So, this guy lists his top 40 KSU basketball players...

[Ghost of Stan Parrish]

Because I felt like wasting a bit of time, upon no popular demand whatsoever: here’s my list of the 40 top KSU players, broken down by position.

My starting 5 is: Pullen, Richmond, Rolando, Boozer and Beasley.

I've little doubt Angel Rodriguez will be on this list by the time he’s done, but McGruder is the only active player in my top 40 now.  Even so, I'm sure there's a bit of "recency bias" here, especially further down the position lists... but anyway, enjoy!


POINT GUARD
1. Jacob Pullen (00s)
School's all-time leading scorer
Key Stats: #1 all-time points, #2 all-time assists
Accolades: Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award, 2x All-Conference
Post-KSU: Euroballer

2. Lon Kruger (70s)
The Player Of The Year
Key Stat: #18 all-time points (assists not kept during his era)
Accolades: Conf. Newcomer of the Year 1972, Conference POY 1973, Conference POY 1974
Post-KSU: NBA drafted; did not play

3. Steve Henson (80s)
He's not popular on this board, but he was good
Key Stats: #1 all-time assists, #6 all-time points
Accolades: All-Conference
Post-KSU: NBA drafted, 238 games played

4. Denis Clemente (00s)
Fastest player in KSU history?
Key Stats: #10 all-time assists, #15 all-time points
Accolades: Conf. Newcomer of Year
Post-KSU: Euroballer

5. Tyrone Adams (70s)  EDIT: not a pg, my mistake...
Overlooked player
Key Stats: #4 all-time assists, #12 all-time points
Accolades: --
Post-KSU: NBA drafted; did not play

6. Anthony Beane (90s)
Key Stat: #6 all-time assists
Accolades: Conf. Newcomer of Year
Post-KSU: --

7. Elliot Hatcher (90s)
Key Stat: led KSU in scoring & assists for 2 seasons
Accolades: --
Post-KSU: Euroballer

8. Marcus Ziegler (90s)
Key Stat: #1 career assist/TO ratio ... by far
Accolades: --
Post-KSU: --


SHOOTING GUARD
1. Mitch Richmond (80s)
Best NBA player in school history
Key Stat: #4 career ppg
Accolades: 2d team AA, All-Conference
Post-KSU: NBA 1st round draft pick, NBA ROY, 6x NBA All-Star, NBA All-Star MVP, 20K+ NBA points

2. Mike Evans
”Purple Popgun” #1 (70s)
Key Stats: #2 all-time points (pre-3 point line: 890 buckets scored v. 653 buckets for Pullen  )
Accolades: Conference POY 1977, Conference POY 1978, 3x All-Conference
Post-KSU: NBA 1st round draft pick, 4K+ NBA points

3. Chuckie Williams (70s)
”Purple Popgun” #2
Key Stats: #8 all-time points, #9 career ppg
Accolades: 2d team AA, 2x All-Conference
Post-KSU: NBA 1st round draft pick

4. Ernie Barrett (50s)
Mr. K-State ‘n stuff
Key Stat: led Final Four team in scoring
Accolades: 2d team AA
Post-KSU: NBA 1st round draft pick

5. Howie Shannon (40s)
#1 in the NBA draft, #5 on this list
Key Stat: led Final Four team in scoring
Accolades: All-Conference
Post-KSU: NBA overall #1 pick

6. Jean Derouillere (90s)
The “Pippen” to Ski Jones’ “Jordan”
Key Stat: #8 career ppg
Accolades: Conf. Newcomer of Year
Post-KSU: CBA

7. Will Scott (80s)
Raining 3-pointers
Key Stat: #1 career 3pt% (51.3%) – only player to hit over half in school history
Accolades: --
Post-KSU: --

8. Ayome “Paco” May (90s)
illness hurt his career
Key Stat: #25 all-time points
Accolades: Freshman All-American
Post-KSU: --

9. F. I. Reynolds
Was the school's first All-American (1917), so he must have been good
Key Stat: one of only 3 consensus All-Americans in KSU history
Accolades: All-American 1917
Post-KSU: keeping things quiet on the Western Front?



