Larry Bird to UK?
- Thread starter KampusKat
- Start date
Yeah, I’m aware of the Benson thing. Bird wrote about it in his book.
But that was just in an informal pickup scrimmage when he first arrived on campus, it was not in an actual practice. Bird was already long gone before practice even began.
Bird was also clear that had nothing whatsoever to do with his decision to leave. Which your link blatantly mischaracterizes in its title falsely claiming Benson “forced” him to leave. What horseshit …as if Larry Bird is gonna run and hide in fear from friggin Kent Benson. LOL.
That would be my pick. Doncic is a baller. I don't watch the NBA but I'd say he's my favorite player in the league right now along with Jokic.
Larry was only 6 ft 5 and Joe hall passed on him went to iu could not take Bobby knight and left and went and work riding shotgun on a garbage truck and grew 4 or 5 inches and enrolled at Indiana St and the rest is history
Kent Benson wasn't a slouch. He was pretty damn good on the college level.
Factoid number one: Benson's ugly last second tap-in prevented UK from ruining perfect IU seasons back to back.
Factoid number two: The Ricky Roe character in Blue Chips gets a fully loaded tractor from Happy and the Friends of the program. Rumor was that Benson turned down that exact thing to play for UK to play for IU instead.
One more thing I have to add. Larry Bird being slow and unable to jump is just a myth. A few days before this thread I had been watching some Bird highlight videos, young people unfamiliar with him seeing him for the first time. The video shows him making an awesome contested dunk over a seven footer, a 360 dunk in traffic, and a behind the head dunk. Compared to other 6'9" NBA players, he was above average in quicks and leaping ability(though he did slow down considerably later in his career due to injuries and Father Time).
Nonsense. Bird was at least 6'7" by the time he was being recruited as a senior, not 6'5" . I've actually seen his HS listings, they say 6'7."
It is true that he later tacked on an extra couple inches to eventually get to 6'9", but not "4 or 5 inches."
I was going to say that. Bird was much athletic than people say. And all athleticism is not a 40" vertical. Hand/eye coordination. Quickness!. They used to say that you could use a calendar to time Dick Butkis in the 40. But 10' in any direction, no one was quicker.
Bird was like that. Doncic is probably a good comparison. But Bird was far more athletic than Doncic is. And a much better defender. And Bird had Jordan like competitiveness.
Also, it seemed to be a unanimous opinion around the league that Bird was the strongest guy in the league.
Bird had skills over athleticism, and he was the perfect representation of why you'd want one over the other. Dominique Wilkins was Bird's size. Which would you take in a skills contest and which would you take in the decathlon? On top of that, he was a student of the game. Magic used to say that Bird would figure out their plays on defense. He wasn't just guarding his man.
Met Benson at a golf outing. His group was the first group on our tee (double tee shotgun). Bird wasn’t wrong.
As a side note, Benson swung and missed twice on the tee box and crushed the 3rd attempt. The high integrity IU guy and his group, played that ball.
Sounds a bit like Anthony Davis who had a late growing spurt and basically developed point guard skills before hitting his growth spurt.
That overtime loss to LSU in 1978 is one of the strangest losses any Kentucky team ever had. LSU was unranked. All of their starters fouled out. And they still beat one of UK’s best teams.
Luka has to be the closest comparison to Bird, of any color. But it's still a stretch; Luka plays point guard and Larry was one of the best rebounding small forwards of all time and played the 4 on occasion. Apples and oranges. There really hasn't been anybody much like Bird, just like Shaq and Barkley were unique.
It’s mid season and this is this thread off-season type thread is at the top as are other non season related threads. Shows you how low the program has sunk
Your distaste for our conversation is duly noted. I'm sure everybody else appreciates your contribution as much as I do. I'll try to do better in the future; I wouldn't want you to be disappointed in me.
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This is a uk basketball forum and it’s February. The topics are like July topics very few threads about where we are currently. So duly note that! Because that is a sign of where we are headed. Soon no one will be posting.
Start your own topics instead of trying to ruin other people's threads. Nobody cares what you like.
I read he was actually 6 ft 5 but hey who cares alot of kids that come out of high school are taller than what their college lists them happens all the time I believe that's the reason why Joe hall passed on him thought he was too small to play forward
It absolutely was not. And, I must say, of all the reasons I’ve ever heard suggested for it, you’re the first one ever to claim that one.
Larry bird had a unique ability to make other teammates better again the greatest basketball player in my lifetime man he could score and a great passer too
Joe B Hall also said Ervin Stepp was too offensive to play for Kentucky. He just average 50 points a game in 1980 for Phelps High School..!! Joe B was a great man though just messed up on a few recruiting offers… including Larry Bird!!!
I just pulled up a quote from Larry bird " I was 6ft4 as a junior and grew to around 6 ft 6 when I was senior" that quote comes from the book he wrote I thought he was around 6 ft 5
No way uk wins it in 75. Wooden's retirement game. Refs would have made sure ucla wins that game.
Ervin Stepp's scoring prowess didn't exactly translate to the D-1 level. He averaged 4.6 points per game at EKU for three years, then transferred to Alice Lloyd and did well against NAIA competition, much like Todd May did.
Having said that, he did horribly whiff on Larry Bird, but I believe Larry did alright for himself in the end.
For sure. Also. Everyone else in college bball too!! Bird is a GOAT.
I heard a Bird story recently that I think answers your question. Bird was dominating somebody and talking trash all the while when he took a 35 foot 3 pointer and airballed it. Bird looked at the defender and said "It don't matter. I'm staying on the court. Let's see you do that and stay on the court."
I might not have gotten the quote verbatim but it's close.
Yes I know I saw Ervin play many times, but it's hard not to offer the leading scorer in the Nation that year along with Mr Basketball a scholarship,,,
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