Interesting topic. I think there's no doubt that Trevor/Rodney have more skill, but I don't think they are the players John and Courtney were. I think it's unfair to compare statistics not only due to the fact that the '97 team was loaded and guard oriented, but also because college basketball was simply much better at that time. With the rookie wage scale, everyone is leaving college after their mandatory one year and there are fewer and fewer elite talents who play 3-4 years in college.
I would say that Thomas/James defined what Clem Haskins basketball was: physical, tough, nasty. Those guys set the tone for how the game was going to be played and many teams just wilted against that physical play. It wasn't just rebounds and defense, but hard picks and some well placed elbows. That loss to Kentucky hurts so bad because there was simply no way that Gopher team (even without Eric Harris) would have lost to Arizona and it's slender big men...Thomas/James would have ate their lunch.
John Thomas was a first round pick and Courtney James almost certainly would have followed if he kept his head on straight (he had some monster games in the CBA). Also, if the Gophers had James in '98, they make another deep run in the tourney. Sam/Quincy were great that year, but we didn't have enough inside.
Would love to see Trevor/Rodney make this a tougher call by the end of the year.
