Your all-time favorite Gopher basketball player

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I've only been a true Gopher fan since 2013 so my personal sample size is small.

#1 Jordan Murphy
#2 Austin Hollins

Now, I have admired other Gopher players (Kevin McHale, Bobby Jackson, Willie Burton, Voshon Lenard) prior to becoming a Gopher fan.
 


JORDAN MURPHY! ALWAYS WORKING- NOTHING SEEMED TOO MUCH TO ASK OF HIM.- AND A HUMBLE PLAYER.
 

Based purely on benchwarmers, I go with Hosea Crittenden as my all-time favorite.
In second, for his awesome post-season air guitar, comes Omersa. ?
 



I could list a bunch, but what makes me go with Willie Burton was when he wore the mask after breaking his nose.

He looked so badass.

A couple of others that were under the radar were because of their names. Cookie Holmes and Jim Shickenjanski..........those names are forever stuck in my head.
 

If you go to the way back era, I would have to say Dick Garmaker was my favorite player. I was an 8 year old when I saw my first gopher game and the best player on the floor for either team was Garmaker. His play excited me about the game of basketball and made me a gopher fan for life.
He was a consensus first team All American in 1955 on the same team as Bill Russell, a great pure shooter in his era. He went on to play for the Lakers where he was a 4 time NBA All-Star. Another way back era player that came along after Garmaker who was great as a Gopher was Ron Johnson, a third team All-American his Junior and Senior years and the 12th over all pick in the NBA Draft. Both of these guys grew up grew up in Minnesota when the best players in the state stayed home to play.
 

BleedGopher said:
Bobby Jackson. Legend.

Go Gophers!!
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No question, he was the guy who during the NCAA run that his teammates went to to bring the ball up late in the games, and during that stretch of games it seemed that he shot a season of free throws and made them all during that run.
 




UpAndUnder43 said:
Please name the guy or girl that is your all-time favorite. I have to think some people here are Lindsay Whalen fans above any single male player.

Younger me? Quincy Lewis, no doubt. He was obviously very good and as a kid growing up in Central Minnesota he seemed cool. Plus I was the perfect age to have a favorite like him. I was 11-12-13 when he was a Gopher. Makes it easy to not see anything but the good in a player/team. Those teams were fun to watch too.

Adult me? This is tougher. So many guys provided great memories but I think the only guy I shed a tear for on senior night was Jordan Murphy. Epitomized being a Gopher. Talented, hard working and he put up some really great numbers. Stuck through some tough things early in his career and turned into an all-time great Gopher.

Sadly I missed a lot of the glory days. I didn't see McHale, Thompson, Tucker or Burton so I'll go with Q and Murph and be happy.
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Mychal Thompson
 

Lots of great names and memories here, I will throw out a couple names that I didn’t see-Dusty Rychart, Aaron Robinson. During those frustrating and at times bleak Monson years, they were bright spots (ARob just senior year, but it was a great year).
Looking back, I appreciate the ‘04-05 team more and more-if memory serves, it was Vincent Grier and a bunch of gamers (ARob, Jeff Hagen, Brent Lawson, J’son Stamper) delivering a NCAA appearance. There were such low expectations for that team, especially after the disappointments of teams lead by Rickert, Humphries, etc.
 


So many but Jordan Murphy for me by a longshot. Really appreciated his understated manner and enjoyed watching his success in the paint despite often being at a height disadvantage.
Bobby Jackson would be next - could do it all and gave his all.
 



I'm surprised no one chose Bakary Konate.




Jokes aside, Nate Mason.
 



Gotta go with Burton and Bobby Jackson for my all timers for their achievements for themselves and their teams. I'm a big Randy Moss guy and his wiping his butt on the goalposts antics.... So I loved these guys for their in your face approach. Larry Westbrook always having career games against WI and hating them so bad that he went in for an F-U dunk in garbage time at the end of a game we had in hand. I love Austin Hollins for his clutch 3 against Southern Methodist to win the NIT. I thought Andre Hollis was going to be our Maureen Cleeves with his smile and all. I loved him going off for 30+ against his hometown Memphis team. That was sweet. I give Dusty Rychart for overachieving against all odds.... Guy could put up numbers.
 


Holy Man said:
I remember kind of panicking every time he dribbled the ball up the court. Struck me as exciting but a little out of control at times. He was no Arriel McDonald or Marc Wilson in the point guard role, but certainly much better than many others.
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100% agree. Townsend was exciting, but not really a point guard. If you needed someone to get a shot up, he'd find a way, but I was usually holding my breath when he pushed the ball up the floor.

I was at the Iron Five game vs. OSU (Dennis Hopson and Brad Sellers). My #1 favorite sports memory, and I was present for Game 7 in '87. Marc Wilson was the man. A few years ago, I for some reason tracked him down. He was an assistant for a women's program. I sent him an email telling him how much he and that team meant to me. He responded and we had a really nice back and forth. I still get goosebumps thinking about that game!
 

go_gophers said:
I was at the Iron Five game vs. OSU (Dennis Hopson and Brad Sellers). My #1 favorite sports memory, and I was present for Game 7 in '87. Marc Wilson was the man. A few years ago, I for some reason tracked him down. He was an assistant for a women's program. I sent him an email telling him how much he and that team meant to me. He responded and we had a really nice back and forth. I still get goosebumps thinking about that game!
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He was an assistant for Indiana's women's team for a few years. During that time I had season tickets near the visitor's bench. It was always cool to see him back in Williams. Wish I had found a way to pester him and say thanks
 

coolhandgopher said:
Lots of great names and memories here, I will throw out a couple names that I didn’t see-Dusty Rychart, Aaron Robinson. During those frustrating and at times bleak Monson years, they were bright spots (ARob just senior year, but it was a great year).
Looking back, I appreciate the ‘04-05 team more and more-if memory serves, it was Vincent Grier and a bunch of gamers (ARob, Jeff Hagen, Brent Lawson, J’son Stamper) delivering a NCAA appearance. There were such low expectations for that team, especially after the disappointments of teams lead by Rickert, Humphries, etc.
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Spencer T and Rico Tucker were frosh on that team.

They played D and let Grier come up with big buckets.

Molanri, in my opinion, had a lot to do with their success
 



Wow, so tough! I would have to say Trent Tucker because it was such a thing of beauty to watch him shoot and he was a great guy to cheer for to boot.
 

There are so many. Maybe not my all-time fave, but certainly the first: Ray Williams,
 

ltf said:
So many but Jordan Murphy for me by a longshot. Really appreciated his understated manner and enjoyed watching his success in the paint despite often being at a height disadvantage.
Bobby Jackson would be next - could do it all and gave his all.
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Ya, those two make my Top Five--which actually has about 15 guys in it. Playing styles were different but Jordan often reminded me of Dusty Rychart with the demeanor and the drive and the fact you just knew he loved being out there.
 

Toss up between Willy Burton and Bobby Jackson. Jackson's performance in the Final 8 game was legendary. Burton tipped me over the cliff to becoming a die hard Gopher basketball fan. Both players were blue collar workers that had the never give up, not over till its over tenacity and desire.
 

Middle school - Bobby Jackson
High School - Dusty Rychart
College years - Vince Grier
Post college - Trevor Mbakwe/Daniel Oturu

All time is Bobby Jackson. Reason I fell in love with Gophers hoops.
 

Many of my favorites have been listed and I enjoyed looking at the lists. But my favorite is the greatest Gopher Mychal Thompson
 


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