What's your all-time Marquette team?

[keefe]

No doubt Butch Lee was the best. That game in the '76 Olympics where he nearly single handedly beat Team USA clinches it for me. One of the best individual performances by a MU player. And I went to school with Dean.

I remember that game in Montreal like it was yesterday.

Dean Smith packed that team with his own guys. None of them were worthy of even sniffing Alfred's jockstrap. Besides, he was also boning Pudvan.

[4everwarriors]

I remember that game in Montreal like it was yesterday.

Dean Smith packed that team with his own guys. None of them were worthy of even sniffing Alfred's jockstrap. Besides, he was also boning Pudvan.

Gail Pudvan, so hot, want to touch da heine. ah uoo, hey?

[GooooMarquette]

There's an interesting blend here, old guys putting their guys up and old guys that think Dwade played PG in the NBA.

Pretty much just shows the disconnect for me.

"Old guys putting their guys up...."

Ummm...the guys we're "putting up" are the guys who helped make MU a true blue blood in the late 60s and throughout the 70s.  Better record than UK, UNC, KU.  That record was compliments of a great recruiter and coach named Al, and players like Chones, Meminger, Walton, Lucas, Ellis, Lee, et al.

Guys like Wade and Travis are right up there (I have them both second team), but to claim we are picking older players because we're old is absurd.

[Marcus92]

With #15, #24 and #43 first off the bench.

Just to be sure, who's the #22 that you and 4everwarriors are referencing? Jerel McNeal wore #22 and is the school's all-time leading scorer, but he hasn't gotten many votes (let alone for the first team).

[GooooMarquette]

Just to be sure, who's the #22 that you and 4everwarriors are referencing? Jerel McNeal wore #22 and is the school's all-time leading scorer, but he hasn't gotten many votes (let alone for the first team).

Gotta be Chones.

[Marcus92]

Gotta be Chones.

Makes sense. Just checkin'.

[Marcus92]

Results updated with 22 Scoopers voting. The top 5:

Jim Chones
Dwyane Wade
Bo Ellis
Butch Lee
Maurice Lucas

Meminger right up there. Thompson, Rivers, Tatum and Crowder round out the top 10.

[Marcus92]

Gotta be Chones.

Why isn't his number retired?

[PGsHeroes32]

I only watched Miami in playoff games and Wade often had the ball in his hands. Whether he was listed as point guard or not he was initiating the offense. Especially when he led Miami to their first title and won the playoff MVP award.

He definitely handles the ball for majority of his time on court but he's still a SG. Just like someone like LeBron is a SF.

Those two would always handle the ball but Chalmers played PG

[HoopsterBC]

George Thompson is the best small forward in MU history, bar none, Tatum was really good but George was special.  Lucas played center at MU.  Ellis and Thompson both played 4 years at MU with unbelievable success.  The other forward that would be right there was Don Kojis.

[keefe]

to claim we are picking older players because we're old is absurd.

Speak for yourself, Doc...

My wife always said I was stuck at 16

[brewcity77]

Okay...I'm going back to the KO days since that's about as far back as I go. Also going with positions as I see them.

First Team

PG: Travis Diener
SG: Dwyane Wade
SF: Steve Novak
PF: Jae Crowder
C: Jim McIlvaine

Second Team

PG: Tony Smith
SG: Jerel McNeal
SF: Wesley Matthews
PF: Lazar Hayward
C: Robert Jackson

Third Team

PG: Dominic James
SG: Darius Johnson-Odom
SF: Jimmy Butler
PF: Henry Ellenson
C: Davante Gardner

Honorable Mention: Aaron Hutchins, Brian Wardle, Roney Eford, Damon Key, Amal McCaskill

[Lennys Tap]

Why isn't his number retired?

