What might have been...

**booyaa187** · 06-17-2007, 12:52 PM

Thought it'd be interesting to get a feel for what die hard Cyclone fans think is the biggest "what might have been" player. Being a Cyclone fan in St. Louis, I sometimes have a hard time gauging what the fanbase in Iowa thinks.

**booyaa187** · 06-17-2007, 01:02 PM

I apologize in advance for the obvious players I left off this list. Just thinking off the top of my head.

**darts180** · 06-17-2007, 01:06 PM

Dude, why do this to yourself.

Those of us who have been here for a lot of years, know that what if......leads to depression, then drinking.

Anyways you are missing the biggest what if in Iowa State basketball history. What if Sam f#^#ing Mack would have stayed out of the damn Burger King, and Mark f#^#ing Baugh would have gone to class. They would have kept Victor Alexander interested, as he was just beginning to learn how to dominate. With Terry Woods at point, and Doug Collins (maybe the most underrated player in Cyclone history) and Justis Thigpen coming in......we could have had a couple of monster years.

**tigershoops31** · 06-17-2007, 01:12 PM

Originally Posted by booyaa187

Thought it'd be interesting to get a feel for what die hard Cyclone fans think is the biggest "what might have been" player. Being a Cyclone fan in St. Louis, I sometimes have a hard time gauging what the fanbase in Iowa thinks.

I'm going to go ahead and say that Fizer's return for his senior season would have been the biggest "what if" player. Had he come back we would have been national champs

**no2cyclones** · 06-17-2007, 02:26 PM

GLEN RICE?!?!?! Am I missing something here? Was he almost a Cyclone?!?!?! Without having knowledge of this, I voted for Hinrich/Collison--2 NC appearances are HUGE.

**lennon3** · 06-17-2007, 02:42 PM

The real question about cyclone athletics in a bad way, would be.... What if Bruce Van De Velde was still our AD?

**darts180** · 06-17-2007, 02:55 PM

Originally Posted by bkurt58

GLEN RICE?!?!?! Am I missing something here? Was he almost a Cyclone?!?!?! Without having knowledge of this, I voted for Hinrich/Collison--2 NC appearances are HUGE.

He went to the same HS as Barry Stevens and Jeff Grayer. In fact he and Grayer were best friends growing up.

He was ready to commit at the early signing period, but his coach wouldn't let him (something about not wanting him to get complacent). He wasn't highly recruited at that point. Then he blew up his senior season, and here comes Michigan.

We also lost out on Lowell Hamilton (a 6'7 beast from Chicago) that year as well, he was one of the top 10 hs players, in the country, and it was down to us and Illinois, he chose them. He didn't have the great career that everyone thought he would, but he was on the "Flyin Illini" team that went to the Final 4 in 89.

Johnny was close on a lot of guys.

**CyForPresident** · 06-17-2007, 04:16 PM

I know this isn't basketball but I would vote for the following. What if Woody Hayes didn't putch that clemson player and Earl Bruce would have stayed at Iowa State?

**darts180** · 06-17-2007, 04:54 PM

Originally Posted by CyForPresident

I know this isn't basketball but I would vote for the following. What if Woody Hayes didn't putch that clemson player and Earl Bruce would have stayed at Iowa State?

We would have gone to a lot of bowl games (when it actually meant something to go to a bowl). We would have an athletic budget that would allow us to be competitive, and we would have still had baseball. We would have been spare NCAA probation, and allowing JTS to crumble.

And last, but certainly not least, we would have been spared all of the spin, and excuses, that has kept the budget so pathetically small in comparison to the UT's of the world. I won't even talk about big wins because that was taken care of in 1976.

**booyaa187** · 06-17-2007, 07:31 PM

No love for Ernest Brown? LOL, I think he ended up playing for the globetrotters.

On of my personal pet peeves was the legend of Tommie King, from just reading message boards you would assume he was the greatest basketball to walk planet earth. Being in Stl, I never got to see him perform.

**booyaa187** · 06-17-2007, 07:37 PM

Originally Posted by darts180

Dude, why do this to yourself.

