Rank your top 10 underated players to ever play at UNC.
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Pete ChilcuttDavid NoelAdemola OkulajaMike O'KorenJim BraddockHenrik RodlDante CalabriaRanzino SmithKevin MaddenSteve Hale
Underrated BEFORE getting to UNC, or underappreciated for their contributions? I'm going with the former.
Warren Martin
Shammond Williams
Hubert Davis
David Noel
Ademola Okulaja
Kevin Salvadori
Steve Bucknall
Steve Hale
Ranzino Smith
and the last spot is a conglomeration of slow white guys that could shoot it!:
Wes Miller, Brad Hoffman, and Scott Cherry,
Warren Martin
Shammond Williams
Hubert Davis
David Noel
Ademola Okulaja
Kevin Salvadori
Steve Bucknall
Steve Hale
Ranzino Smith
and the last spot is a conglomeration of slow white guys that could shoot it!:
Wes Miller, Brad Hoffman, and Scott Cherry,
John Kuester, Jimmy Black would be in the mix as well. Kuester might be going too far back for some of y'all.
Kris Lang is a good one. What about J. Peppers? Had he given basketball a fulltime try I believe he could have had a Barkley type of career.
Joseph Forte....great talent and charisma that he did not live up to!!
Don Eggleston.....I mention him all the time b/c I played against him in High school. But nobody ever says anything about him, LOL
This post was edited on 4/14 12:30 PM by crysdawn
Don Eggleston.....I mention him all the time b/c I played against him in High school. But nobody ever says anything about him, LOL
This post was edited on 4/14 12:30 PM by crysdawn
Not sure he's underrated.
I can't do 10 - just too many. Plus, a lot of the guys mentioned are not as underrated as some of y'all might think. What is underrated? To me it might be different than to you. Hansbrough might be "underrated". For as good as he was, you cannot quantify what his intensity brought to the team. Hell, Danny Green may not be the player he is today if not for learning and playing along side the greatest Tar Heel of all-time.
But for the purposes of this list, I think I'll go with mid-level players whose contributions to the team are often overlooked as if they rode the coattails of the more gifted and productive players. These are the 3 that immediately come to mind.
David Noel - Even as a seldomly used role player on the title team, he brought value. The dude was tough as nails. And early in career he was the best practice player a program could ask for. In scouting situations, he could literally play 4 positions on the court. And then later on, after his amazing improvement as a basketball player, he became the unquestioned leader and probably the second best player on the team. He was the bridge from Roy's first title to his second.
Ademola Okulaja - the consummate teammate. Played the background with superstars but had the game to be a bigger star than he was. Mature, composed, gritty, and a leader. Ended up being a 1st team All ACC player so I'm not sure how underrated he was/is.
Derrick Phelps - talk about leadership...I know many around here appreciate what this guy did. But in college basketball history, this guy is just a blip on the radar. And that's a shame. I'm not sure I've seen a PG in the ACC that was as good of a defender as Phelps was. And it wasn't like he was totally devoid of scoring ability. He could make shots. Saw the floor exceptionally well because of his size and made the easy pass. He was just a guy that always knew the right play to make. He also knew his limitations and how to hide them. A pure winner.
George lynch
The dude got zero press, wasnt flashy or a big jumper or good shooter. But damn he held that team together with defense, rebounding, and consistency. I cant tell u how many times he came up with a critical loose ball or rebound. I felt he was the mvp on the team.
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The dude got zero press, wasnt flashy or a big jumper or good shooter. But damn he held that team together with defense, rebounding, and consistency. I cant tell u how many times he came up with a critical loose ball or rebound. I felt he was the mvp on the team.
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Danny Green was so vital to out 09 championship. He is probably my favorite player to ever play at UNC. He loves UNC.
Others notably underated:
Steve Bucknall
Scott Williams
Hubert Davis
Henrik Rodl
Pat Sullivan
Ademola Okulaja
Brendan Haywood
Jackie Manuel
Quentin Thomas
Others notably underated:
Steve Bucknall
Scott Williams
Hubert Davis
Henrik Rodl
Pat Sullivan
Ademola Okulaja
Brendan Haywood
Jackie Manuel
Quentin Thomas
Underrated has nothing to do with your HS Hype. It has to do with appreciation.
He didn't get drafted. Yet, he was arguably pivotal to our championship and it would not have been achieved without him.
He made it to the NBA through overseas. Which not many do.
Brendan Haywood - Make him part of the "Starting 6" and UNC cuts down the nets in 1998. No doubt in my mind about that. I still have nightmares about Ndiaye. Without Haywood, UNC never gets out of the 2nd round in the 2000 Tournament. Instead, they make an improbable run to the Final Four
Bobby Frasor - Felton went to the NBA and Frasor just did an incredible job at the point his freshman year. What a fun team that was to watch in 2005/2006. He broke his foot in his sophomore year and then tore his ACL in his junior year. Those injuries really set Frasor back and limited his ability, but don't forget all the contributions he gave
George "The Blind Bomber" Glamack - Really? You don't know him? His name doesn't sound familiar and you call yourself a Tar Heel fan? SHAME ON YOU! - Not just a great Tar Heel, but one of the most remarkable basketball players ever. He was known as the "Blind Bomber" because his vision was so poor that he could see only a few feet in front of him. He used the lines on the court to judge how hard to shoot. His signature shot was a left-handed hook from the foul line. He holds the distinction of being the first All-American from UNC.
The "Blind Bomber" is the big guy on the right
This post was edited on 4/15 5:15 PM by CarolinaBlue1982
Bobby Frasor - Felton went to the NBA and Frasor just did an incredible job at the point his freshman year. What a fun team that was to watch in 2005/2006. He broke his foot in his sophomore year and then tore his ACL in his junior year. Those injuries really set Frasor back and limited his ability, but don't forget all the contributions he gave
George "The Blind Bomber" Glamack - Really? You don't know him? His name doesn't sound familiar and you call yourself a Tar Heel fan? SHAME ON YOU! - Not just a great Tar Heel, but one of the most remarkable basketball players ever. He was known as the "Blind Bomber" because his vision was so poor that he could see only a few feet in front of him. He used the lines on the court to judge how hard to shoot. His signature shot was a left-handed hook from the foul line. He holds the distinction of being the first All-American from UNC.
This post was edited on 4/15 5:15 PM by CarolinaBlue1982
I am not sure it is possible to be underrated at UNC, we get so much attention but I would say Danny Green, that's it.
many carolina fans complained about haywood not scoring enough points, being lazy etc. which really irked me. he topped the conference in blocked shots, how is that lazy? and, as you point out, that team was not loaded with offensive threats so opposing coaches focused on stopping haywood with collapsing zones. haywood went on to have a nice nba career. he was under-appreciated by carolina fans who i guess were spoiled with sam perkins, brad daugherty etc.
