As another decade of sports ticks down, sportsnet.ca looks at the athletes, scandals and games that defined the past 10 years. Today we offer up the list of players that fans will undoubtedly hear about over the next 10 years.
The week-long set of features revisit the decade’s best games, studs & duds, the oddities, players to watch over the next 10 years and finish up with the 10 top stories — one per year — from the first decade of the 21st century.
As always, we encourage your debate at the bottom of the page.
Enjoy.
10. Chris Johnson
Any list of athletes who are expected to dominate would seem a little short if Chris Johnson’s name was missing. At 24, he is a tad older than the other player’s being mentioned, but Johnson is in just his second season in the NFL and is already running away with the rushing title. Johnson is already evoking comparisons to Barry Sanders, who many consider to be the best running back of all time.
Every time, Johnson touches the ball he is considered a threat to score as he is the first player in NFL history to record touchdowns of 50-plus, 60-plus, and 90-plus in the same game. It is a solid bet that Johnson will break Marshall Faulk’s record of 2,429 yards from scrimmage this season and he is also a longshot to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing mark (2,105 yards).
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9. Rory McIlroy
At the age of 20, Northern Ireland’s McIlroy has already cracked the Top 10 in the world — becoming the youngest player to achieve the ranking. Nicknamed ‘The Midget’, McIlroy more than makes up for his diminutive moniker with unmatched technical proficiency.
Expectations have not been this high for a European golfer since Sergio Garcia burst onto the scene 10 years ago. Expect McIlroy to approach Tiger Woods-like status in Europe over the next few years with ex-pats on the North American shores already singing his praises.
8. Melanie Oudin
Outside of the Williams sisters, the United States has not been serving up a great deal of tennis talent on the WTA Tour. But it appears Oudin is ready to change that. The 18-year-old burst onto the tennis scene this summer after qualifying for Wimbledon and upsetting Jelena Jankovic on her way to reaching the fourth round. But that wasn’t even the highlight of the season for Oudin.
The teenager reached the quarter-finals of the US Open, disposing of Maria Sharapova, Nadia Petrova and Elena Dementieva on her way. Oudin finished the season ranked No. 49 and may finally put an end to the drought of great American-born women tennis players.
7. John Wall
Even before Wall played his first game as a freshman at Kentucky, he was expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NBA draft.
The 19-year-old’s early stats (19.0 ppg, 7 APG, 3 SPG through eight games) compare favourably to several of the freshman phenoms that have quickly blossomed in the NBA over the past several years: Derrick Rose (14.0 4.6 1.2); O.J. Mayo (19.5 3.1 1.8).
Kentucky’s early-season schedule has already seen Wall square off against two national powerhouses in North Carolina and Connecticut; with Wall and the Wildcats winning both games.
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6. Jake Locker
Whether Jake Locker chooses to leave the University of Washington early and enter the 2010 NFL draft or whether he sticks around for his senior season — he is bound to be a Top 10 pick. A prototypical-sized quarterback who stands 6’3, and weighs 226 pounds, Locker completed 230-of-395 passes for 2,800 yards in stellar season for a disappointing Huskies team.
The Browns or the Rams will likely be looking at Locker in the upcoming draft if he comes out of school early and he might be the block to build these teams into a winner.
5. Alexandre Pato
Alexandre Pato is just 20 years of age, but he has already made an impact at one of the world’s biggest soccer clubs.
Italian giant AC Milan paid €20,000,000 for Pato’s services in 2007 and he has lived up to the hype: scoring 31 goals in 68 appearances over his first few of seasons in Italy. One of the reasons (besides the rather-large transfer fee) that Milan was willing to allow Kaka leave for Real Madrid was the emerging presence of Pato.
The Brazilian has also made eight appearances for the national team and is expected to play in South Africa in 2010.
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4. John Tavares
John Tavares has been playing against older competition since the age of seven; so it comes as no surprise that the 19-year-old has found little trouble in adjusting to playing with men in the NHL.
The No. 1 overall draft pick in last June’s Entry Draft is almost at a point-per-game pace in his rookie season and things are only expected to get better as he develops adds some size and strength. Tavares does not have great wheels but he is so strong with the puck and has such great vision it is probably irrelevant.
Tavares broke Wayne Gretzky’s OHL scoring record for 16-year-olds, but if JT can challenge any of The Great One’s numerous NHL standards is up for debate.
3. Brandon Jennings
He has taken a different route in pursuit of his NBA dream, but heading to Italy rather than play in the NCAA appears to have paid off for Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Jennings.
Jennings, who spent last winter playing for Lottomatica Roma, has already scored 55 points in a game in his rookie season. In fact, he was held scoreless in the first quarter of that game on October 30 by the Sixers and recorded the 51 points in just three quarters.
Picked ninth overall by the Bucks, Jennings has averaged 21.1 points per game while averaging six assists as well. Expect Jennings to lead the NBA in scoring at some point in the next decade.
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2. Stephen Strasburg
Stephen Strasburg, the No. 1 pick in last summer’s MLB draft, is the most anticipated MLB draft pick since Todd Van Poppel. Of course, Van Poppel ended up being a bust, but he didn’t quite have the same tools as Strasburg. Strasburg’s fastball reaches 101 mph on a regular basis and it’s believed that he may end up tossing the fastest pitch ever at some point. Strasburg also has a devastating curve which he used effectively to strike out 23 batters in one game while at San Diego State. It will be a huge surprise if Strasburg is not fast-tracked to the Nationals staff in 2010.
1. Steven Stamkos
In just his second season in the NHL, Steven Stamkos is beginning to develop into one of the top players in the game. While Stamkos may never develop into the best player in the league, there is a good chance he will be playing in the all-star game on a yearly basis very soon as he is scoring a goal every two games in his sophomore season.
The Markham, ON-native was selected first overall in the 2008 NHL entry draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning — and has a Howitzer for a shot.
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