Versatility

Rudy Gay may be the only player in D-1 men's college basketball to average 15+ ppg, 6+ rpg, 2+ apg, 1.5+ spg, and 1.5+bpg (point, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks). I've heard this from multiple commentators, so I'll take it as truth. Gay qualifies, according to his numbers on espn.com (15.1, 6.4, 2.1, 1.8, 1.6, respectively).

How many players average 10 ppg, 5 rpg, and 5 apg? Might that not be more well-rounded than 15, 6, and 2? Ronnie Brewer (G, Arkansas) averaged 18.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.3 apg, 2.6 spg, and 0.5 bpg. Joakim Noah averaged 14.0, 6.8, 2.1, 1.1 and 2.2. If we change the qualifications to 14, 6, 2, 1, and 2, Noah qualifies and Gay doesn't. If we make it 18, 4, 3, 2, and 0.5, Brewer qualifies and the other two don't.

Where am I going with this? I didn't do much research, I just tried to think of some "versatile" players who may have stats that are comparable to Gay. Two of the three players whose numbers I looked at were Brewer and Noah. They compare well to Gay. I'm sure there are a fair number of other players who have similar numbers. Rudy Gay helps UConn in a lot of ways, similar to what AK47 brings to the Utah Jazz in the NBA. He also has holes in his game (31% from 3-pt. range). He's an outstanding talent, but he isn't one-of-a-kind in college basketball like announcers try to make us believe. Perhaps, if UConn wasn't so talented he wouldn't be as "versatile" because he'd have to play a different role. This is just another example of a concocted set of stats that doesn't really mean anything because the individual numbers are aggregated with the intent of creating a certain result. Triple doubles are one thing ... 15, 6 and 2? Come on. Gay fits in a select group of players who do a lot for his team, but he is not the sole member of the group.