Favorite or Most Exciting player you have seen play?

#26
#26
shortgameVol said:
In the seventies and early eighties, UT had better "basketball" players than any of Pearl's teams. The basketball IQ of their players back then was exponentially higher than those playing today...IMHO
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And herein lies my second biggest problem with Pearl's style. His players just don't seem to grasp the fundamentals of the game at all.

My first biggest problem is that he doesn't know how to follow the rules.
 
#27
#27
EZE said:
And herein lies my second biggest problem with Pearl's style. His players just don't seem to grasp the fundamentals of the game at all.

My first biggest problem is that he doesn't know how to follow the rules.
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AAU allstars have less fundamentals, in general, because they don't need them in HS or AAU because they are either better than everybody (hs) or there is no D (aau) or a combination of both. Correcting years of bad habits is a beatch.
 
#30
#30
EZE said:
And herein lies my second biggest problem with Pearl's style. His players just don't seem to grasp the fundamentals of the game at all.

My first biggest problem is that he doesn't know how to follow the rules.
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While I don't want this to turn into a Pearl thread, I don't have a problem with his secondary violaton. I have a problem with his lies and his request for lies from the parents. If he would have simply said "yes" when asked about the BBQ, it wouldn't be an issue today.

It's not his players that don't seem to grasp the fundamentals. It's today's basketball players in general. It's not about grasping the fundamentals either. Most of the guys understand fundamentals, they just aren't as good at them as players in the past throughout the game. It's become a game of 3 pointers and dunks, with very little in between.
 
#32
#32
papatomany said:
Dale Ellis was my favorite. Hit 65% one year despite being regularly triple-teamed.

Next is Bernard King. Then Lofton.


[I am assuming this is Vols only...]
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Ellis was phenominal, but the guy was so smooth and effortless (like Houston) that he did not LOOK like he was doing so much, even tho he was. I have to go with either King or Lofton. King was just intense, exciting, and productive in almost every way. Lofton was a wow player in a different way.

I know the guy left a bad taste in everyone's mouth, but I would have loved to have seen Ramar Smith stay off the hippie lettuce and outta the war zone. He was a physical / athletic beast as a FR PG, and could have carried us to a title last yr. What a waste. :cray:
 
#33
#33
shortgameVol said:
I agree.

In Ellis' sophmore year, Ed Littleton played point guard and Gary Carter played shooting guard(back in those days it was called right wing). Both Brooks and Beaman were freshman that season and came off the bench. Howard Wood played the other post and Steve Ray rounded out the starting lineup at left wing.

I remember a game AT Alabama( they were hot program back then) where Ellis had about six or seven tip-ins. At the end of regulation, Gary Carter threw a long pass from side backcourt to Howard Wood on the baseline and he swished the jumper to send it into overtime. I remember during the OT, the freshman Brooks made several key free throws to propel us to the win.
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Brooks was money at the line in crunch time his entire career.

shortgameVol said:
In the seventies and early eighties, UT had better "basketball" players than any of Pearl's teams. The basketball IQ of their players back then was exponentially higher than those playing today...IMHO
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Complete agreement from me.
 
#35
#35
nbakerld said:
Chris Lofton was an unbelievable player. If he hadn't been fighting cancer his senior year he would be in the NBA.
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I think the NBA powers that be undervalued Chris even before the cancer, but I think there's little doubt he would have been first team all-american and in the running for player of the year, not to mention how much better the team would have been.
 
#36
#36
Vercingetorix said:
I loved Howard Wood. One of my favorite Vols ever.
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As did I. I was really young when Bernard was killing it, so Ellis is my guy. He silently killed teams. Was badass with that quick turnaround and quick hops. Soft touch, mean defender and underrated rebounder.
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#38
#38
1 dale ellis
2 chris lofton
3 jajuan smith
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#39
#39
I would agree with everyone who said Lofton as well... Man could electrify a team, whether it be from long range, or somehow outplaying his height and crashing the boards sometimes or dishing a sweet assist....
 
