuit. While high ranking recruits don’t always pan-out, you could say that Rivals has been pretty good at getting it right. Here are their top ranked players since 2002.
