One of the great things about college basketball is the outstanding players who, for some reason, wind up at a small school and make a name for themselves. Players like this rise from obscurity and do something memorable by leading an upset against one of basketball powerhouses in the NCAA's or going on to have a solid NBA career despite being overlooked by the major colleges.
Nicknames also stick out in my mind, so I thought I'd come with a list of the top 5 college basketball nicknames for players from small, lesser known schools:
5. Harold "The Show" Arceneaux - Weber State - He lit up North Carolina in the NCAA tournament for 38 points and followed it up with a 30 point performance in a loss. A great shooter.
4. Craig "Speedy" Claxton - Hofstra - Probably Hofstra's all time best player, he has stayed around the NBA for a decade.
3. Lionel "L-Train" Simmons - LaSalle - Enjoyed record breaking success in college, was a first round draft choice, and was in the NBA for 7 years before he retired due to injuries
2. Alfredrick "The Great" Hughes - Loyola of Chicago - He was an unbelievable scorer from a tiny Jesuit school in Chicago. They advanced to the Sweet Sixteen before getting bounced by a great Georgetown team.
1. Earl "Jesus" or "The Pearl" Monroe (pick one) - Winston-Salem State - He averaged 40 points a game his senior year and went on to be one of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time. Not bad for a Division II guy.
Interesting post. I'm too young to remember L-Train Jesus, or Alfrederick the Great, but those are great nicknames.
ReplyDeleteMy personal favorite is Alfredrick The Great, but he didn't last in the NBA, so I gave number one toEarl Monroe. I'm so old I remember Georgetown beating Loyola in 1985.
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