The Most Underrated Winning Players in IUBB History

[RaceToTheTop]

On 10/27/2024 at 8:51 AM, str8baller said:

I would disagree mainly because those teams weren’t very good and didn’t win much. Not entirely his fault but he was one of many “square pegs in a round hole” on those teams. It’s pretty easy to pinpoint the era where knight stepped back from recruiting. 
 

A team with an upperclassman frontcourt of Evans and Henderson should never have been as mediocre as they were. And it was almost entirely due to their laughable backcourt. Reed, Miller, Hermon (started 6 games…lol), Hart….jeebus. Reed was only a frosh and probably the best of the bunch but I never felt he was contributing to winning a whole lot. At least not more than anyone else. 

I don't necessarily equate a player on a winning team to be a winning player nor a player on a losing team to be a losing player.  Winning players IMO make the team better.  I am writing it from the viewpoint that winning players make a team win more games.

I put Reed in the Joe Hillman category -- a guy who filled the role he was put in very well and made the team better.

[str8baller]

13 hours ago, RaceToTheTop said:

I am writing it from the viewpoint that winning players make a team win more games.

Yea, I think we’re on the same page. Wouldn’t be Neil Reed for me. To wit, he was quickly supplanted by a frosh Guyton as the best guard on the team when he was a junior.  
 

His sophomore year was probably his best chance at being effective as he was the best guard on the team and it always felt to me like like Evans carried that team on his back. 
 

He was talented but not very effective, imo. Like Collier, I don’t think it was entirely his fault. Lots of poor fits in roster construction. Those teams were frustrating all around. 

[Hoosier DaDa]

Two players came to the top of my head.  Jim Thomas very steady guard playing next to All American and won a Natty in '81.  Also Joe Hillman which he always reminded me of Jim Thomas type player playing next to an All American and winning a Natty in '87.  

[Hoosier DaDa]

On 10/24/2024 at 9:29 PM, LamarCheeks said:

Ricky Roe (aka Matt Nover) 

Didn't seem like a Big Ten talent, yet he was a significant contributor to a team that averaged 26-plus wins over four years, won two league titles, reached a Final Four and likely would've won a natty if not for Alan Henderson's injury. 

Started every game his senior year. 

I'm a little biased, though -- he grew up about 15 miles from where I did. 

Did you see the tractor get delivered to Ricky's Dad?

[Hoosier DaDa]

On 10/24/2024 at 9:42 PM, J34 said:

Chris Reynolds/Jamal Meeks combo 

The two headed pg's who orchestrated all the talent around them. Neither could shoot worth a lick, but steady and played hellacious D

Reynolds was so fast.  He was over at my fraternity playing side court basketball with us and just cooking us lol. 

[ebridges24]

On 10/24/2024 at 10:04 PM, mike vannice said:

Ray Tolbert

Ray was my favorite player on the '81 team and is still one of my all time favorites

[ebridges24]

On 10/25/2024 at 8:48 PM, IUHoosierJoe said:

Agree on Anderson.  And the 91-92 team he was a part of has always seemed under-appreciated to me, even though they made the Final Four.  They had the Big 10 title stolen from them by the officials in a late-season game at Purdue, then, of course, TV Ted stole a National Championship from them in the Duke game.  I will always believe they were the best team in the country that year.

They were

[Stuhoo]

Here’s someone that I completely forgot about that was a starter and did a ton of dirty work while averaging 9 ppg and 5 rpg for a 2002 team that went to the National Championship Game. The fact that no one (including me) thought of him considering the senior year he had and what that team accomplished, puts him at the top of my list:

Jarrad Odle

[Demo]

Obviously there are a bunch of guys worth a mention, but for me it’s Dean Garrett all day. Best rebounder, best frontcourt defender and the only rim protector on a team that won a Natty. Got a fair amount of credit in real time but the memory has really unfairly faded on him.

[IUFAN1976]

What about Bobby Wilkerson?  Or Jim Crews?

