HS Basketball Prodigy What Could Have Beens

[huskypantz]

The kid from Georgetown that had the samurai sword incident among others.

Kenny Brunner. Ended up with Tark in Fresno St.

 

[millertime7774]

Damon Bailey is a good one that hasn't been mentioned...
Don't recall Schea Cotton, Greg Oden, maybe?

Ranking the 20 Most Hyped High School Basketball Recruits in History

 

[uconnfan68]

You mentioned the Wilbur cross Trumbull game was 1974 The game was actually at the old New Haven Coliseum
Trumbull was an excellent team led by Dave Cox Very physically imposing team
Certainly a championship level team
The Wilbur cross team is considered the
Best hs team ever in ct and won98-65
To say the landscape of high school basketball has changedWould be quite an understatement
The majority of the best high school players move on to basketball Academy’s prep schools etc. and you can turn on your TV and see a high school team With eight or 10 Division I players
Trumbull had at least 3 scholarship level
Players and w cross had 3 very high level
Players and other scholarship players .All players from their town or city..Feel fortunate to have been able to see that game

You are probably correct on the site... was at many games at Yale before that and just confused.

 

[Zonepress]

You are right there were lots of great games at Yale’s Paine Whitney back in the day
The hill house versus boys hi Brooklyn in the 68-69 season Was truly memorable
The Q house tournament was played there for years in which the New Haven teams got to play primarily out of state competition Too many great games to mention LOL
The two games each season be tween Wilbur Cross in Hill House we’re played there for years
As an eight year old in 1960Got to see one of those games live with the incredible Dave Hicks at Wilbur Cross
That sparked my interest in going to hs bb games
As I’m talking about games almost 60 years ago I guess I’m really one of the oldguys LOL

 

[ColchVEGAS]

Bobby Moore from New Haven, I think he was the #1 ranked freshman in the country in high school and considered right there with Baron Davis. He was insanely quick and at 5'8 was put together and could explode to the hoop. He still probably had the best in game dunk I've seen in person, it was in a high school all-star game.

This is the other guy from CT I was picturing along with Roosevelt Lee, but the name was not coming to me. Hillhouse has had a bunch of guys over the years you could see something special in, but school and other things got in the way. Moore was definitely a notch above everybody he played with at the time.

 

[glastonbury50]

Doug wiggins comes to mind.

 

[Scoe]

Ronald Curry, solid football career though.

 

[Viet Vet]

You are right there were lots of great games at Yale’s Paine Whitney back in the day
The hill house versus boys hi Brooklyn in the 68-69 season Was truly memorable
The Q house tournament was played there for years in which the New Haven teams got to play primarily out of state competition Too many great games to mention LOL
The two games each season be tween Wilbur Cross in Hill House we’re played there for years
As an eight year old in 1960Got to see one of those games live with the incredible Dave Hicks at Wilbur Cross
That sparked my interest in going to hs bb games
As I’m talking about games almost 60 years ago I guess I’m really one of the oldguys LOL

Dave Hicks (then a Harlem Globetrotter) came to my New Haven prep school with Wilbur Cross and Coach Verderame, for a scrimmage. I had the distinct "pleasure" of TRYING to guard this legend of New England basketball.

Talk about a "man among boys"!

 

[superjohn]

This is the other guy from CT I was picturing along with Roosevelt Lee, but the name was not coming to me. Hillhouse has had a bunch of guys over the years you could see something special in, but school and other things got in the way. Moore was definitely a notch above everybody he played with at the time.

There's really a lot of kids over the years from CT. who wasted their talent. Roosevelt Lee absolutely had the talent to be an NBA player and he never even left New Britain, it's sad.

 

[StllH8L8ner]

Damon Bailey is a good one that hasn't been mentioned...
Don't recall Schea Cotton, Greg Oden, maybe?

Ranking the 20 Most Hyped High School Basketball Recruits in History

Agree with Bailey. I remember hearing a story about Bobby Knight telling his players they could all be replaced by an 8th grader he had just gone to watch. He was talking about Bailey. Tough for anyone to live up to that hype but he actually did have a decent college career.

 

[Citrusdog]

Lenny Cooke... that was such a downer. Better than MJ - if I remember. Wow.

 

[my2cents]

Used to see Walt luckett at the gym years ago great guy. Was fortunate to see the Kobe /Notre dame game with Frank olenik
Who went on to play with Seattle in the nba

It would be nice to see that level of play
In hs again!

I was at that game too. Barry Mcloud ran with Olenik at ND. Luckett fits the OP perfectly.

 

[Zonepress]

Yes Barry mccloud. I believe he scored on a three point play at the very end of the game
And Notre Dame won by a point
Not sure if he still coaching but was really successful at Bridgeport Central Inc. want to state championship at least once

 

[Zonepress]

Barry mcloud. Great hs player. Made
3 point play at the end for nd one point win
Excellent hs coach @bpt central. Won a state championship a few years ago

 

[huskiesNhoos]

A few guys that are still young in the league that I thought of...

Andrew wiggins
Marvin bagley
Thon maker

Wiggins has probably done enough to not totally be considered in the group (somehow has a max contract) but all were considered the "greatest hs prospect since lebron" at one point. Probably throw in half of kentucky's players over the last decade too, but the ones that would be in the 'prodigy' grouping have done well (davis) just the rest of the 'normal' 5*s have been hit or miss

 

[ju6381]

Korleone Young and JaRon Rush.

 

[Ratso]

First name that came to my mind

He was basically LeBron in HS. Not so much in college or the

First name that came to my mind

He was basically LeBron in HS. Not so much in college or the pros.

every other yr, my wife brings up “who was that guy you always talked about who should’ve been...”

