Originally Posted by
gw67
greybeard - good points; particularly, the difference in playing styles. I know that teams back then didn't make a distinction between a point guard and a shooting guard but I believe that Cremins handled the ball while Roche was primarily a scorer (and a very good one at that without the luxury of the 3-point shot). I should not have compared Roche and Vasquez on the defensive end because I don't recall Roche being particularly good or bad on defense. Vasquez, on the other hand, has played some outstanding defensive games within conference the past two years. Where Roche is clearly better was his consistency. Vasquez will be a superstar one night (capable of triple doubles and good D) and out of sync the next game.
My memory differs from yours on one other issue - the emergence of today's chest-to-chest defense. You attribute it to Bob Knight and certainly his undefeated national champion team had two outstanding defensive guards. However, I think that John Thompson and his Hoyas were primarily responsible for changing the way coaches recruited and played the game. In general, he recruited and played kids who were so-so shooters but who were very quick, and his style was to rely on a very tight defense. After he won his championship, many schools start recruiting "athletes" who needed to refine their basketball skills. IMO, it is only in recent years where many of the terrific athletes coming out of high school are also good all around basketball players.
Just my two cents.
gw67