Favorite Old School Big East Players

[wrestlemania]

Obviously, GU players are included.

I'll open with Clyde Vaughan -- played for some very bad Pitt teams in the early 80's. Six foot five, built like a Big Ten linebacker, one of the top scorers in the conference at the time. Great mid-range game.

[DallasHoya]

Eric Smith. Everything missing from the current team. Excellent defender. Solid on offense. Did just about everything a team needs to exceed and win.

[Elvado]

Feb 15, 2016 11:44:00 GMT -5 DallasHoya said:

Eric Smith. Everything missing from the current team. Excellent defender. Solid on offense. Did just about everything a team needs to exceed and win.

Agree wholeheartedly. One need only look at the aftermath of Freddie's pass to Worthy to know why. Smitty had the good sense to run him down and foul him. It allowed the Hoyas that last gasp heave by Sleepy. Everyone else froze. Not Smitty.

[vv83]

Feb 15, 2016 11:47:14 GMT -5 Elvado said:

Feb 15, 2016 11:44:00 GMT -5 DallasHoya said:

Eric Smith. Everything missing from the current team. Excellent defender. Solid on offense. Did just about everything a team needs to exceed and win.

Agree wholeheartedly. One need only look at the aftermath of Freddie's pass to Worthy to know why. Smitty had the good sense to run him down and foul him. It allowed the Hoyas that last gasp heave by Sleepy. Everyone else froze. Not Smitty.

Smith is definitely my favorite Hoya ever. He shows up at a few games at Verizon each year, still looks like he could step on the court and compete. He and Ed Spriggs lived on my floor my freshman year, and they played on our intramural softball team during their junior and senior year. How many current starting players in an NCAA championship game do something like playing softball with a bunch of freshman dorks? They even came out to practice with us a few times each spring, once basketball season was over. One of my freshman year buddies talked with Smitty at a recent game, and Smitty immediately wanted to start reminiscing about intramural softball. Needless to say, Smith was a great softball player - he was a star football player in HS, just a great athlete and a wonderful guy.

[HoyaChris]

Perry McDonald. Toughest Hoya ever. Former Golden Gloves champ. Effectively played center for the Reggie and the Miracles team that beat Syracuse three times. He completely dominated 6 foot 11 Ronny Seikaly. Oh by the way, he was 6 feet 4 inches.

And yes, I would also put Eric Smith on the short list.

[drquigley]

Forget the pass, Freddie was truly old school. I remember watching him under the basket and thinking that I would never want to fight him for a rebound or try to go to the hoop against him. If I recall there was a sport illustrated photo of him elbowing some opponent for a rebound.

[SSHoya]

Feb 15, 2016 12:36:41 GMT -5 vv83 said:

Feb 15, 2016 11:47:14 GMT -5 Elvado said:

Agree wholeheartedly. One need only look at the aftermath of Freddie's pass to Worthy to know why. Smitty had the good sense to run him down and foul him. It allowed the Hoyas that last gasp heave by Sleepy. Everyone else froze. Not Smitty.

Smith is definitely my favorite Hoya ever. He shows up at a few games at Verizon each year, still looks like he could step on the court and compete. He and Ed Spriggs lived on my floor my freshman year, and they played on our intramural softball team during their junior and senior year. How many current starting players in an NCAA championship game do something like playing softball with a bunch of freshman dorks? They even came out to practice with us a few times each spring, once basketball season was over. One of my freshman year buddies talked with Smitty at a recent game, and Smitty immediately wanted to start reminiscing about intramural softball. Needless to say, Smith was a great softball player - he was a star football player in HS, just a great athlete and a wonderful guy.

Smith was also a first team All-Met in football as well as basketball at Churchill HS in Potomac, MD and I recall that he even had a tryout as a punter with the Dallas Cowboys after he graduated.

[Talos]

Feb 15, 2016 14:06:54 GMT -5 HoyaChris said:

Perry McDonald. Toughest Hoya ever. Former Golden Gloves champ. Effectively played center for the Reggie and the Miracles team that beat Syracuse three times. He completely dominated 6 foot 11 Ronny Seikaly. Oh by the way, he was 6 feet 4 inches.

And yes, I would also put Eric Smith on the short list.

Agreed; McDonald is my favorite Hoya of all time.  So tough, so physical, played so hard on every play.  It was uncanny how he could get off his shot over guys half a foot taller.  It's also funny to think how many would be upset if we recruited a 6'4" PF right now.  

I think Govan needs to spend the summer with McDonald....

[Nevada Hoya]

I think Gene Smith belongs on this list for his outstanding D. There is a story, aprocryphal or not (or my memory fades me), that coming out of halftime in the 1984 Kentucky semi game, with the Hoyas down, and Gene winked to indicated that they would handle the Wildcats the second half, and handle them they did.

[HoyaChris]

Feb 15, 2016 17:21:09 GMT -5 Nevada Hoya said:

I think Gene Smith belongs on this list for his outstanding D. There is a story, aprocryphal or not (or my memory fades me), that coming out of halftime in the 1984 Kentucky semi game, with the Hoyas down, and Gene winked to indicated that they would handle the Wildcats the second half, and handle them they did.

The story is not apocryphal. In the second half, while we were holding Kentucky scoreless for 11 minutes, he winked to the CBS announcers, after he had knocked the ball out of bounds off of Dicky Beal's knee.

