Pick 1 player from any school, in the history of college basketball to build your college team around. Who would you choose?

[TopCatCal]

This isn't what they did as a pro NBA/ABA player. But what they were as a college player.

My choice would be Bill Walton. Great passer, great outlet passer, shot blocker, big time rebounder & great scorer around the basket as he showed in the 1973 NCAA championship game. A game where he was 21-22 from the field.

 

[H00SIER-Cat]

 

[bthaunert]

Lew Alcinder

3 years in college
NPOY all 3
FF MOP all 3

 

[know1]

Bill Russell.

 

[bluveincats]

Shaq. Unstoppable

 

[YardCat]

Pistol Pete - We might lose, but it will be exciting

 

[YardCat]

Shaq. Unstoppable

If only he could shoot 60% from the line

 

[J_Dee]

Anthony Davis.

 

[JHannibalSmith]

Hard to argue with Kareem. But, Larry led Indiana freaking State to the national championship game, with a 33-0 record, in a loaded era. Give him a 3-point line & a typical top 25 cast around him & he might be unbeatable at the college level.

 

[ArtLaibsGhost]

Pete Maravitch with a 3 point line,oh man

 

[ruppcat]

Hard to argue with Kareem. But, Larry led Indiana freaking State to the national championship game, with a 33-0 record, in a loaded era. Give him a 3-point line & a typical top 25 cast around him & he might be unbeatable at the college level.

Image how UK might have been had Bird some to campus as some have discussed.

 

[NC Weasel]

I love Bill Russell, he is my hero. But the real answer is Kareem. In addition to all the reasons listed above, they outlawed dunking in college because of the young man. My lord.

As for Pete, great scorer but we pasted his Tigers back-sides regularly. It was a one man show, and he needed a lot of shots to get those points. Even his pro teams struggled to win titles. Freak player but not a winning formula IMHO.

 

[chroix]

I know a lot of y’all hate him but I’m going with Lebron. Dude would have absolutely dominated the hell out of college and the post college brand building would have been phenomenal.

 

[otis-gip]

Bill Walton

 

[bigbluedon]

What about Wilt?

 

[SkyPrince1]

I know a lot of y’all hate him but I’m going with Lebron. Dude would have absolutely dominated the hell out of college and the post college brand building would have been phenomenal.

Yeah if you're talking 4 yrs of college ball, it's Lebron.
Best 18yr old basketball player ever born.
Could have been a 4 time NPOY.

 

[WildcatfaninOhio]

Oscar “The Big O” Robertson

When he played, freshmen were ineligible, so he only played three seasons. And he played before the Civil Rights movement of the mid 60s, so he faced some challenges that white players didn’t.

Career average 33 points, 15 rebounds
Career W-L record 79-9
UPI POY 3 times
Sporting News POY 3 times
1st team AA 3 times
NCAA scoring leader 3 times

Immediately after his college career he was co-captain (with Jerry West) of the 1960 US Olympic team where they dominated every game and won gold.

 

[Creed Bratton]

So is the question any player but it's to anchor a team in this era? If so then I would say Jordan since he was great in his era but would be great in today's game as well.

 

[bbncal02]

So is the question any player but it's to anchor a team in this era? If so then I would say Jordan since he was great in his era but would be great in today's game as well.

Hard to argue with this. Jordan was a great college player too.

 

[catben]

Lou Alcinder

3 years in college
NPOY all 3
FF MOP all 3

End of discussion.

 

[jwphelps]

This isn't what they did as a pro NBA/ABA player. But what they were as a college player.

My choice would be Bill Walton. Great passer, great outlet passer, shot blocker, big time rebounder & great scorer around the basket as he showed in the 1973 NCAA championship game. A game where he was 21-22 from the field.

The dream from Houston.

 

[HerrosHeroes]

Mark “Goggles” Coury

 

[uk78]

Shaq. Unstoppable

Laettner out played him in college. Remember the question was about college ball. I agree with Walton. All around on all aspects the best.

 

[UKcats1988]

Alcindor

 

[DreadLox]

There's a cornucopia, but I'd start with Bird.

 

[TeoJ]

Lew Alcindor

 

[TeoJ]

I know a lot of y’all hate him but I’m going with Lebron. Dude would have absolutely dominated the hell out of college and the post college brand building would have been phenomenal.

Where did he play. College ball?

 

[chroix]

Where did he play. College ball?

Yeah you got me. I’ll take Jordan.

 

[Stan the caddy]

Alcindor
Maravich
Walton
O’Neal

Would be my top choices.

 

[sosoblue]

Magic Johnson

 

[North Carolina Blue Wildcat]

Jordan Brand legacy… no brainer!

 

[UK90]

Shaq. Unstoppable

Well, one would think. But his college teams did nothing …even when he was teamed up with the best guard in the entire country in two time First Team All American and SEC POY Chris Jackson.

All three of Shaq’s LSU teams were disappointing and underperformed in relation to their talent.

 

[UK90]

Larry Bird is not getting enough love in this thread. What he did in 79 carrying that motley crew of talentless mid major teammates on his back both to an undefeated regular season and then a run to the national championship game was maybe the single greatest overall college season any player ever had.

Imagine what he could’ve done with UK caliber talent as his teammates.

 

[TheBlueMist]

Hunter McClintock. I hear he's awesome!

 

[bthaunert]

Larry Bird is not getting enough love in this thread. What he did in 79 carrying that motley crew of talentless mid major teammates on his back both to an undefeated regular season and then a run to the national championship game was maybe the single greatest overall college season any player ever had.

Imagine what he could’ve done with UK caliber talent as his teammates.

Bird is definitely in the conversation, but I do want to note that their PG was a junior who averaged 19.3ppg (averaged 27 his senior year) and played in the NBA. But, yes, what they were prior to Bird and what they were after Bird shows how good he was.

 

[gollumcat]

I think Walton is the answer . As long as you had guards that understood where to cut once they passed it in to,him.
,

 

[Blueheart32]

Obviously a lot of players you can make a case for, but I have to go with Alcindor.

 

[StubbornPenny]

Shaq. Unstoppable

Except by Dale Brown lol. Hell, they only earned a 5, 6, and 7 seed in his three years there.

 

[megablue]

Lou Alcinder

3 years in college
NPOY all 3
FF MOP all 3

100% this ^^^

 

[BlueWhite21]

Hard to argue with Kareem. But, Larry led Indiana freaking State to the national championship game, with a 33-0 record, in a loaded era. Give him a 3-point line & a typical top 25 cast around him & he might be unbeatable at the college level.

Didnt Joe B say he was to slow play at UK? I loved Birds game. One can only dream of how that would've played out.