Top 5 Golden Gophers Who Played in the NBA

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The writer picks his Top 5 of...
Kevin McHale
Mychal Thompson
Lou Hudson
Willie Burton
Trent Tucker
HM
Bobby Jackson
Randy Breuer
Mark Olberding
Voshon Lenard
Archie Clark
Jim Petersen
Ray Williams
Not Mentioned
Mark Landsberger and Whitey Skoog are two more who come to mind.
Amir Coffey
Kris Humphries
John Thomas
Ron Behagen
Trevor Winter
Jim Brewer
Joel Przybella
 
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Blackhammer said:
Ridiculous not to have Ray Williams over Burton and probably Tucker.
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I was gonna say Archie Clark and Williams. Sorry TT, you the man and all, but what?

Especially when the argument lists TT’s counting stats; must not have looked at Clark’s stat line.

10 yrs 11,819 pts 3,498 Ast - damn near double, in both of what this dude lists for Tucker in one less season.

Or that he helped invent the Crossover and step back. He’s got 2 all star and an All-NBA selection.
 


atsgopher said:
I was gonna say Archie Clark and Williams. Sorry TT, you the man and all, but what?

Especially when the argument lists TT’s counting stats; must not have looked at Clark’s stat line.

10 yrs 11,819 pts 3,498 Ast - damn near double, in both of what this dude lists for Tucker in one less season.

Or that he helped invent the Crossover and step back. He’s got 2 all star and an All-NBA selection.
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Yes is this about the best gophers that played in the NBA or the best NBA players that were gophers?
 

The Most successful Gopher NBA careers:

1. McHale - not even close
2. Mychal Thompson
3. Flip Saunders - granted he never played, but has a huge influence on the league.
4. Ray Williams
5. Trent Tucker

All these guys were on the same team.

After that there are several successful careers.

Don’t forget about Mr Kardashian!
 

Otis said:
The Most successful Gopher NBA careers:

1. McHale - not even close
2. Mychal Thompson
3. Flip Saunders - granted he never played, but has a huge influence on the league.
4. Ray Williams
5. Trent Tucker

All these guys were on the same team.

After that there are several successful careers.

Don’t forget about Mr Kardashian!
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Bobby Jackson, played over a decade and was six man of the year. Humpheries and Pryzbilla both made a lot of money as good role players
 

gopherbadgerman said:
Yes is this about the best gophers that played in the NBA or the best NBA players that were gophers?
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I think you’re right to ask that question.

Even still, Archie Clark college stats are very impressive. A PG thay avg 24.5 and 5.7 Trb as SR.

As a JR him and Lou Hudson had them 2nd in Big Ten to Uber talanted MI squad that lost Championship to UCLA. They were as high as 3rd ranked and final was #7.

Archie was definitely great. I do have love for TT. My point is to raise the idea it is not so easy to dismiss this guy, unless I am misinformed.
 






Trent Tucker was my first favorite Gopher; Willie Burton was the best player on the renaissance of the program following the Mitch Lee fallout. Two great Golden Gophers. If this article is about the 5 best Gophers (my achievements in college) to make it to the NBA, there's a good argument for including both.

If the article is about the top 5 Gophers on the professional level, Tucker and Burton have no business being in the Top 5. Archie Clark, as mentioned by others (plus he was the key player in the trade that brought Wilt Chamberlain to the Lakers), Ray Williams, and Bobby Jackson (in that order) have stronger arguments. Mark Olberding too.
 



atsgopher said:
I think you’re right to ask that question.

Even still, Archie Clark college stats are very impressive. A PG thay avg 24.5 and 5.7 Trb as SR.

As a JR him and Lou Hudson had them 2nd in Big Ten to Uber talanted MI squad that lost Championship to UCLA. They were as high as 3rd ranked and final was #7.

Archie was definitely great. I do have love for TT. My point is to raise the idea it is not so easy to dismiss this guy, unless I am misinformed.
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Agree about Clark (who also lettered in baseball). Am old enough to remember the following year when both Clark and Hudson were seniors - hoping for some big things and then Hudson broke his wrist in the fourth or fifth game of the year. They lost a bunch of games and even when Hudson came back (with a cast on his shooting hand) he was not quite the same and the team ended up 5th that year in the B1G.
 

cemba99 said:
Agree about Clark (who also lettered in baseball). Am old enough to remember the following year when both Clark and Hudson were seniors - hoping for some big things and then Hudson broke his wrist in the fourth or fifth game of the year. They lost a bunch of games and even when Hudson came back (with a cast on his shooting hand) he was not quite the same and the team ended up 5th that year in the B1G.
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And he (Hudson) still averaged 19.8 points per game.
 

Can't believe he didn't mention Brewer. Whether he belonged on the first team is a question, but he was a very good college player whose talents didn't readily translate to the pro game. Absolute warrior in college. The writer must have been Luke Witte's cousin to ignore Ron Behagen.

Archie Clark and Lou Hudson were great college players and great pro players (Hudson is in the HOF). I was 11 or 12 and I remember the starting 5 in 1964-65 of Hudson, Clark, Yates, Kunze, and Northway. All five averaged in double figures. Like others have said, gave Michigan (led by Cazzie Russell, Oliver Darden, and Bill Buntin) all it could handle.
 

cemba99 said:
Agree about Clark (who also lettered in baseball). Am old enough to remember the following year when both Clark and Hudson were seniors - hoping for some big things and then Hudson broke his wrist in the fourth or fifth game of the year. They lost a bunch of games and even when Hudson came back (with a cast on his shooting hand) he was not quite the same and the team ended up 5th that year in the B1G.
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Clark not only lettered in baseball, I believe he played on one of the national championship baseball teams.
 

Otis said:
The Most successful Gopher NBA careers:

1. McHale - not even close
2. Mychal Thompson
3. Flip Saunders - granted he never played, but has a huge influence on the league.
4. Ray Williams
5. Trent Tucker

All these guys were on the same team.

After that there are several successful careers.

Don’t forget about Mr Kardashian!
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I’d argue Jackson and Voshon were pretty close to Tucker
 

gopherbadgerman said:
I’d argue Jackson and Voshon were pretty close to Tucker
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I think Bobby Jackson is one of the most underrated Gophers in program history. Maybe it was the scandal that makes a lot of people forget about him, but the guy was an absolute stud and one of the most well-rounded players I've watched.
 

Are Coffey and the Hump the only ones under 50 on this list?
 

Olberding, almost 1000 games, nearly double figures in scoring. Brewer better career than Jim Pete for sure.
 

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