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Post by Commissioner on Jul 16, 2020 19:18:19 GMT -5
#90. Daryle Johnson, 6-7 F, 1971-72 I was one of the unlucky Class of 1973 whose UofD tenure started the year after Spencer Haywood and ended the year before Dick Vitale. I got to know Johnson a little during his stay. He was one of the nicest ballplayers, quiet and indeed a stud defender. He married the daughter of assistant coach Ben Bluitt, I think during his senior season. (Bluitt was the first black ballplayer at Loyola of Chicago, in the late '40s, and after his time as assistant at UofD Bluitt was head coach at Cornell. Bluitt was a gentleman, a father figure to the players, the total opposite of Jim Harding. I can't say for sure, but I expect Bluitt was the recruiter and the reason good black players came to Detroit during Harding's tenure.) Commish, my recollection of Johnson's eligibility problem was that he enrolled in Wilbur Wright JC but dropped out within a few weeks, never played basketball. But by enrolling and attending classes he started the five-year clock ticking. Then he enrolled at City College of San Francisco (not San Francisco State), a community college, before transferring to Detroit. Yes, it was definitely City College of San Francisco, not SF State. My mistake (now corrected). The Varsity News (March 14, 1972) reported "Johnson apparently attended Wright for a semester in the fall of 1966 and played basketball there," but the second part of that statement may not be accurate. Either way, the problem was, as you note, violating the 5 years to play 4 rule, because even if he had played at Wright CC in the fall of '66, 1972 would have been just his 4th season of playing. Thanks for the mention of Ben Bluitt. For what it's worth, when Trustee Charles Wright urged canning Harding and suggested hiring Michigan Assistant Fred Snowden to replace him, Harding sniffed, ""If Wright is so concerned about hiring a black coach if I leave," he continued, "I recommend that he consider Ben Bluitt, who has been indoctrinated in the intricacies and techniques of basketball, as versus as a man who just throws the ball on the court... For the University to follow the suggestion of Dr. Wright would be like replacing Racquel Welch with Twiggy in a bathing suit scene."
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Post by nctitan on Jul 16, 2020 21:13:14 GMT -5
I agree (for once) with Harding. Bluitt would've done well, although his record at Cornell was not good at all. But the taste of the Harding years was so foul that there was no way anyone on that staff could've been hired. It was time for a clean sweep.
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Post by Commissioner on Jul 17, 2020 7:58:14 GMT -5
#92. Doug Anderson, 6-6 F, 2012-2013
Few Titans have been more fun to watch than Doug Anderson. Anderson’s amazing 53 inch vertical lift, and his ability to stay aloft for a seemingly inhuman interval, led to some of the most spectacular dunks seen in Calihan Hall since Spencer Haywood leaped right over an Aquinas player on his way to backboard shattering smash.
Anderson won the 2013 College Slam Dunk Championship, where he garnered perfect scores of 40 from the judges on each of his four dunks. A one-man highlight reel, 46 percent of Anderson’s field goals during his two seasons with the Titans were dunks, and he had the number one dunk on ESPN SportsCenter’s Top Plays on four different occasions.
Anderson’s acrobatic dunks are so well remembered that the extent of substantive contributions are sometimes overlooked. His Win Share numbers are really impressive for a guy in his limited role. He was a solid rebounder and, while he had some deficiencies on defense, his athleticism and his eye for where the ball was likely to go gave him good totals on steals (he averaged over a steal a game both seasons) and blocks (he led the team in 2013). Given the percentage of his shots that were dunks, it’s not surprising that he knocked down 53% of his field goal attempts over two years and led the team in shooting percentage in 2013, but he also hit 70% of his free throws with the Titans. For his two seasons, he averaged a combined 10.6 points and 4.6 rebounds.
For me, the memory of the announcer proclaiming ‘Duuhhg AANDerson” is really pleasant. Since leaving UD he has delighted fans as a member of the Harlem Globetrotters.
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Post by Commissioner on Jul 17, 2020 18:34:24 GMT -5
It's like watching them unveil the last bracket at the Tournament Selection Show--will your guys make it?
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Post by Commissioner on Jul 17, 2020 18:42:53 GMT -5
#93. John Schramm, 6-6 C, 1963-1965
A steady compliment to front-line Titan stars Dick Dzik, Terry Page, and Dorie Murrey, John Schramm averaged 10.9 points and 7.9 rebounds over his Titan career. He was best his sophomore year, averaging a double-double with 13.9 points and 10.8 rebounds, but had his best moment as a senior in the 1965 NIT tournament. There, he came off the bench to score 15 points and grab 13 rebounds as the Titans beat La Salle, 93-86, for our first ever post-season win. He followed that up with 13 points and 7 rebounds in the team’ quarterfinal loss to NYU.
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Post by Lorenzo from cuse on Jul 17, 2020 21:21:21 GMT -5
We await Dave Niles.
