(01-18-2015 11:03 AM)3xTribe Wrote: I have really enjoyed learning about some of the players of the past that I never saw play. It is interesting that no one has really addressed the initial premise of my question, perhaps because I phrased it badly. As a baseball fan I am familiar with the endless debates about records and players from different eras (Maris vs. Ruth, for example). It is, of course, impossible to accurately compare players who competed under very different rules, circumstances, etc. My original thought was that some might consider the points record, if Marcus should break it, to be in some sense illegitimate because of the rules under which he has competed. To this point, nobody has suggested that his record should have the fabled asterisk next to it. It really comes down to our perception of the meaning of records. No one questions the premise that Marcus is among the greatest ever at William & Mary, and that his number will hang from the rafters before long. Now we can just sit around waiting for the next Thornton to arrive.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
You are correct that it is impossible to compare players of one "era" with players of another "era" using home runs hit in baseball or points scored in basketball. There have simply been too many rule, and environmental, changes over the years to make statistical comparisons meaningless.
With respect to basketball consider the following:
Opportunity to play Pro basketball; for a long time, the NBA had rules prohibiting players from being drafted until after what was, or would have been, their Senior/Graduation year of College. So the truly outstanding college players of the "modern era" [the one-and-done era] do not play enough years in college to amass a big statistical record.
Width of Foul Lane rule change; in the days when Bill Chambers and Jeff Cohen played for W&M the 3 sec "Restricted Area" under the basket was six feet wide so big men [like Chambers and Cohen - who were big in those days] could "camp" underneath the basket and get easy rebounds/lay-ups, etc. At some point the "Restricted area" was widened to the present twelve feet which drastically reduced the rebounding and scoring stats for big men in general [which was the intention of the rule].
Freshman eligibility rule; for many years the NCAA prohibited Freshmen from playing "Varsity" level sports so all players were required to play on the "JV Team" during their Freshman year thus players in the era before that particular rule change [like Bill Chambers] can only have stats from their last three years in the record books.
Three point shot; we are all pretty familiar with the impact of the 3-point basket vs the 2-point basket.
The Shot Clock and the Half Court Line rules; by forcing continuous play and forcing players/teams to take more shots these rules have resulted in much higher scoring games and "fattened" scoring stats for teams and individual players. Before these rules went into effect the "Freeze" was a tactic frequently employed by the team that was winning at the time. [Actually the Freeze was usually exciting to watch, more so than the endless progression of trips to the foul line that is the typical ending tactic of today's college game].
Player Rotation; at one time the five "starters" played the whole game unless they fouled out. Bcause today's game is faster it requires more players and an eight to ten man rotation is not unusual. This keept the five "starters" fresher and also ends to distribute the stats amongst a greater number of players.