[vv83]

Feb 15, 2016 18:05:44 GMT -5 HoyaChris said:

Feb 15, 2016 17:21:09 GMT -5 Nevada Hoya said:

I think Gene Smith belongs on this list for his outstanding D. There is a story, aprocryphal or not (or my memory fades me), that coming out of halftime in the 1984 Kentucky semi game, with the Hoyas down, and Gene winked to indicated that they would handle the Wildcats the second half, and handle them they did.

The story is not apocryphal. In the second half, while we were holding Kentucky scoreless for 11 minutes, he winked to the CBS announcers, after he had knocked the ball out of bounds off of Dicky Beal's knee.

Gene Smith is another guy who looks like he could still play today - I have seen him at a couple of MSG games over the years. Definitely the most fun defensive player I can remember. The Kentucky game was on MASN last week in the DC area, and watching Gene get up in the face of Kentucky guard Jim Master was fantastic. Master was a real good player, but Smith absolutely destroyed him and the rest of the kentucky backcourt in the second half of that game. Still the best half ever of Hoya basketball, no points for Kentucky for the first 10 minutes of the second half - in a national semi-final game!

[rambis]

Speaking of old school, I remember (two-time) golden gloves winner Perry McDonald putting Jerome Lane in a headlock and letting him have it. I think that was the fracas where some Pitt player sucker punched Sam Jefferson. If I recall, that year also featured Sarge body slamming Jerome when he tried to pick a fight with Mark Tillmon. Ahhh... the old days.

[wrestlemania]

Feb 15, 2016 18:13:00 GMT -5 vv83 said:

Feb 15, 2016 18:05:44 GMT -5 HoyaChris said:

The story is not apocryphal. In the second half, while we were holding Kentucky scoreless for 11 minutes, he winked to the CBS announcers, after he had knocked the ball out of bounds off of Dicky Beal's knee.

Gene Smith is another guy who looks like he could still play today - I have seen him at a couple of MSG games over the years. Definitely the most fun defensive player I can remember. The Kentucky game was on MASN last week in the DC area, and watching Gene get up in the face of Kentucky guard Jim Master was fantastic. Master was a real good player, but Smith absolutely destroyed him and the rest of the kentucky backcourt in the second half of that game. Still the best half ever of Hoya basketball, no points for Kentucky for the first 10 minutes of the second half - in a national semi-final game!

True story: One day Gene happened to be walking by a bunch of students playing flag football, and decided to join the game. His team won 106-0.

[wrestlemania]

Feb 15, 2016 12:36:41 GMT -5 vv83 said:

Feb 15, 2016 11:47:14 GMT -5 Elvado said:

Agree wholeheartedly. One need only look at the aftermath of Freddie's pass to Worthy to know why. Smitty had the good sense to run him down and foul him. It allowed the Hoyas that last gasp heave by Sleepy. Everyone else froze. Not Smitty.

Smith is definitely my favorite Hoya ever. He shows up at a few games at Verizon each year, still looks like he could step on the court and compete. He and Ed Spriggs lived on my floor my freshman year, and they played on our intramural softball team during their junior and senior year. How many current starting players in an NCAA championship game do something like playing softball with a bunch of freshman dorks? They even came out to practice with us a few times each spring, once basketball season was over. One of my freshman year buddies talked with Smitty at a recent game, and Smitty immediately wanted to start reminiscing about intramural softball. Needless to say, Smith was a great softball player - he was a star football player in HS, just a great athlete and a wonderful guy.

What is Eric doing these days?

[rambis]

If we're talking about old school Hoya players, I'll never forget Charles Smith's full court drive to beat Cuse at the Dome at the buzzer. He was also MVP of the 89 BET in our most dominant MSG run ever. Our average margin of victory in that tournament was over 20 points and Smitty averaged 22.

Outside of the Hoyas, Eric Murdock was a great point guard for Providence in that era. Set the NCAA record for steals and played hard every possession.

[nodak89]

From my time on the Hilltop it would be...

Ronnie Highsmith aka Sgt Slam
& Perry McDonald

[hoyazeke]

Favorite Hoya is easy for me. It Charles Smith all day everyday. That is when I became a college basketball and GTown fan during the Smith years and Zo years. I love BE basketball but the only player from other teams that I can say that I liked was Ray Allen. He played with a smoothness to his game.........

[sleepy21]

Feb 15, 2016 18:28:45 GMT -5 rambis said:

Speaking of old school, I remember (two-time) golden gloves winner Perry McDonald putting Jerome Lane in a headlock and letting him have it. I think that was the fracas where some Pitt player sucker punched Sam Jefferson. If I recall, that year also featured Sarge body slamming Jerome when he tried to pick a fight with Mark Tillmon. Ahhh... the old days.

Yes. Demetrius Gore was the Pitt player that punched Jefferson.

One of my favorite players was Chris Smith, PG for UCONN I believe in the early 90s. And DC's own Lawrence Moten.

[vv83]

I hate to say it, but I really enjoyed watching Leo Rautins play. He was such a creative passer, very unique in this regard. His son, on the other hand .... ugh!!!

John Bagley was also a very entertaining player in the early days of the Big East - built like a little truck, he was a tough offensive player. Those Dr. Tom Davis BC teams played some really well designed/executed offense, with guys like Bagley and Jay Murphy.

[Deleted]

Sean Muto, Rafal Bigus, and Marco Baldi.