Those of us who have been here for a lot of years, know that what if......leads to depression, then drinking.

Anyways you are missing the biggest what if in Iowa State basketball history. What if Sam f#^#ing Mack would have stayed out of the damn Burger King, and Mark f#^#ing Baugh would have gone to class. They would have kept Victor Alexander interested, as he was just beginning to learn how to dominate. With Terry Woods at point, and Doug Collins (maybe the most underrated player in Cyclone history) and Justis Thigpen coming in......we could have had a couple of monster years.

That seems like a good poll. Most underrated player in Cyclone MBB history. For me, I think about Stevie Johnson. He was forced to play PF his senior season and did a really nice job on that elite 8 team.

I liked Klay Edwards too.

**darts180** · 06-17-2007, 08:12 PM

Originally Posted by booyaa187

That seems like a good poll. Most underrated player in Cyclone MBB history. For me, I think about Stevie Johnson. He was forced to play PF his senior season and did a really nice job on that elite 8 team.

I liked Klay Edwards too.

I liked Stevie, and Klay, Shawn Bankhead is another, going old school, Mike Born, and even older school, Ronnie Virgil,

The thing is the two teams that Doug played on were 22-37, but he did a little bit of everything, I think he was second in the Big 8 in assists his senior year, while scoring 14 points a game. I remember a game a KState where he had 26 points 9 rebounds and 9 assists, he was on the receiving end of an alley oop from JT where he jumped over the center from KState (and he was only 6'1 maybe).

But you know how these opinion polls work, there may be someone out there who thinks that Elmer Robinson was the most underrated player.

**CloneFan65** · 06-18-2007, 02:03 AM

Originally Posted by darts180

He went to the same HS as Barry Stevens and Jeff Grayer. In fact he and Grayer were best friends growing up.

He was ready to commit at the early signing period, but his coach wouldn't let him (something about not wanting him to get complacent). He wasn't highly recruited at that point. Then he blew up his senior season, and here comes Michigan.

Johnny was recruiting Rice the same time the NCAA was looking at the football program. I heard that Bill Frieder led Rice to believe that the basketball program was also in danger of being put on probation, and this was one of the reasons Rice decided against ISU.

**Cyclonepride** · 06-18-2007, 06:35 AM

Originally Posted by tigershoops31

I'm going to go ahead and say that Fizer's return for his senior season would have been the biggest "what if" player. Had he come back we would have been national champs

I have to agree with that. They were top three in his junior year. Still Big 12 champs the year after. He would have pushed them over the top, and who knows, may have done well enough to give Larry a second chance when it all hit the fan. However, McDermott has them on the right track too, so it was just a setback on the Cyclone's trip to the top.

**Wesley** · 06-18-2007, 06:49 AM

Nevada point guard Sessions staying in NBA Draft (like Willl and Curtis)

June 15, 2007
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports

RENO, Nev. -- Nevada point guard Ramon Sessions will forgo his senior season with the Wolf Pack and remain in the NBA Draft.
Sessions announced in April his intention to make himself available for the June 28 draft but didn't hire an agent, meaning he could have reconsidered and returned to Nevada. He said in a statement Friday he would stay in the draft.
"Playing at Nevada has opened many doors for me, including this one, and it is now time for me to pursue my dream," said Sessions, a second team all-Western Athletic Conference selection this season.
He averaged 12.3 points per game and led the team in assists for the third consecutive season, averaging 4.7, which was second in the WAC. He was the WAC's Freshman of the Year in 2004-05 but was slowed by a hip injury his sophomore year.
The Wolf Pack won the WAC regular-season championship and played in the NCAA Tournament in each Sessions' three seasons.
Marcellus Kemp, another Nevada guard with a year of eligibility remaining, also announced his intention to enter the draft without an agent. He had not made a final decision about staying in the draft as of Friday, school spokeswoman Rhonda Lundin said.
Underclassmen who have not hired agents have until 5 p.m. on Monday to remove their name from the draft.