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Joe Henricksen of City/Suburban Hoops Report selected his starting lineup from the leading performers of the 2009-10 season--How could he have Champaign Centennial's Rayvonte Rice coming off the bench?--and suggested that I should pick an all-time starting five, the best of the last 50 years, position by position, not necessarily the five best players.
Henricksen explained his rationale for leaving Rice off his starting lineup. He was picking a team position-by-position, a good blend of size and quickness and talent, and he felt Rice would be dynamite in a John Havlicek, sixth-man role. Maybe so. But I like the 6-3, 225-pound Rice on the floor from start to finish, beating up on opponents.
"Rice is a man among boys, very strong, a great shooter, a good rebounder. His will to win is unbelievable. He has a knack for making plays when they count," Lincoln coach Neil Alexander said. "He reminds me of Charles Barkley, so dominant."
Somehow, Henricksen's team of point guard Fabyon Harris of Hyde Park, shooting guard Mike McCall of Foreman, center Jereme Richmond of Waukegan, small forward Duje Dukan of Deerfield and power forward Jermaine Winfield of North Lawndale doesn't excite me.
If that's the most dynamic lineup you can put on the floor, 2009-10 must not be a very good year for talent in Illinois.
How about 1998? Point guard Frank Williams, shooting guard Quentin Richardson, center Leon Smith, small forward Corey Maggette and power forward Joey Range. With Sean Harrington, Ty Moss, Kevin Frey, Lucas Johnson, Imari Sawyer and Damir Krupalija coming off the bench.
Or 1979, often recognized as the best senior class of all? Point guard Isiah Thomas, shooting guard Darrell Walker, center Terry Cummings, small forward Teddy Grubbs and power forward Darryl Allen. With Doc Rivers, Jeff Baker, Raymond McCoy, Mike Lang and Kevin Bontemps in reserve.
Or 1966? Point guard LaMarr Thomas, shooting guard Greg Starrick, center Dan Issel, small forward Rich Yunkus and power forward Rich Bradshaw. With Dale Kelley, Joe Wiley, Mel Reddick and Jim Ard coming off the bench.
My all-time starting five? The best five players, by position, that I have seen since I began watching high school basketball in Illinois in 1952?
Point guard Isiah Thomas, shooting guard Jon Scheyer, center Russell Cross, small forward Cazzie Russell and power forward Kevin Garnett. With Derrick Rose, Quinn Buckner, Rickey Green, Jamie Brandon, Jay Shidler, Doc Rivers, Mark Aguirre, George Wilson, Tom Parker and Tommy Hawkins coming off the bench.
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You are getting cranky in your old age Mr. Bell. lol
Being old, but not as old as you, I didn't see Zeke in HS nor the others in his era and before. So, I'll take D Rose at point, Ronnie Fields at the 2, Marcus Liberty and Antoine Walker at a forward with KG as my center. I'll go with Will Bynum, Corey Magette, Jamie Brandon, Juwaan Howard and how about a surprise pick of Scott Meents!
You would take John Scheyer over Jamie Brandon at guard? U must have been watching basketball for the last 5 years. No Marcus Liberty? Top 10 player in state history. Your team is missing vital pieces.
Taylor,
The class of 1979 is still the deepest and most talented. The City - Suburban All Star game was memorable. That year also produced the deepest National class as well. A class that included 3 time player of the year Ralph Sampson.
All Time best:
PG .............. Isiah Thomas
SG .............. Billy Harris
Center......... Jim Brewer
PF................ KG
SF................Cazzie Russell
Bench: Jay Shilder, Jon Scheyer, Tom Parker, Quinn Buckner, Corey Maggette, George Wilson
If anyone has old state tournament games and wants to work a trade, contact me at kissprof@yahoo.com. Thanks!
Here's a all time starting five for you. Point guard Isiah Thomas(Top 50 NBA player of all time), Shooting guard Doc Rivers, Small forward Cazzie Russell, power forward Terry Cummings and center Dan Issel. Bring in off the bench Kevin Garnett, Mitchell "J.J" Anderson, Mark Aguirre, Derrick Rose, and (here's a late edition for you)Wayne Blackshire. WOW, you put that team on the floor with anyone at any time and they'll win by 20 points or better.
