OT: Soup Campbell

[uconnfan68]

Too old for even me but many people say that Johnny Eagan was the best player from Connecticut.

Soup was a wonderful gentleman, my he RIP

Egan was huge talent. Weaver was New England champs. Wish they still had that...

 

[G0UCONN]

Was it Josh Farrell that played at Colgate?

Yes.

 

[swami7774]

Soup played for the New Haven USBL team in ‘85. His family would wave a giant Campbell’s Soup blanket in the stands
Butch Graves (from Yale) played on that team. Always liked his game. I think he’s a big time publisher now.

 

[mauconnfan]

We beat Hofstra with an epic comeback in Round 1, then got run out of the gym by the then-undefeated Rutgers Scarlet Knights(who went on to the Final 4 that season).

The Flying Dutchmen at the time. I remember that game well, thought our guys would have a chance vs Rutgers but they were just too strong and still unbeaten.

I believe we won the ECAC's at PCC vs URI in the finals that year with Sly and the kid Nelson from Hall High? Jeff Carr had a great game if I do recall correctly and Abro, Lavigne and Whelton also were good. Remember celebrating in the streets with some champagne and handing it to Toner who took a sip!

 

[swami7774]

The Flying Dutchmen at the time. I remember that game well, thought our guys would have a chance vs Rutgers but they were just too strong and still unbeaten.

I believe we won the ECAC's at PCC vs URI in the finals that year with Sly and the kid Nelson from Hall High? Jeff Carr had a great game if I do recall correctly and Abro, Lavigne and Whelton also were good. Remember celebrating in the streets with some champagne and handing it to Toner who took a sip!

Right on all counts, Brother Mau. John Nelson would go on to miss an open 15-footer that would have beaten Dook in the first round 2 years later. Dook went to the final round and lost to Kentucky.
The Flying Dutchmen had a guy named Rich Laurel who was pretty good.

 

[alphasigko]

How on earth could us old timers forget Calvin Murphy. OMG!!!!!!! Now I am going to say, not even close.

I saw Calvin play in Danbury. He was totally amazing. The Hatters were thrilled to hold him under 40 that evening! I also saw Dean Memminger play in a HS tourney at the Danbury War Memorial gym. Another stellar HS player in those days.

 

[UConn 77]

Great player. 6-9 and could really move. Dissed UConn to play at Providence. Then we bounced his 1976 Friar team out of the NCAA (by beating them in the ECAC final) and we went to the Sweet Sixteen behind Joey Welton, Al Weston and Tony Hanson. We recruited Soup hard. We would have ben really good if he came. RIP.

I was a senior at Hamden High in 1972 and our team started that season 5-0. Cross came in and Soup and Jiggy laid a memorable beat down on us. I was at the ECAC game In Providence. Other than us keeping Sonar Hassett in check, the other thing I remember is the cheap shot on Whelton by that punk Steve Strother.

 

[CTFIRERETIRED]

Love the old commentw here. Soup was a great player for the Friars. Smooth. Point forward before the term was even invented. As to even connsidering UC.? That was a pipe dream. As we all know any talent from Connecticut high schools never considered Storrs. UCONN was in the last few years of the Yankee Conference, and the early stages of the ECAC. In other words....................Not good enough. Players like Soup, Sly, Super John, Jiggy, John Garris, et.al. barely gave UC a sniff. It was more exciting to play for PC, URI, HC, BC, The Cuse, UCLA, etc. I recall seeing Soup at the 1974 or 75 NIT. His game was so different. Never thought a 6-9 player could handle the ball, and shoot from the outside like he did. HIs play even predated Magic Johnson. Yup, sad day. RIP Soup.

 

[cohenzone]

How on earth could us old timers forget Calvin Murphy. OMG!!!!!!! Now I am going to say, not even close.

Although this thread is basically about the best player we witnessed, I’d vote for Murphy even though I never saw him play in hs, as the best ever. Ditto I never saw Corny Thompson in hs.

Best one I saw in person was SuperJohn. I go way back. Eddie Griffin out of Hartford Public was a great hs guard and a terrific running back. Killed my Weaver team. We had some pretty fair players too, John Egan being number one. He went to Providence too, but I’ve heard he had an admissions issue at UConn, don’t know if that was just UConn fan jealousy. Fun thread.

 

[Palatine]

I was a senior at Hamden High in 1972 and our team started that season 5-0. Cross came in and Soup and Jiggy laid a memorable beat down on us. I was at the ECAC game In Providence. Other than us keeping Sonar Hassett in check, the other thing I remember is the cheap shot on Whelton by that punk Steve Strother.

The game where Whelton got cheap shoted and we beat Soup was in the Springfield Civic Center in '76. I checked my last synapse for that piece of trivia.

 

[G0UCONN]

Corny and his Middletown team never lost a game in 4 years....