[AZ Hoosier]

1 hour ago, IUFAN1976 said:

What about Bobby Wilkerson?  Or Jim Crews?

Wilkerson was a first round pick (11th overall to Seattle) - hardly "underrated".

[str8baller]

On 10/31/2024 at 8:22 PM, Stuhoo said:

Here’s someone that I completely forgot about that was a starter and did a ton of dirty work while averaging 9 ppg and 5 rpg for a 2002 team that went to the National Championship Game. The fact that no one (including me) thought of him considering the senior year he had and what that team accomplished, puts him at the top of my list:

Jarrad Odle

I like that one. I was always impressed with his transformation from HS where he was a high scorer, a lot coming from the outside. That he was able to contribute largely in the post doing small things and the “dirty work” as a senior in college showed a strong desire to be on the floor and contribute to winning basketball, imo. 

[TadQueasy]

On 10/24/2024 at 9:29 PM, LamarCheeks said:

Ricky Roe (aka Matt Nover) 

Didn't seem like a Big Ten talent, yet he was a significant contributor to a team that averaged 26-plus wins over four years, won two league titles, reached a Final Four and likely would've won a natty if not for Alan Henderson's injury. 

Started every game his senior year. 

I'm a little biased, though -- he grew up about 15 miles from where I did. 

Loved Nover.  Where did you grow up?  I am from that area as well.  

[OliviaPope40]

On 10/26/2024 at 12:16 AM, RaceToTheTop said:

I don't care how much hate I get for this.....Neil Reed.  Dude was tough as nails when he was on the court for IU and was a three year starter under Knight before he transferred.  

Some people blame him for events that led to Knight's firing (I 100% don't blame anything Reed did) and it has clouded their memory of the way he played.

Finally got around to watching that 30 for 30. A guy that I worked with on a campaign was a student on campus when that happened. 

[kreigh8]

On 10/26/2024 at 12:16 AM, RaceToTheTop said:

I don't care how much hate I get for this.....Neil Reed.  Dude was tough as nails when he was on the court for IU and was a three year starter under Knight before he transferred.  

Some people blame him for events that led to Knight's firing (I 100% don't blame anything Reed did) and it has clouded their memory of the way he played.

Dodging for cover now, but will and always be a Recker fan

[go iu bb]

On 10/25/2024 at 9:16 PM, RaceToTheTop said:

I don't care how much hate I get for this.....Neil Reed.  Dude was tough as nails when he was on the court for IU and was a three year starter under Knight before he transferred.  

Some people blame him for events that led to Knight's firing (I 100% don't blame anything Reed did) and it has clouded their memory of the way he played.

He played most (all?) of a season with a dislocated shoulder. He still went to the floor for loose balls, took charges, etc. Tough indeed.

[AZ Hoosier]

Dodging for cover now, but will and always be a Recker fan

Recker was a good college player, but he’ll always be a loathsome human being in my book.

[kreigh8]

35 minutes ago, AZ Hoosier said:

Recker was a good college player, but he’ll always be a loathsome human being in my book.

I suppose you’re entitled to feel that way but have a hard time going that far not knowing what I’d do as a 20ish year old again given some of his choices. The IU and Knight program wasn’t too rosy at that time either

[BA47591]

I don't know if they were mentioned, but 2 guys I don't think are mentioned enough are D. Thomas and Randy Wittman. Especially Thomas. He played a lot of center before Garrett got there and took mountains of **** from coach but he never left and he was a tremendous college player. 

[LamarCheeks]

1 minute ago, BA47591 said:

I don't know if they were mentioned, but 2 guys I don't think are mentioned enough are D. Thomas and Randy Wittman. Especially Thomas. He played a lot of center before Garrett got there and took mountains of **** from coach but he never left and he was a tremendous college player. 

Think Thomas is a good call. ... Wittman, though, was a B1G MVP and a first-round draft choice. Not sure I'd consider that underrated.