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Post by Commissioner on Jul 18, 2020 7:00:49 GMT -5
Once again, a reader is right on cue. #94. Dave Niles, 6-5 G, 1977-1980One of the many first team All-State players signed by the Vitale/Gaines recruiting juggernaut, Niles was a classic “glue guy,” taking care of little things while Long, Tyler, Duerod and Cureton got the headlines. A strong finisher at the rim, Niles shot 51.7% for his career, and also shot between 73% and 77% from the stripe each year. As a senior in 1980, Niles averaged 11.7 points and an impressive 4.4 assists. He averaged over 10 points and 3 assists for the 1979 NCAA squad, and his Titan teams were an impressive 86-27 in his 4 seasons. Adding a UD MBA to his undergraduate degree, Niles had a long career with Ameritech, rising to the level of vice president of marketing before leaving the company when it was purchased by AT&T. He is an avid pilot and now sells small aircraft out of Northville, which appears to be a labor of love as much as household economics.
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Post by Larrypredicts on Jul 18, 2020 13:00:55 GMT -5
The remaining 1000 pt club member is Anton Wilson.
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Post by udmperry on Jul 18, 2020 13:22:38 GMT -5
I still have hopes that the guy with the best game face ever, Evan Bruinsma makes it as maybe Anchor man! Loved that guy.
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Post by udmperry on Jul 18, 2020 13:23:48 GMT -5
Game face is an NCAA stat, right?
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Post by Commissioner on Jul 18, 2020 17:56:26 GMT -5
The remaining 1000 pt club member is Anton Wilson. Somebody must have access to my master list. Or maybe everyone just needs to patient--wait a couple hours and your man will magically appear. #95. Anton Wilson, 6-5 G, 2013-2016Sharpshooting Anton Wilson ranks 4th on the Titan career list for both three point shooting (41.1%) and free throw shooting (86.1%). A classic spot up three point shooter, Wilson hit over 40% of his threes each of his sophomore, junior, and senior years, and took two-thirds of his shots from outside the arc. Wilson managed to enter the 1000 point club with a 23 point performance against Youngstown State in the Horizon League tournament of his senior year, finishing with 1005 points. He averaged a career best 14.3 points that season, and led the Horizon in free throw percentage at 89.2%. I've probably rated Anton a bit low.
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Post by Larrytheman on Jul 18, 2020 20:16:12 GMT -5
People are going to think that Commissioner and Larrytitan are one and the same!
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Post by upbasketballfan on Jul 18, 2020 21:30:06 GMT -5
The remaining 1000 pt club member is Anton Wilson. Somebody must have access to my master list. Or maybe everyone just needs to patient--wait a couple hours and your man will magically appear. #95. Anton Wilson, 6-5 G, 2013-2016Sharpshooting Anton Wilson ranks 4th on the Titan career list for both three point shooting (41.1%) and free throw shooting (86.1%). A classic spot up three point shooter, Davis hit over 40% of his threes each of his sophomore, junior, and senior years, and took two-thirds of his shots from outside the arc. Davis managed to enter the 1000 point club with a 23 point performance against Youngstown State in the Horizon League tournament of his senior year, finishing with 1005 points. He averaged a career best 14.3 points that season, and led the Horizon in free throw percentage at 89.2%. I've probably rated Anton a bit low. I always felt Wilson was a really good player who played for the team and would have helped even more if he was a little more selfish. I enjoyed Anton's game a lot more than many listed above him. He had to have a lot on his mind with his mother and sister in the middle of the Flint Water Crisis.
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Post by Commissioner on Jul 19, 2020 7:01:04 GMT -5
Somebody must have access to my master list. Or maybe everyone just needs to patient--wait a couple hours and your man will magically appear. #95. Anton Wilson, 6-5 G, 2013-2016Sharpshooting Anton Wilson ranks 4th on the Titan career list for both three point shooting (41.1%) and free throw shooting (86.1%). A classic spot up three point shooter, Davis hit over 40% of his threes each of his sophomore, junior, and senior years, and took two-thirds of his shots from outside the arc. Davis managed to enter the 1000 point club with a 23 point performance against Youngstown State in the Horizon League tournament of his senior year, finishing with 1005 points. He averaged a career best 14.3 points that season, and led the Horizon in free throw percentage at 89.2%. I've probably rated Anton a bit low. I always felt Wilson was a really good player who played for the team and would have helped even more if he was a little more selfish. I enjoyed Anton's game a lot more than many listed above him. He had to have a lot on his mind with his mother and sister in the middle of the Flint Water Crisis. I tend to agree with that assessment.
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Post by Commissioner on Jul 19, 2020 7:03:13 GMT -5
#96. Torvoris Baker, 6-7 F, 2004-2006
“Whatever is needed from me I will get the job done, and I will find the solution with any means necessary. There is no other way. This is my job and I must get it done.” – Torvoris Baker.
That’s not a bad summary of Baker’s career. He was a guy who did the unglorious work, the dirty jobs work. Baker played three years for the Titans after transferring from Eastern Michigan. Though he never scored much (topping out at 8.9 ppg as a senior), he led the Titans in rebounds in both 2005 and 2006, was a conference All-Defensive team selection in 2006, and when he did shoot—mainly after working the offensive boards—he hit 51.6% for his Titan career, never falling below 50% in a season.
After his Titan days Baker played professionally for a year in Ireland, and then was a longtime fixture in German leagues.
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