Big East schools with best all-time pros

[RuffRuff]

I feel like when it comes to NBA alum quality and evaluations you have to tier the buckets with a large gap between iconic players and the rest as their brand value is deep. The value of iconic players is exponential to just good starters. When down at the UT game this year their shops were littered with Durant merch. It made me realize how even one iconic NBA player, even if with your program for only a year, can be the core to marketing. Look at Cuse with Melo.

Gtown effectively has 3-4 of those. UConn really only has one (Ray). I’d put Marquette firmly ahead of us with DWade and Butler for the same reason. It’s why that Gtown program getting good is really important for the BE - they’re the OG of college bad boys, and has the right coach for that brand.

 

[superjohn]

I feel like when it comes to NBA alum quality and evaluations you have to tier the buckets with a large gap between iconic players and the rest as their brand value is deep. The value of iconic players is exponential to just good starters. When down at the UT game this year their shops were littered with Durant merch. It made me realize how even one iconic NBA player, even if with your program for only a year, can be the core to marketing. Look at Cuse with Melo.

Gtown effectively has 3-4 of those. UConn really only has one (Ray). I’d put Marquette firmly ahead of us with DWade and Butler for the same reason. It’s why that Gtown program getting good is really important for the BE - they’re the OG of college bad boys, and has the right coach for that brand.

It's wild Notre Dame is on that list with only one final 4 to show for it and it was 45 years ago.

 

[J187Money]

ND 10th on that list surprises me.

 

[TheRealKBuks]

Kemba has no chance at the Hall of Fame unfortunately, Lowry is probable.

That's where UConn gets dinged. Ray is our only Hall of Famer and there's nobody on the horizon. It will have to be from players starting with the Castle Clingan class and the players we put in the NBA going forward.

I think Kemba has a shot only because it is the "Basketball Hall of Fame" and not the NBA hall of fame. A long shot...but a shot

edit: a very very very long shot, but above 0%

 

[Matt1010]

Drummond has had a great career, but he also got pretty unlucky with the evolution of NBA big men. If he played in the 90s/early 2000s he'd be viewed and valued a lot differently.

 

[Dogdeacon]

Drummond has had a great career, but he also got pretty unlucky with the evolution of NBA big men. If he played in the 90s/early 2000s he'd be viewed and valued a lot differently.

Yes & no, I can’t think of one meaningful playoff moment in AD’s career. Contrast that with Cliffy who was in the playoffs nearly every year, impact is greater. Drummond’s lack of playoffs kinda reinforces opinions that his gave wasn’t effective whether that’s fair or not. I’d say good career and a ‘but’ is coming in most discussions.

 

[storrsroars]

I feel like when it comes to NBA alum quality and evaluations you have to tier the buckets with a large gap between iconic players and the rest as their brand value is deep. The value of iconic players is exponential to just good starters. When down at the UT game this year their shops were littered with Durant merch. It made me realize how even one iconic NBA player, even if with your program for only a year, can be the core to marketing. Look at Cuse with Melo.

Gtown effectively has 3-4 of those. UConn really only has one (Ray). I’d put Marquette firmly ahead of us with DWade and Butler for the same reason. It’s why that Gtown program getting good is really important for the BE - they’re the OG of college bad boys, and has the right coach for that brand.

Can't really give these rankings w/o looking up a ton more schools, but here's a list of combined NBA/ABA guys from current and former BE schools. (Note that the Twitter chart is only NBA. Bask-Ref only shows both NBA&ABA, so Notre Dame would be 63, not 58, and all the other schools on that chart would add a few more guys).

St. John's 58
Villavova 56
Georgetown 49
Marquette 48
UConn 47
DePaul 39
Providence 31
Seton Hall 31
Xavier 24
Creighton 19
Butler 7

Former cohorts:
Syracuse 56
Temple 35
BC 29
Pitt 26
Miami 19
VaTech 17
Rutty 16

Just for fun, only 7 UConn guys made it to the NBA prior to JC. Nine more made the jump in the 90s. 11 made it in the 00s. 10 made it in the 10s. 10 have already made it in the 20s, and we're only halfway through the decade, which is kind of amazing.

 

[Matt1010]

Yes & no, I can’t think of one meaningful playoff moment in AD’s career. Contrast that with Cliffy who was in the playoffs nearly every year, impact is greater. Drummond’s lack of playoffs kinda reinforces opinions that his gave wasn’t effective whether that’s fair or not. I’d say good career and a ‘but’ is coming in most discussions.

Well he got stuck with the Pistons in the peak of his career. They haven't had a season with over 23 games in the 4 years since Drummond left and won 27/30/25 in the few before he arrived.