(05-08-2018 01:14 PM)FearTheLion Wrote: (05-08-2018 10:59 AM)Gilesfan Wrote: Our 2010 team was probably the best we ever had. 2011 was a step below that.
Other than those 2 teams, last years team ranks pretty high up historically. Maybe not the best, but certainly in the conversation. FWIW, former players always think they are better than the current group. Its like our generation thinking the following generation are lazy, empowered, yada yada
Well we certainly agree on the generation thing. Cuz I don't think 2010 could've beaten those teams that went back-to-back NCAA at larges back in the Sun Belt days. We had too much size at EVERY position. That 82-83 team had G Robinson and C Smith, a national All American, in the backcourt; Gattison, who was every bit the tank that Hassell was inside, 6'10" Hanley at the 3 knocking down jump shots? Guys like Mark Davis, a 6'5" freak of an athlete, who later went to the NBA, and didn't even crack the starting lineup until his Jr year, and even more size coming off the bench that could score it like R Wade, H Lambert and F Facka and they got limited minutes on those squads? Way too much size and they could score it. I'm amazed that we're even talking about 2010 being the most talented. But I'll stop and let you all keep going with the GOAT talk.
Clarence Hanley was a freshman and appeared in 6 games and avg an astronomical 2.7 minutes in those 6 games in 82-83. That is 16 total minutes played for those keeping score at home.
The center on that team was a guy named Mark West. The Mark West that went on to a 17 year NBA career and still has the 2nd highest FG% in NBA history.
Hanley's big year was 85-86 when we beat WVU in the first round and got crushed by #1 seed Duke in the 2nd round.
The announcer on TV prior to the game against WVU said, "Old Dominion has a 6-4 guard who plays like he is 6-10. They have a 6-10 center [Hanley] who plays like he is 6-4".
We've had players who could jump out of the gym. Hanley couldn't jump out of his shoes.
Hanley almost had a vertical measured in negative numbers. He could not jump. He could shoot, and if he played in today's game he might have been a commodity as a big man who could step out and shoot. But your memory of him is skewed. Hanley was slow footed and could not jump.
That 82-83 team had West, 17 years in the NBA, Gattison, 10 years in the league, and Davis who spent parts of 2 seasons in the NBA. AND DID NOT go to the NCAAs. Lost to South Carolina in the first round of the NIT. Smith was not an All-American, he never avg more than 12.1 points a game and only 10.3 for his career. I loved him. One of my all time favorites at ODU, but he was not an AA.
The back to back NCAAs with Hanley was 84-85 (coached by Paul Webb) & 85-86 (coach by Tom Young). Stupid big money donors forced Jarrett to push Webb out because we always lost in the first round under Webb and had a completely lackluster offense. A writer at the Pilot, George McClellan said ODU would rue the day that Webb was forced out. He was so right. Young almost destroyed the program.
I wonder if these are the same donors so infatuated with JJ?