My Top 10 Marquette Warriors List

[Dr. Blackheart]

1.  Bo Ellis
2.  Robert Byrd
3.  Wes Matthews
4.  Lazar Hayward
5.  George Thompson
6.  Pat Smith
7.  Don Kojis
8.  Hank Raymonds
9.  DWade
10  John Glaser--because he loves Marquette

[Goose]

Pat Smith only #6? Come on Blackheart he has to be higher.

[brewcity77]

I'm just going with guys I actively watched, so none of the Al McGuire classics for me. Also, I'm picking the guys that I enjoyed watching the most, not just the best players.

1) Dwyane Wade -- Let me see a Final Four in my time at Marquette
2) Wes Matthews -- Always thought he was the best of the Amigos
3) Jerel McNeal -- Close second to Wes Mat
4) Travis Diener -- He defined heart
5) Jim McIlvane -- Pure shot-blocking dominance
6) Darius Johnson-Odom -- He's fun to watch, his passion is infectious
7) Brian Wardle -- He made me think I could have been a basketball star
8) Tony Smith -- The first real star I remember watching at MU
9) Jimmy F. Butler -- Went from JUCO afterthought to legit NBA prospect
10) Lazar Hayward -- Quiet leader, maybe the hardest worker I've seen

[Dr. Blackheart]

Pat Smith only #6? Come on Blackheart he has to be higher.

He was Al's first recruit--the kid who took a flyer on Al from NYC to come to Milwaukee...and Al said after he retired that when EDB graduated, it was his career highlight (two years late)...not because Pat would be better off, but that the future Smith generations would.  But, both were.  Bigger to Al than the National Championship, or so he told me after he retired.  I believed Al when he said this.  One of a kind!

[PJDunn]

I will only list the ones that I have seen...

1 - David Boone
2 - Wade
3 - Lazar
4 - Doc Rivers
5 - Jerel
6 - Hutch
7 - Tony Miller
8 - Wes
9 - Wardle
10- Anthony Pieper

Honorable Mention - Kerry Trotter, Benny Moore, Damon Key, Tony Smith, Terry Reason, among others.

Never liked Diener. 

[MUMac]

Surprised that no mention of Butch Lee thus far.  The only player from MU that was the Naismith College Player of the Year.  In addition, MVP of the '77 Final 4.  Also, no Luke?

My list:

1.  Bo Elllis - Two NCAA Championship Games.
2.  Butch Lee
3.  Dean the Dream - a magician
4.  Jim Chones - Likely No. 1 if he did not leave after 1 1/2 years.
5.  Maurice Lucas - One tough dude.
6.  George Thompson - After Al and Hank, George personifies MU basketball, the king
7.  Dwyane Wade - Breaking ankles
8.  Earl Tatum - smoothest player I have watched at MU.
9.  Tony Miller - Defensively, ball handling, assists - awesome player
10. Tony Smith - played on some bad MU teams, but a stud

Honorable Mention - Jim McIlvane, Bernard Toone, Don Kojis (I had never seen him play, he likely deserves the top 10), Travis Diener (just for his moxie and leadership), Lucky Lloyd Walton, Jerome Whitehead,
Sam Worthen (amazing with a basketball, just a joy to watch play)

[Hards Alumni]

Surprised that no mention of Butch Lee thus far.  The only player from MU that was the Naismith College Player of the Year.  In addition, MVP of the '77 Final 4.  Also, no Luke?

My list:

1.  Bo Elllis - Two NCAA Championship Games.
2.  Butch Lee
3.  Dean the Dream - a magician
4.  Jim Chones - Likely No. 1 if he did not leave after 1 1/2 years.
5.  Maurice Lucas - One tough dude.
6.  George Thompson - After Al and Hank, George personifies MU basketball, the king
7.  Dwyane Wade - Breaking ankles
8.  Earl Tatum - smoothest player I have watched at MU.
9.  Tony Miller - Defensively, ball handling, assists - awesome player
10. Tony Smith - played on some bad MU teams, but a stud

Honorable Mention - Jim McIlvane, Bernard Toone, Don Kojis (I had never seen him play, he likely deserves the top 10), Travis Diener (just for his moxie and leadership), Lucky Lloyd Walton, Jerome Whitehead,
Sam Worthen (amazing with a basketball, just a joy to watch play)

No Jerel?  All time point leader.

[jtrash37]

My caveat, players I watched, right or wrong.

1.  Travis Diener  Enough said.
2.  Tony Miller  We were there at the same time, had some classes together...I'm biased, but he was amazing on the floor to boot.
3.  Jerel McNeal  Loved his game from day one.
4.  Tony Smith   First superstar I met, great person and player.
5.  Lazar Hayward  Tough as nails, great leader.  Loved his passion.
6.  Faisal Abraham  Another friend, loved watching him grow and succeed as a person and player.
7.  Aaron Hutchins  Tough as nails, worked his butt off.
8.  Wes Matthews    Amazing person.  It translated to his hoops game, letting the flow of the game come to him, growing as a player.
9.  Anthony Pieper  Pure scorer, fought hard.
10.  Dwyane Wade   Amazing, obviously, but only here 2 seasons.