#40
#40
pl3 said:
AAU allstars have less fundamentals, in general, because they don't need them in HS or AAU because they are either better than everybody (hs) or there is no D (aau) or a combination of both. Correcting years of bad habits is a beatch.
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I totally disagree. AAU players are much more fundamentally sound than High School players.
 
#41
#41
thagodfather said:
I totally disagree. AAU players are much more fundamentally sound than High School players.
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Neither is right. Depends on the coaching. The number of poor coaches appears to outweigh the number that would stress fundamentals and good, winning basketball.
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#43
#43
Vercingetorix said:
King was so good that you could have paired him with Doug Roth and it would still be best duo we ever had.
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My dad took me to the UCLA/UT game at The Omni in Atlanta when I was young. I loved King. Gene Bartow was the coach. I remember vaguely that it was a high scoring game something like 101-89. I was in awe of UCLA, they had Marques Johnson going up against Bernard King. Ernie and Bernie both fouled out. I think Kiki Vandeweghe was a freshman. Wow, that was a long time ago but an experience I will never forget.
 
#44
#44
BigPapaVol said:
Neither is right. Depends on the coaching. The number of poor coaches appears to outweigh the number that would stress fundamentals and good, winning basketball.
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Of course, it depends on coaching. AAU players are more fundamentally sound than High School players on average. From what i've seen, there are more good AAU coaches than there are good High School coaches. My opinion, of course.
 
#45
#45
BigPapaVol said:
Neither is right. Depends on the coaching. The number of poor coaches appears to outweigh the number that would stress fundamentals and good, winning basketball.
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Agreed. Problem is most AAU coaches that I have encountered over the last 15 or so years are in it for anything but teaching basketball. I can't be objective on that point.
 
#46
#46
pl3 said:
Agreed. Problem is most AAU coaches that I have encountered over the last 15 or so years are in it for anything but teaching basketball. I can't be objective on that point.
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The idea that most AAU coaches are not stressing and teaching basketball fundamentals today is complete bs. It's an idea that is ridiculously exaggerated.
 
#47
#47
thagodfather said:
Of course, it depends on coaching. AAU players are more fundamentally sound than High School players on average. From what i've seen, there are more good AAU coaches than there are good High School coaches. My opinion, of course.
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I respect your opinion. However, just an example in Memphis: There generally were 2 teams for each division for U15, U17 and U19 that travelled the country playing in tourneys. Fundamentals were seldom practiced. Basically just scrimmaging and playing games. I can think of a couple of good coaches, but they are outnumbered 10 to 1 by good hs coaches in that specific area.
 
#48
#48
thagodfather said:
The idea that most AAU coaches are not stressing and teaching basketball fundamentals today is complete bs. It's an idea that is ridiculously exaggerated.
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As a former asst coach on a NC aau team out of memphis, I again respectfully disagree. Dodd is still in charge in w tn, so I don't think things have changed that much.
 
#49
#49
pl3 said:
I respect your opinion. However, just an example in Memphis: There generally were 2 teams for each division for U15, U17 and U19 that travelled the country playing in tourneys. Fundamentals were seldom practiced. Basically just scrimmaging and playing games. I can think of a couple of good coaches, but they are outnumbered 10 to 1 by good hs coaches in that specific area.
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If that is what is going on in the Memphis area then that is very sad. That's not how AAU ball is taught in the Northeast Tennessee, Virginia, Carolina area. Some of the best coaches in the country teach in that area.
 
#50
#50
thagodfather said:
If that is what is going on in the Memphis area then that is very sad. That's not how AAU ball is taught in the Northeast Tennessee, Virginia, Carolina area. Some of the best coaches in the country teach in that area.
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I hear you. AAU ball in many areas is not about teaching, unfortunately. There are a lot of coaches looking for recognition and a little payday if a player makes it big. It's not just Memphis.
 
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