Um, okay, but what's that got to do with Carmelo Anthony?
Better question...what's Carmelo Anthony or Syracuse have to do with this thread in the first place? Not sure how it came up.
#Hang5atHilton
- Thread starter The Mook
- Start date
Um, okay, but what's that got to do with Carmelo Anthony?
Better question...what's Carmelo Anthony or Syracuse have to do with this thread in the first place? Not sure how it came up.
I agree with Fizer's jersey being hung and I would love to see Ejim up there too, but think that a good amount of time should pass before the Ejim decision is made. It's probably been long enough of a wait in the case of Fizer. Wait until next year though and hang it during the Texas game with the dunk over Mihm as a highlight for the ceremony. 
I'd also like the athletic department to come up with a set of guidelines. You could always change them later if you want to make an exception, but set things down like minimum time after playing that you can be nominated, grad/no grad, games played as a cyclone etc... Perhaps the administration wants an organic buzz to build before considering a player, but if they set a few guidelines down I feel that it would help guide the process. Hopefully, if we stay playing at a consistently high level we'll need to address the question more frequently in the future.
I'd also like the athletic department to come up with a set of guidelines. You could always change them later if you want to make an exception, but set things down like minimum time after playing that you can be nominated, grad/no grad, games played as a cyclone etc... Perhaps the administration wants an organic buzz to build before considering a player, but if they set a few guidelines down I feel that it would help guide the process. Hopefully, if we stay playing at a consistently high level we'll need to address the question more frequently in the future.
Might as well hang Ellerman's jersey if we are just gonna start giving it away. Jeesh.
Not saying these players aren't deserving, but damn if give banners to every player who was good and charismatic you will run out of ceiling space pretty fast.
Was just saying you don't need to be a 4 year player to deserve to have your jersey hung up. IMO jerseys that are displayed are the best players that went to ISU. Fizer is by far the best player ISU has had that isn't already up there. Ejim was a great player, great 4 year player, great student, etc, but Fizer was a much better basketball player
Ejim couldn't guard Fizer one on one, but maybe two players in the NCAA could have that last year.
Ejim was a much better rebounder than Fizer by the time he left, one of our best ever. Ejim was a very dependable 3 point shooter by his senior year too, probably the biggest individual improvement I've ever seen in one area of play.
I'm in the camp that Fizer retired is a no brainer, he gave up being a first round lock to come back and lead us to our best season. But I'm not against hearing arguments for Ejim, Tinsley or Morris/Niang when their times come.
More than anything else it's just naive that some of us expect a Fizer type player to come along, play 4 years, and graduate with honors. A guy like Doug McDermott wasn't even as talented as Fizer that he was a first round lock after his sophomore year...that 4 year lottery pick player simply does not exist.
BTW, Forty-seven former North Carolina men's basketball players have their jerseys hung. Including Harrison Barnes who only stayed for 2 years.
Anyone who watched both Fizer and Ejim play in college, and wants to honestly argue that Ejim is/was a better player ... let's just say I feel sorry for you. It is not even close. It can reasonably be argued (by those much smarter than me) that Fizer was the best player ever to play at ISU. Ejim would struggle to make the all-time team.
That said, the question is not Fizer or Ejim - the answer may ultimately be both. Debate Melvin's worthiness 10 years from now. The question right now is if it is time to #Hang5atHilton ... obviously I believe it is.
That said, the question is not Fizer or Ejim - the answer may ultimately be both. Debate Melvin's worthiness 10 years from now. The question right now is if it is time to #Hang5atHilton ... obviously I believe it is.
At Iowa State, we have pretty high requirements to hang a number.
Harrison Barnes and Tyler Zeller both qualified to have their jersey's retired at UNC
Harrison Barnes and Tyler Zeller both qualified to have their jersey's retired at UNC
The next halfcourt offensive move I see Ejim make will be the first. Great player, but more in the Aaron White/Dustin Hogue mold of a garbage man. That's not a jab, those are my absolute favorite players - JunkYard Dog is one of my favorite NBA players of all time. And Hogue is my favorite to watch on this team.
Ultimately I'd be in favor of both names getting up there. But Fizer > Ejim and I can't believe it's even a discussion. How dominant Fizer was as a junior may never be matched by another ISU player.
Ultimately I'd be in favor of both names getting up there. But Fizer > Ejim and I can't believe it's even a discussion. How dominant Fizer was as a junior may never be matched by another ISU player.
HFCS is probably right that no McD AA will ever stay the four years & graduate summa cum laude. That's not our modern reality. I'm not against either Fizer OR Ejim. All I'm saying is that there is a reason that we only have 7 men's jerseys hanging up there...and it isn't for lack of comparable talent over the years.
We may have to modify the standards some (I'm old school and I don't want to!) but let's not modify them so far that the contributions of the seven already represented up there are devalued. It should be the best of the best of our student-athletes with an emphasis on both sides of that hyphen, not just the hottest player every five to ten years being honored just for the sake of keeping the masses happy.
And honestly, IMO McD AA's don't go to a specific school to get their jersey hung in the rafters. They go there to be on the best possible stage they can get for NBA scouting hits. Once they're pros, I suspect modern one & dones don't give that much thought to the school they attended.
We may have to modify the standards some (I'm old school and I don't want to!) but let's not modify them so far that the contributions of the seven already represented up there are devalued. It should be the best of the best of our student-athletes with an emphasis on both sides of that hyphen, not just the hottest player every five to ten years being honored just for the sake of keeping the masses happy.
And honestly, IMO McD AA's don't go to a specific school to get their jersey hung in the rafters. They go there to be on the best possible stage they can get for NBA scouting hits. Once they're pros, I suspect modern one & dones don't give that much thought to the school they attended.
Some issues to exist. If we change the rules, we'd have to go back and retire a few more.
Tinsley could very well be hanging up there too.
Tinsley could very well be hanging up there too.
Disagree completely. We are a university that sponsors a basketball team. While it's true guys come here to play basketball, having a number retired is the highest of honors at Iowa State. It should show not only outstanding play on the court but a commitment to the university. We need to ensure our collective praise is for guys who give everything they have to Iowa State, which includes graduation.
It's not a discussion. Literally nobody is claiming that Ejim is a better player than Fizer. Maybe people have said he's more deserving of having his jersey hung, but that =/= "better".
I've been an ISU fan since '97 and followed the team somewhat through the 90s.
Fizer is the best offensive player I've seen easily. He was going to score or be fouled nearly any time he wanted to if he got position close enough to the rim. Fizer was never really a great rebounder or defender in spite of his skills, which showed out even more when he was healthy in the NBA and could score like mad but get abused on the other end. We've had lots of players who have done as much rebounding and defending.
I'd say in that time frame of 90s on...Tinsley has the best argument to have a better player than him and it's a coin toss for me personally. Probably the 'winningest' player per season, but if our current era keeps going we could have some real impressive career stuff.
Fred's junior/senior year is up there too and he'd probably get my vote for #3 overall player during my time watching. Ejim's senior year and Kane's year were very dominant but just one year compared to 2 dominant years for those three guys (hoiberg, fizer, tinsley). White was at that level by the end of the year but pretty raw that first half.
Nobody with this view can oppose Ejim having his jersey retired. He's your ultimate jersey retirement candidate by this standard, especially in the age of one and dones and transfers.
