Just for something to discuss right now. I know some fans won't like any players from other programs but I think most mature basketball fans can have an appreciation for opposing players. I'm going to try to come up with one I liked for every program just to get it started.
Illinois - Had to think awhile on this one. I kind of cheered for them when Bruce Weber was coaching and they had a run in 04-05 so I'm going with Deron Williams just from an appreciation of him playing at a very high level.
Indiana - Victor Oladipo. Came in under the radar and turned himself into a top pick in the NBA Draft. Never cocky from my recollection.
Iowa - Chris Street. Has to be top of the list for them. He's grown from an Iowa legend to a Big Ten legend.
Maryland - Juan Dixon. For some reason, I really loved it when he won a national title.
Michigan - Spike Albrecht. His title game performance made him Michigan legend and then he came and helped Purdue win a Big Ten title afterward.
Michigan State - This one is tough because I feel like the program has been scum under Izzo. Fortunately, I'm old enough to remember Shawn Respert. He was really good and I believe he is the all-time leading scorer in Big Ten games. On top of that, he had a rather remarkable story about playing through cancer as an NBA rookie and he somehow managed to do that without it becoming public until ten years later after his playing career was over. Talk about tough.
Minnesota - Not going to go back very far for this one. Daniel Oturu. For my money, the best player in the Big Ten last year. It's a good thing the conference won't experience this kid as an upperclassman.
Nebraska - Not a long history with them in the Big Ten. I was tempted to go back and select one of their NBA players that I was familiar with (Piatkowski or Lue) from back when I used to watch crappy basketball but I have almost no recollection of either from college. So I'm going with James Palmer Jr. as he was a memorable scorer in recent history. He finished in their top 20 scorers of all-time even though he only played 2 seasons.
Northwestern - Evan Eschmeyer. I think he played there 8 seasons so he's hard to forget.
Ohio State - Jay Burson. Kid was an amazing scorer for them in the late 80's before a freak basketball injury broke his neck to end his senior season. It's notable that he likely broke his neck in the first half of a game that he played most of the 2nd half in and ended up with 25 points. Never like to see a great player end his college career like that.
Penn State - Pete Lisicky. He was on that really good Penn State basketball team in 1996. 4th in the Big Ten all-time in 3-pointers made Shot like 47% in 1996. That's good enough for me to finish ahead of Calvin Booth.
Rutgers - Toughest one yet. They haven't been in the Big Ten very long and were terrible until the past couple of years. I'm going with Corey Sanders. He wasn't the best player in the world but he was a scorer who was fun to watch.
Wisconsin - Micheal Finley. I'd say he was the first good Wisconsin player to play on a good Wisconsin team in my memory. 3 straight 20 ppg seasons at Wisconsin before a good NBA career. Runner up here is Trevon Hughes. I have no idea why I like him so much but he always seemed smooth and probably played best whenever I happened to watch by some coincidence.
Illinois - Had to think awhile on this one. I kind of cheered for them when Bruce Weber was coaching and they had a run in 04-05 so I'm going with Deron Williams just from an appreciation of him playing at a very high level.
Indiana - Victor Oladipo. Came in under the radar and turned himself into a top pick in the NBA Draft. Never cocky from my recollection.
Iowa - Chris Street. Has to be top of the list for them. He's grown from an Iowa legend to a Big Ten legend.
Maryland - Juan Dixon. For some reason, I really loved it when he won a national title.
Michigan - Spike Albrecht. His title game performance made him Michigan legend and then he came and helped Purdue win a Big Ten title afterward.
Michigan State - This one is tough because I feel like the program has been scum under Izzo. Fortunately, I'm old enough to remember Shawn Respert. He was really good and I believe he is the all-time leading scorer in Big Ten games. On top of that, he had a rather remarkable story about playing through cancer as an NBA rookie and he somehow managed to do that without it becoming public until ten years later after his playing career was over. Talk about tough.
Minnesota - Not going to go back very far for this one. Daniel Oturu. For my money, the best player in the Big Ten last year. It's a good thing the conference won't experience this kid as an upperclassman.
Nebraska - Not a long history with them in the Big Ten. I was tempted to go back and select one of their NBA players that I was familiar with (Piatkowski or Lue) from back when I used to watch crappy basketball but I have almost no recollection of either from college. So I'm going with James Palmer Jr. as he was a memorable scorer in recent history. He finished in their top 20 scorers of all-time even though he only played 2 seasons.
Northwestern - Evan Eschmeyer. I think he played there 8 seasons so he's hard to forget.
Ohio State - Jay Burson. Kid was an amazing scorer for them in the late 80's before a freak basketball injury broke his neck to end his senior season. It's notable that he likely broke his neck in the first half of a game that he played most of the 2nd half in and ended up with 25 points. Never like to see a great player end his college career like that.
Penn State - Pete Lisicky. He was on that really good Penn State basketball team in 1996. 4th in the Big Ten all-time in 3-pointers made Shot like 47% in 1996. That's good enough for me to finish ahead of Calvin Booth.
Rutgers - Toughest one yet. They haven't been in the Big Ten very long and were terrible until the past couple of years. I'm going with Corey Sanders. He wasn't the best player in the world but he was a scorer who was fun to watch.
Wisconsin - Micheal Finley. I'd say he was the first good Wisconsin player to play on a good Wisconsin team in my memory. 3 straight 20 ppg seasons at Wisconsin before a good NBA career. Runner up here is Trevon Hughes. I have no idea why I like him so much but he always seemed smooth and probably played best whenever I happened to watch by some coincidence.
