[jcmanson]

Kyle is one of only 4 1,000 point scorers from this decade. The other 3- LB, Smitty, and Caldwell. I could care less how "good" LU and the Big South were during that time.

He's one of our best 3 pt shooters this decade, if not the best.

[Hold My Own]

I always heard that if Lebron wasn't coming out of Ohio at the same time that Dees would have been McDonald's All American. Don't know if that's 100% accurate info.

I think he was the #2 rated HS prospect coming out of Ohio that year. #2 to Lebron

That's accurate. I know when I was hanging out with him and Monx thier freshman year during the summer Lebron would call what seemed like daily and he'd put it on speaker because I wouldnt believe him.


Speaking of Ohio wasnt Mark Reed Mr Basketball in Ohio? or was it PA...hmmmm I dont know but one of the few players to play Basketball and baseball while at LU

[LUconn]

And what do 3 of those 4 have in common? They started 3 or 4 years as a shooting guard this decade. Who were the other starters? Dees, Jenkins, Curry, and Gordon? I think that covers the decade. I think that says less about them and more about the position they played and how long they were on the team.

[Hold My Own]

I know that but Mark Reed (prob before your time early 90's) was also Mr. Basketball in Maine...I was thinking Ohio but that wasnt correct.

On with the discussion sorry for the side tracking

[JK37]

I'm sitting here watching a men's bball game, reading FlameFans, so I thought I'd take a shot at this. But I took it from the perspective of the team I'd want to put together to go win a championship:

1. Mantlo
2. Blair
3. Caldwell
4. Martin
5. McClean

***BENCH***
Smith
Sarchet
Okotie
Dees
Sanders

Run the dribble-motion O w/ this group, and you'll really have something.

[olldflame]

I'm sitting here watching a men's bball game, reading FlameFans, so I thought I'd take a shot at this. But I took it from the perspective of the team I'd want to put together to go win a championship:

1. Mantlo
2. Blair
3. Caldwell
4. Martin
5. McClean

***BENCH***
Smith
Sarchet
Okotie
Dees
Sanders

Run the dribble-motion O w/ this group, and you'll really have something.

No point guard in your starting lineup. You'd be better off with Sanders or Brian Woodson starting and Caldwell coming off the bench to spell LB.

[BJWilliams]

OF is right...Mantlo never was a point guard when he was here, LB didnt run the point all that much either (I cant say much about Caldwell because I didnt really get to see him play even though he was around my first year at LU)...so you have basically three two guards a small forward and a power forward/center.

[olldflame]

Caldwell was a scorer, not a point guard. he played a lot like LB.

[JK37]

Gabe Martin isn't a stereotypical 4, yet most every team I've seen has him there. You all just keep reading stat sheets and trying to fill positions with cookie-cutter fillers. I'm talking about evaluation of talent and systematic program management.

Mantlo thought like a pg, and his handles were fine. Blair can play it, too. (By the way, Woodson was a cancer - I don't want him!) And, if that experiment doesn't go well, notice that last name on my bench.

Put these guys into a motion system predicated on dribble penetration and reads, combined with a little 3/4-court 1-2-2 pressure back into a m-t-m, and you'd really have something.

[grm]

I wonder if we would be talking about BJ if he had remained a Flame. He's tearing it up at Murray State right now.

[jcmanson]

I wonder if we would be talking about BJ if he had remained a Flame. He's tearing it up at Murray State right now.

http://www.flamefans.com/forums/viewtop ... 12&t=13832

[grm]

ha-ha-ha-ha. So I missed the whole thread.... Thanks for educating me. Haven't been around like I should.

