Off The Boards
By Jack Scheuer
March 4, 2020
Here’s a little test for you that’s a little different from the norm. Name the five best Big 5 players who played their entire high school and college careers without leaving the city and/or the suburbs (one stipulation is they had to play at least three years in college). Here are my five, and arguments are welcomed. The first three need no reason to go into detail, since their greatness should not be challenged. They would be: Guy Rodgers, Northeast and Temple; Lionel Simmons, Southern and La Salle; and Jameer Nelson, Chester High School and St. Joe’s. Now it becomes a little tougher because we’ve been so fortunate to have had so many talented players. My choices would be Aaron McKie, Simon Gratz, and Temple, and ,Wali Jones from Overbrook and Villanova. Several great players are left off of that list, but those are my five choices and I’m sticking to them.
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A pro note: I know it might be a little early, but Giannis Antetokounmp , at age 25, has gradually moved into the conversation when discussing the greatest players of all-time. His play has sparked the Milwaukee Bucks to the best record in the NBA, and he is outstanding in all facets of the game. In addition, it is interesting to note that he was the 15th pick in the 2013 draft.
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Trivia Time: At the start of this season (and still) which Division 1 school has the most wins all-time? Answer at the end of the column.
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Penn (6-6) is tied with Brown for the 4th and final spot in the Ivy playoffs. The Quakers have Cornell and Columbia at the Palestra over the weekend. Win both and the Quakes are in (they hold a tie-breaker). Meanwhile, Brown is visiting Harvard and Dartmouth, both of whom it defeated earlier in the season. You just know that AJ Brodeur does not want to see his great Penn career end on Saturday.
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This and That: Villanova ends it regular season with two toughies. At Seton Hall tonight, and at Georgetown on Saturday….Look out for Dayton in the NCAA’s. An excellent coach in Anthony Grant, a very good team, and an All-American in 6-9 Obi Toppin who can really play….Brendan Bailey, a 6-8 soph at Marquette, is the son of Thurl, of NC State fame…. Two questions: How come it’s well-known that “you never want to foul a three-point shooter, ” but it happens about twice in every game? And, could a school that “wanted it more,” still lose the game?….If the All-American team was picked today I would think that Penn State’s Lamar Stevens would be on it. He is both talented and hard-working….Speaking of excellent players, Kansas point/shooting guard Devon Dotson might be the best backcourt player in the nation. The sophomore only 6-2, but does an awful lot….Good little guys are taking over: 5-8 junior Terrell Gomez , at Cal State Northridge, is averaging 20 points per game, and has made 100 of 106 free throws, that’s 94.3 %….Finally, a new film is coming out over the summer; It’ s called The Fall Guy, and is directed and produced by Brett Brown.
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Answer to Trivia Time: Kentucky, with 2,293 wins coming into this season. Kansas was second with 2,274.
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