Much too tough to pick 10, but Bruce Douglas and Marty Simmons deserve consideration. As does Sam Puckett, from my alma mater Hales Franciscan.
Marc Thomas
Chicago has a reputation that snuugles between the swinging style of the west coast, and the bumping and grimmy swaggar of the east coast. Chicago player's game resembled music: the Blues, Jazz, Soul, Classic Rock and Rap- it was eclectic by nature. So, the All-Time staring five should mirror that mixture:
1st team
G- Isaih Thomas
G- Billy Harris
F- Mark Aguirre
F- Russell Cross
C- George Wilson
2nd Team
G- Ricky Green
G- Quinn Buckner
G- "Sweet"Charlie Brown P- Cazzie Russell
P- Terry Cummings
3rd Team
G- Marty Murray
G- Hersey Hawkins
F- Jamie Brandon
F- Efrem Winters
C- Dan Issel
4th Team
G- Maurice Cheeks
G- Paxton Lumpkin
G- Len Bertolini
P- Marcus Liberty
P- Eddie Johnson
Honorable Mention
John Robinson
Tracy Dildy
Cuonzo Martin
LaPhonso Ellis
Bruce Douglas
Carl Golston
Joe Stiffiend
Greg Jones
Howard Nathan
Scott Meents
Marty Simmons
Micheal Payne
Teddy Grubbs
Juwan Howard
Ronnie Lester
Levertis Robinson
Mandy Johnson
Steve Holland
Jay Shilder
Rich Bradshaw
Mitchell "JJ" Anderson
Nick Anderson
Darrell Walker
Charles Perry
Tom Schaffer
Kevin Boyle
Paul Beene
Tim Hardaway
Kevin Arnold
Kevin Garrnett(By Proxy)
Jim Ard
Voise Winters
Norm "Skip" Dillard
Tony Reeder
Carl Nicks
Too many to name,
Curtis K. Jackson Sr.
My starting five which dates back to 1995: DRose at pg,JScheyer at sg,RFields at sf,QRichardson at pf, and KGarnett at c. Remember this is a high school team so Fields can play the three in high school. Ronnie Fields is the best athlete I have ever seen play on the high school level and Garnett is the best high school player I have ever seen.
I started watching High School ball from 1985 to now and my top teams goes in this order.
1st Team
pg Derrick Rose
sg Ronnie Fields
sf Jamie Brandon
Pf Marcus Liberty
C Kevin Garnett
2nd Team
pg Frank Williams
sg jon schyer
sf Quentin Richardson
pf Melvin Ely
C Eddy Curry
3rd team
pg Imari sawyer
sg corey maggettie
sf joey Range
pf toine walker
C Leon Smith
honarble mention
sean dockery, kevin dillard, sherron collins, kiwane garris, cedrick banks,brian wardle, john lott, kevin frye, matt lottich,ryan hogan, chris collins, thomas hamalton, rashad griffith, michael hermon, marcus griffin, sergio mclain, erik herring, and many more.
s
I can't believe no one has mentioned Darius Miles. Ignore the failed NBA career and his East St. Louis roots, this is an All-Illinois team and also doesn't pertain to college or pro accolades. He was explosive, aggressive, and an above all monster.
In the 2000 AA quarterfinal against a New Trier team that had four future D-I prospects including Marquette-bound forward Todd Townsend and Stanford-bound guard Matt Lottich, Miles racked up 26 points, 20 rebounds, 6 assists, 9 blocks, and 2 steals. He was a poor shooter but nevertheless a complete game-changer, one who deserves first team consideration, second team at the worst.
Jamie Brandon was a beast while playing at King! He was considered top 5 nationally his senior year. Jamie Brandon is definitely more deserving than Jon Scheyer! Mark Aguire, Teddy Grubbs, Terry Cummings, Quinn Buckner, Cazzie Russell, Kevin Garnett, Antoine walker, Marcus Liberty, Deon Thomas, Ben Wilson, Ronnie Fields, Corey Maggette, Frank Williams, Derrick Rose, Michael Wright, Andre Iguodala, Kiwane Garris, Johnnie Selvie, Rashard Griffith, Juwaan Howard, Sergio McClain, Bernard Randolph, Walter Downing, Hersey Hawkins, Isaiah Thomas, LaPhonso Ellis, Effrem Winters, Doc Rivers, Quentin Richardson & Dan Issel all deserve to be mentioned!
