Oh, we all know the greatness of Len Bias, one of the very best college basketball players in history. And he was almost as exciting to watch as the incomparable Michael Jordan. That being said, in my eyes the greatest college basketball player of all time was the legendary Larry Bird. He was spectacular at virtually EVERYTHING — outside shooting, inside shooting, FT shooting, steals, rebounding, passing, and leadership. You name it and Larry Bird could do it.
The fact that he took an otherwise below average team, Indiana State, with a below average coach, all the way to the very pinnacle of college basketball — the NCAA Championship game — is an achievement that has never been matched in the modern era of the sport. In my fantasy all-time greatest team I start with Larry Bird.
No Pete Maravich?
Shortly after Bias died, Johnny Dawkins made some comments about Bias that made me think Dawkins thought Bias was the best he'd ever seen...can't remember exactly what he said, but I remember at the time thinking Dawkins was putting Bias ahead of Jordan...as Dawkins had to face both during his career.
And I remember thinking...man....Bias and Bird at the forwards? What a combo.
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013
To me Jordan was much like Westbrook in college. He was very good, but no one saw a player that could dominate in the NBA. The college game has seen many very good players, but when talking about all time greats I didn't see it, and I watched all of it. He was a very good player on a very good team, nothing more. David Thompson on the other hand was extraordinary. I think even Jordan said as much. A 44" verticle was unheard of then. NBA careers have to be blocked out when judging the college game.
Agree wholeheartedly with this. A couple years ago I watched a Duke/Carolina game from the late 80's on ESPN Classic where Dickie V did color commentary. A lot less schtick, a lot more basketball insight. I learned a lot watching him.
More on topic, I wondering, whether more for next years recruits, rather than year's but still relevant. Has the look and feel of this year's team made us even more attractive to potential recruits?
A lot of this depends on age. I imprinted on guys like Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Jerry Lucas in college and this rank them high.
If I were a decade older, I likely would more highly value the college careers of someone like Bill Russell, Bob Cousy or Tom Gola.
If were two decades older, George Mikan or Bob Kurland.
Maravich? Great players make their teammates better. Maravich never made his teammates better.
Bird made his teammates better. Magic made his teammates better.
Speaking of Bird elevating ISU to a title game, in 1958 Elgin Baylor averaged 32.5 points and 19.3 rebounds per game, leading Seattle to the NCAA title game, where they lost to Kentucky.
Seattle in the NCAA title game is at least as unlikely as Indiana State in the title game.
I suspect those days are gone. Cinderella's can make the Final Four, as happened with Loyola last year. But the power conferences seem to have the titles wrapped up. We have to go back to UNLV in 1990 to find a champion from a minor conference.
As for Anthony Davis or Carmelo Anthony, I'm not sure how we can rank a one-and-done over a comparable three-or-four-year player in evaluating a career rather than a season.
I think it would have been something to see.
I've always thought that loss set the Celtics back 15 years. I mean, it was sad for many other reasons, but the Celtics franchise was certainly collateral damage to this shocking tragedy - one that touched the nation way above and beyond hoops.