Only played 1.75 seasons (freshmen weren't eligible and he signed 22 games into his junior year. All told, Jim played 51 games at Marquette - the Warriors were 50-1 and the one loss was by one point in the only game Dean Meminger fouled out of in his career. Refs called 3 or 4 offensive fouls on him (about a season's worth) that game.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

Only played 1.75 seasons (freshmen weren't eligible and he signed 22 games into his junior year. All told, Jim played 51 games at Marquette - the Warriors were 50-1 and the one loss was by one point in the only game Dean Meminger fouled out of in his career. Refs called 3 or 4 offensive fouls on him (about a season's worth) that game.

Seems like something that should be rectified if tenure is the issue.

[Galway Eagle]

Surprised nobody has Terry Rand on there but anyways since I don't think I'm qualified to do this with the 70s players, or 80s players I'm going to stick to my 8 solid years of MU bball experience. 

First: 

Mcneal
DJO
Butler
Crowder
Hayward

Second:

James
Blue
Matthews
Wilson
Gardner

Don't think there's been any other prolific players during my span of MU fandom.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

Crowder doesn't belong in these conversations. Hayward had a better MU career and was just a better collegian. He's underappreciated for some reason.

[brewcity77]

Crowder doesn't belong in these conversations. Hayward had a better MU career and was just a better collegian. He's underappreciated for some reason.

Totally disagree. Hayward had better career numbers because of time here, but Crowder was a force of nature on the court. There's a reason he was second team All American and Big East Player of the Year. The only player more impactful in the past 20 years was another two year guy named Wade.

[dgies9156]

What is a very interesting debate is what's really a better group of basketball players. The McGuire era or the Crean-to-Hillbilly era. By the time the Hillbilly got things going, we became a powerhouse again. The said thing is, had the HIllbilly gotten it together here after the one mediocre year, we might have won big.

The McGuire era speaks for itself. Four of the top five players consistently mentioned in this thread, Ellis, Chones, Lee and Lucas, were McGuire era players. Most of the next 10 were McGuire era players.

But times change. By the 1990s and certainly by the 2000s, college basketball was far more competitive with far more teams fielding championship caliber squads. DJO, McNeal, Butler, Crowder, Matthews, Novak and Diener arguably are competitive with some of the best players we had in the 1970s. They played tougher competition than we did back then and their record was comparable to what we had until 1974.

Your thoughts gang?

[MU82]

What is a very interesting debate is what's really a better group of basketball players. The McGuire era or the Crean-to-Hillbilly era. By the time the Hillbilly got things going, we became a powerhouse again. The said thing is, had the HIllbilly gotten it together here after the one mediocre year, we might have won big.

The McGuire era speaks for itself. Four of the top five players consistently mentioned in this thread, Ellis, Chones, Lee and Lucas, were McGuire era players. Most of the next 10 were McGuire era players.

But times change. By the 1990s and certainly by the 2000s, college basketball was far more competitive with far more teams fielding championship caliber squads. DJO, McNeal, Butler, Crowder, Matthews, Novak and Diener arguably are competitive with some of the best players we had in the 1970s. They played tougher competition than we did back then and their record was comparable to what we had until 1974.

Your thoughts gang?

My thoughts are that anybody who saw Chones, Lucas, Lee, Meminger and Thompson knows they could have competed quite nicely in any era.

I don't use positions because they are irrelevant -- now more than ever. That 5 would be damn imposing.

I have trouble deciding which of those five to drop to get Wade in there -- because Wade HAS to be in there. I guess I'll say Thompson because I actually never saw him play when he was at MU, forcing me to go with only on what I see in grainy films and what I hear from my fellow alums.

So my 5 is: Meminger, Lee, Wade, Lucas and Chones.

I believe that if one could put the 20-22 year old versions of those 5 on the same Marquette team, those Warriors would have beaten this year's Nova team ... and possibly quite handily.

Again, I said "I believe." I know I can't prove it. Of course, nobody else can prove they wouldn't have!

