Ever hooped against a Husker?

[GATA]

I ask this because back in my college days I played a lot of pick up basketball. I never faced off against a Husker men’s player, but Bobby Newcombe, Eric Warfield, a few linemen and Candace Blackbird all dropped by every now and again. 

 

Newcombe was super athletic as you might imagine. I actually ended up hard fouling him trying for a chase down block. He stopped unexpectedly but I was definitely over exuberant in my block attempt (nothing malicious at all). 

 

Probably the the best basketball player I ever faced in high school or pick up ball was Warfield. He was incredible. A smoothe player with easy athleticism and a good jumper. He would have been a nice addition to the men’s team.  

[bigFRED]

I've played with all of the players on last years team except Copeland and Roby. Palmer is incredible, Costello can shoot better than anyone i've seen, Thomas is smooth, and Amir has crazy handles.

[The Polish Rifle]

I played with Lance Jeter at the rec. He made me help him half court trap multiple times. That tells you everything you need to know about LJ. 

[colhusker]

During high school we use to sneak into the old coliseum to play basketball.  One night Andre Franklin and a friend showed up and asked if they could join us.  He came down the floor full speed and for just a brief second I thought about getting in his way, for just a second.  I got asked to play with he and the rest of his crew when they showed up and picked a guys pocket, guy called foul and all I could hear was Andre hollering at him that I hadn't touched him and it wasn't a foul.  Next time he came up when I stepped up to guard the guy he put his fist up in an aggressive manner, decided that once the game was over that it was time to go back to playing with the buddies.

[Blindcheck]

I was a freshman in college in the Spring of 1992 and playing pickup ball and was guarding an athletic guard who was unable to use his off hand.  Multiple times I was able to steal the ball from him when I forced him to use his weaker hand.  After we were done playing, a friend of mine told me that it was Andre Woolridge who would have just finished his Senior year of High school.  

 

That night, while talking on the phone with my dad, I told him that Woolridge should redshirt his freshman year and work on his game, because if I can figure out in 5 minutes of play that I need to force him to his weaker hand, the Big 8 coaches will figure it out too....

 

The best player i have ever faced was Joel Skinner (I think that was his name)...he played for Iowa and went to Law school at Creighton...we played them in an rec league playoff game and he absolutely torched us with his law school buddies.

[demone]

Can't say I ever played against a Husker, but I do have the honor (as I'm sure many others do as well) of being dunked on by future Husker Bruce Chubick in a sub-district game back in 1988. Yeah, he went for 38 that night with 7 3-pointers. 

Edited April 2, 2019 by demone

[Navin R. Johnson]

Played in a couple of benefit/fund raising games against the graduating football players.  I remember Corey Dixon blowing by me like I was standing still (which I probably was) It was a good thing he didn't always take the ball with him when doing it!  Best player I played against was Tom Kropp (Kearney State, NBA) The guy could pull of from deep and bank it in (just for fun I think)  When you watch games on TV you think "I could play with them" but until you actually are on the floor and see how fast and athletic these guys are, you can't really understand it.

[atskooc]

Never played with a Husker Hoopster, but I played pickup with a guy who was a long jumper on the NU track team.

 

We got dunked on...a lot.

 

Played golf with Eric Anderson (offensive lineman) when we were in college.  Hit it a long way!

 

And I've played golf with Erstad and Kris Brown. 

[TheGov21]

I played in some basketball tournament that was a fundraiser for a sorority (several years ago) and our team beat Marcus Neal and another player (can't think of it now). I hope they weren't trying (probably not that hard) as our team beat them them in the championship.

[Silverbacked1]

Not basketball but played youth football and high school with Randee Johnson.

 

Was a Parade AA and went to Nebraska,. They moved him to D and he broke his neck in the spring.

 

Also went against Steve Damkroger everyday my junior year of high school.. Made me a much better player my senior year.

Think I also am like 2 inches shorter because that kid could hit.. Rudd broke his tackling record at the U of N.

Edited April 2, 2019 by Silverbacked1

[hal9000]

Let's see, off the top of my head:

 

Eric Johnson, Ray Richardson, Rich King, Tony Farmer, Carl Hayes, Beau Reid, Chris Cresswell, Bruce Chubick, Eric Strickland, Jaron Boone, Andre Woolridge, Terence Badget...

 

There was probably more, but I can't remember.  Never got a chance to play with or against Piatkowski, which I always regretted. 

[Fullbacksympathy]

I played Y summer league w Ryan and Sek on my team.  Guarded Gallegos one game, Marcus Perry another game.  Drevo was in the league too.  We won the chip and I retired from the league after our Skers graduated.  Talked a lot of shit on my way out knowing that I’d never return with that kind of a roster again.  Lol.  

[colhusker]

4 minutes ago, LK1 said:

I played Y summer league w Ryan and Sek on my team.  Guarded Gallegos one game, Marcus Perry another game.  Drevo was in the league too.  We won the chip and I retired from the league after our Skers graduated.  Talked a lot of shit on my way out knowing that I’d never return with that kind of a roster again.  Lol.  

Drevo lives two houses up from the parental units

[royalfan]

Played against future Husker Markowski in high school and also played against Frost in high school and got posterized.  

[khoock]

I have played basketball against all those Central kids (minus Akoy), Khyri Thomas, Cj Carter, TC, Thik Bol.

 

Reasons why i prob always thought I was horrible in basketball growing out. Turns out im SLIGHTLY better than average for recreational ball player.

Edited April 2, 2019 by khoock

[hal9000]

6 minutes ago, royalfan said:

Played against future Husker Markowski in high school and also played against Frost in high school and got posterized.  

Sounds like you’re from central part of the state.  My wife is from Burwell.