 

[weo777]

I was at that game too. Barry Mcloud ran with Olenik at ND. Luckett fits the OP perfectly.

that was my heyday and while playing for Harding went against Luckett, McCloud, Oleynik, Rich Semo from Cenral, Harrison Taylor Bassick and Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons who could shoot the lights out. One guy who always amazed me and me be totally unknown was Raymond "Poodgie"Andrade...he was magical and went from school in Bpt usually flunking out or suspended but he played with an Earl the Pearl flair

Just another fwiw theres a book about the 70s MBIAC basketball and its stars written by an SI writer who was local Pat Jordan ,myself and others are in it in an implied manner.

THREE HOPEFULS REACHED FOR THE STARS BUT FAILED TO MAKE THE CUT

Pat Jordan's Chase the Game (Dodd, Mead, $8.95) is a splendid book that is a good deal more than at first it seems to be. It is the true story of three young

vault.si.com

 

[my2cents]

that was my heyday and while playing for Harding went against Luckett, McCloud, Oleynik, Rich Semo from Cenral, Harrison Taylor Bassick and Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons who could shoot the lights out. One guy who always amazed me and me be totally unknown was Raymond "Poodgie"Andrade...he was magical and went from school in Bpt usually flunking out or suspended but he played with an Earl the Pearl flair

Just another fwiw theres a book about the 70s MBIAC basketball and its stars written by an SI writer who was local Pat Jordan ,myself and others are in it in an implied manner.

THREE HOPEFULS REACHED FOR THE STARS BUT FAILED TO MAKE THE CUT

Pat Jordan's Chase the Game (Dodd, Mead, $8.95) is a splendid book that is a good deal more than at first it seems to be. It is the true story of three young

vault.si.com

I was Prep in those days and the MBIAC was quite a league then.

that was my heyday and while playing for Harding went against Luckett, McCloud, Oleynik, Rich Semo from Cenral, Harrison Taylor Bassick and Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons who could shoot the lights out. One guy who always amazed me and me be totally unknown was Raymond "Poodgie"Andrade...he was magical and went from school in Bpt usually flunking out or suspended but he played with an Earl the Pearl flair

Just another fwiw theres a book about the 70s MBIAC basketball and its stars written by an SI writer who was local Pat Jordan ,myself and others are in it in an implied manner.

THREE HOPEFULS REACHED FOR THE STARS BUT FAILED TO MAKE THE CUT

Pat Jordan's Chase the Game (Dodd, Mead, $8.95) is a splendid book that is a good deal more than at first it seems to be. It is the true story of three young

vault.si.com

The good old MBIAC days. I went to Prep and we got our asses kicked. We all knew Pat Jordan , the ex pro baseball player, who wrote a lot of good stuff. Thanks for the tip, will check it out.

 

[ju6381]

It may have already been said but Sebastian Telfair.

 

[uconnfan68]

You are right there were lots of great games at Yale’s Paine Whitney back in the day
The hill house versus boys hi Brooklyn in the 68-69 season Was truly memorable
The Q house tournament was played there for years in which the New Haven teams got to play primarily out of state competition Too many great games to mention LOL
The two games each season be tween Wilbur Cross in Hill House we’re played there for years
As an eight year old in 1960Got to see one of those games live with the incredible Dave Hicks at Wilbur Cross
That sparked my interest in going to hs bb games
As I’m talking about games almost 60 years ago I guess I’m really one of the oldguys LOL

I remember watching Hillhouse vs. Cross on ch8 on a Saturday morning. Early 60s... Wardlaw, Esdaile, Chapman, Gray, DiProto...

 

[RichZ]

Used to see Walt luckett at the gym years ago great guy. Was fortunate to see the Kobe /Notre dame game with Frank olenik
Who went on to play with Seattle in the nba

It would be nice to see that level of play
In hs again!

Back when you couldn't walk down a street in briddgeport without bumping into a great basketball player. Walter was an amazing outside shooter, with all the other necessary skills, too. There was a career destroyed by an injury before it even started.
Ed Czernota was another outstanding Bridgeport kid.

 

[RichZ]

Anthony Harris. The best CT player I've ever seen. Things came too easy for him and he never achieved greatness. I thought he was a sure NBA player.

He was EJ Harrison's uncle.

 

[RichZ]

that was my heyday and while playing for Harding went against Luckett, McCloud, Oleynik, Rich Semo from Cenral, Harrison Taylor Bassick and Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons who could shoot the lights out. One guy who always amazed me and me be totally unknown was Raymond "Poodgie"Andrade...he was magical and went from school in Bpt usually flunking out or suspended but he played with an Earl the Pearl flair

Just another fwiw theres a book about the 70s MBIAC basketball and its stars written by an SI writer who was local Pat Jordan ,myself and others are in it in an implied manner.

THREE HOPEFULS REACHED FOR THE STARS BUT FAILED TO MAKE THE CUT

Pat Jordan's Chase the Game (Dodd, Mead, $8.95) is a splendid book that is a good deal more than at first it seems to be. It is the true story of three young

vault.si.com

I'm a bit older, but continued to follow MBIAC hoops through the glory years. Unfortunately, as the brain ages, the details of timing and order get fuzzy, even though I can still mentally picture the guys and their particular skills. There was one kid at Harding that just blew my mind, Phil Murphy. Offensive rebound machine in the mold of Marcus White and Johnnytime, but he was only like 5-10, if memory serves.

 

[Lefty2one]

Korleone Young is a name I'd long forgotten. He was hyped up in the late 90s.
Jonathan Bender too but his knees failed him.
Ndudi Ebi was reasonably hyped up.