Missed 1, but Scotch was really the only other serious mention.
Still one of the more dominant defenders in the middle. At least from what I remember. All time leading blocker.
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All Time Buffs Basketball Lineup - 8 players
- Thread starter Buffs Basketball Fan
- Start date
Still one of the more dominant defenders in the middle. At least from what I remember. All time leading blocker.
He wasn't always the most popular player among the fan base. I think the general feeling was Harrison was a big head case that got in his own way too much, which is probably why he's not mentioned more.
whatthebuff
Club Member
David Harrison is definitely on my list, love that guy (besides his free throw shooting, we would celebrate if he made 1). He was like Shaq for us in a lot of ways.
Billups
Harrison
Michel Morandais
Roby
Burks
Higgins
Roberson
Dinwiddie
I'm too young to remember anyone past Billups. Pelle was great too, hard to leave him off. Carlon Brown, Marcus Hall, Blair Wilson, Chris Copeland, were fun to watch as well. And of course the legendary Sabatino Chen.
Billups
Harrison
Michel Morandais
Roby
Burks
Higgins
Roberson
Dinwiddie
I'm too young to remember anyone past Billups. Pelle was great too, hard to leave him off. Carlon Brown, Marcus Hall, Blair Wilson, Chris Copeland, were fun to watch as well. And of course the legendary Sabatino Chen.
dyemeduke
Well-Known Member
yeah, put me down for not understanding all the Harrison love. Do I hate him, no, and do I recognize his potential, sure. However, come on...it's not like even when he was motivated that he all of the sudden became really coordinated and developed some smooth post moves. And his potential was NOT Shaq...his potential was like Roy Hibbert at the top of his game, which was excellent at various times. He was big...that's about it. I'm glad he was a Buff, and hope he catches another break in life...but he is not even in consideration for my top 8.
I'm also not sure if I agree with the Morandais love. I thought his potential due to raw athleticism was great, but he had some poor coaches to fix nuances in his game - dribbling the ball near his chest, shooting awkwardly, etc. If you wanted a great offensive player and therefore thought Morandais instead of some older players, I'd go with Jaquay Walls. Not sure if anyone has mentioned him so far. That guy was streaky at times, but he could light it up.
I'm also not sure if I agree with the Morandais love. I thought his potential due to raw athleticism was great, but he had some poor coaches to fix nuances in his game - dribbling the ball near his chest, shooting awkwardly, etc. If you wanted a great offensive player and therefore thought Morandais instead of some older players, I'd go with Jaquay Walls. Not sure if anyone has mentioned him so far. That guy was streaky at times, but he could light it up.
I watched most of these guys play. Still haven't seen any love for my roommates boyfriend (he doesn't deserve any).
Jacques Tuz was a nice guy who was injury plagued. Would love to have seen him play without injuries for 4 years.
whatthebuff
Club Member
Well, agree to disagree. He was big, unstoppable under the basket, a great shot blocker, and a terrible free throw shooter...hence like Shaq. To say he was "just big" is just dumb. He's the all time leader for blocked shots and was an honorable mention all American. Morandais is probably my all time favorite Buff. I just listed my 8, there were no rules in the original post.
dyemeduke
Well-Known Member
Completely fair. My post was merely disagreeing with your post, not trying to enforce some unwritten rules to the OP. I don't think your post is dumb, but I do strongly disagree with it. For example, you saying that my statement of Harrison being "'just big' is dumb." Harrison WAS just big - he did what a man his size is supposed to do and that was it. His size was incredible, and that attribute by itself made him a force at times. But Harrison was not skilled, he had below average touch, he wasn't the most coordinated, he didn't have a dog mentality to fight and hustle, he wasn't a great athlete, he didn't have solid fundamentals, his footwork was sloppy, he couldn't shoot ,etc. Conversely, he wasn't the most uncoordinated, wasn't unathletic for his size, had enough touch from 5 feet in, and could do what a big his size should do. Two players reminded me of Harrison - Jason Smith from CSU and Hibbert. Both guys imo were just bigs that did the job that their size warranted - nothing really special except their size.
I'll give you that Shaq and Harrison share size and bad FT shooting. However, even Shaq's size was different. In college, Shaq was svelte giant, if you will - he could run the court incredibly well on fast breaks. Dwight Howard reminds me of Shaq in college, except Shaq probably wasn't as athletic. Before he became Diesel though, Shaq was still a great athlete. Even after he became 500 lb boulder, Shaq was quick on the low block, had some decent moves, was a great passer, had range up to 10 feet, and was so much more powerful than anyone I've personally witnessed.