[Skatastrophy]

1.  Travis Diener  Enough said.

I didn't read any farther than this

[reinko]

My caveat, players I watched, right or wrong.

1.  Travis Diener  Enough said.
2.  Tony Miller  We were there at the same time, had some classes together...I'm biased, but he was amazing on the floor to boot.
3.  Jerel McNeal  Loved his game from day one.
4.  Tony Smith   First superstar I met, great person and player.
5.  Lazar Hayward  Tough as nails, great leader.  Loved his passion.
6.  Faisal Abraham  Another friend, loved watching him grow and succeed as a person and player.
7.  Aaron Hutchins  Tough as nails, worked his butt off.
8.  Wes Matthews    Amazing person.  It translated to his hoops game, letting the flow of the game come to him, growing as a player.
9.  Anthony Pieper  Pure scorer, fought hard.
10.  Dwyane Wade   Amazing, obviously, but only here 2 seasons.

Wade was at MU for three years.

[Goose]

Blackheart--Always was a fun of Pat Smith. Great story.

My top 10
1. Butch Lee---Best college player in MU history in my opinion.
2. DWade---Best player in school history, but missing a ring.
3. Bo Ellis--Best Freshman I ever saw. Got better with time
4. Dean the Dream---Name says it all
5. Maurice Lucas--Better pro than college player, but one cool dude
6. Earl Tatum---Black Jerry West, enough said
7. George Thompson--Man amongst boys
8. Travis Deiner--Born winner and glue of program for 4 years
9. Doc Rivers--Another guy better in the pro's, but never forget one hand alley oop dunk or game winner against ND.
10. Bob Peircy--If nickname is "Beautiful Bob" you make my top 10.

[Lennys Tap]

1.Butch Lee - national POY in 78 and NCAA MVP on national champs in 77
2.D Wade - most talented MU player ever
3.Bo Ellis - 4 year starter, vital cog on two final four teams
4.Dean Meminger - best point guard of many great ones for MU
5.Maurice Lucas - leader of 74 NCAA runnerups
6.George Thompson - "Brute Force" was the first of Al's All Americans
7.Earl Tatum - silky smooth, won the NBA one-on-one tournament
8.Don Kojis - probably should be higher but I never saw him
9.Tony Smith - great player on some not so great teams
10.Wes Mathews - higher if his shackles were taken off sooner.

Honorable mention: Jim Chones (top 5 if he finishes his second year), Jerome Whitehead, Llyod Walton, Bob Lackey, Larry McNeil, Sam Worthen, Rorert Byrd, Doc Rivers (great talent, solid pro, but not a great college player), Aaron Hutchins, Tony Miller, Jim McIlvane, Travis Diener, Dominique James, Lazar Hayward, Jerel McNeal, Steve Novak and Jimmy Butler (in no particular order after Chones).

[MerrittsMustache]

Where's the Novak love on this board?!

Sticking to players since I enrolled at MU (1998)

My top 10
1. Dwayne Wade - a gift to watch him live 15-20 times per year
2. Lazar Hayward - born leader, played out of position but never complained
3. Steve Novak - Turned out to be the leader fans thought Diener was
4. Wesley Matthews - underutilized early, came on strong late
5. Jimmy Butler - from no-name to NBA prospect
6. Scott Merritt - very underappreciated player
7. Jerel McNeal - he could drive me nuts, but the guy can play
8. Cordell Henry - underrated PG
9. Robert Jackson - no RJax, no FF
10. Mike Bargen - White Chocolate!

Honorable Mentions: Dom James, Terry Sanders, Olouma Nnamaka, Odartey Blankson, Bart Miller, Ousmane Barro

[Nukem2]

What the heck, they are Warriors so they are all my favorites.

[jtrash37]

Wade was at MU for three years.

Agreed, but he was a redshirt for one of those three.

[JWags85]

Ill list in terms of my enjoyment watching them play along with their accolades/abilities.

1. Travis Diener - Loved his attitude, his swagger, the fact that he was some 6 foot white kid from WI like myself.
2. Wes Matthews- Just a heady, patient, intelligent player.  Remember during the Bama, he broke out, showed his potential.
3. Dwayne Wade - Do I need to say more? Game against ECU at the BC was sublime
4. Steve Novak - Rose from my seat everytime he released the ball
5. Anthony Pieper - First player I can remember being my "favorite" as a kid.  Dude could fill it up
6. Aaron Hutchins - Good god he was clutch
7. Dominic James - Frustrating, but when he was on, just electrifying
8. Lazar/JFB - Neither were my favorite players on the team, but I had/have so much respect for their selfless play and dedication to the team.  First class dudes
9. Ousmane Barro - Dude just looked like he was having so much fun.  Always a huge grin
10. Dwight Burke - Specifically for his senior year when he randomly would hit 15 footers and throw down crazy stickbacks.  The 3 Amigos were the stars, but Burke would make us celebrate far more wildly.

