Who are the best basketball players who ever played a game in Pgh?

[ricflair4LIFE]

Searcy and Elmore played on probably the second best Power Memorial team, second of course to Alcindor's team. They had a couple of other real good players in Jap Trimble and Al Young. Saw them play in the old Cambria County war memorial Tournament In Johnstown.

That Alcindor team lost to DeMatha. Sid Catlet and another big I can't remember played. That DeMatha team played in the Johnstown Tournament as well.

 

[NTOP]

I saw Clancy and Banks play in a game in Johnstown. West Philly won. The best game I ever saw.

I remember Banks trying to give the trophy to Sam. But I don't remember him accepting it.

That happened at the Dapper Dan. Those 2 guys hit it off...nice win at the Igloo over the U.S. team.

 

[ricflair4LIFE]

That happened at the Dapper Dan. Those 2 guys hit it off...nice win at the Igloo over the U.S. team.

I didn't word that as well as I should have.


I was at both games. (Johnstown and Pittsburgh) I just don't remember Clancy accepting the trophy.


One other thing I remember about the game in Pittsburgh. There was a guy running up and down the steps. Saying, "I'm here Sam. I'm here." I had a feeling Sam could have cared less.

 

[wbrpanther]

That happened at the Dapper Dan. Those 2 guys hit it off...nice win at the Igloo over the U.S. team.

Those two became friends when 5th Avenue bumped heads with Bank’s West Philly Speedboys in the War memorial tourny in Johnstown. One of the best games I ever saw.

 

[wbrpanther]

That Alcindor team lost to DeMatha. Sid Catlet and another big I can't remember played. That DeMatha team played in the Johnstown Tournament as well.

The other big was Bob Whitmore. That DeMatha team was one of the best ever. They also had Ernie Austin and Bernie Williams, who went on to earn All American status playing at LaSalle with Ken Durrett.

 

[wbrpanther]

Heitz rings a bell, although Walton was class of 1974, and wasn't eligible to play varsity until '71-72.

Wicks and Rowe won two NCs with Steve Patterson at center. Then came the Walton years.

 

[ameoba defense]

Those two became friends when 5th Avenue bumped heads with Bank’s West Philly Speedboys in the War memorial tourny in Johnstown. One of the best games I ever saw.

That was Clancy's senior year, and was Brashear, not Fifth. Clancy's junior year was Fifth Avenue's last year. They went undefeated, and won the State Championship, beating Norristown in the Final.

 

[Harve74]

Sweet was the weakest link. Fatty was Kelli's Dad. JUCO from DC via Kansas. Quick as hell. He or Bernie Williams both led the ABA in steals. Bernie was from DeMatha....guarded Alcindor some and outscored him when they beat Power Memorial.
LaSalle recruited a kid from Louisiana with Cannon, Williams & Wlodarczyk....Isaiah "Sky" King. 6-5 pogo stick. Flunked out of school. Frosh weren't eligible, but they'd announce their scores at the Palestra....ridiculous....50 point margins. Durrett came 2 years later....blew out his knee early in the 70-71 season. Still drafted in the top 3 (??) that year. Never fully recovered. Was voted as the greatest Big5 player, ever about 15 years ago.
How you doin" these days?? Do you get to the Pete?

Wicks and Rowe won two NCs with Steve Patterson at center. Then came the Walton years.

Exactly true.

 

[ameoba defense]

Geez....I was thinking late 70s....it was late 60's. Rowe started, Wicks came off the bench. The guards were Sweet & Vallely, Shackelford at SF. LaSalle that year had Durrett, Cannon, Wiliams & Fatty Taylor (all pros) and Stan Wlodarczyk at center. Those were the 2 best teams in the country in 69. LaSalle was on probation...$15 laundry money? Tom Gola was coach. That team was voted best ever in the Big5.

Did Pitt ever play LaSalle back then? I know that back in the pre Big East days, LaSalle and Villanova would play Duquesne every year, with one team coming to the Arena, while The Dukes would play the other at the Palestra. Those two, along with ND, were usually the marquee games of the year in Pittsburgh, and would draw big crowds. This was back when the Dukes were still a major power, and Pitt was asleep. It's amazing how quickly the balance of power shifted in the east in the mid 70s. Duquesne, LaSalle, St. Bonaventure, and Holy Cross, along with Nova, Seton Hall, and St. John's, had been dominant in the region since the 1930s, with PC becoming a power in the 60s. The football schools didn't really care about hoops, UConn was small potatoes, and Georgetown was garbage. If you had told someone in 1970, that by the mid 80s, Cuse and Georgetown would be dominant, the Dukes, Bonnies, Crusaders, and Explorers would be an afterthought, and that eventually, Connecticut would rise to a level never before achieved by an eastern school, they would have thought you were a candidate for Mayview. ( For you young folks, Mayview was a local insane asylum, as they called them back then)

 

[wbrpanther]

That was Clancy's senior year, and was Brashear, not Fifth. Clancy's junior year was Fifth Avenue's last year. They went undefeated, and won the State Championship, beating Norristown in the Final.

