Favorite MU player

[dgies9156]

No doubt.  Had Chones stayed . . .

God yes, if Chones and Lucas bth had stayed for four years, there probably would have been a small dynasty here in the mid 1970s.

Maurice was the greatest. RIP, Mr. Lucas

[LloydMooresLegs]

Lloyd Moore

Thanks for the LM love.   

[nyg]

God yes, if Chones and Lucas bth had stayed for four years, there probably would have been a small dynasty here in the mid 1970s.

Maurice was the greatest. RIP, Mr. Lucas

Yes, but the other factor was Larry McNeil who also left.  He was one of the most under appreciated players in MU history.  I believe in 1973 it would have been the three of them together on the front line.

[Slim]

Echo earlier poster who said "great thread." Lots of fun, and reading the posts stirred up lots of memories!

I have lots of favorites, each for different reasons. I attended MU from 78-82 (hence my MU82 tag), started watching MU a few years before I arrived and have been a loyal fan since. So ...

MO LUCAS: A man among boys. His ability to intimidate shouldn't take away from the fact that he also was very skilled at the game. He helped make Marquette a team nobody wanted to mess with.

SAM WORTHEN: Arrived my freshman year and played with such panache. Just fun to watch, and pretty darn good, too.

STEVE NOVAK: It was reassuring to have one guy who we KNEW the shot was going in whenever he released the ball. (Of course, he didn't make them all; just seemed that way.)

TERRY REASON: We called him "Pharaoh." He was a trip to watch.

JIMMY BUTLER: Everybody loves a good underdog story, and Butler was a great underdog story. Through hard work and resilience, he came out of nowhere to turn himself into a first-round draft pick. Helped us win lots of games we maybe shouldn't have won, too.

TRAVIS DIENER: Pound for pound maybe the toughest $hit ever to hoop at MU. For all the credit Wade deserves for what he did at MU, nobody should forget that we don't get past Holy Cross and Mizzou without Diener coming through huge in the clutch.

DWYANE WADE: Of course. I saw him in high school put up 35 on Eddy Curry's much higher-ranked team. He had already committed to MU and I couldn't believe we were getting a player so talented. He ushered in the new era of Marquette basketball -- our best stretch of sustained excellence since Al retired.

And my all-timer ...

GLENN RIVERS.

He was a freshman when I was a junior and I was sitting at press row when he beat ND with that shot -- my all-time favorite Marquette moment. I still remember Michael Wilson celebrating by climbing up to the basket and sitting on the rim.

In addition, I was in two classes with him and he was just a great kid. He went on to be a classy ambassador for the game as an NBA player, announcer and coach. Almost always smiling. Very insightful when talking about the game.

I have had the opportunity to chat with him many, many times over the years and continue to find him easy to approach and likable even though he now is a multimillionaire. I was thrilled for him when he coached the Celtics to the title.

Truly one of the good guys in sports.

I helped lift Michael up onto the rim. Then being the classy drunk college kid that I was, I pulled off his shoe to keep as a souvenir. Then my Catholic guilt settled in and I threw it back to him. So that classic photo of him sitting on the rim, holding his shoe above his head is one of my favorite moments

[drewm88]

1. Ous - Never met a happier person. Always a big, goofy grin, and it lit up when the crowd made the O.

2. Robert Jackson - Integral part of that 2003 team that doesn't get the appropriate love.

3. Lazar

[MUrugger]

Like NYG said...woulda, shoulda, coulda had an early-mid 70's front line of Chones-Lucas-McNeil.  It never happened...but those three would have dominated the scene.  Point is, they saw fit to go to MU...thinking BIG as in NBA when they decided to do so, which all of them managed rather nicely.  Bo Ellis and Jerome Whitehead followed. (Marcus Washington, Lloyd Walton, Sugar Frazier, and Allie McGuire weren't bad guard complements either.)

Sure the Dream had already been there and gave MU a lot of recognition at the time--I remember a nice SI story on Dean--but the fact was that MU was not known as a Guard's school--as it is to a significant degree today.

Somewhere along the line "bigs" came to believe that MU wouldn't be a good place for them. What happened?  How did it change?  How do we get it back?

As I type this, I think I can answer my own question:  The answer is/was  AL and I don't think he's coming back.
 

     

[JD]

Very nice post gents, and lady.  I hope we can continue on building a great tradition at Marquette, and plan on watching some amazing athletes in the upcoming years!