That is unreal.

 

[G0UCONN]

Great players mentioned already but some honorable mention:

Charles Smith
John Bagley
Michael Adams
Kris Dunn
Harold Pressley

Undersized but that is a solid NBA team right there....

 

[gtcam]

We beat Hofstra with an epic comeback in Round 1, then got run out of the gym by the then-undefeated Rutgers Scarlet Knights(who went on to the Final 4 that season).

Was at that Hofstra game with my Dad - remember it well

I lived in New Haven in 1973-1978. I had a friend who played HS ball in the old CVC (I'm a Rockville HS and he was from a neighboring town) who played at SCSU and was a very good player. In the summers, he used to go down to the New Haven courts and play ball with Soup and the guys - While my friend held his own, Soup used to kill it. John Thomas from UConn used to come down sometimes and play - what a rebounding machine!!! Al Weston, Willie Lenon, Ernie Cobb, Jimmy Abro, Johnny DeLagrange, Jimmy Williamson, Micky Heard - those are some of the guys I remember playing on and off - Quite some battles and everything was a foul!

 

[Mr. French]

That's because now if they're that good they have no loyalty to their home town and head to a "Catholic" school or Prep. It will never be like that again, those were the days as they say.

Heyyyy easy on the “Catholic” leagues ... not that I care much ab the CT ones but over here that’s a civil war conflict, catholic v. public

 

[swami7774]

I was a senior at Hamden High in 1972 and our team started that season 5-0. Cross came in and Soup and Jiggy laid a memorable beat down on us. I was at the ECAC game In Providence. Other than us keeping Sonar Hassett in check, the other thing I remember is the cheap shot on Whelton by that punk Steve Strother.

Strother was a Boston playground legend(if I’m thinking of the right guy).

 

[alphasigko]

Ulysses played at NW Catholic

Did he play with Doug Melody at NW? Doug was the starting point guard at UConn in the '70, '71 and '72 seasons. His specialty was dribbling the ball when the four-corners offense was still legal, before the days of the shot clock. I think that UConn won a Yankee Conference championship game against URI with both schools scoring in the teens.

 

[swami7774]

Was at that Hofstra game with my Dad - remember it well

I lived in New Haven in 1973-1978. I had a friend who played HS ball in the old CVC (I'm a Rockville HS and he was from a neighboring town) who played at SCSU and was a very good player. In the summers, he used to go down to the New Haven courts and play ball with Soup and the guys - While my friend held his own, Soup used to kill it. John Thomas from UConn used to come down sometimes and play - what a rebounding machine!!! Al Weston, Willie Lenon, Ernie Cobb, Jimmy Abro, Johnny DeLagrange, Jimmy Williamson, Micky Heard - those are some of the guys I remember playing on and off - Quite some battles and everything was a foul!

Thomas was a beast. I think he led the nation in rebounding one season.

 

[my2cents]

Best player I ever saw was Walter Luckett from Bpt. Left handed shooter who avg 44 pts a game with two defenders draped on him.
Made the cover of SI as a freshman for Ohio U.
I had about 5 friends of mine from Fairfield Prep go to school at Providence with "Soup" and said he was just the nicest kid. RIP Soup

 

[Danzz]

The Flying Dutchmen at the time. I remember that game well, thought our guys would have a chance vs Rutgers but they were just too strong and still unbeaten.

I believe we won the ECAC's at PCC vs URI in the finals that year with Sly and the kid Nelson from Hall High? Jeff Carr had a great game if I do recall correctly and Abro, Lavigne and Whelton also were good. Remember celebrating in the streets with some champagne and handing it to Toner who took a sip!

The Hofstra game may have been the best comeback win in UConn history. Whelton had an incredible game.

 

[uconnfan68]

Did he play with Doug Melody at NW? Doug was the starting point guard at UConn in the '70, '71 and '72 seasons. His specialty was dribbling the ball when the four-corners offense was still legal, before the days of the shot clock. I think that UConn won a Yankee Conference championship game against URI with both schools scoring in the teens.

Doug Melody was East Catholic.

 

[uconnfan68]

Anyone remember Bill Battle and Ted Hathaway from Middletown? Spectacular athletes, mid 60s to early 70s.

 

[mauconnfan]

Doug Melody was East Catholic.

Melody also a lot older then Ulysses.

A guy not mentioned who I saw play vs my brothers Maloney team in the tourney, Jack Phelan the former UHar coach went to St Francis PA I believe for college - undersized power forward type but real tough, good springs payed for a very good Northwest catholic team in the early 70's with Chuck Harding another nice player.

 

[Bubba1957]

I saw Foster in high school, he played at St. Thomas Aquinas in NB when they had a nice run. Ended up at UCLA and made a Final Four I believe.

