Best NCAA basketball players ever from every state

Florida: Artis Gilmore

This decision almost caused me to miss my deadline because I wanted to avoid distinguishing between Artis Gilmore and David Robinson. Each player won awards that the other could not, regardless of how great they were. Robinson won several conference Player of the Year awards playing in the Colonial Athletic Association while making All-Conference teams.

Gilmore played for Jacksonville who was an independent. Gilmore made All-Region and an All-Tournament team. Robinson and the Navy made the tournament three years, but only once did they win enough games that Robinson would even be considered for an All-Tournament Team.

Robinson stands out as being selected twice as an All-American, opposed to Gilmore’s one-time selection. Robinson did sweep the U.S. men’s college basketball national player of the year awards in his senior year as he averaged 28 points, 12 rebounds, over four blocks, and shot 59 percent from the floor and 63 percent from the line. Enough to beat out Danny Manning and Kenny Smith.

Gilmore’s best season came five seasons before dunking during a game became legal again. Without being allowed to dunk, the 7-foot-2, 240-pound Gilmore averaged 22 points, 23 rebounds,10 blocks, made 56 percent of his field goals, and 60 percent of his free throws. A true force, but still unable to beat out Austin Carr who won Player of the Year by averaging 38 points and seven rebounds.

Both players may have been over 7-foot, both played for San Antonio in the NBA, but these two players played over a decade apart. When it is said and done, Robinson was the more celebrated player in college, but when it comes to who was better in college, the distinction goes to Gilmore who was not named Player of the Year while averaging a triple-double.