The Top Five College Basketball Players in North Carolina Tar Heel History:You’ve got to get Walter Davis in there!!!

This is a great topic that John Kilgo and Dre Bly had going on their radio show today and I don’t think they realized how deep this topic really can go….This is a detailed one and even though I have never been a huge North Carolina Tar Heel basketball fan over the years, I have really enjoyed following their program and have found the people that make up the history of this basketball program to be very interesting….Have loved keeping up with them over the years and did not root for them, but sure knew the players and the “old school” era, you know the Dean Smith years, they might have been the best, but who are the best players, who would rank as ‘The Top Five Ever’ in hoops at UNC?????

You may be ‘old school’, you may be ‘new school’, or you may be in ‘Middle School’ as Dre Bly said today, but you “Top Five” and how many of them are still alive….Many of the ones John Kilgo mentioned for his “Top Five”, I could go along with, but leaving our “Sweet D” Walter Davis??? You can’t do that….

Here is a ‘quick shot’ “Top Five” for you from UNC/North Carolina….
1)Phil Ford….Mr. Point Guard…It is a shame more of today’s kids didn’t get to see him play….In his freshman year, I think it was 1975, he tore up the ACC Tournament and prior the shot clock, well Phil Ford and the ‘Four Corners’ offense is the reason the NCAA finally implemented/added the “Shot Clock”….
2)James Worthy…There might be good arguments to be made that Worthy was a better pro than he was a college player, but he was “up there” on the college list too….
3)Michael Jordan….Really was just passing through college on the way to NBA fame, but he did not pass up that NCAA Title back in 1982….That was a pretty decent “Big Three” of Jordan, Worthy and Perkins on that ’82 club and that could well be the best-ever edition at UNC-Chapel Hill…
4)Walter Davis…It doesn’t really matter what order you put/list these guys in, they all were among the best in college and pro basketball history and if you look at their combined careers, with taking college and pro ball into consideration, you would probably put Phil Ford last on the list…Top overall Heel for the College Encounters, but when add in what he went on to do in the pros, he misses the mark…Jordan, Worthy, Davis and Perkins all had great NBA careers, but we are mainly on the college netting here this evening….
5)Sam Perkins….Mr. Smooth while in college and again in the pros…Who did he play for in the NBA, was it Seattle and Dallas primarily???
*****We do have to get Charlie Scott in here somewhere, but where does he go???*****

There is your “Top Five” All-Time Best College Basketball Players at the University of North Carolina….But you may ask and then end up saying, “But You Left Out”….
Larry Miller
Bob McAdoo
Bobby Jones
Steve Previs
George Karl
Brad Hoffman
Dick Grubar
Rusty Clark
Lee Dedmon
Billy Cunningham
Bob Lewis
Steve Hale
Tommy LaGarde
Al Wood
Dudley Bradley
Kenny Smith
Tyler Hansbrough
Tyler Zeller
Ty Lawson
Mitch Kupchak
Ed Stahl
Eric Montross
Marvin Williams
Donald Williams
Roy Williams…I think he played some as a Walk-On….
Ged Doughton
Tommy Zaliagiris
J.R. Reid
Vince Carter
Antawn Jamison
Brad Daugherty
Raymond Felton
Joe Forte
Jerry Stackhouse
Curtis Hunter
Kevin Madden
Wes Miller
George Lynch
John Virgil
Rich Yonaker

Who is in your “Top Five” or maybe make it easy on yourself and cook up you “Top Ten”, or even a “Top 25″…..
Excellent topic and old school ACC Basketball and especially old school(70’s/80’s/90’s) Big Four ACC Basketball is subject/topic that never dies……

7 thoughts on “The Top Five College Basketball Players in North Carolina Tar Heel History:You’ve got to get Walter Davis in there!!!

  1. Here is the deal—- this list is only what you think you know about Tar Heel basketball, Andy. You don’t even have Charlie Scott listed much less top 5!!! To top it off , what about Lennie Rosenbluth or even Pete Brennan? Thry played in different eras, but they were great players who won champioships, graduated, and did not need AFAM studies to do it!

  2. Charlie Scott is a great call….Rosenbluth and Brennan were way before my time, but I will put Charlie up there somewhere in my top five…I just loved the flow of his game and the ball did not come up far beyond his hip when he handled it….

    I will put Charlie in my Top Five tied with somebody, there is so much more for what he did for college basketball in general and for North Carolina basketball in particular that needs to be recognized…

    Charlie Scott is Top Five, just give me some time to figure out where he goes…

    Scott in his own right was as good as Phil Ford, for what he did with his complete game on the court…

    Good call and a good topic and would love to hear more about this one from other fans that have this same passion for basketball…

  3. Charlie Scott over Sweet D, if only because he broke the color barrier..he opened the door for all of the others to walk thru. Met Charlie a few years back, and see him from time to time on the summer circuit

  4. You forgot the best ACC player of all time David Thompson from Shelby, NC. Also Chris Paul was pretty good for west forsyth

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