Honorable Mention: Brian Wardle (just a beacon during a semi-dim period of MU hoops). Faisal Abraham (for the gun show), Oluoma Nnamaka (one of my fav underrated players in MU history), Ryan Amoroso

[MUEng92]

My caveat, players I watched, right or wrong.

1.  Travis Diener  Enough said.
2.  Tony Miller  We were there at the same time, had some classes together...I'm biased, but he was amazing on the floor to boot.
3.  Jerel McNeal  Loved his game from day one.
4.  Tony Smith   First superstar I met, great person and player.
5.  Lazar Hayward  Tough as nails, great leader.  Loved his passion.
6.  Faisal Abraham  Another friend, loved watching him grow and succeed as a person and player.
7.  Aaron Hutchins  Tough as nails, worked his butt off.
8.  Wes Matthews    Amazing person.  It translated to his hoops game, letting the flow of the game come to him, growing as a player.
9.  Anthony Pieper  Pure scorer, fought hard.
10.  Dwyane Wade   Amazing, obviously, but only here 2 seasons.

Not many basketball rankings around where Faisal Abraham is listed ahead of Dwyane Wade.  Four spots ahead at that!

[6746jonesr]

No Jerel?  All time point leader.

took him four years to edge George, who did it in 3 years.

[Golden Avalanche]

I don't get how people are listing Wade so low. Has time erased just how large of an impact he had on turning the program around?

I also don't get why Matthews seems to be rated higher than Wade. Matthews is a great dude but his breakout Senior season wasn't more impressive than Wade's rookie season, much less Wade's awe-inspiring last season at MU.

[MerrittsMustache]

I don't get how people are listing Wade so low. Has time erased just how large of an impact he had on turning the program around?

I also don't get why Matthews seems to be rated higher than Wade. Matthews is a great dude but his breakout Senior season wasn't more impressive than Wade's rookie season, much less Wade's awe-inspiring last season at MU.

A lot of people, myself included, are listing their favorite MU players, not the best MU players.

[HouWarrior]

If pressed to a top 10, I am most in agreement with Lenny.

In an effort to blend the pre ESPN group with the post ESPN crowd, I easily reached a top 20, still with honorable mentions, like Lenny's:

Al McGuire
George Thompson
Don Kojis
Butch Lee
Bo Ellis
Dwayne Wade
Maurice Lucas
Dean Meminger
Lazar Hayward
Jerrel McNeal

Jim Chones
Wes Matthews
Tony Smith
Earl Tatum
Travis Diener
Steve Novak
Jerome Whitehead
Jim McIlvaine
Doc Rivers
Jimmy Butler

Honorables:Lloyd Walton, Bob Lackey, Larry McNeil, Sam Worthen, Robert Byrd,  Aaron Hutchins, Tony Miller, Brian Wardle, Dominique James,Damon Key, Cordell Henry, Mike Moran, Bob Wolf, Terry Rand, Bernard Toone, Oliver Lee, Ron Glaser, Rick Cobb, Robert Jackson, Gene Berce and  Tom Flynn

[jtrash37]

Not many basketball rankings around where Faisal Abraham is listed ahead of Dwyane Wade.  Four spots ahead at that!

I was friends with Faisal.  We dated girls who lived in the same apartment for a year.  Didn't make the list based on pure talent, I had some level of interaction with ALL the players on the list except Wade. 

[Goose]

Lenny'sTap---Love your list! First time we have ever agreed on here, but our lists are very similar.

[MUEng92]

I was friends with Faisal.  We dated girls who lived in the same apartment for a year.  Didn't make the list based on pure talent, I had some level of interaction with ALL the players on the list except Wade. 

I assumed that was the case.  If I were friends with a player, he would be higher on my list too.  The list is My Top 10 Marquette Warriors, so you can base it on anything you want.  I hope it didn't come across the wrong way.  I just thought is was funny seeing Faisal Abraham ahead of Wade on a basketball related list.

[Doris Burkes Thong]

I also don't get why Matthews seems to be rated higher than Wade. Matthews is a great dude but his breakout Senior season wasn't more impressive than Wade's rookie season, much less Wade's awe-inspiring last season at MU.

My guess Wes is pretty high on a lot of lists because of his recent success story in the NBA going from undrafted to being like what the second highest paid player in his draft class behind Blake Griffin. I think his career in the NBA just proves how good of a player he could've been at MU his first 3 years prior to his breakout senior campaign. I think just based on pure production in college McNeal has to be rated ahead of Matthews despite the fact Matthews is and was the more talented/polished player. I remember McNeal really improving his stroke from beyond the arc in his junior and senior years. Too bad James couldn't figure his shot out because if he had an average jump shot MU could've been Final Four good. Just thought I would add those two tidbits.