Interesting Poll

[johnnyzip84]

Link

[Zip Watcher]

Link

Fascinating that the poll omits the two guys I would have voted 1 - 2.

#1 Jeremiah Wood

#2 Rashon Brown

Now ranking best Zips hoopers when it comes down purely to winning, I have to consider Linhart, McNees & Roberts.

For now, I say Woody. It WILL change in the next couple of seasons though.

Go Zips!

[Dr Z]

The word "best" is subjective. What makes you the best? Stats? Championships? Entertainment?

I'll go with entertainment, and take J Ball number one, followed by Boz. I never got to see Bill, Len or Joe play.

[GP1]

The word "best" is subjective. What makes you the best? Stats? Championships? Entertainment?

Great questions. I like guys who are good leaders and help the team succeed in spite of maybe not having the best athletic ability (see how much I like Brett Biggs in football). For basketball, this guy was Dru J. Too small, too skinny, to slow, not a great shooter, but he won and was invaluable to his coach. I know he isn't the greatest player ever, but he deserves a mention in this topic.

No Marcel Boyce? ZipsWin! is going to have something to say about that.

[johnnyzip84]

I went with Eric McLaughlin for all-around floor leadership, hustle, clutch play, winning, and entertainment.

But I'm with ZW. There's a certain player on the current roster who has a chance to put an emphatic lock on this for a very long time. I sure hope he does!

[zip37]

Bill Turner, as the Bio says--only player to epend significant time in PRE EXPANSION NBA!

But, I love 'em all!

[hustlebelt]

Thanks for the link/discussion, guys! I'm especially curious to hear about any other nominees not explicitly on the list. I love watching the MAC but clearly am not up to speed on specifically UA ball. Your best, your favorite, your all-time greats ... they all count.

In the end the point of this practice is to get a list of nine great Akron athletes, and nine athletes from each MAC school, and this'll keep us busy and active until the fall sports resume.

[Captain Kangaroo]

I vote Anthony Buford - 3 spectacular years at UA, and 1 year as starting guard for Bob Huggins' Final Four team @ UC. What other guard have the Zips possessed that would be good enough to start on a Final Four team? Other than Alex Abreu?

Marcel Boyce was also at the top.

[Zips Win!]

The word "best" is subjective. What makes you the best? Stats? Championships? Entertainment?

Great questions. I like guys who are good leaders and help the team succeed in spite of maybe not having the best athletic ability (see how much I like Brett Biggs in football). For basketball, this guy was Dru J. Too small, too skinny, to slow, not a great shooter, but he won and was invaluable to his coach. I know he isn't the greatest player ever, but he deserves a mention in this topic.

No Marcel Boyce? ZipsWin! is going to have something to say about that.

Thanks GP1.

Marcel gets my vote.

[Dave in Green]

Someone could start a poll on ZN.O, and I'll bet the votes would be scattered around quite a bit with no clear favorite. There have been many good players, but I don't see any single standout player who clearly rises above all the rest. Every player mentioned so far would be on my Top 10 list.

I never saw Bill Turner play. But since he's the only Zips player to ever play significant time in the NBA, he was obviously the most talented Zips player when compared with all other college basketball players of his era.

The best Zips players of other eras may have been better college players than Turner, but none of them ever proved themselves at the top professional level.

Turner may not have had a great NBA career, but he's the only Zip who has one worthy of note. Heck, at one point in his career he was even traded along with Jim King for the great Jerry Lucas. That has to count for something.

Bill Turner Career NBA Stats

[Zipmeister]

One problem with Len Paul. Games sometimes had to be interupted to get him down from a rebound as his belt would become entangled on the little loops on the rim that hold the net in place.

[skip-zip]

To offer yet another prespective, if we look at individual accolades, I think the only Conference MVPs of the D-1 era are...

Jakubick

Boyce

Travis

[Z.I.P.]

Mark Alberts! He set the NCAA career 3-point FG record with over 300. Of course the record was surpassed the same night bya player from Radford U. Nonetheless, one of the all-time greats.

Also, overlooked and considered the first true great player at Akron, in the 50s -- and someone who would go on to be the greatest Akron player-to-coach: Mike Harkins, who passed away just a year or two ago. Here's Mike's bio:

Mike Harkins is the former head basketball coach of Eastern Montana College (now Montana State University—Billings). In 15 seasons at Eastern Montana, his teams won 295 games, 10 NAIA district titles, and 12 conference championships. He also coached four teams in international competition. In 1973, he was head coach of the US World University Games team in Rio de Janeiro. Harkins also served as a professor of health, physical education, and recreation at Eastern Montana College, where he received the college’s award for outstanding achievement in scholarship and creativity. In addition, he was awarded Akron University’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 1987. He retired from active coaching in 1976. (He also was Ass't Coach of the USA team at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.)

