Great Players that Never Made it

[J.J.]

Over the years I have been tuned into basketball I have seen many greats. Rather it was live, on TV, in a gym or played against - I have seen my share. There are many that I was sure were going to be the next best thing in the NBA. Some did, some didn't.

I'm quite bored today, kids are entertained by their electronic gifts and I've retired to my man cave for the day. While many will always say Len Bias is arguably the greatest to never make it onto an NBA court - I argue Earl Manigault. But in this topic I wanted to emphasize on a player I thought was a force and that's Hank Gathers.

Hank Gathers was a transfer from University of Southern California to Loyola. A rebounding machine I once saw dominate Shaq - mind you Gathers gave up 5-6 inches to Shaq. Although Loyola lost he brought a lot of attention to the program. Countless 20+ point games many 20+ rebounds. In 1989 he lead the NCAA in points and rebound an extremely rare feat.

Unfortunately he was victim of a heart condition that caused him to collapse on the court nearly 26 years ago in a conference tournament game. Upon being taken to the hospital he passed away at the age of 23. Since then I have seen no player that played so well under the basket of his caliber and I am almost certain he would have been a star where ever he went had he made it to the NBA.

He was an all-American and him and Bo Kimble were arguably two of the best teammates I ever saw play together. After he passed, Loyola went to the NCAA tournament and made a Cinderella run which ended in the Elite 8. One can only wonder had Gathers been apart of that team would they have won the national championship in 1990?

Who are some great players you all know that were outstanding in College but either never made it to the NBA or were NBA bust?

Honorable Mention: Bobby Hurley, PG Duke.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Jay Williams maybe another good example. His motor cycle accident after being a number 2 (?) pick was devastating for a career that never really got started.

As far as Gathers goes, like any of these guys it is hard to say what they would have been. Gathers played in a fun upbeat system that lended itself to producing big stats and not necessarily a great player.

What was Manigault end story? I know he was a park legend but beyond that game that is very different from professional basketball what organized play did he have that made it clear that he could succeed as a pro?

That Russian center that played for Portland when he was 100 years old, Danny Manning, and that Lithuanian New Jersey guy who died in a car accident are some others I could add to that list.

How about Jordan if he didn't get secretly suspended and played baseball for a while?

Bobby Hurley can go to hell for leaving UB this year after taking their program to new heights. That man only belongs in lists with Hitler and Kylo Ren.

 

[J.J.]

I think Manigault had played some College ball somewhere down here in the south. He played against a lot of future NBA hall of famers. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar once referenced him as the best player he ever played against. I believe he died sometime in the late 90s.

I see Jay Williams are summer basketball camps. He plays good in short burst, he'll settle for a jumper now. Think twice before he drives in. I'm anxious to play him in February.

Gathers biggest strengths was his ability to run the court and rebound. I've seen no offense ran on that level at such great success since. 10 seconds inbounds they're scoring - primarily from the perimeter.

Hah no comment on Jordan's suspension.

Bobby Hurley is undeniably one of the best collegiate Point Guards I saw in my lifetime.

 

[SSJPhenom]

I have to go with someone who is relatively fresh in our memories and who is actually in the NBA right now but they aren't amounting to a damn thing. That person is Tyler Hansbrough.

Hansbrough was a hell of a college player. He averaged 18.9 ppg in his freshman season, 18.8 ppg and 8.0 rebounds his sophomore season, 22.6 ppg in his junior season (which was the most for a UNC player since the 1969-70 season), and 21.1 ppg in his senior season. He was an Mcdonald's All American, ACC Rookie of the Year (2006), 4x First Team All ACC, ACC Player of the Year (2008), Consensus Second-Team All American (2006), 3x Consensus First-Team All American, National College Player of the Year (2008), and led UNC to the NCAA Championship in 2009. Few people have the kind of college career that Hansbrough had, however, for what ever reason it didn't translate to the NBA. I thought that he was going to be one of the best PFs since Tim Duncan, but boy was I wrong. He hasn't even come close to being as good as he was in college.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Although Connie Hawkins made it to the NBA and played several years, his biography ('Foul') plus grainy footage seen on ESPN Classic makes me think fans missed out on the greatest years of his career which, due to being sucked into the basketball scandal of 1961, were spent with inferior organizations in the American Basketball League, Harlem Globetrotters and American Basketball Association.

With the ABA, a devastating knee injury caused his performance to suffer for the rest of his time in pro ball. But his huge hands, deft ball-handling, natural grace and leaping ability would have taken the NBA by storm had he gotten there a few years earlier.