[Stevev]

I might as well provide my input. I thought that the teams of the 1990's were better than 2000's but anyway here is how I see it:


G Larry Blair
G TeeJay Bannister
G Chris Caldwell
C Alex McLean
F Gabe Martin

Honorable Mention:

Seth Curry
Anthony Smith
Jesse Sanders

[olldflame]

I might as well provide my input. I thought that the teams of the 1990's were better than 2000's but anyway here is how I see it:


G Larry Blair
G TeeJay Bannister
G Chris Caldwell
C Alex McLean
F Gabe Martin

Honorable Mention:

Seth Curry
Anthony Smith

That would most definately be a nightmare lineup for opposing defenses, and I believe Alex and Gabe could hold their own on the boards. Some of the defensive matchups against bigger 2s and 3s could be a problem. Extreme example here, but against todays RU squad, either Caldwell or LB would have to check Trifunovic. That could get ugly.

[BUSIMAN23]

I would agree that Gabe wasn't a typical 4. Definitely a hybrid guy that benefitted more from being exceptionally athletic than being skilled in basketball, so he could do more all over the floor.

I know why you say that about Woodson, but it's hard to call the guy a cancer when we won our only championship of the decade with him running the point.

Mantlo, though he was one of my favorite players, definitely regressed his senior year, particularly in the shooting and free throw dept.

He was a complete cancer to the team...most of that started to occurr the year after we won the Big South, but there were flashes of it during the championship year

[Hold My Own]

Like coach calling a play and him standing at half court look at him and yell "Yeh, we're not going to do that" He'd do that mess all the time.

He was good though

[BUSIMAN23]

Like coach calling a play and him standing at half court look at him and yell "Yeh, we're not going to do that" He'd do that mess all the time.

He was good though

Yea he would never work out with the team, and actually just started working out at Golds Gym in the off season and on numerous occassion walked out of practice. However there were never any real consequences to that.

[BJWilliams]

Gabe Martin isn't a stereotypical 4, yet most every team I've seen has him there. You all just keep reading stat sheets and trying to fill positions with cookie-cutter fillers. I'm talking about evaluation of talent and systematic program management.

Gabe was a multifaceted player...he could bang down low and rebound with the best of em...had amazing hops, could spread the defense with his outside shooting, and he was a guy you NEVER wanted to send to the line if you were trying to get back in a game because he was money from the charity stripe.

If I could switch Gabe in my lineup would end up looking like this:

1- Jesse Sanders
2- Larry Blair
3- Gabe Martin
4- Anthony Smith
5- Alex McLean

BN- Kyle Ohman
BN- Ryan Mantlo
BN- Jason Sarchet
BN- Seth Curry
BN- Rell Porter (for the kids of course)

Coach- Randy Dunton

[TDDance234]

PG - TeeJay Bannister
SG - Larry Blair
SF - Anthony Smith
PF - Leo Lightbourne
C - Alex McLean

Bench:
PG - Brian Woodson
SG - Seth Curry
SG - Kyle Ohman
SF - David Dees
PF - Gabe Martin

I think I'm the only one who thought Leo was one of our best players over the previous 10 years. I really enjoyed watching him play. Hard to leave Rell off this list but I think Ohman deserves it more.

[jcmanson]

Leo over Gabe?

I love Leo and all, but really?

[Sly Fox]

This whole discussion has me somewhat confused. Are we listing the most talented players of the decade at LU over the ones who made the biggest impact? There is a big difference between the two and it shows in the divergent viewpoints in this thread.

And frankly I'm a little disappointed Chris Caldwell isn't getting more love. Yeah, he was on some bad teams but it certainly wasn't his doing. I recognize he was before many of your times. But he was a baller. I'd love to have seen him alongside some of the talent of the past few years.

[LUconn]

What's with you guys and Rell? He really didn't do anything well. At least anything tangible. And a guy who only has "intangibles" going for him really doesn't belong in the top 20.

[SuperJon]

The only one I see saying Rell is BJ and that's probably just to sound cool because we were fans of Rell when he was here.

[BJWilliams]

The only one I see saying Rell is BJ and that's probably just to sound cool because we were fans of Rell when he was here.

QFT...you did note that I said it was for the kids right LUconn?

[SuperJon]

BJ, he probably has no clue what that even means. There are maybe 20 people that do. It was a funny joke three years ago but that's about all it was.