Here are my starting 5:
PG. Isaiah Thomas
SG. Jamie Brandon
SF. Ben Wilson
PF. Mark Aguire
C. Cazzie Russell
IMO, Jamie Brandon is the best Illinois high school player I've ever seen!
I forgot Bo Ellis & Eddie Johnson!
I can see one making the point that Jamie Brandon is more deserving in terms of being mentioned as a potential Top Five Player in Illinois and ? or Chicago. However, at least in my book; in determining the value of a player… it should not just be a matter considered based on statistics. He’s value should encompass several factors:
Basketball skills: ball-handling (with both hands), shooting (free throws and the field), passing, defending man-to-man, courage to not only take, but; make a game changing shot; ability to dominate a game without the ball in their hands, the willingness to delegate to a teammate without a noticeable effect on their contribution and the ability to extend his coach’s game plan (play-to-play, defense to offense) after a time out as a leader.
With this in mind, can we definitively say that Jamie Brandon was better than: Isiah Thomas, Marty Murray, Carl Golston, Quinn Buckner, “Sweet” Charlie Brown, Len Bertolini, Paxton Lumpkin, Maurice Cheeks, Billy Harris, Ronnie Lester, Roy Spearman, Tim Hardaway or even fellow former King Jaguar Tracy Dildy?
Now… I don’t want to say that Jamie Brandon is deserving of being the consider one of, if not; the most productive player to come out of the Chicago Public League or the State of Illinois. This is without question. However, at the guard position; there are a lot of players to consider. Jamie, to me, was a “tweener” (one having a classic big guard body, but; possessing small forward skills) - but, to no fought of his own.
What if Jamie had access to the coaching philosophy of a coach who believed in the meritorious value of off-season “individual skill development”, as oppose to; playing an additional 30-45 games during the spring and summer after the completion of his freshman, sophomore and junior seasons. How good Jamie could have been then… I believe the best big guard to ever have played in Chicago or the entire state of Illinois with at least 10-15 years of NBA basketball to credit by now.
I always felt that Jamie probably would not have been better off at Illinois, rather than LSU. I think he would have been better off playing at Georgia Tech, where guard play development was at a premium- in private I think Jamie also wondered what it would have been like to play in the same backcourt as Kenny Anderson his freshman year.
So, the issue to me is not whether Jamie Brandon was a well-deserved hyped talent that should have had the chance to do more with his natural abilities-with development. It is, what if a coaching-philosophically speaking- as a whole failed him in his growth towards being the type of talent he should have been.
In short, forget the rankings and how he fits in those rankings, but; value the body of work he put together on the high school level. And, when you do this, without question… Jamie Brandon is deserving of being considered as member of the “all-time top five”.
I am surprised that no one has mentioned Benji Wilson. Those of you at the championships at the Ampitheater and various games throughout CPS would know how great a player he was. State Championship in 1984 as a junior. Derrick Rose, yes. But ask those who had the privilege to see the young man play. Ask them how good he was...Simeon likely deserves two.
Dominance against top level competition at the HS level...
Marcus Liberty, Jamie Brandon, Benji Wilson, Derrick Rose...
The fifth player? 2000s-Bynum, 1990s-Garnett/Fields 1980s-Ellis, 1970s-Buckner, 1960s to the beginning of time- did not see first hand.
this just goes to show you how strong Chicago basketball is we run the league. chicago basketball is a culture a way of life. it has a life of its own. im going to go with derrick rose,Jamie Brandon, Jabri Parker Marcus Liberty and Ben Wilson.Then you can give me Hardaway,Fields, Howard, Curry, Walker, Finley, Sawyer, Magette,there is so many to choose from its mind bobbling.Rip to the GODFATHER Mr.Irvin, who one way or another crossed paths with every player on everbodys list. If it was up to me he would have a statue right next to Jordan in front of the United Center. He is truly Chicago Basketball.He has produced more chicago ball players then Micheal Jackson produced hit records.Yo Boy Hoops consultant Chinny West (901)351-8825 No Doubt Ben Wilson was the best, cant forget big Benji.