The Front Row

Kentucky has a recent NCAA title to when for the Big Ten? 1999 with MSU?
Florida had back to back titles with Donavon not too long ago, and if those 3 first round juniors come back, probably 3 in a row.
Big Ten is solid in basketball right now, lets see how many teams make it to the elite 8 and final four though, where playing different conference styles, different venues and different conference ref's change this up in the NCAA tourney.

This. It takes way less players to field a basketball team than a football too. Also, football is bigger in the south. It's hard to imagine it being bigger than what we are used to in Ohio but it is.

For the most part the best athletes come from wherever the highest concentration of African Americans are. The south and urban areas. More urban youth up north play basketball because of the climate and access to courts, in densely populated urban areas up north and out east there are a lot more basketball courts than big open fields or parks for football. In Cleveland Athletes like Lebron are more likely to play basketball, in South Carolina or alabama a similar athlete would be a defensive end. It's weather and regional sport preferences more than anything. Are Derek Jeter, Lebron James, or Charles Woodson second rate athletes in their respective sports? Of course they're not, they're the best of the best.

I believe basketball players are the best athletes of all sports frankly. I could think of many guys in the NBA right now who could dominate other sports if they chose to train or play them full time,(Lebron in the NFL for example who was already an all state wideout) however there is no athlete in any other sport who could dominate in ths NBA.

I think a lot of the reason the B1G is such a good basketball conference compared to the SEC is the SEC schools(outside of UK) could give two shits about their hoops programs. Florida had a brief run there in hoops and have remained respectable but hoops season down there largely spells distraction until spring football starts back up.

Good discussion. I do not think basketball players are the best athletes. I think UFC fighters are. You have to be strong, fast, tough, coordinated, etc., and there are no excuses, you vs the other guy. Decathletes also have a claim.

If basketball players were the best athletes, they wouldn't look like such bitches when they scrap. LOL

Just stirring the pot a little.

We still need to look at the small percentage of student athletes who actually make it in the pro's. I think the North has the smartest athletes and probably the most successful in life if you checked any research about it. I live in Florida six months out of the year, and they have these semi-pro teams coming around playing each other. Basically, they are guys that never made it to the pro's, I think. I don't know if they have jobs or not. In other words, they are still hoping to make it BIG. It's kind of sad when I watch them! Does anyone know what I'm talking about or what these leagues are called? Saw them two years ago and didn't think much about it until now.

Best athletes, looking at surfing. I doubt there are many if any along side myself who surfed regularly. I played baseball, basketball, and football through high school and baseball in college. After moving to San Diego and being a sports fanatic and my love of the ocean, I had to try surfing. I took one lesson and fell in love with it. With that said, surfing by FAR is the hardest sport and you have to be a great athlete to surf. You're constantly moving, paddling, pushing yourself up, keeping your balance, etc. all while floating on a fiberglass surfboard on water trying to stay "a float" Also, you're facing something that constantly changes shape, form, and location. You're not on the hardwood or a diamond, a hard surface that's the same every place you play. Also, after you do catch a wave, guess what..you get to paddle out 100, 150 yards again in the surf (try doing it on a double over head day which is 10ft) and do it all over again. Anybody ever look up how many calories you burn surfing? It's ridiculous!! Over 1,000 calories per hour.

I'm sure lots of people on here will disregard surfing and talk sh%t but I'll challenge anybody to go out and try it and then talk to me and see what they think. I found a whole new respect for the sport once I got into it heavily.

Never surfed before but I have no doubt it's a challenging sport. If you took a person with above average athletic ability though I'd be willing to bet it'd be easier to teach him to surf than it would be to throw a 95 mph fastball, dunk a basketball, or run a 4.4 forty. My point being the best world class athletes possess ability that isn't taught or learned, it's in their genes. It's god given. They may work hard to perfect it and enhance it but at the end of the day, the elite of the elite are born that way.

I pitched in college, southpaw. I could throw in the low 90's consistently through 7+ innings. It's more so the strength of your legs, back, and stomach muscles and good conditioning. Many people believe the myth that it's the strength of your arm. It's not. Yes, arm strength is required but those other areas that I mentioned are more important. Proper mechanics pitching can increase your speed and give you excellent location. Remember the guy who could throw 100 but never could get it in the strike zone? It's because his mechanics were crap. At 6'2", I was able to dunk and my 40 was 4.5/4.6 range (non electronic lol). I honestly think all of the above took less effort then surfing. Especially dunking. I mean, you palm the ball and take it up the rim and throw it down. With that said, I was blessed to be born with these genetics but still, I believe surfing has the greatest athletes after experiencing it first hand. Prior to surfing, I never thought of it but after having lived it, I respect it greatly and will say it's the hardest sport I've ever participated in and some of the world's greatest athletes.

I agree with you that most of it you are born with. But there's also great athletes who improved with conditioning, great coaching, and eating properly. Look at Greg Maddux. The guy couldn't break 88 on the radar gun but a future hall of famer and one of the all time great pitchers. Simply because he perfected his pitching mechanics and studied his opponent and mastered his best pitches. Heck, look at Jon Kruk..lol

I once thought Jordan was the greatest athlete but after seeing him humiliate himself playing minor league baseball, I changed that opinion quickly. I might have to go with Bo Jackson now but that's a what might have been.

Sorry, hopefully I didn't come off like Uncle Ricco from Nap. Dynamite. I hate people stuck in their pasts from 18 years ago..lol