And I'm not trying to call you out specifically for Morandais. Again, agree to disagree. The only person I know on these boards personally is coereg from over a dozen years ago, and I respect his bball opinion. However, I disagreed with him often. Morandais is one of them...he loves Michel...me - meh. I thought he was a great athlete, but his game itself wasn't the best. Was he a solid player, sure, but top 8 for CU...I just don't get it. I do wish that he had a different coach. I think an actual teacher, which Patton wasn't, may have been able to develop Michel a lot more.
whatthebuff
Club Member
Ben Mills was "just big." David Harrison must have had a few basic skills tucked away, otherwise he would not have been a McDonalds All American, honorable All American at CU, and drafted in the first round of the NBA. Maybe the Shaq comparison wasn't the greatest, but I think you're taking it too far.
Again, Morandais is in my personal top 8. I didn't list any players who I haven't watched live, CU basketball began in '96 for me (and I barely remember that). I'm not doubting there were better players in the 70s and 80s.
Again, Morandais is in my personal top 8. I didn't list any players who I haven't watched live, CU basketball began in '96 for me (and I barely remember that). I'm not doubting there were better players in the 70s and 80s.
The '03 team that beat KU in Boulder and made the Dance was built around Harrison, which is why I include him. This was despite their starting PG(Mookie Wright) being suspended till the last game of the season. JMO, but that doesn't happen without Harrison.
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whatthebuff
Club Member
Yeah before Tad, making the tourney was a special occasion. Billups brought us to one, and Harrison brought us to one. Give the man credit for something.
Mookie!
Mookie!
Agreed. Patton was the reason I gave up my season tickets that I had had since the Balch Fieldhouse days.
Jeremy
Well-Known Member
I didn't become a fan until I came to CU from NY in 2003, so other than Meely and Chauncey out of respect, my list is players I remember and enjoyed watching and obviously winning and helping to create a winning atmosphere is a factor. By no means is this the 8 best players in CU history.
Meely
Chauncey
Dinwiddie
Dre
Josh Scott
Burks
Carlon Brown (KO windmill jam against Cal in Pac-12 semis!)
Marcus Hall
Have to admit that watching Marcus Hall dominate the TBT last summer helped remind me how much I liked watching him play at CU. That scoop shot...
Meely
Chauncey
Dinwiddie
Dre
Josh Scott
Burks
Carlon Brown (KO windmill jam against Cal in Pac-12 semis!)
Marcus Hall
Have to admit that watching Marcus Hall dominate the TBT last summer helped remind me how much I liked watching him play at CU. That scoop shot...
My personal top 8, and in no way would this make a good team, but here goes:
Chauncey
Dinwiddie
White
J40
Andre Roberson
Burks
Carlon Brown
Harrison? when he tried
My experience doesn't go back far, I was never a BBall fan until recently. I just like the way all of those guys play
Chauncey
Dinwiddie
White
J40
Andre Roberson
Burks
Carlon Brown
Harrison? when he tried
My experience doesn't go back far, I was never a BBall fan until recently. I just like the way all of those guys play
I was a CU football fan long before I was a CU basketball fan, so I'm also skewed toward the recent guys. As a NBA fan in the 80s and 90s (and being a little kid in Kansas City when they had the Kings in the late 70s), though, I had a lot of appreciation for how good Scott Wedman and Jay Humphries were. So if I was doing 8, I'd have probably go with these guys:
Chauncey Billups
Cliff Meely
Andre Roberson
Josh Scott
Spencer Dinwiddie
Alec Burks
Scott Wedman
Jay Humphries
Cory Higgins is the guy I most want to add to this list. And it feels wrong to not put Derrick White or Carlon Brown on there.
Chauncey Billups
Cliff Meely
Andre Roberson
Josh Scott
Spencer Dinwiddie
Alec Burks
Scott Wedman
Jay Humphries
Cory Higgins is the guy I most want to add to this list. And it feels wrong to not put Derrick White or Carlon Brown on there.
dyemeduke
Well-Known Member
Not trying to beat this to death; wasn't sure if I should just PM you since this seems to be a one-on-one convo. To me, Mills was just tall...not big. He was a toothpick. Harrison had girth and the height. Sure, Harrison was more skilled than Mills, but that's an awfully low bar. McD's, while prestigious, can be a misleading. His size alone made him a good prospect, and fair, my wording is probably taking it too far. He made decent use of the incredible gifts given to him... ...but I refuse to give him anything more than that as a player. It wasn't just his effort that I thought was lacking.
Yeah, again fair. You definitely have my respect with bball, but yeah, to me, Harrison was just a key piece on a team that had many solid pieces. Pelle, Morandais, Wright, and even Wilson - RP may not have coached them well, but he still put together a great team. I'd say if you remove Harrison, Pelle, or Morandais from that team, they don't make the dance that year....but again, my humble opinion.