What Player(s) Got You Hooked On College Basketball?

[Pope]

Willie McCarter who played for Drake in the 1969 Final Four under coach Maury John. I was a little kid who was mesmerized when I watched Willie and that Drake team.

I remember crying my eyes out when they barely lost John Wooden's UCLA team in the Final Four, a team that was led by Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Jabbar).

 

[mramseyISU]

I grew up a Mizzou fan and I didn't really watch much basketball until middle school and that year Jevon Crudup was a monster for them. I had an older cousin a Mizzou that was in a class with with him. Apparently he'd write his number 00 on papers instead of his name. Got a little Ricky Henderson vibe from that. Turned out he was a bit of a scumbag later but he was fun to watch play basketball.

 

[Pope]

The ‘68-‘69 Drake Bulldog team: McCarter, Wise, Draper, PullIan, Wanamaker. Won the Valley and took UCLA and Lew Alcindor/Kareem down to the wire in the NCAA semi-finals. As I recall televised games back then were rare for all but the “blue bloods“ prior to the NCAA tourney, and that was far from comprehensive, so I followed them mostly through the sports pages.

Trivia question. Back then, the NCAA Tournament Final Four included a consolation game for 3rd place. Who did Drake beat in that game by 20 points? Don't cheat!

 

[DeBruzzio]

Trivia question. Back then, the NCAA Tournament Final Four included a consolation game for 3rd place. Who did Drake beat in that game by 20 points? Don't cheat!

Thats easy, North Carolina

 

[DeBruzzio]

Don Smith 1966-1968, later Zaid Abdul-Aziz in the NBA

 

[jcf817]

Lynch, Newbern, Coffey, Burton, and Bond (Shikenjanski, too) of the 89-90 Minnesota Gophers.

I can still picture Kevin Lynch putting up a 3 at the buzzer in the Elite 8 against Georgia Tech. He missed the shot, and they lost.

 

[cyatheart]

Cyclone.....Barry Stevens
Non ISU...prob Phi Slamma Jamma, mostly Olajuwon

 

[cyclones500]

Willie McCarter who played for Drake in the 1969 Final Four under coach Maury John. I was a little kid who was mesmerized when I watched Willie and that Drake team.

I remember crying my eyes out when they barely lost John Wooden's UCLA team in the Final Four, a team that was led by Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Jabbar).

I'm (relatively speaking) too young to remember that era. Imagine how big of a deal that would've been if Drake pulled the upset.

I think during UCLA's string from '64 to '75 (other than the two years it didn't win the title), only one other team came closer in point spread: Long Beach State in 1971 (two points). Only a few games were fewer than 10-point margin in that stretch.

 

[BeaverClone]

My young impressionable years were right in the middle of the Wayne Morgan & McDermott Era's. So, I don't have much from my childhood other than being a HUGE Luca Staiger fan

Georges Niang - Always dreamed of a final four caliber ISU basketball team and they were somewhat there.
Perry Ellis - Hatewatched every game
Brady Heslip - Nothing got me more amped to go jack up some dumb threes and provide absolutely nothing on defense in a JV basketball game like watching Heslip highlights