With a strong rookie class and a few dedicated veterans, the team went 9-1 on the season, winning their division and making the first round of the playoffs.

Once, Marbury and Iverson were the brash stars of the 1996 rookie class, both able to dazzle with their unrestrained scoring on most nights.

"I've been telling them 100 times, I expect them to go out and do things," the rookie coach said of his rookie class.

But an early look at the rookie class reveals that, even without James and Anthony, it is the Americans who are excelling.

The Police Department in Birmingham, Ala., for example, hired its largest rookie class ever in 1994.

His performance has set the bar for a rookie class that is expected to have as great an impact as any in recent years.

That wreck, and Brayton's death, may sober up a rookie class that was starting to get intoxicated with its own numbers.

Ironically, the second best performance in that regard being the Colts 1999 rookie class with 2,751 yards.

In 2004, the Diamonds recruited a solid rookie class and moved through the season undefeated.

This could turn out to be a good rookie class, although it may take time.