The 2011-2012 All McDonalds-American Team

No, you didn't misread that.

"All McDonald's-American Team".

America is consistently rated as amongst the most obese nations in the world (#9 in 2011, 74.1% overweight or obese).

Listen, there isn't anything wrong with being big. Don't tell me you don't secretly yearn to eat a Five Guys burger at least once a week. But alas, most normal human beings are either too self-conscious or are into staying fit and healthy all the time.

For the "All McDonald's Americans", laying off an extra helping of pie is never an option. But for many of them, working out and getting in shape has always seem liked one. Offensive lineman can get away with being well-over 300lbs because, well, they don't have to run the floor and finish transition plays. Unfortunately for the hippos of the hardwood, endurance and stamina are an important part of the game, and hauling 300lbs of body mass up and down the court can take it's toll.

You probably know some of them, but not all of them, which is why we are here. To provide you the list of the fattest fatties and the biggest bigs in college basketball this season.

This list wouldn't have been possible without the creative idea-making of Eric Angevine from Storming the Floor, who once again, beat me to the idea-punch by about two years.

After the jump, you'll get a chance to get-to-know the elite class of 2011-2012 rotund roundballers.

Renardo Sidney - 280lbs, 6'10, Mississippi State

What is there to say about Renardo Sidney that hasn't already been said? He's the most troubled, ill-mannered, and unguided big-man in the history of big-men. Essentially, he is the Oliver Miller of our generation .

We all know Sidney's story, Never attended USC, sat out a year at MSU, got into a fight with a teammate a week after getting suspended from practice. He didn't even go to Europe with the team this off-season and stayed in Houston to train with John Lucas.

In Mississippi State's first four games he spent the majority of crunch time on the bench due to lack of stamina and effort. Sidney will continue to be handed second chances because his talent potential could be through the roof. But having showed little to no effort towards getting in shape, Sidney will continued to be looked at as a bust. A massive bust. He's such a big bust that he has his own de-motivational poster

Josh Smith - 305lbs - 6'10, Soph., UCLA

Josh Smith is the quintessential "Burger King". He's the "Renardo Sidney of the West Coast". The UCLA big-man is about as big as somebody his size can get while still being a functioning member of society. He is so large that whatever size uniform he wears still seems like it's two sizes too small.

But what makes him special is that he refuses to get in better shape or work on his endurance. His talent potential is so high, yet he has no desire whatsoever to go on a diet get better.

Smith averages just under 20-mpg, yet scores roughly 10-ppg. Imagine what he could do if he could play a full game.

Smith may have not been involved in the "food poisoning" incident involving Tyler Lamb, Anthony Stover and some late-night chili fries, but I'd be safe to assume that Josh is probably a regular at the Fat Sal's in Westwood.

Davante Gardner - 290lbs, 6'9, Soph., Marquette

Davante Gardner is a big boy. His vitals might not indicate it, but he's one of the biggest players in Division-I. Reports out of Milwaukee are that he has slimmed down since last year, and has put in some off-season work towards getting in shape.

Last year he showed that he can be a dominant force on the low block. He just has to be fit enough to play more minutes. Last season he played more than 15 minutes just four times. So far this season, he has registered at least 15 minutes in three of five games. By the end of the season, Gardner may be one of the most-improved wide-loads in the country.

Andre Almeida - 310lbs, 6'10, Sr., Nebraska

The Sao Paolo-native is the the most "under-the-radar" big-man in the country. It's not because he's got supreme talent, but rather because he's just so damn big.

If he played for any true basketball school, his size and stature on campus would be of legendary status. But at Nebraska, he looks like any other ordinary 315lb offensive lineman.

But make no mistake, this behemoth can ball. He scored ten key points in the Cornhusker's upset-win over Texas last season, and even drew the attention of ESPN's Scott Van Pelt.

You can call him "Size", "El Blanco Gigante" or even "Bobo Brazil", but just remember this: That dude is HUGE.

Joe Burton - 280lbs, 6'7, Jr., Oregon State

Joe Burton holds the distinction of being the largest college basketball player of Native American decent. In fact, he may be one of the biggest Native Americans ever.

At 280lbs, the big-man has slimmed down from the 290lb-frame he carried around while playing basketball and volleyball in high school.

Burton may be the smallest guy on the First Team, but he's also the shortest, which makes his center of gravity just as massive as Josh Smith's.

In fact, when UCLA and Oregon State go at it during Pac-12 conference play, everyone else should get out of the way. Nearly 600lbs of body mass is going to be battling on the low block.

Reggie Johnson - 305lbs, 6'10, Jr., Miami

If it had not been for a knee injury late in the summer that set him back 5-6 months, Big Slim right here would have been a sure-fire first teamer. He's just so damn big.

Seriously, I'm at a loss for words as to how big he is. He's huge. Wide. Tall, big, massive. All of that. Plus, he's got some serious skills. His level for potential is as high as Sidney's and Smith's.

This would have been a big year for Johnson (pun definitely intended). He was working hard in the off-season, even shed some weight. But a productive junior year could have definitely improved his draft status, which was already trending upwards.

It will be interesting to see if being on the shelf for five months impacted his physique. It probably did. That's a scary thought, because he's freakishly-large already.

Derrick Nix - 270lbs - 6'9, Soph., Michigan State

We've written about this big-man before. Two years ago he entered East Lansing closing in on 300lbs.