[Doug Snyder]

The word "best" is subjective. What makes you the best? Stats? Championships? Entertainment?

Great questions. I like guys who are good leaders and help the team succeed in spite of maybe not having the best athletic ability (see how much I like Brett Biggs in football). For basketball, this guy was Dru J. Too small, too skinny, to slow, not a great shooter, but he won and was invaluable to his coach. I know he isn't the greatest player ever, but he deserves a mention in this topic.

No Marcel Boyce? ZipsWin! is going to have something to say about that.

Thanks GP1.

Marcel gets my vote.

+1 Joe would be #2

[zip37]

There's also Ray Pryor who AVERAGED 12 rebounds/game, Don Williams, Bill Stevens, jerry Sloan etc., etc., etc., there's been so many!

[Zip Watcher]

To offer yet another prespective, if we look at individual accolades, I think the only Conference MVPs of the D-1 era are...

Jakubick

Boyce

Travis

Tournament MVP's may be more V?

Boyce?

Linhart

Marshall

[skip-zip]

To offer yet another prespective, if we look at individual accolades, I think the only Conference MVPs of the D-1 era are...

Jakubick

Boyce

Travis

Tournament MVP's may be more V?

Boyce?

Linhart

Marshall

I had to go look that one up. McLaughlin was actually the MVP of that 1986 OVC Tourney. And that was his freshman year. Amazing. And what an amazing weekend that was, for those of us old enough to have been there. And we got to experience that right in the JAR. Who would have known that it would be 23 years before we would experience something like that again.

We have to remember something else too. There were several years where some great players didn't have a chance to be conference MVPs or conference tournament MVPs because we had no conference affiliation. In particular, this covered the last part of McLaughlin's career, and I believe all of Buford's career.

And who would have been the tourney MVP in 2007 if that clock operator had not screwed up? Would Romeo have been a double winner that year?

[GP1]

Tournament MVP's may be more V?

Boyce?

Linhart

Marshall

Interesting thought ZW.

I'd think Tournament MVP goes to the best player that weekend and normally to a guy on the winning team. If Miami doesn't make a miracle shot, we have another Tournament MVP, etc. The season MVP goes to a guy who displays excellence over an entire season.

Of the three above, Marshall has the most potential to be the best all time. Next year needs to be the break-out year. He needs to average 15+ points per game and 8+ blocked shots per game the next two years to be considered one of the all time greats. I don't think it's asking too much for a high school all American, seven foot tall and a one day four year letterman to average 15+ points per game in the MAC in his junior and senior seasons. In fact, that production should be easy to get.

[skip-zip]

Tournament MVP's may be more V?

Boyce?

Linhart

Marshall

Interesting thought ZW.

I'd think Tournament MVP goes to the best player that weekend and normally to a guy on the winning team. If Miami doesn't make a miracle shot, we have another Tournament MVP, etc. The season MVP goes to a guy who displays excellence over an entire season.

Of the three above, Marshall has the most potential to be the best all time. Next year needs to be the break-out year. He needs to average 15+ points per game and 8+ blocked shots per game the next two years to be considered one of the all time greats. I don't think it's asking too much for a high school all American, seven foot tall and a one day four year letterman to average 15+ points per game in the MAC in his junior and senior seasons. In fact, that production should be easy to get.

Hmm. Maybe because the other two can't realize any more of their potential because they aren't playing anymore?

I agree with you about Marshall. Just to compare Marshall and Boyce, Marcel was about a 17 pt. 9 reb. guy as an average, if I recall. As a skinny 6'-6" small forward. I'd be THRILLED if Zeke can pull those kinds of averages over the next two years. But really, after 2 years in the program, and with his superior physical advantage, I would have hoped he'd be there already, and be exceeding those numbers in his last two years. And maybe the most amazing thing about Boyce was that he was only in a D-1 program for 2 years.

[scottditzen]

Thanks for the link/discussion, guys! I'm especially curious to hear about any other nominees not explicitly on the list. I love watching the MAC but clearly am not up to speed on specifically UA ball. Your best, your favorite, your all-time greats ... they all count.

In the end the point of this practice is to get a list of nine great Akron athletes, and nine athletes from each MAC school, and this'll keep us busy and active until the fall sports resume.

WELCOME TO THE FORUM MATT!!!!!

[akronzips71]

One problem with Len Paul. Games sometimes had to be interupted to get him down from a rebound as his belt would become entangled on the little loops on the rim that hold the net in place.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Len gets my vote. He was INCREDIBLY athletic. He could just hang in mid air. He jumped center against guys almost Zekes size. Anyone who ever saw him play has to put him right up there, and that was the no dunk and no three point play era. He could/WOULD have had a lot more points in todays game.

And Don Williams also. It was said that he tried out for the Browns, but at the expense of a possible NBA career.