[only a warrior]

Lloyd Moore

What about Paul Newman or Vic Lazzeretti?  Or Mark "Hey that guy isn't ugly enough to be Moratta" Moratta?

[leever]

What about Paul Newman or Vic Lazzeretti?  Or Mark "Hey that guy isn't ugly enough to be Moratta" Moratta?

You may have vowel dyslexia.

But, how about "Spider" Mills?

[RyPow11]

personal favorite of min was robert jackson. best big guy who didnt get much recognition for 2003

[MU82]

I helped lift Michael up onto the rim. Then being the classy drunk college kid that I was, I pulled off his shoe to keep as a souvenir. Then my Catholic guilt settled in and I threw it back to him. So that classic photo of him sitting on the rim, holding his shoe above his head is one of my favorite moments

Great story, Slim. And thanks for giving Wilson that boost because you helped create one of my great sporting memories!

[Eldon]

Sorry guys, I know this is old, but I was rummaging through some old posts about the mid-late 90s teams.

As a kid, I LOVED Aaron Hutchins.  Unfortunately, I could never find his jersey in the stores (say, Champs).

Anyone know if he ever came back and finished his degree?  What he's up to nowadays?

[Marqevans]

Like NYG said...woulda, shoulda, coulda had an early-mid 70's front line of Chones-Lucas-McNeil.  It never happened...but those three would have dominated the scene.  Point is, they saw fit to go to MU...thinking BIG as in NBA when they decided to do so, which all of them managed rather nicely.  Bo Ellis and Jerome Whitehead followed. (Marcus Washington, Lloyd Walton, Sugar Frazier, and Allie McGuire weren't bad guard complements either.)

Sure the Dream had already been there and gave MU a lot of recognition at the time--I remember a nice SI story on Dean--but the fact was that MU was not known as a Guard's school--as it is to a significant degree today.

Somewhere along the line "bigs" came to believe that MU wouldn't be a good place for them. What happened?  How did it change?  How do we get it

As I type this, I think I can answer my own question:  The answer is/was  AL and I don't think he's coming back.
 

Not sure but I think. McNeil Lucas and Ellis was a possibility.p

     

[keefe]

  Not to mention his hair...

Walking Jheri Curl ad.

[bilsu]

Not necessarily the best player
Favorite player of Hickey era Calvelli
Favorite player of McGuire era Ellis
Favorite player of Raymonds era Worthen
Favorite player of Majerus era  Trotter
Favorite player of Dukiet era Boone
Favorite player of O'Neal era McIlvanie
Favorite player of Dean era Wardle
Favorite player of Crean era Diener
Favorite player of Buzz era Crowder

[Montana Warrior]

Jim Dudley

Not much talent on very talented teams but could jump out of the gym.  He started some games so the Warriors would win the jump ball.

[keefe]

Jim Dudley

Not much talent on very talented teams but could jump out of the gym.  He started some games so the Warriors would win the jump ball.

Is that you Jim??

Dudley was bitter, having transferred from Michigan State only to be buried on the bench. Really sour guy. He hasn't come back to Marquette since leaving and he's from South Milwaukee. I will say he was boning a really hot freshman chick in 76-77. You would think that might have improved his attitude but apparently not.

[Goose]

I do not recall Dudley ever starting a game. I do recall his big game against KState which was badly needed.

[RushmoreAcademy]

In recent history, it's real hard for me not to pick Jae.   McNeal would be a close second.
I loved Steve Novak, but that's actually my brother's name too, and he's a 250 pound slug, so I would always just listen to the call and have a hard time not finding it comical.

[BubbaWilliams]

Trend Blackledge... This guy had about 10 career baskets for MU, and 8 of them were on ESPN's Top Ten.

[ronald dragon]

Living in Fond du Lac it's hard not to pick Travis

[MauraDay]

1. Travis
2. Jerel

[Bieberhole69]

1. Davante Gardner
2. There isn't a close second

[swoopem]

In the Buzz era DJO with AUTOMATIC being a close second

[Silkk the Shaka]

1a.) Wade
1b.) Crowder
3.) McNeal
4.) Butler
5.) Hayward

6.) James
7.) Novak
8.) Diener
9.) Matthews
10.) Gardner

Also receiving votes: DJO, Blue, Cubillionaire, Otule, Robert Jackson, JWilson, Mayo, Acker

Will likely crack my top 5 before career is over: Steve Taylor
Will likely crack my top 10 before career is over: one or more of Jajuannaman, DuWilson, McKay, Burton, Dawson (in orer of decreasing likelihood)