They got beat by Louisville in the championship game in 1980. If I remember correctly, they had Kiki Vanderway who was a senior, and a bunch of talented freshmen led by Hot Rod Foster. At the time he was known as the fastest player in the game.

 

[swami7774]

The Hofstra game may have been the best comeback win in UConn history. Whelton had an incredible game.

Came back from down 12 with about 7 minutes left—with no 3-point shot and no shot clock.

 

[swami7774]

They got beat by Louisville in the championship game in 1980. If I remember correctly, they had Kiki Vanderway who was a senior, and a bunch of talented freshmen led by Hot Rod Foster. At the time he was known as the fastest player in the game.

Correct. Vandewegh was the Bruins’ leading scorer that season but missed a key layup. In the game’s final few minutes to tip the contest to the ‘ville.

 

[swami7774]

I saw Calvin play in Danbury. He was totally amazing. The Hatters were thrilled to hold him under 40 that evening! I also saw Dean Memminger play in a HS tourney at the Danbury War Memorial gym. Another stellar HS player in those days.

Dean the Dream Meminger. RIP.

 

[Old school]

Anyone remember the heralded Tom Roy from South Windsor? Saw him score 37.
Uconn was in the running for him but he selected Tennessee.
I agree with others that Calvin Murphy was the best to come out of Ct. super John Williamson was probably 2nd best. Went to a game at Hamden where he lit it up for 50.

 

[cohenzone]

Johnny Egan played for the 1959 or 1960 Weaver New England championship team and Providence and then 11 years in the NBA. He was the head coach of the Houston Rockets for a few years. With the exception of Super John, Egan had a much better career than all those New Haven guys.

Actually, I think it might have been 1957. He was gone by 2 years when I was a freshman in 1959. He lived on my street by about 3 blocks away. Not only was he a great player, but also male model handsome and he inspired jealousy.

2 Egan stories. When he was a senior at Weaver. They were unbeaten large school state champs. Then they went to the old great New England Championships held at old Boston Garden. The format was the large school champ and runner up from CT, the western and eastern MA champs, and the state champs from the other 4 states. CT dominated. Weaver got to the champ game against the favored team from near Boston. The game was radioed on WTIC with amazing George Ehrlich doing the play by play. The game was tied at every quarter but one where Weaver was one behind. With about 10-15 seconds left, and down by 2, Egan stole the ball and was fouled before he could break away. He made both of a 1 and 1 to force OT. They played 3 minutes and Weaver and Egan went nuts. They scored 20 in OT, Egan broke the tournament scoring record and Weaver won by a dozen. George Ehrlich sounded like he was going to have a heart attack.

Egan’s senior year at PC, they got to the finals of the NIT which was at least as prestigious as the NCAAs back then. He had been unstoppable the whole tournament. In the final, he was double and triple teamed all game, leaving many openings for his backcourt mate Vinnie Ernst, who, to his credit, took advantage. . Ernst was liked, Egan was not and Ernst got the tournament MVP when Egan had been easily the dominant player.

He was about 6’, a great ball handler, passer and shooter. Until a knee injury affected him, he could dunk. I don’t know that he was as good as either Murphy or Super John who had more notable pro careers, but Egan was great. He coached in the NBA for a while. Once in a while he still contributes to the Weaver High Alum face book page. One of his unbeaten teammates did play for UConn. Not a star but steady. Bob Countryman, a wonderful guy also active on the FB page.

 

[uconnfan68]

Melody also a lot older then Ulysses.

A guy not mentioned who I saw play vs my brothers Maloney team in the tourney, Jack Phelan the former UHar coach went to St Francis PA I believe for college - undersized power forward type but real tough, good springs payed for a very good Northwest catholic team in the early 70's with Chuck Harding another nice player.

Doug and I started at UConn together. So he isn’t that old.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

I was thinking about that. Back in the late 60s/70s when I was still playing rec league level and after the battle with peritonitis left me unable to play for a couple years, I went to a lot of HS games - especially the MBIAC and state tourneys. I think 76 was the best year. John Garris led Bassick (my wife's HS) and Mike Gminski led Masuk. They had an epic regular season battle won by Masuk, but Bassick won the MBIAC championship. Then Harding won the State Class L championship, led in the tourney by Phil Murphy - a forward who might've been 5-11, and skinny as a rail, but had the longest arms ever, and could jump like a kangaroo. He could stuff it with 2 hands from a standstill under the rim. Gave up 8 or 9 inches and probably 40 or 50 pounds to Garris, but outplayed him in the championship.

Nowadays, I couldn't pick a CT highschool star out of a lineup if I had to. SIGH.

I remember New London's team of '74 or '75 was the biggest high school team I ever saw. They had Delagrange, Winston and Royster all 6' 8" on the back and the guards were 6' 4". They beat Mike McKay's team in '75 for the L Title. Played in the old Capital District Conference.