The Greatest College Player Everyone's Forgotten About

Without a doubt: Dwight "Bo Peep" Lamar. Dude was an insane outside shooter for the USL Ragin' Cajuns, led the NCAA in scoring twice in the mid 70s with something like 53 and 52 ppg averages-- and there was no three point line back then. I got to see him play twice at Lamar's old McDonald gym. I'll never forget the time he took an outlet pass, had a clear path, but just pulled up from the far side of half court and swished it. Bob West quoted him in the Port Arthur News the next morning, "Oh, that's like a layup for me."

 

And another guy I remember watching on TV from the same era: Ernie Digregorio. He was sort of a poor man's Pete Maravich.

 

Quite a few I wouldn't call "great college players" just "high draft picks".

But when you weed those out, anybody note a common theme?

I used to love Fenis Dembo at Wyoming. Of course we have our own Rocket in Derrick Chievous.

Most of these guys were either postup players who had no range and couldn't get their shot off in the NBA, or they were perimeter guys who could drive the lane at will in college, but couldn't shoot from outside.

It's all about the "J". A couple more that come to mind were Armon Gilliam, "Fearless" Freddy Banks, and Steve Alford, whose problem was more about having the quickness to get his shot off in the NBA. I also found a link to an NCAA .pfd file of NCAA records. There are quite a few names there that should probably make this list, but I couldn't vouch for the ones I never saw play.

 

Kenny Gregory from Kansas. I thought somebody would've picked him up based on his athleticism alone but the fact that he went to a big time school, played for a big time coach and put up decent numbers never got drafted boggles my mind.

 

Easily Len Bias followed by Chris Jackson.

 

a mixed breed of clarance weatherspoon and mike james

 

I'm not contributing to this thread, I just want to make someting else the newest thread in this forum, besides the "Houston, we have a problem" thread. I'm sick of seeing that title everytime I look at the main page on the BBS.

 

Kenny Anderson is the most exciting college player I have ever seen....

 

Demetrius "Hook" Mitchell

Dude could dunk like nobodies business. Grew up playing with Gary Payton and Jason Kidd among others.

http://www.hookmitchell.com/

 

Well at least it's a bus... it could carry all the great college players Duke's had that turn out to be average players or less in the NBA.

 

Fennis Dembo was the player I was going to say. I'd hate to have been in the building when he and Gary Payton played against each other in college - everyone else would've suffocated due to oxygen deprivation.

I don't follow college basketball anymore, but when I did, the player I thought was just absolutely ridiculous talent-wise and a "can't miss" future NBA legend was Chris Jackson/Mahmoud Abdul Rauf. Lightning quick release and could drill jumper after jumper. He was Calvin Murphy reincarnated in that respect.

 

shawn respert

 

Bo Kimble
Rodney Monroe
Lionel Simmons
Byron Stith

 

Stith is a good one, I remember him at Virginia. That team was just burried by so many other teams in the ACC that year. They also had these two guards and one of them was lights out from three range.

 

Someone already mentioned him, but I agree with Bobby Hurley. Arguably the best college point guard ever...especially if we're talking about distributing the basketball.

 

I have no other choice but to go with Pistol Pete

 

No votes for former Hometown Couger Rob Williams?

Didn't he single handedly take Houston to the final four during Dreams freshman year with the team?

Seems like he was the final four MVP that year as well. Ended up in Denver and never did anything in the NBA.

Rob Williams

 

Since PPM was mentioned, I'll go with another guy that was unstoppable in college but pro career was riddled with injuries........ Larry Johnson.

 

Johnson was awesome in college and of all the undersized pfs who have been compared to Barkley, he had the best shot of having a hof career had his back not given out on him.

 

Marcus Fizer(sp?) or Dajuan Wagner