Your Team's All-Time Single Best Player
- Thread starter KYtotheCore
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Best player I saw at IU was Calbert Cheaney. But I tell ya what---Damon Bailey isn't far behind. He doesn't get half the rspect he should, for the career he had. Had he not played alongside star studded dudes like Cheaney, Henderson, Graham, etc, etc...He would be, in all likelihood, Indiana's all-time leading scorer. Bailey wasn't just a great player, but his IQ was insane. Not sure I've ever met someone with the basketball intelligence that Damon had.
Best 4 year player: Calbert Cheaney
Best 3 year player: Scott May
Best 2 year player: Isiah Thomas
Best 1 year player: George McGinnis
Best 3 year player: Scott May
Best 2 year player: Isiah Thomas
Best 1 year player: George McGinnis
Pretty solid. And well done. But man....I just can't stray to far from Bailey. Just a complete player. Very smart. Loved to have seen him with good knees.
Got to see several of Bailey's games when he was in high school. Talk about a rock star in those days! He didn't have to dominate once he got to IU. The team was great at every position. He was never going to average what he could have with all the options IU had.
I played at New Albany from 1989-90. We beat Bedford my sophomore year, 60-59. One of the two losses they had. Bailey was fouled with 2 seconds left, with BNL trailing by 3. He hit the first. Tried to miss the second, but banked it in. I am very familiar with his HS career. When he was the HC at BNl; girls and boys, I worked a few of their games. I actually "T'd" him up as an assistant. A very down to earth person. Very approachable.
As a player he was just unreal. Especially so for his size. Amazing what he could do on the floor. And the klicker is, at no time was he ven close to the being the best athlete; though still very underated in that aspect. He was just very skilled, and very, very smart. Just knew how to play the game. I do believe had he came to IU in a different era, he leaves as the all time leading scorer. He was that good. Just to many options during his time at IU: Cheaney, Henderson, Anderson, G.Graham, etc, etc..BUT....when it was his time, he calmly answered to the tune of 19ppg. Just a very good player who IMO is grossly underrated.
I like it. For UK i would go:
4 year - Delk
3 year - Issel
2 year - Rex Chapman
1 year - Anthony Davis
The 4 year player will spark the most debate. Goose Givens and Kenny Walker could both be considered very easily. The other three i think are pretty non negotiable.
Serious lack of respect for Steve Alford. No way Calber Cheaney was better than Alford.
Who's your number 2? Dave Bing? He might be number one IMO. Derrick Coleman is the other guy who might be in this conversation - him and Pearl.
Huh? No disrespect at all. Alford was a one trick pony, as in a jumpshot specialist. Cheaney was a more all around player. Not really close if you think about it.
I don't understand why you are holding Alford's style of play or perceived limitations to his game against him when he went out and performed better than Cheaney. Who cares if he only took jumpers. That's like Buddy Ryan complaining that Chris Carter only caught touchdowns.
Plain and simple, there's no way you can say that Cheaney had a better IU career than Steve Alford.
I know Davis only played 1 year, but that 1 year featured a national title, player of the year, All American ect...Not to mention he's already a transcendent NBA player. I know Kentucky has a great history and I admit I'm too young to have seen some of the other players listed, but to me you would be hard pressed to find a player better than AD.
Go back far enough and you have to include John Wooden as well.
Do whaaaaaat? I mean, really? Alford was a product of Knights system. A great, great shooter. And by all means, a very fundamentally sound, smart player.
But better than Cheaney? Dear Lord, no. Not even close. Cheaney could score so many different ways. And could so on his own. Alford needed help. C'mon, man.
Bias so, so umderrated. He really was. Had he not passed, we may be talking of terms as GOAT. He was THAT good.
He would have probably helped Bird win a few more titles. Bias was a stud.
Can you imagine him and Bird together?
Insane. It really would've been. Probably the 1/2 punch that standards would be measured by today.
For UK, in terms of pure, all around talent, I'm going with Anthony Davis. Dude didn't have to score a single point to be the most dominant player in the game. Fun as hell to watch, too.
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