Personal Experience With MU Basketball Player

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Flexing his beer muscles then leaving. Tells us a lot about your friend...probably a good move though so he didn't end up getting "Vander Orange'd" by DJ.

In the defense of Vander. I know of the Vander Orange guy and he was a complete dick.

[pbiflyer]

Hands down Steve Novak, graduated same year as him and hung around with some of the same people.  During his MU days always gave you the time of day and actually engaged in conversation, bumped into him a couple years back in Madison before MU/Wisco game and he was equally as nice.  Otule and Diener a close second and third on the list.  In my experiences the bottom of the list is Gardner and Dominic James, complete pricks the couple times I met them.

Novak was practicing at the Al one summer. He had been cut and not signed a new contract. We peaked in with my kids who were 4 & 6 at the time. He stopped his shooting, came over and introduced himself and chatted with the kids for a while.
We weren't with anyone, so it wasn't like we may have been VIPs or anything. It was just him being nice.

During the Orlando tourney a few years back, all the guys were very nice, especially Jimmy.

And we may as well throw Jimmy Mac on the list. He is always great to chat with.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Novak was practicing at the Al one summer. He had been cut and not signed a new contract. We peaked in with my kids who were 4 & 6 at the time. He stopped his shooting, came over and introduced himself and chatted with the kids for a while.
We weren't with anyone, so it wasn't like we may have been VIPs or anything. It was just him being nice.

During the Orlando tourney a few years back, all the guys were very nice, especially Jimmy.

And we may as well throw Jimmy Mac on the list. He is always great to chat with.

Mac is a good guy. He always comes by the student section before games, usually with food he got from the press room. My one moment with Mac was two years ago when he asked me to check his teeth to see if he had any food in them before he did some pregame show. Pretty big trust in a college kid.

Not Marquette related but Raftery is a nice guy too. Talked to him for a few minutes before he had to be on air.

[GGGG]

It was a nice departure from my Dominic James encounter:  "I'll be making millions, motherf-----!"  (Granted, my buddy had just told him he was overrated.)

He's right.  That balloon business is taking off.

[pbiflyer]

One more. Was watching an open gym one summer. It was the summer before the season of the midgets. After one game, Lazar walked over to us and apologized for the "language" that we may have heard.  Did we really look that old and stodgy? And there really wasn't anything bad or out of the norm. Too funny.

[MUfan12]

Lazar was great. Chatted with him at the pro-am right after he signed his guaranteed deal with Minnesota. He was sh*t-talking Wes the whole game.

[pbiflyer]

Met Lazar's dad at the Big East tourney one year. Great guy. You can see where Lazar got his work ethic and demeanor from.

[MerrittsMustache]

He's right.  That balloon business is taking off.

Pun intended?

[MU31]

John Leurck and John Ellenson were really nice guys, they interacted like normal college students.  Joe Nethan was funny, you would always see him involved in campus activities, I remember him always being at Toma's when they had bands.  Rod Grosse was a good guy, and Tyrone Baldwin was funny, seemed like the upperclassmen kept to "basketball team group" and limited their interaction, while the younger players were more like students, which I'm sure had a lot to do with where they lived.

[GGGG]

Pun intended?

Yes.

[WarriorHal]

Bo Ellis. Very friendly with the "normal" students. Got to know him a little when we sat next to each other for a semester in a philosophy-logic class. Huge star on a great team, but he never gave me the impression he thought he was above the other students. When the Denver Nuggets came to MSG to play the Knicks his rookie season, I was on the floor near the court during the pre-game warmup. He saw me when I waved, came right over to shake hands and say hello, and asked what I was doing post-graduation ect. Very cool.

[Freeport Warrior]

MU was horrid when I was there. I didn't really have much interaction with any of the players other than John Luerck, who I used to pound drinks at OPs with on occasion. He was just a regular guy. But without question, Marcus Jackson is the nicest dude you will ever meet. I know him through business and he coached my son's AAU team, so I have spent a decent amount of time with him over the last few years. Even after Jim Harrick screwed him at Georgia (which is how he got to MU), he still has nice things to say about him. Such a good family guy and no pretense at all. That team with Marcus -- Diener, Novak, Chapman, etc. are all still very close, which is cool. I know the Milwaukee guys like Scott Merritt, Robert Jackson, Tony Smith and Jerry Homan pretty well and they are good guys too. Say what you want about DWade, but he is very generous guy. He always hooks up RJax once playoffs begin each year. Rob seems to go to just about every game once they matter. I've only met one player who would qualify as a dbag.

[MU72491]

Maymond

[tower912]

Similar experience as WolverineWarrior85 with Pops Sims, for the same reason.   I started chatting up about the shared West Michigan connection and he was pretty cool about it.    Tom Copa was in several of my classes and was quite nice to me.  

[PJDunn]

Copa was an awesome guy.  I was there during the same era.  Had several classes with Kerry Trotter and was a gem of a guy.  Biggest bastard...Smolinski.

[tower912]

I remember Joe Nethen coming down to the McCormick cafeteria and begging someone, anyone to help him change the batteries on a Walkman. 