Couldn't remember if they changed when Clancy was a senior or the year after. I remember that they were 5th ave when he was a junior.

 

[wbrpanther]

Did Pitt ever play LaSalle back then? I know that back in the pre Big East days, LaSalle and Villanova would play Duquesne every year, with one team coming to the Arena, while The Dukes would play the other at the Palestra. Those two, along with ND, were usually the marquee games of the year in Pittsburgh, and would draw big crowds. This was back when the Dukes were still a major power, and Pitt was asleep. It's amazing how quickly the balance of power shifted in the east in the mid 70s. Duquesne, LaSalle, St. Bonaventure, and Holy Cross, along with Nova, Seton Hall, and St. John's, had been dominant in the region since the 1930s, with PC becoming a power in the 60s. The football schools didn't really care about hoops, UConn was small potatoes, and Georgetown was garbage. If you had told someone in 1970, that by the mid 80s, Cuse and Georgetown would be dominant, the Dukes, Bonnies, Crusaders, and Explorers would be an afterthought, and that eventually, Connecticut would rise to a level never before achieved by an eastern school, they would have thought you were a candidate for Mayview. ( For you young folks, Mayview was a local insane asylum, as they called them back then)

The Philly Big 5 was some classic hoops.

 

[Harve74]

Did Pitt ever play LaSalle back then? I know that back in the pre Big East days, LaSalle and Villanova would play Duquesne every year, with one team coming to the Arena, while The Dukes would play the other at the Palestra. Those two, along with ND, were usually the marquee games of the year in Pittsburgh, and would draw big crowds. This was back when the Dukes were still a major power, and Pitt was asleep. It's amazing how quickly the balance of power shifted in the east in the mid 70s. Duquesne, LaSalle, St. Bonaventure, and Holy Cross, along with Nova, Seton Hall, and St. John's, had been dominant in the region since the 1930s, with PC becoming a power in the 60s. The football schools didn't really care about hoops, UConn was small potatoes, and Georgetown was garbage. If you had told someone in 1970, that by the mid 80s, Cuse and Georgetown would be dominant, the Dukes, Bonnies, Crusaders, and Explorers would be an afterthought, and that eventually, Connecticut would rise to a level never before achieved by an eastern school, they would have thought you were a candidate for Mayview. ( For you young folks, Mayview was a local insane asylum, as they called them back then)

Blame, or credit, Dave Gaviitt and the Big East. The Eastern 8 started the conference shuffle but just missed the media centers and saavy that Gavitt hit perfectly.
Money and timing combined with the explosion of TV and cable and the sport was transformed - not necessarily for the better.

 

[paulbl99]

Anyone interested in the BE who has not already seen, must tune into ESPN’s REQUIEIM.

For once it completely and thoroughly dispelled the myths and lies Grandpa Munster put out over the years, slopped up from the trough by the State College U cult.

 

[ameoba defense]

Blame, or credit, Dave Gaviitt and the Big East. The Eastern 8 started the conference shuffle but just missed the media centers and saavy that Gavitt hit perfectly.
Money and timing combined with the explosion of TV and cable and the sport was transformed - not necessarily for the better.

The biggest mistake the Eastern 8 made was Pitt, Penn St., and WVU not strong arming Cuse into the league. All they had to do was tell Cuse they wouldn't play them in football anymore, and they would have been forced to join. If Cuse is in, St. John's and BC quickly follow, probably PC as well. Result, no Big East. Not only that, but with all of the football schools in the league it's likely that the long dreamed of "Eastern League" would have eventually developed out of this.

 

[PittPat3]

Couldn't have been. He was from North Carolina. (BTW, he's the brother of Jim Bibby, who pitched for several MLB teams, including the Pirates.)

You are correct. I don't know why I thought he was from Philadelphia. Perhaps I am thinking of someone else, but I couldn't find rosters for the games back in the day.

 

[TempleBAPittMPA]

You are correct. I don't know why I thought he was from Philadelphia. Perhaps I am thinking of someone else, but I couldn't find rosters for the games back in the day.

I recall three guards for UCLA who were from Philadelphia: Walt Hazzard, Andre McCarter, and Jerome "Pooh" Richardson. Hazzard was before the inception of the Roundball Classic, and Richardson was too recent, so perhaps McCarter is who you were thinking of?

 

[ricflair4LIFE]

The other big was Bob Whitmore. That DeMatha team was one of the best ever. They also had Ernie Austin and Bernie Williams, who went on to earn All American status playing at LaSalle with Ken Durrett.

Right. It was Whitmore. I think he and Catlett were both about 6-8.