Since then he's put the work in and lost a ton of weight. At the beginning of the preseason he checked in at 267lbs and had added a significant amount of muscle.

The big-man still needs to work on his agility and lateral movement, but an athletic Derrick Nix will be a useful weapon for the Spartans this year.

We all should be fans of Nix. I know I could benefit from shedding some extra mass, and you probably could too.

Jared Sullinger - 280lbs, 6'9, Soph., Ohio State

Sully is the superstar of this group. He uses his size masterfully and is arguably the most dominant low-post player in the country.

His merciless rebounds skills were made possibly by his giant legs and massive backside. There are not many players in the country with better pure rebounding skills thatn Sullinger.

Sully could have been a lottery pick, but decided to stay and school. He spent much of the off-season losing weight and adding muscle.

He might not be the wide-load he was last season, but he's still a big dude.



Honorable Mention

Matt Stainbrook - 290lbs, 6'9, Soph, Western Michigan
Matt Balkema - 285lbs, 6'10, Jr., Eastern Michigan
Rayshawn Goins - 279lbs, 6'6, Jr., James Madison
Chad Lang - 275lbs, 6'11, Fr., Belmont
Barry Honore - 270lbs, 6'7, Sr., Oklahoma
Daryl McCoy - 270lbs, 6'9, Jr., Drexel
Marvin Williams - 270lbs, 6'8, Fr., Lipscomb
Derrick Williams - 270lbs, 6'6, Fr., Richmond
Steve Moore - 267lbs, 6'9, Sr., Missouri
Devon Long - 260lbs, 6'7, Fr., Cleveland State Continue reading...

Hoops Housekeeping: Former No. 1 player in the class of 2008 transfers

There was a point in time not too long ago that John Riek was a sure thing.

Back in 2008, Rivals had the 7'2" Sudanese center as the No. 1 recruit in the country, Chad Ford had Riek as a top 10 pick in the draft, and just about everyone believed that Riek had the potential to be the first pick in the draft one day. That all seems so long ago, as news became official that Riek is transferring out of Mississippi State.


Riek was never really able to find a comfort zone with the Bulldogs. He played in just 14 games as a sophomore, averaging a measly 1.2 ppg and 1.3 rpg.

Riek still has NBA potential and he will be an intriguing piece for whoever picks him up the summer, but he is going to need to learn how to be more than tall if he is ever going to fulfill that potential.


Andre Walker transfers to Xavier: Its official. Walker is headed to Cincinnati to join the Musketeers. The 6'7" forward, who spent the previous three seasons at Vanderbilt, will be eligible to play immediately after graduating in three years. He'll provide some depth and versatility to Chris Mack's frontline, but Walker is probably not going to be a star with Xavier. Last season, he averaged 3.0 ppg and 3.0 rpg while battling a severe ankle sprain and mono.


Reggie Johnson out for six months: Jim Larrananga's Miami team took a huge hit late last week as Reggie Johnson -- their 6'10", 300 lb double-double machine of a center -- underwent successful knee surgery. Johnson had torn his meniscus earlier in the week. He will be out for five to six months as he recuperates. If all goes according to schedule, Johnson will be cleared by early December, but there is no telling how long it will take him to get back into game shape.


Hofstra adds another transfer: Mo Cassara has landed another big-time transfer, as Taran Buie has joined Jamal Coombs-McDaniel in choosing the Pride. Buie, a former top 100 player coming out of high school, spent last year at Penn State. But Talor Battle's half brother was only on the team for the first semester, as multiple disciplinary issues resulted in Ed DeChellis giving the freshman the boot.


Nick Russell to SMU: Russell, who announced his intentions to transfer out of Kansas State back in May, has picked a school to play out his final two years of eligibility. The 6'4" guard is headed to SMU to play for head coach Matt Doherty. Russell averaged 4.2 ppg and 1.9 rpg last season.


Valpo makes a high-major pick-up: Bobby Capobianco, who left Indiana amid a loss of playing time and a scholarship crunch, had finally settled on a school. The 6'10" forward is headed to Valpo to play for Bryce Drew.
Continue reading...

POSTERIZED: If Reggie Johnson is moving, You'd best get out of his way

If you are looking for high-intensity basketball filled with physical play, excitement, and dramatic finishes, then the NCAA Tournament is what you want to watch during March.

But if you are looking for quality post-season posterizations, your best bet is to follow the N.I.T. March Madness' ugly-step-sister, the "Not Invited Tournament" has provided four brilliant poster-dunks, including a possible dunk-of-the-year candidate.

True, the N.I.T doesn't have the best post-season basketball, but it doesn't mean it's not exciting. And last night, The Miami Hurricanes provided some exciting stuff.

Reggie Johnson, the Hurricane's starting center, checks in at six-foot-ten and 300-pounds of raw mass. He's the type of guy who you most certainly don't want to be standing in front of if he is driving to the basket.



The big fella may not have a 40-inch vertical, but then again, guys with 40-inch verticals probably can't bench-press a elephant calf, as I'm certain Johnson can.

This wasn't the best dunk we've seen all season, but in terms of big men, or land warriors, as we like to call them, this may be best of the beasts.

I mean, who doesn't love it when a 300-pounder takes off like that?

But was it as good as one of these?:
Continue reading...