Topic: Most "Exciting" Marshall Basketball Player You Have Seen Play

[Daherdboy]

I'm with ya'.....herdcase.

GEORGE STONE

The Covington Stringbean could pump in the 3 pointers, before the 3 point line was there.

He intimadated Walt Piatkowski to death from BUGS.
Walt ( around 6' 9" and 250# ) would come into the Field House and drain shot after shot in warmups,
but during the game Big George ( all 6' 7" and around 180# ) would intimidate Walt to no end.  
One good elbow in the gut and Walt was toast.     ;D

[luvherd]

Lee, D'Antoni and the rest of the gang were unbelievable.

[Thundering In MD]

I voted "other" because without a doubt George Stone was the most exciting player that I've seen playing for my alma mater!

My bad, when I put Bob Redd up there I was thinking of George Stone.  I am too young to have seen either of them.  My dad pointed out that Bob Redd was probably the most complete player in Marshall history, but Stone was a contender for most exciting.

[Thundering In MD]

For me I would say Bunny Gibson, Skip Henderson or Greg White. I'm surprised you don't have White or Don Turney on there. They were both exciting players in their time. Rodney Holden is another that comes to mind. He was always good for a slam dunk or a right cross to the chin ;D

Good candidates.  I don't think of Greg as being exciting, unless it is when he was spinning six balls at once and brushing his teeth with a ball on the end of the brush.  Man, I don't remember Turney being "exciting." I remember him as being a solid player and famous for other things.

[gcherd]

Jason Williams - Florida.Dupont - Chapter 1[ Invalid YouTube link ]

[Thundering In MD]

Ken Labonowski

Good one.  Truthfully, I always thought of Labo as being the next generation of Mike Marz, but he was definitely exciting.

(In case you guys haven't figured out yet, I read Luke80s post and quickly posted the candidates.  I'm enjoying reading the posts about the guys that I overlooked in my three minute poll post.)

[Thundering In MD]

Marshall University Thundering Herd Mens Basketball Intro


I had two thoughts when I watched this video:  1) those sailor warm ups from the 70s were cool; and 2) Dago Pena may end up being one of the most exciting players some Herd fan has seen when is done here.

[FLORIDA HERD FAN]

Day in, day out, Leo Byrd was the most exciting Marshall basketball player ever. I think Byrd was only 6'1" or so, and he scored 30 points per game -- mostly in and amongst the tall timber.

Lou Mott is a name unfamiliar to younger Herd fans. Mott put on a show, bombing from 35 feet and beyond.

Butch Clark would dribble out the last 2 minutes of a game, Marques Haynes-style, with 3 opponents dogging him all the way. The Field House walls were shaking from the crowd noise.

[wvmafia]

Skip by a mile....a darn shame what happened to his life after basketball.

I voted Taft... but Skip and Bunny were close.

Is it true that Skip is doing life without parole in GA?

I remember Sam Winley and also Sam Ervin...I like Robert Eppes who played with Ervin and that team.

[vcoach]

i agree with woody. loved watching him play, especially under the boards

[HerdYou]

Leo Byrd . One of the leading scorers in the nation his senior year .

[FLORIDA HERD FAN]

Leo Byrd . One of the leading scorers in the nation his senior year .

Yep -- Byrd was a very close second to Oscar Robertson. He was also a 2nd team D-I All-American.

Hal Greer was the 14th player chosen in the 1958 NBA draft (by Syracuse), and Leo Byrd was the 25th player chosen in the 1959 draft (by Cincinnati). However, Byrd opted not to play NBA basketball.

[usedcars1]

Skip for me too. as long as we are talking offense. He was probably the best pure shooter I have even seen.
I am not sure Skip knew we had a defense.

[Sec 116]

Skip Henderson

[lovetheherd2]

I am from the Florida HERD FAN's era, but unfortunately missed seeing Leo Byrd.

As a TEAM... repeat TEAM, the George Stone, Bob Redd, Dan D'Antoni, Jim Davidson, Bob Allen was the most exciting. Those who missed their time in the NIT against Walt Frazier, Bob Lloyd from Rutgers, etc, really missed a TEAM....

But individual players, Skip Henderson could and did take over the game many times -- so did Taft in Ashville, NC at the Southern Conf  tournament. There were times we ate 2 meals a day at Waffle House between tailgating and watching Taft, etc.

