Quick facts:
- Georgia the state has had 115 players while Georgia the country has had 5
- New Zealand and Idaho are tied at 4 each
- California leads all with 364
- Mario Chalmers is the only player from Alaska
So, what if each state or country could make all star teams? I could spend hours making teams for different countries or states, but since I go to school in South Dakota, I decided to make an all Dakota team. (South Dakota would not have had enough with only 5, so I included their neighbors to the north). Besides, people outside of the region don't know the difference between North and South Dakota. Since that only makes 11 players, I decided to include the only player ever from Iceland, since Iceland seems to be the Dakota's of Europe.
Starting five:
Point Guard: Jon Sundvold, born in Sioux Falls SD, drafted in 1983 by Seattle. Averaged 11 points and 4 assists in 86-87 for the Spurs. Opened up an investment firm after playing and does TV commentary for Missouri Basketball. His career 2.9 assists per game is the most out of anyone from the Dakota's, which is more of a negative for the region than a positive for him but The Daks will take it! (Team name is the Daks by the way, beating out the Biyotejacks and the Corn (singular, like the Thunder).
Quick note: SDSU ads starting showing up on basketball reference after I started doing this. If I wanted Jack ads I would type "ads for conceded schools in the mid-west" into google. That is my first and only (we'll see) dig at the Jacks, but they had it coming.
Shooting Guard: Duane Klueh, from Bottineau ND, drafted in 1949 by Boston. This was a spot up for grabs, but I gave it Klueh because it would be funny to have a 50's guy starting and because this guy has had a very interesting career. After playing only two NBA seasons with the Nuggets and Fort Wayne Pistons, he went back to his Alma mater (Indiana State) and coached both basketball and tennis. He was successful as basketball coach over 12 seasons, but he coached the tennis teams (two tenures) for 26 seasons! They even named the tennis complex after him. This was the only picture of him since his playing days predated photography. (Not really but just go with it).
Small Forward: Mike Miller, from Mitchell SD, drafted in 2000 by the Magic. People forget he was the 5th overall pick in that draft, but man that draft sucked. Everyone remembers Miller as being a member of Lebron's 3 point entourage in Miami. I remember him losing a shoe during a game, hitting some clutch 3's, and following Lebron to Cleveland for a year. People forget that with Memphis, he had a year (06-07) where he averaged 18.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists, while shooting 40$% from three, a mark he has averaged for his career. Undoubtedly, Miller would be the focal point of the Dak's offense.
Power Forward: Mark Landsberger, from Minot ND, drafted in 1977 by the Bulls. Didn't do much, but averaged 8 points and 9 rebounds one year for the Bulls. He did win two rings with the Lakers in 80 and 82, so he and Miller can compare rings. He only averaged 12 and 7 playoff minutes in each of those championship runs, but hey, he was there. He also joins the starting five since the Dakota's have produced very few quality big men. Anyone else think he looks SNL's Taran Killam?
Center: Peter Gudmundsson, from Reykjavik Iceland, drafted in 1981 by the Trail Blazers. That's right, the Dakota's failed to produce much center talent, so Gudmundsson gets the nod at the five. Averaged just under 5 points and 4 rebounds for his career. He only played in four seasons, and is perhaps most known for being a part of the trade that brought Mychal Thompson to the Lakers. He was also 7'2, 260. Other than that, he is the only player ever from Iceland.
Sixth Man: Doug McDermott, from Grand Forks ND, drafted in 2014 by the Nuggets. When the Bulls traded for Dougie on draft day, there was excitement that he could provide some instant offense for the Bulls. While this has yet to be realized, he is still young and has potential to be an offensive weapon. He fits well into the sixth man role for the Daks.
Key Minutes Guy: Med Park, born in Britton SD, predated the draft. Park never did too much, but he lasted in the league longer than these most of these other bench guys. At his peak he averaged about 10 points and 4.5 rebounds (1958-59 with Cincy). They didn't keep track of turnovers back when he played so that's a plus!
Young Potential Guy: Tyler Johnson, born in Grand Forks ND, undrafted. Despite being undrafted and spending time in the D league, Johnson is finding some success this year for the Miami Heat. Through 16 games he is averaging 8.6 points and 20 minutes a game. Not bad, but mostly gets this spot due to lack of anyone else deserving of it. The Daks are kind of like the 76ers, where these guys get chances they might not otherwise get, and it could make them look good (at least statistically).
Bench Guy Who Can Score Every Now and Then: Glenn Hansen, born in Devils Lake ND, drafted in 1975 by the Kings (Kansas City). For whatever reason, he was a one year wonder. His rookie season Hansen scored 6.5 per game, but after that he only played in 51 games over two years. There is almost nothing on his Wiki page, so his retirement is a mystery. Maybe he realized he had a passion for pottery or was an equestrian. I don't know.
Backup Center (by default): Jared Reiner, born in Tripp SD, undrafted. Here is how thin the center position is on this team: Reiner only played in 46 games in two years with Chicago and Milwaukee. He scored 54 points for his career and averaged 2.4 rebounds. Any college (or high school) team from the Dakota's could easily dominate the bigs for this team. Just look at the guy and tell me you are surprised he didn't stick around longer. Who decided middle school pictures would be a good idea? It's alright Reiner, it's not your fault.
Honorary Center (Nice way to put it): Les Jepsen, born in Bowbells ND, drafted in 1990 by the Warriors. Les Jepsen sounds like a rock and roll icon more than a basketball player. He only scored 53 points and had 67 rebounds in his two year career, appearing in 52 games, so really his career was similar to Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger (although you could argue they were better at basketball, as Jepsen had a -0.1 offensive win share his rookie year, meaning his offense was so bad it did more harm than good to his team). Even on this team, poor Jepsen won't find minutes. Turns out his full name is Leslie Burnell Jepsen, and has the nickname of Big Boy.
"Center": Ray Ellefson, born in Brookings SD, predated the draft. First off, I don't like the whole Brookings thing. Secondly, only in the 40's could you have a center who was 6'8 230. He played in 6 games in his two year career, scoring a total 6 points and amassing 8 rebounds. So an Andre Drummond typical first quarter output equals Ellefson's whole career. I am surprised there is even a page for him, which shows basketball reference's depth. He is so unknown that there isn't even a google picture of him! Most people's cats even show up on google. Well, this team picture came up so there is a chance he is one of those guys.
Well, that's the team, pretty intimidating right? I honestly think team Alaska would give them trouble.
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