I never understood why DB never played in the NBA. He was absolutely good enough. Great player and ball thief (like Frazier.) Pretty sure the NBA misses on a lot of players with NBA talent. (e.g. Jamaal Tatum)
Those were the good old days.
I really wish I could have seen him play more. He was a super talent.
69 is doing some research but it appears all but 4 modern players in the MVC hall of fame have had their numbers retired by their school. 3 played for SIU.
well there was 5 but the other one is getting a statue so there is that.
to me this is unacceptable. Not sure when he is gonna post the numbers but this fact needs to change.
HANG #1 now
This will likely be a long post. Barkeep and I were discussing my theory about how many MVC Hall of Fame members have had their number retired by their school. We both felt that it was a high percentage, so I decided to dig into it a bit more. I did the research to the best of my ability and there are a few notes with some of the names.
I found a total of 34 men’s basketball players in the MVC Hall of Fame. There were a few more in the hall of fame that played basketball but were being honored by The Valley for other than their basketball career. SIU’s Harold Bardo is a case in point. Dr. Bardo was a very good player for SIU but was given the MVC’s Paul Morrison Award for significant contributions to SIU and the MVC. For that reason, I did not count him in the 34.
There was one other that I struggled with that could fall in or out of the final tally. Using the conservative approach and counting a straight up or down on a retired jersey I found just seven out of the 34 that have not had their jersey retired but are members of the MVC Hall of Fame.
Three of the seven are SIU legends. I think that I can legitimately make the case that it is really more like five that haven’t and still three are Salukis.
Here is the list in no particular order. I hope it is accurate:
Larry Bird, Indiana State, Retired
Hersey Hawkins, Bradley, Retired
Ed Macauley, St. Louis, Retired
Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati, Retired
Dave Stallworth, Wichita State, Retired
Wes Unseld, Louisville, Retired
Bob Kurland, Oklahoma A&M, Not retired. I do not believe any basketball jersey has been retired at Oklahoma State. Kurland is in the Naismith Hall of Fame. As a side note...both he and Darren Brooks attended Jennings High School.
Chet Walker, Bradley, Reitred
Xavier McDaniel, Wichita State, Retired
Doug Collins, Illinois State, Retired
Antoine Carr, Wichita State, Retired
Cleo Littleton, Wichita State, Retired
Dick Boushka, St. Louis, Retired
Walt Frazier, Southern Illinois, Retired
Larry Finch, Memphis, Retired
Paul Unruh, Bradley, Retired
Chuck Orsborn, Bradley, Not retired. I had a tough time classifying Ozzy. He played basketball for BU in the 1930’s (as well as three other sports), coached at Bradley for 18 years and then was an AD there for another 13. I think he is likely in the HOF due to his extensive career in Peoria and I do not think he should be counted in the list.
JJ Anderson, Bradley, Retired
Duane Klueh, Indiana State, Retired
Bob Harstad, Creighton, Retired
Junior Bridgeman, Louisville. This is a tricky one. I include him in the retired list because his jersey hangs in the rafters. Louisville has two levels of jersey honors. They have a small number of truly retired numbers and a slightly larger number of “honored jerseys” that the number can still be worn.
Kyle Korver, Creighton, Retired
Paul Silas, Creighton, Retired
Bob Portman, Creighton, Retired
Mike Glenn, Southern Illinois, Not retired.
Roger Phegley, Bradley, Retired
Anthony Parker, Bradley, Not retired.
Jerry Harkness, Loyola, Retired
Dolph Pulliam, Drake, Retired
Darren Brooks, Southern Illinois, Not retired.
Kent Williams, Southern Illinois, Not retired.
Maurice Cheeks, West Texas State, Not retired. I think Mo should be in the retired column since they installed a life-sized bronze statue of him outside of their arena. They are Division II now, so it was tough to tell if they have ever retired any jerseys. Mo’s #10 is still in use.
Tom Thacker, Cincinnati, Not retired.
Cliff Levingston, Wichita State, Retired.
What are your thoughts? Please do not quote this post in full because it is already lengthy. I think awarding retired jersey should be reserved for the best. With our great history I think recognizing only two is too few, but I'm not sure where the line should be.
I like Louisville's concept of a tight number of retired numbers, but then expanding it a little more to include a handful more excellent players.
In my humble opinion there is no reason why the jerseys of Stinger, DB and Kid Kent should not be hanging under the dome. A case could be made for others like Joe C. and Seymour Bryson to mention a few.
How about creating a ring of honor for some of the players maybe this allows for their contributions without necessarily retiring the number
I lean toward the Louisville example. I don't know that we should at this point retire any more numbers. DB, Kid Kent, Mike Glenn, Merriweather, would I think be first ones in the honored jerseys.
My wife and I were at the Oklahoma State game, The Salukis gave them a game, but in the end, it was not to be. After the final buzzer sounded DB was under the basketball, he picked up the ball and bounced it off the backboard, into the hoop. He had the most wistful and melancholy look on his face, knowing it was over. It was one of "those" moments that made you want to cry.
The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.
James Madison
My wife and I were at the Oklahoma State game, The Salukis gave them a game, but in the end, it was not to be. After the final buzzer sounded DB was under the basketball, he picked up the ball and bounced it off the backboard, into the hoop. He had the most wistful and melancholy look on his face, knowing it was over. It was one of "those" moments that made you want to cry.
Know the feeling, exactly my sentiment after graduation and driving home from Carbondale.
March on triumphantly!
