A question on the blog from a few days ago piqued my interest. With Kevin Jones winning the Journal News player of the year, Jonathan Mitchell transferring out of Florida and Dexter Gray finishing his career at Iona College, a debate over which former Mount Vernon big man was the best was posed.

Allow me to expand on this a little bit, to make it more scientific. Mount Vernon has won eight of the last nine Section 1 titles, mainly with guards like Ben Gordon, Jomo Belfor, Keith Benjamin, Chris Lowe and Michael Coburn leading the way. The Knights, though, have had their share of formidable big men.

Which one, of this era, has been the best? The candidates:

Greg Jenkins: Unfortunately, he played in the Peter Abraham Era of Journal News coverage, so I didn’t get to see him much. Jenkins was also outshined by Ben Gordon during the 28-0 season. But Jenkins shouldn’t be forgotten. Although he was consistently saddled with foul trouble, he was an agile big man who defended very well and scored within an offense geared toward Gordon and the other guards. Jenkins wasn’t nearly the player in high school that he developed into at Iona College, but is still worthy of being on this list.

Dexter Gray: Won five straight Section 1 titles, the last two as the undisputed captain. The 6-foot-6 bruiser put the ‘power’ in power forward and was probably the most feared player I’ve ever covered. He was so dominant in the paint and was such a natural scorer for a player his size. Gray would do anything it took to win, whether it was defending somebody 2-3 inches taller, facing the basket and shooting or elbowing somebody in the jaw.

Jonathan Mitchell: It was amazing to watch Mitchell grow from an overconfident junior to one of the hardest working kids around. He made history, reaching the varsity as an eighth grader, and was pretty much anointed the next star out of Mount Vernon before he was 14. Thanks to Geoff McDermott, he realized the dedication success took and, after 5 a.m. sessions shooting hundreds of jumpers, he carried his team to a Federation title and earned state player of the year honors. I’ll always respect him for that. As a player, he’s a versatile big man who shoots fairly well and, when motivated, can take the ball to the basket. Defensively he’s very sound and he plays best in big games.

Kevin Jones: The West Virginia-bound senior will likely win the poll on the right side of the page because he’s the most current. Jones has a lot of the qualities of the guys above rolled into one. Like Jenkins, he played so well within the offense during his sophomore and junior seasons. Like Gray, he defended well and was the quiet leader teammates deferred to. And like Mitchell, he could take over a game with his versatility and natural scoring ability. Jones also put a load of time into his game after his sophomore season and improved far beyond levels anyone would have imagined.

Good but not quite: Shanty Robinson will forever be in the hearts of the Mount Vernon faithful for the way he played in the 2004 state and Federation tournament. He’s also a very likable kid. He was strong and would run through a wall for his team. His pure basketball skills, though, aren’t as high as the other four. … John Plenty was a key member of the undefeated team of 2000 and later played in college. … Sherrod Wright really isn’t a ‘big man’, so I didn’t include him just because he’s a ‘forward’ on paper. If we’re going to have a debate over natural ability, he’s near the top of the list.

If I had to choose one….

Dexter Gray.

I’m shocked that I answered him, but you’ll understand my reasoning. Kevin Jones and Jonathan Mitchell blow Gray away from a talent perspective. Dexter is far away, actually. By the way, I think Jones has only begun to tap his potential and could be on the verge of a mega college career if used properly. And Jenkins is solid but, as a high school player, not quite as good.

But if I’m starting a team and had to pick one, I’d pick Gray. He’s a no-nonsense type who exerts every ounce of ability and hustle he has on every single play, whether he’s facing Lincoln of Yonkers on a Tuesday afternoon or Lincoln of Coney Island in the Federation final. Dexter is the best defensive player of the bunch and he’s so unselfish offensively yet he’ll score 15 points a game. And if Dexter is on your team, you know the other 11 guys are going stay in line and play hard. Fear will do that to you.

There’s really no wrong answer to this question because all four players are excellent.

I’ve enjoyed this discussion.