SMALL FORWARD
1. Rolando Blackman (80s)
Sports Illustrated cover boy
Key Stat: #3 all-time points
Accolades: Conference POY 1980, 3x All-Conference
Post-KSU: NBA 1st round draft pick, 4x NBA All-Star, 17K+ NBA points

2. Willie Murrell (60s)
Led KSU to its most recent Final Four
Key Stats: #5 career ppg, #6 career double-doubles
Accolades: 2x All-Conference
Post-KSU: NBA drafted; 3 seasons in ABA

3. Askia Jones (90s)
Ski Lift
Key Stat: #4 all-time points
Accolades: --
Post-KSU: NBA cup of tea; Euroballer

4. Bill Walker (00s)
Damn those weak knees…
Key Stat: two 30-point games for KSU
Accolades: Freshman All-American
Post-KSU: NBA drafted, 157 games played

5. Cartier Martin (00s)
Key Stat: #7 all-time points
Accolades: Conf. 6th Man of Year
Post-KSU: NBA undrafted, but 143 games played ... and counting

6. Rodney McGruder
Can move up if he gets consistent!
Key Stat: top 20 all-time points
Accolades: --
Post-KSU: ???

7. Curtis Redding (70s)
Hot Dog
Key Stat: #7 career ppg
Accolades: Conf. Newcomer of Year
Post-KSU: transferred to St. Johns, drafted



POWER FORWARD
1. Bob Boozer (50s)
Two-time All-American
Key Stats: #2 career ppg, #4 career rebs.
Accolades: All-American 1958, All-American 1959, Conference POY 1958, Conference POY 1959
Post-KSU: NBA #1 overall pick, NBA All-Star, 13K NBA points

2. Norris “Sarge” Coleman (80s)
Stayed loyal to KSU when NCAA encouraged him to leave
Key Stats: #3 career ppg, #10 career rpg
Accolades: 2x All-Conference
Post-KSU: NBA drafted, Euroballer

3. Jamar Samuels (00s)
I’m surprised he’s at #3 on my list…
Key Stats: #11 all-time points, #6 all-time rebs, #7 all-time blocks
Accolades: Conf. 6th Man of Year
Post-KSU: Euroballer

4. Lew Hitch (50s)
Key Stat: Led Final Four team in rebouding
Accolades: --
Post-KSU: NBA drafted, 414 games played

5. Jeremiah Massey (00s)
Key Stat: #10 career ppg
Accolades: --
Post-KSU: Euroleague “Most Spectacular Player”

6. Manny Dies (90s)
The Collegian’s biggest fan
Key Stats: #2 all-time blocks, #17 all-time rebs
Accolades: --
Post-KSU: Euroballer

7. David Hoskins (00s)
Key Stat: #25 points in a season
Accolades: --
Post-KSU: --

8. Fred McCoy (80s)
Fat Fred might be on this list mostly because he's a personal fave
Key Stat: #50 all-time points
Accolades: --
Post-KSU: --



CENTER
1. Mike Beasley (00s)
What if he stayed four years!
Key Stats: #1 career ppg, #1 season rebounding
Accolades: All-American 2008, Conference POY 2008
Post-KSU: NBA 1st round draft pick, 4K+ NBA points

2. Jack Parr (50s)
Wanted to win to an unhealthy level, frankly
Key Stats: #1 career rpg, #3 all-time double-doubles
Accolades: 3x All-Conference
Post-KSU: NBA drafted, 66 games played

3. Ed Nealy (80s)
Immovable object
Key Stats: #1 all-time rebs, #10 all-time points, #9 all-time assists
Accolades: All-Conference
Post-KSU: NBA drafted, 540 games played

4. Dick Knostman (50s)
Key Stats: #3 career ppg, #5 all-time rebs
Accolades: 2d team AA, 2x All-Conference
Post-KSU: NBA drafted, 5 games played

5. David Hall (70s)
Key Stats: #3 all-time rebs, #4 all-time double-doubles
Accolades: All-Conference
Post-KSU: NBA drafted; did not play

6. Steve Mitchell (70s)
Key Stats: #7 all-time rebs, #17 all-time points
Accolades: --
Post-KSU: NBA drafted; did not play

7. Curt Kelly (00s)
Key Stats: #4 career fg%, #4 all-time blocks
Accolades: --
Post-KSU: Euroballer

8. Deryl Cunningham (90s)
McDonald’s All-American
Key Stat: #8 all-time rebs
Accolades: --
Post-KSU: CBA, Euroballer

[puniraptor]

Why only 40?

[Cartierfor3]

Who would coach it?

[bones129]

Who would coach it?

Tex or Hartman.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[Ghost of Stan Parrish]

Why only 40?

Just worked out that way.  I didn't feel like wasting the amount of time it would take to get to 50.

[DQ12]

very cool GoSP.

[Ghost of Stan Parrish]

Who would coach it?

Tex or Hartman.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

I'm on a break from all coaching debates right now...