[Herman Cain]

What is a very interesting debate is what's really a better group of basketball players. The McGuire era or the Crean-to-Hillbilly era. By the time the Hillbilly got things going, we became a powerhouse again. The said thing is, had the HIllbilly gotten it together here after the one mediocre year, we might have won big.

The McGuire era speaks for itself. Four of the top five players consistently mentioned in this thread, Ellis, Chones, Lee and Lucas, were McGuire era players. Most of the next 10 were McGuire era players.

But times change. By the 1990s and certainly by the 2000s, college basketball was far more competitive with far more teams fielding championship caliber squads. DJO, McNeal, Butler, Crowder, Matthews, Novak and Diener arguably are competitive with some of the best players we had in the 1970s. They played tougher competition than we did back then and their record was comparable to what we had until 1974.

Your thoughts gang?

I believe the quality of play in college basketball was far better in the McGuire Era. You had have an incredible team to even make the tournament. There were no one and dones, most teams were upper class-men heavy. For several years freshman were not even eligible. Also I think the quality of teams we played back in the day was quite good. Teams change over time. For example Detroit which would be a cupcake today was one hell of an opponent back then. Our cupcakes were not that bad back then.

I believe the Crean to Hillbilly era consistently had a lot of good players. If the Hillbilly hadn't had the near nervous breakdown i agree big things would have been in store. The only modern players I had on my  all time teams were Wade and Crowder, although certainly if I listed a 4th and 5th team it would have the more contemporary players and be just as good as the top 3 teams.

Don Kojis would still be great today by the way. He got the hard rebounds.

Marquette basketball during the McGuire era was something very special. The Crean to Hillbilly run was very good quality and hopefully Wojo can get us back to that level.

[Goose]

Chones
Bo
Butch
Wade
Lucas

[muwarrior69]

My thoughts are that anybody who saw Chones, Lucas, Lee, Meminger and Thompson knows they could have competed quite nicely in any era.

I don't use positions because they are irrelevant -- now more than ever. That 5 would be damn imposing.

I have trouble deciding which of those five to drop to get Wade in there -- because Wade HAS to be in there. I guess I'll say Thompson because I actually never saw him play when he was at MU, forcing me to go with only on what I see in grainy films and what I hear from my fellow alums.

So my 5 is: Meminger, Lee, Wade, Lucas and Chones.
























I believe that if one could put the 20-22 year old versions of those 5 on the same Marquette team, those Warriors would have beaten this year's Nova team ... and possibly quite handily.

Again, I said "I believe." I know I can't prove it. Of course, nobody else can prove they wouldn't have!

Hmm.... all time leading scorer with no shot clock and 3 point basket. Did it in only 3 seasons, not 4.

[CTWarrior]

1st team - Lee, Wade, Thompson, Ellis, Lucas
2nd team - Meminger, Diener, McNeil, Kojis, Chones
3rd team - Rivers, McNeal, Novak, Crowder, Whitehead

Don't know how you can leave Lee off first team.  Final Four MOP and National POY his senior season.
Chones demoted for not playing full 2 seasons, but deserves first team
Don't know how anyone who watched Key and McIlvaine for four years could put McIlvaine over Key.  Their junior year facing Big Country Reeves in the NCAAs and Coach O'Neill had Key start at center against him.  McIlvaine much better shot blocker, Key much better at everything else.

[MerrittsMustache]

Butch Lee
Dwyane Wade
Bo Ellis
Maurice Lucas
Ners

[GooooMarquette]

Don't know how anyone who watched Key and McIlvaine for four years could put McIlvaine over Key.  Their junior year facing Big Country Reeves in the NCAAs and Coach O'Neill had Key start at center against him.  McIlvaine much better shot blocker, Key much better at everything else.

Key was very good - underrated IMO.

Still, it was McIlvaine, not Key, who won Great Midwest POY in '93-'94.  Key was second team.  And McIlvaine not only led MU in blocks that year, he also led by a bit in RPG (8.3 to 7.9).  So apparently a bunch of folks put McIlvaine over Key....