Favorite Friday: Who is your favorite Gophers men’s basketball player?



Miles Tarver, Russ Archambault and Mitch Lee

:ROFLMAO:

Actually, probably Bobby Jackson or Randy Breuer. Soft spot too for Dusty Rychart - it was so cool he became a massive star in Australia.
 






Ron Behagen,
Jim Brewer,
Bob Nix,
Ray Williams,
Trent Tucker,
Kevin McHale,
Yep- love those. Brewer was my all time favorite, then Thompson, Burton, Newbern and Bobby Jackson.
McHale was great but he really exploded as a pro.
 




In order:
Randy Bruer
Willie Burton
Bobby Jackson
Jordan Murphy
Trent Tucker
 


Bobby Jackson with my 1B being Sam Jacobson. I still remember Sam's dunk at Iowa in the Final Four year.
 








Young crew here.

Ray Williams. I saw him live. Really a treat.
Williams just had stunning athleticism. It was just easy for him. The passes he could make, wow.

The 76-77 team (24-3) should have been the national champions that year. Thompson, McHale, Williams, Lockhart, Saunders, Winey as the core. Unreal. Three of the greatest Gophers of all times on one squad. That team could have had Olberding as a junior as well were it not for the departure of Mussy and NCAA issues.
 
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Yes! That is almost exactly my order...Breuer, McHale, Jackson, Burton, Murphy, and Tucker
Yeah, I didn’t include McHale because he was a bit before my time, but fantastic player no doubt, perhaps even the best Gopher player ever.
 



So many greats especially between 1971-1999 but Willie’s ongoing commitment to the program—no matter the circumstances—elevates him to the top. Love seeing him at the games nattily dressed in maroon & gold.
 


Voshon. I had season tickets during his run and it was overall fantastic with some really epic games and wins in The Barn. I have soft spots for a lot of other players through the years, but none will ever pass my affinity for. Lenard.
 

Voshon. I had season tickets during his run and it was overall fantastic with some really epic games and wins in The Barn. I have soft spots for a lot of other players through the years, but none will ever pass my affinity for. Lenard.
February 1994 at home when we took down Indiana and Bobby Knight 106 to 56 was the most amazing athletic event I will ever see in person. I get that it’s 30 years later but when people say that The Barn keeps us from being competitive in basketball, I still call bullshit right or wrong after remembering the atmosphere that night and pretty much any night back in those days.
 

Kind of surprised nobody mentioned him yet - Vincent Grier. I know we weren’t any good (edit: hey I completely forgot we made the NCAA tourney his first year!), but it was so much fun to watch him play ball. Otherwise of course many of the greats, Hoffarber heroics, Bobby and Sam. Watching us go down without one of my all time favorites Murphy against MSU in Des Moines (after beating LVille) is painful to this day.
 

Williams just had stunning athleticism. It was just easy for him. The passes he could make, wow.

The 76-77 team (24-3) should have been the national champions that year. Thompson, McHale, Williams, Lockhart, Saunders, Winey as the core. Unreal. Three of the greatest Gophers of all times on one squad. That team could have had Olberding as a junior as well were it not for the departure of Mussy and NCAA issues.
That was THE team right there. Even the '97 final four team wouldn't have stood a chance. You had the national player of the year and a future NBA top 50 of all-time with two of the smartest guards you'll ever see. It's a shame the younger folks on the board never got to experience that kind of talent in the Barn.
 

I'll throw John Thomas out there as a favorite, if for no other reason because I thought the improvement he made during his time as a Gopher was pretty amazing. Courtney James and Quincy Lewis as well, to a lesser extent
 


Randy Carter and Melvin Newburn
Newbern was my favorite as a teen and is 1B to Willie being 1A.

I loved Randy Carter too. He and Jayson Walton seemed like they would be such a great pair of forwards. They were good, but just never quite reached as high I hoped, partially due to injury too.
 




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