[Vander Blue Man Group]

I was at the Schoolyard Tavern a couple of years ago to watch the games on the first Thursday or Friday (don't recall the exact day and am too lazy to look it up) of the tourney.  Got there early with my buddy and got a spot at the bar and a bit later turned to my left and Wes had come in and was sitting right next to me.  The Blazers were in town to play the Bulls the next night and he wanted a good atmosphere to watch the game with some of his family.  Other than a quick hello and handshake I didn't really bother him but he was extremely accommodating and nice to everyone that stopped to say hi or ask for a picture, etc.  Seemed like a good dude.

[mujivitz06]

So many awesome guys. I couldn't even think of one story because there are so many, and I realize how lucky we have been to have such a great group of guys.

Trent was really awesome last year, would always talk to him after the same grad school class we were in. Really smart and engaging guy, and at graduation he came to say hi to me and met my whole family.

I'll never forget freshman (02-03) year a girl I knew came home all excited because when she was walking on campus bumped into a player and spilled her books.

"Excuse me miss, let me help you" - Dwyane Wade

[Benny B]

I think I told this a while ago, but it was hilarious running into KO in Maui two years ago with me telling him to take it easy on his old team (this just before the MU/USC game), to which he responded (without turning down the volume) "ah sh#t... you know me better than that."   This was the same day my wife and I were walking into the hotel later that night at the same time Bezz and Corey were walking in.  My wife relates to Corey how we had met her mother at the game earlier, at which point I asked "if you're the lion tamer, what does that make her [mother]?"  Without missing a beat, "the lion killer" says Bazz.

Ran into Dominic during halftime of a Bucks games inside the Courtside Club during his senior year... went up to him and tried saying something friendly about him being a good player, that I was impressed with how he stepped up his defensive game and to keep it up & he'd go far.  He said thanks and was polite, although I think he thought I was full of crap when I mentioned him stepping up his defensive game.  I was trying to be honest, yet history proved I was right (Turkey is really far away).

Incidentally, at said Bucks game, I happened to be sitting right behind Mac and Gwen (fortunately, I am just barely tall enough to see over both sitting down).  After the game I told him how I enjoy listening to him on the radio during MU games, and Mac, melodramatically, says, "you mean to tell me you're seeing other teams behind my back."  I only picked up on half of the joke (the feigned jealously) at the time, I didn't actually realize the double entendre ("behind his back") until a few months later at which point I found an appreciation for the genius of his humor.

[Schmidtyfactor]

I worked catereing and set up the training table every now and then. One time I was trying to get all the food put out as the team started walking in. For whatever reason, Freeway had tagged along with the team, as if they invited him into training table. He walks right up to me, clearly working, and says:

 "What     do    you   think    about   Michael    Irvin    coming   to   Green    Bay?"

I was clearly shocked that 1) Freeway started a conversation with me , and
2) that perrinial ass wipe Michael Irvin could ever wear the Green and Gold.

Brian Wardle quickly stepped in and said Freeway let the man get back to work, we're hungry.  

[Tums Festival]

Similar experience as WolverineWarrior85 with Pops Sims, for the same reason.   I started chatting up about the shared West Michigan connection and he was pretty cool about it.    Tom Copa was in several of my classes and was quite nice to me.  

I worked in Grand Rapids for about a year after graduation and one of my former bosses knew Pops pretty well. Pops always had a smile on his face. Nice, down to earth guy.

I think I've told this story on here before...Majerus' first year (my junior year) we beat Louisville at their place and we were so excited we called Hank Raymonds at his house. His wife answered the phone and when she put him on we yelled "Hank, we beat Louisville!" and he yelled back "I know!" Very nice guy and was equally excited. Told us we should meet the team at the gym when they got back to town and I asked, "The Gym bar?" He laughed pretty hard and corrected me that he meant the Old Gym.

[MU82]

We were talking about players, but I got to know three coaches quite well - Hank, Majerus and O'Neill.

Hank was a total sweetheart, just a real gentleman. He might have been too nice to be a big-time head coach, and I really believe that made it difficult for him.

I knew Rick when he was an assistant - he was loud and funny and profane and easy-going. I hear from those who would know (including several players) that he changed (and not for the better) after he became head coach and the pressure got to him.

O'Neill ... what a piece of work.

[Tums Festival]

We were talking about players, but I got to know three coaches quite well - Hank, Majerus and O'Neill.

Hank was a total sweetheart, just a real gentleman. He might have been too nice to be a big-time head coach, and I really believe that made it difficult for him.

I knew Rick when he was an assistant - he was loud and funny and profane and easy-going. I hear from those who would know (including several players) that he changed (and not for the better) after he became head coach and the pressure got to him.

O'Neill ... what a piece of work.

It's snide little comments like this that make me hate this board sometimes. Sorry if my comment about a Marquette coach ruined the purity of this thread for you.

[MU82]

It's snide little comments like this that make me hate this board sometimes. Sorry if my comment about a Marquette coach ruined the purity of this thread for you.

Actually, I wasn't responding to anybody's comment. I was just thinking about the relationships I had with coaches.

I was acknowledging that I might have been changing or stretching the subject a little. Jeesh.

[Groin_pull]

Shared a class with Pop Sims and Herb Harrison. Pop had a real personality...good sense of humor. Solid guy. Herb was very cool. Friendly. Extremely laid back (I guess it was all the weed). Also shared a COMM class with Kenny Rice. Not exactly Harvard material. Would see Joe Nethen a lot at Johnston Hall. I'm sure he was a nice guy, but damn, he scared the hell out of me. Intimidating look. Also, was always wearing shorts...even in the middle of winter.