Duke basketball: Ranking the Top-10 players from the 1990’s
Center. 1997-99. Elton Brand. 5. player. 434. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis
Duke basketball Top-10 players of the 1990s No. 5: Elton Brand
- Two seasons at Duke (1997-99)
- ACC Player of the Year (1999)
- National College Player of the Year (1999)
Elton Brand might have been the most decorated player to enter Duke of his generation.
He averaged 40 points and 20 rebounds per game while being viewed as the top player in the country and was named New York’s Mr. Basketball.
His success translated over to the college level as he averaged 13.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game during his freshman season but things really took off as a sophomore.
Brand led a lethal Duke team to the National Championship game where the Blue Devils were upended by the UConn Huskies — a loss that still hurts many in Durham –but did manage to win the ACC regular season title and tournament.
However, the personal accolades for the star center poured in after he posted 17.7 points and 9.8 rebounds per game as he was named the ACC Player of the Year, National College Player of the Year, and consensus First Team All-American.
Elton Brand, along with Trajan Langdon and William Avery, would leave Duke after the 1999 season and become the first players under Mike Krzyzewski to leave for the NBA Draft and not complete all four years at Duke.
Brand was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls and had a lengthy career that lasted until 2016.