[mr_ash_1995]

No , he meant Sam Winley , he , along with Rod Nelson were two JUCO guys under Huck . Nelson did a couple of 360 layups in games . Winley and Nelson came here the same time .

It was SAM HENRY and ROD NELSON....although he could've meant someone else.  There was a SAM ERVIN too.

As for the poll, SKIP HENDERSON was the most exciting MU player I ever saw.  I still think of the game where we were down by 11 or 12 pts at halftime.  After intermission, SKIP took over...and he TIPPED in the winning shot. YES...underneath the basket and TIPPED in the winning shot.

John Taft was a close second for me.  He worked harder than Skip ever did on the court...but Skip had more talented.  Also, in Taft's defense, Skip was surrounded by better players too.

[field pass]

I'd say in my lifetime the one year we had Jason Williams he definately did it. Loved watching him.

bingo....

Keith Veney had a couple of games, where, if his 3 was on....it was awesome.

But the way Jason handled the ball was and still is unreal...even at the NBA level.  Not as big of a scoring threat like some halof the all time greats.  Thats the difference between JW and Iverson.  But strictly on ball handling and quickness and flash....I think J Williams is one of the NBAs best ever...and his year at MArshall was incredible.

The way he had a one on one break against WVUs point guard in the Capital Classic and did that fake around the back dribble and totally made WVU look foolish in front of a packed house....was possibly the best bball move Ive seen at any level...that was epic.

[MOrsini]

Keith lost the record shortly after he got it . A kid from a lower level school beat him , I seen the highlights , his teammates were trying to have him get it . The players were clearing out under the basket and forming a wall in front of him so he could shoot shoot shoot . He got the record but it was more of a team effort , unlike Keith who actually got it the legit way .

Actually Curtis Staples of UVA (hardly a lower level school) first beat Veney's record. Then a guy named Reddick (of Duke), took the record from Staples.

[Taft#1]

Keith has the record for most three's made in one game against Morehead State ( 15 ) in Division I. A lower level player beat him soon afterwards  .
Kevin Staples may have had the record for the season but he never had the single game record , same for JJ.

The most threes in a game , at any Division , is 21 , a Division III player has it . Keith still has the Divsion I record.

[Gaylen]

Here's a real age confession. I have seen them all since Leo Byrd and Hal Greer. Byrd should have been on the list but Hal Greer is the greatest and most exciting on all. End of story.

[jt]

For me, Leo Byrd is the pick. He was extremely exciting whenever he got the ball in his hands.
Best (most exciting) on the fast break was Cebe Price.
For the nation at large, George Stone likely brought more gasps from the crowd with his "downtown home run shots"..

[Thundering In MD]

It was SAM HENRY and ROD NELSON....although he could've meant someone else.  There was a SAM ERVIN too.

As for the poll, SKIP HENDERSON was the most exciting MU player I ever saw.  I still think of the game where we were down by 11 or 12 pts at halftime.  After intermission, SKIP took over...and he TIPPED in the winning shot. YES...underneath the basket and TIPPED in the winning shot.

John Taft was a close second for me.  He worked harder than Skip ever did on the court...but Skip had more talented.  Also, in Taft's defense, Skip was surrounded by better players too.

You are right Mr. Ash.  Although my buddies in Westmoreland and I used to have a lot of fun going over to Bo Anderson's 8 foot hoop to imitate Sam Winley's attempted dunk in the NCAA tourney against Marquette.  FWIW

[Thundering In MD]

Here's a real age confession. I have seen them all since Leo Byrd and Hal Greer. Byrd should have been on the list but Hal Greer is the greatest and most exciting on all. End of story.

Point well taken Gaylen.  I am embarassed that I didn't post Byrd as an option.  I know Marshall Basketball history better than that.

[BULLHALSEY]

My vote was for John Taft, he amazed me with how clutch he was.

[MUPE84]

Day in, day out, Leo Byrd was the most exciting Marshall basketball player ever. I think Byrd was only 6'1" or so, and he scored 30 points per game -- mostly in and amongst the tall timber.

Lou Mott is a name unfamiliar to younger Herd fans. Mott put on a show, bombing from 35 feet and beyond.

Butch Clark would dribble out the last 2 minutes of a game, Marques Haynes-style, with 3 opponents dogging him all the way. The Field House walls were shaking from the crowd noise.

 

My dad and Leo played together at Lincoln Jr. High.  Leo went on to HHS and my father to HEHS.  They were really good friends.