[KZRider]

In my glory days, I played against my brother who was four years younger out by the barn where a dilapidated hoop was hung. To my knowledge, he never played for the Huskers. I couldn't beat him without cheating. And that was at my best!

[tcp]

Played with Dave MacFarlane all the time in 80-81. Mac actually preferred hanging around and learning about guitars more, though (I was still playing then). Fun year in mighty Harper Hall. Always sad when we lost Mac to a transfer, but he finally found a hoops home in Div 2 and had a pretty good career there. 

 

If you read this big fella, I'll always love you for nearly clocking my weightlifting roommate for making me miserable with his stupid tuna-peanut butter puke shakes. Never forget the look on his face when all gazillion feet of MacFarlane lumbers into the room. 

 

 

[Dean Smith]

Clinton Childs, Michael Booker, Calvin Jones, Tony Vedral out on the courts at east campus and some fitness club we always snuck into. On the South St courts, it was winners' world so the new team matched up on D. I was stupid enough to complain loud enough where she could hear about having a girl guard me because you couldn't win. If you get beat you get dogged by your team and if you play hard you get dogged by your team. I had to look her up but it was Nafeesah Brown who played at the U in the early '90s. She promptly elbowed me in the mouth and told me, "Now you know you can go hard." I was spitting blood but we still held the court when the game was over.

 

I not calling shenanigans on blindcheck but I saw Andre Woolridge during his senior year in high school put up 50 in the state semi's against Ralston and he had a very good off hand against some very athletic players. I don't remember much about his freshman year except he didn't play as much as he wanted but I saw him at Iowa and his left was solid as he won the Big 10 player of the year. Maybe blindcheck possessed incredible lateral quickness in the day. 

Edited April 2, 2019 by Dean Smith

[Handy Johnson]

I played against Mike Martz when he was All-State at Beatrice. Pick-up games against Junior Miller, Doug DuBose, and many lunch hours at the Coliseum vs Tony Davis...

[AuroranHusker]

4 hours ago, demone said:

Can't say I ever played against a Husker, but I do have the honor (as I'm sure many others do as well) of being dunked on by future Husker Bruce Chubick in a sub-district game back in 1988. Yeah, he went for 38 that night with 7 3-pointers. 

 

That's awesome, my man @demone! I hooped against both Andy Markowski and ol' Frosty back in H.S. Even guarded them both, back in central NE in the late 80's/early 90's. And, believe me, I told my coach that I wanted to take on the 'dude' on the other team! I think I held my own for Aurora. And I still hoop occasionally with a guy from the early 2000's, Brian Conklin, that 57% three-point shooter for Collier's ballers (2003-04) that beat Creighton at CU in the '04 N.I.T.  Man, Conk is so tall and slender... I often feel sorry that he has to duck under every 6'-8" door opening, which is a lot of 'em on the residential side (as commercial doors are usually at least 7' in height) !! Great, great guy!

[atskooc]

38 minutes ago, Dean Smith said:

Clinton Childs, Michael Booker, Calvin Jones, Tony Vedral out on the courts at east campus and some fitness club we always snuck into. On the South St courts, it was winners' world so the new team matched up on D. I was stupid enough to complain loud enough where she could hear about having a girl guard me because you couldn't win. If you get beat you get dogged by your team and if you play hard you get dogged by your team. I had to look her up but it was Nafeesah Brown who played at the U in the early '90s. She promptly elbowed me in the mouth and told me, "Now you know you can go hard." I was spitting blood but we still held the court when the game was over.

 

I not calling shenanigans on blindcheck but I saw Andre Woolridge during his senior year in high school put up 50 in the state semi's against Ralston and he had a very good off hand against some very athletic players. I don't remember much about his freshman year except he didn't play as much as he wanted but I saw him at Iowa and his left was solid as he won the Big 10 player of the year. Maybe blindcheck possessed incredible lateral quickness in the day. 

He put that 50 up in the championship game against Hastings.

 

Edited April 2, 2019 by atskooc

[Art Vandalay]

Jamar Johnson his prop year, Terry Badgett, Chubick, Carl Hayes. Tons of football guys but Barron Miles and Kenny Walker really stood out and Byron Bennett was a douche.

[Dean Smith]

1 hour ago, atskooc said:

He put that 50 up in the championship game against Hastings.

 

Ya but he also put up 50 on Ralston, I thought in the semi's but it might have been the old metro tournament. 

[Blindcheck]

1 hour ago, Dean Smith said:

 

 

I not calling shenanigans on blindcheck but I saw Andre Woolridge during his senior year in high school put up 50 in the state semi's against Ralston and he had a very good off hand against some very athletic players. I don't remember much about his freshman year except he didn't play as much as he wanted but I saw him at Iowa and his left was solid as he won the Big 10 player of the year. Maybe blindcheck possessed incredible lateral quickness in the day. 

I always was shocked watching him do so well in the Big Ten.  IMO and if you read some comments from some Iowa fans, they noticed it as well...that he refused to go left.

 

I have never had lateral quickness, heck quickness of any kind, so I have always had to figure out ways to play to cover up my deficiencies. What I will remember about that day is he blew by me a couple time with  his right hand and so I just overplayed him and tried to force him to his left...probably helped that I didn't know who he was until after we played.

 

Link

 

From a Hawkeye fan: about why he didn't make it in the NBA

 

Couldn't go left. 
Didn't have any quickness.
Wasn't a great on- the -ball defender.
Made big shots, but at best he was an average outside shooter.

He got into the lane because of his size and strength, he had this low dribble where it was almost impossible to swipe at the ball. He would go right and everyone knew it, but you couldn't stop him.