Len Bias, F, Maryland, '82-86 Christian Laettner, F, Duke, '89-92 Ralph Sampson, C, Virginia, '79-83 Mark Price, G, Georgia Tech, '82-86 Michael Jordan, G, North Carolina, '81-83
Hmmm...no love for Juan Dixon?
Dean reminds me of the Hulk in that interim stage just before Bruce Banner turns green and starts to rip his clothes.- Jonah Goldberg
My favorite ACC player has, and always will be, Randolph Childress. Man was an absolute terror for Wake...him and Duncan on the same team? I wonder how they ever lost.
"She's screaming like crazy...You have this myth you're sharing the birth experience. Unless you're passing a bowling ball, I don't think so. Unless you're circumcising yourself with a chainsaw, I don't think so. Unless you're opening an umbrella up your ass, I don't think so." --Robin Williams on birth
Punting this into Big East territory, I'm actually not surprised Ray Allen was the only UConn guy to make it. Do one for women and it'll be all Huskies, though.
And as for that buzzer-beater about 12 years ago, I say this: Christian Laettner, lick me.
DEAN's Nuggets of Wisdom:
"A-Train could wear a Vampirella outfit and I would toast a load to it."
Originally posted by drjayphdAnd as for that buzzer-beater about 12 years ago, I say this: Christian Laettner, lick me.
Simply saying that will probably earn you a free beer at any sports bar in the state of Kentucky. Just be prepared to argue about who hates him the most.
Len Bias, F, Maryland, '82-86 Christian Laettner, F, Duke, '89-92 Ralph Sampson, C, Virginia, '79-83 Mark Price, G, Georgia Tech, '82-86 Michael Jordan, G, North Carolina, '81-83
Hmmm...no love for Juan Dixon?
Juan Dixon really wasnt as good as some of the other guys. Good yes, but great? no. I could have seen Chris Corchiani even though i hated him or Hurley although I hated him too. Notable Exclusions Joe Smith Sam Perkins Jerry Stackhouse Antawn Jamison Rodney Monroe JR Reid-most definitely-wasnt he a national player of the year his JR. season? OH and Grant Hill did it all at Duke
I LOVE WRESTLING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Im not sure CRZ, because with his death it made him seem even better when he was here. Im 22 about to be 23 and dont remember ever seeing him play. I have seen a game or two on Classic and I must say he was quite the talent. To hear him compared to Jordan which I have heard a few times doesnt seem quite right but he seems to have been a huge college basketball star in his day.
I LOVE WRESTLING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
I am old enough to have seen him play. As a Celtics fan, I was dismayed with his passing. I don't think we would have been even close to Jordan in skill. Nobody can tell for sure, but he looked to have the skills to be of All-Star caliber play.
This is from a column by Bill Simmons from June 2001 where he writes about Bias and his death and Bill's feelings as a Celtics and NBA fan. You can read the entire article here.
I thought about him last February, when ESPN Classic showed that aforementioned Maryland-UNC game from '86. You forget how good Lenny Bias was. For example, back in '86, Mike Tyson was invincible, Eddie Murphy had his fastball, Don Johnson was the coolest man on the planet and Michael Jackson didn't look like an alien. Hoosiers hadn't even been released yet. Wayne Gretzky and Bird were basically the kings of sport. Ronald Reagan controlled the button. Kids were still playing Intellivision and Atari. Fifteen years is a long time; maybe it's easy to forget
As for Bias, he always reminded me of a more physical James Worthy, but with Michael Jordan's leaping ability, if that makes sense (other than MJ and Dominique Wilkins, nobody in the 80's attacked the basket like a young Lenny Bias). But those weren't even the qualities that separated him from his peers.
Len Bias Len Bias, left, attacked the basket like Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins. There was a brashness about him, a swagger, a playground vibe. Remember, these were still the days of tight shorts and awkward high fives; few players were cool, and the ones who were cool -- David Thompson, Gus Williams, Clyde Drexler, Bernard King, Dominique, etc. -- were more subtle and unassuming than anything. Jordan might have embraced that playground demeanor had he attended a school other than North Carolina, where Dean Smith frowned on anything that could be perceived as "showing up the opposition."
When Bias' same playground swagger became fashionable in the '90s -- thanks to the UNLV guys, the Fab Five, the post-dunk woofing, the baggy shorts, the trash-talking and so on -- it seemed much more contrived, almost like the players were saying, "Hey, look at me!" Nothing about Lenny Bias was contrived. He went out of his way to dunk on people. He grabbed rebounds and spat out an occasional "Arrrrrrggggggghhhh!" for show. He barked at his teammates, he barked at referees, he barked at opponents. He exhibited a refreshingly honest amount of passion and heart.
Quite simply, he stood out. And if he had arrived on the scene seven or eight years later, I'm sure he would have been wearing baggy shorts and woofing it up just like everyone else, but that's the beautiful thing about this -- not just that Bias arrived when he did, but that he wasn't contrived. Even if he ended up with a team other than the Celtics in '86, I would have kept rooting for him. Lenny Bias was ahead of his time.
So that UNC game on ESPN Classic reminded me of these things, all of them. Other than Jordan, no basketball player from the '80s resonated with the black community quite like Bias. He reminded them of everything that they valued about the game itself -- the breathtaking athleticism, the competitive fervor, the individuality, those occasional mano-a-mano duels where territories were staked and reputations were made. He belonged to them, a black man excelling in a black man's game. And seeing him in action with Maryland, his whole life ahead of him ... well, I had to turn the channel and watch something else.
I couldn't take it.
(edited by JayJayDean on 23.1.04 1648) “To get ass, you’ve got to bring ass." -- Roy Jones Jr.
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