Your all time favorite MU player and why? And your Top 10...

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

Speaking of ages, I find it interesting that very few lists include any of our three junior guards -- who have been marketed harder than any group in MU history.

[passion of da coach]

going with players I've seen:

The top tier are pretty close, hard to separate,

1.  Diener - never quit, tough as nails.
2.  Novak - great senior season, awesome shot
3.  Wade - would have been higher, but didn't stay as long as Diener & Novak so I didn't quite have the
    same level as attachment.  More natural ability than the other two, so I appreciate the others a little more for their accomplishments.

The rest:

4.  McNeal - heart of the current team
5. James - when he plays to his strengths, unstoppable
6.  Wes - team player
7.  Wardle - He was all we had when I was in school, plus his soccer girlfriend was hot
8.  Hutch - smooth
9.  RJax - without him no Final 4
10. Townsend - class act, another team player

[Avenue Commons]

You can tell the ages on this board...Anthony Pieper?  How about Anthony Candelino?

How can anyone leave Lloyd Walton off their list?  What about Sam Worthen,  Michael Wilson or even Terry Reason?

I thought the same thing. The vast majority of these players are from the 90's or 00's. I'd love to get Murf's thoughts on this and some of the other old guys as well.

[romey]

Okay, older guy here.  My dad is an alum, so our family had season tickets beginning in 1970 or 71.  I was on my 6th grade team so I was BIG TIME into hoops and this was the dawn of the greatest decade of Warrior hoops (remember only the great John Wooden's UCLA teams had a higher winning percentage in the 70').
I'm just going to throw the names out there in no particular order, but many ofthem have been mentioned already.

Butch Lee- I loved this guy - I'd have to say without verifying it, that he may be the only MU palyer to garner player of the year honors.

Maurice Lucas - the guy was dominating - was the second (or maybe thrid MU player to go hardship - which is what they called it when you left early for the pros).  Murf, maybe you can help me out here - did Luke go pro before Larry McNeill?

Dean Meminger - he was Pete Maravich before there was a Maravich - the guy had a handle that was unbelievable for the era.

Jim Chones - the first "hardship" case.  I remember how devastating it was for me as a kid to find out that he would not be coming back to MU his senior season.

Bob Lackey, another bruiser - the black swan (probably not politically correct to say that today) man MU used to have some talented bigs.

Lloyd Walton - great point guard with superior court sense.

Earl Tatum - he could fill it up.  Scored 20 plus per game on a regular basis - picked up the scoring when Butch left.

Jerome Whitehead - the quiet, solid big man - RJax reminded me of him.  I will never forget the length of the court in bounds pass from Butch Lee to J Whitehead vs. UNC-Charlotte in the Semi-finals of the 1977 championship season.

D Wade - so exciting, love the fact that he has singlehandedly put MU in the national spotlight.  I know some may argue that point, but I live in Atlanta, and if you mention Marquette to a casual sport fan - those not old enough to remember the Al era) and their first response is - that's where Wade went right?

Diener - again, if you saw the kid on the street and someone told you he was a baller- you wouldn't believe it.  But you'd be so wrong.

Doc Rivers - came to MU my sophomore year - great, great guy - got his autograph in Grebe's Bakery one day for my little brother.  The nearly half court shot to beat ND on the first game back after Christmas break set off a non-stop party like I hadn't seen since the championship3 years before.

Sam Worthen - one ugly man, but one of the first to shave his head and shine it up (like Slick Watts who won an NBA championship with Jack Sikma and the Sonics in the late 70's).  I considered him the "new era" of point guards.  Had the no look, effortless passes that were spot on.  Just had a whole different style than the point guards that came before (Allie McGuire, Marcus Washington, Lloyd Walton, Jim Boylan)

I know there are more, but chew on that for a while.

[4everwarriors]

McNeill left one year before Maurice. Larry was drafted by the Kansas City Kings and Lucas by the Bulls and St. Louis Spirits of the ABA. Opted for the Spirits and later joined the Blazers.

[romey]

Was McNeill a hardship case?

I also realized I goofed on Tatum - he left before the Championship year.  As a matter of fact, we had some t-shirts made up that we were national champs in '76 because we were so confident that we were going to beat the undefeated Indiana Hoosiers in the tourney.  Unfortunately we lost to Kent Benson, Quinn Buckner, Scott May.  The we lost Tatum to the draft and went all the way the next year.

[bilsu]

1. George Thompson. I was 13 and my brother was 9 and my father would take us to the freshman game to watch Thompson, which was much better than watching the varsity play. My brother and I have always had the brotherly rivalry thing going. I was a Tom Flynn fan and he was a Bob Wolf fan. I was a George Thompson fan he was a Deam Meminger fan, I am a Marquette fan and he is a Wisconsin fan. I have not heard from him since I e-mailed him that I knew Marquette was quick, but I did not realize UW was so slow.
2. Jim Chones
3. Lloyd Walton
4. Wade (only here because 13 year olds are much more enamored about stars than people over 50)
5. Ellis
6.  MacIllvanie for his shot blocking ability
7. Diener I loved his toughness and attitude
8. Worthen(passing ability)
9. Lucas - he would be the past player I would add to this team to make it an NCAA champion
10. Meminger only this low because he is my brother's favorite.

[4everwarriors]

McNeill went hardship.

[romey]

McNeill went hardship.

So MU's all hardship (early NBA draft entry) team would look something like this:

Jim Chones
Maurice Lucas
Larry McNeill
Doc Rivers
D Wade

Pretty strong!

[bilsu]

I believe Maravich and Meminger were the same year, so Meminger was not Pete Maravich before there was a Maravich. I saw Maravich play three times. he played in the Milwaukee Classic when he was a sophomore and scored 43 in both games. I was at the NIT semi-final game at Madison Square Garden when we held him to 23 points his senior year.

[The Lens]

Bilsu, what was it like being at MU when they turned down the NCAA?

I can only imagine the craziness if that happened today.  ESPN.com would meltdown.

[4everwarriors]

I was also at the Garden when Pistol Pete met defeat.

[WhereisGeraldPosey]

Where did Michael Wilson break the backboard?  I have vague memories of that game (@Stetson?), didn't it take something like 30 or 45 minuted to replace the backboard.

[CTWarrior]

Where did Michael Wilson break the backboard?  I have vague memories of that game (@Stetson?), didn't it take something like 30 or 45 minuted to replace the backboard.

I'm pretty sure it was at Memphis State during a loss to the Keith Lee led Tigers.

[legacy]

1. Wade -- ubertalent and a class act
2. Butch -- unflappable leader
3. Diener -- scrappy little guy
4. Doc -- the ND game-winner
5. Bo -- lead the 77 team along with Butch
6. Novak -- sweet stroke
7. Worthen -- the last great from the 70s
8. Tony Miller -- field general
9. Wardle -- maximized his talent
10. Nethen -- can't spell neanderthal without "nethen"

How about top 10 most frustrating players?