[MakeItRain]

Nice work, Massey and CK are vastly underrated

[EMAWzified]

Nealy never played center. We was always at power forward.
Probably won't be popular here, but Evans > Pullen.
That list of shooting guards is just sad. Although Blackman should be on it (and probably Evans and Pullen, too). Blackman started at guard. Adams at small forward  That idiot loses all credibility putting Adams on the point guard list. He should be listed among the small forward, probably just before or after Redding.
 

[MakeItRain]

That idiot loses all credibility putting Adams on the point guard list. He should be listed among the small forward, probably just before or after Redding.

 
 

[EMAWzified]

I'm sorry, thought Stan was posting someone's else list. Don't mean to be that argumentative. Jankovich and Marshall were points guards for the Blackman/Adams/Nealy teams. And some Brazilian guy who had an identical name and game to some later Brazilian guy.

[Ghost of Stan Parrish]

Nealy never played center. We was always at power forward.
Probably won't be popular here, but Evans > Pullen.
That list of shooting guards is just sad. Although Blackman should be on it (and probably Evans and Pullen, too). Blackman started at guard. Adams at small forward  That idiot loses all credibility putting Adams on the point guard list. He should be listed among the small forward, probably just before or after Redding.

Ouch man!  I did move some guys around from the position they started at for KSU.  Richmond was listed at the 3.  I know Ro was listed at the 2.  But some of that had to do with the personnel they were playing with.  But Adams I just whiffed on completely.   

I'm sorry, thought Stan was posting someone's else list. Don't mean to be that argumentative. Jankovich and Marshall were points guards for the Blackman/Adams/Nealy teams. And some Brazilian guy who had an identical name and game to some later Brazilian guy.

Ed-weirdo Galvo I believe.  Do I get cred restored for knowing that?   

[EMAWzified]

Point guards worth consideration. Wheeler Hughes, who played on Cotton Fitzsimmons' Big-12 championship team, and Louie Small who played for Tex. Small was a juco recruit K-State and KU were after. It was said the recruiting winner would win the Big 8. K-State did and did. But he wasn't around for his senior year -- don't know exactly what happened. Another one and had to leave town was Lakeefe Humphrey who would probably be on any top-5 list had it not been for the underage sex thing.

[Ghost of Stan Parrish]

Point guards worth consideration. Wheeler Hughes, who played on Cotton Fitzsimmons' Big-12 championship team, and Louie Small who played for Tex. Small was a juco recruit K-State and KU were after. It was said the recruiting winner would win the Big 8. K-State did and did. But he wasn't around for his senior year -- don't know exactly what happened. Another one and had to leave town was Lakeefe Humphrey who would probably be on any top-5 list had it not been for the underage sex thing.

Good stuff.  I saw Lakeith play and would've put him on the list if he had stuck around.

[_33]

Point guards worth consideration. Wheeler Hughes, who played on Cotton Fitzsimmons' Big-12 championship team, and Louie Small who played for Tex. Small was a juco recruit K-State and KU were after. It was said the recruiting winner would win the Big 8. K-State did and did. But he wasn't around for his senior year -- don't know exactly what happened. Another one and had to leave town was Lakeefe Humphrey who would probably be on any top-5 list had it not been for the underage sex thing.

When I'm super old I'm going to mention Fred Peete in a post like this and no one will know what I'm talking about either.   

[kso_FAN]

Point guards worth consideration. Wheeler Hughes, who played on Cotton Fitzsimmons' Big-12 championship team, and Louie Small who played for Tex. Small was a juco recruit K-State and KU were after. It was said the recruiting winner would win the Big 8. K-State did and did. But he wasn't around for his senior year -- don't know exactly what happened. Another one and had to leave town was Lakeefe Humphrey who would probably be on any top-5 list had it not been for the underage sex thing.

When I'm super old I'm going to mention Fred Peete in a post like this and no one will know what I'm talking about either.   

I'll never forget Casper. Never.

[steve dave]

lol, fthis denis hating list (love you GOSP, just telling you that your list is an idiot)

[Winters]

Larry Reid was the man

[cas4ksu]

I thought Massey was a better player than JamSam. Fun list though.

[yosh]

I thought Massey was a better player than JamSam. Fun list though.

Yeah, Samuels is too high on that list.

[WillieWatanabe]

good job GOSP. i enjoyed reading that.

[wetwillie]

Now rank those 40 overall, the top 5 will tell me everything I need to know.

[kim carnes]

Larry Reid was the man

[Cartierfor3]

I thought Massey was a better player than JamSam. Fun list though.

Is this like at their peak or overall?  Because I think JamSam is higher because he's a 4 year player. 

[steve dave]

Curtis Kelly should be higher imo