Wednesday, March 14, 2007

MY 34 LEAST FAVORITE COLLEGE BASKETBALL PLAYERS EVER

I've been an avid college basketball fan since I was about seven years old. Growing up I followed Boston College very closely and enjoyed the good years of Troy Bell, Craig Smith and Jared Dudley. Currently I attend Villanova University and am ready for my first tournament as a Wildcats fan. My background causes me to be particularly biased towards Big East and ACC players. Enough about me, here's the list......



34. Jeff Trepagnier-USC
Growing up a young BC fan, I was fragile and unaccustomed to success. Then Troy Bell went nuts, and we won the Big East Tournament. A narrow win against Utah State in the first round of the tourney set up a date with USC. Then this dunce Trepaigner has a great game, and I almost killed myself. BC loses and over half a decade later this name still pains me.

33. Levon Kendall- Pitt
You'll soon realize I have an intense disliking for Pittsburgh and the thugs on their roster. Kendall is the ultimate wuss. He never does anything, and they probably only keep him around because Aaron Gray needs a friend. This guy just looks like a jerk too.

32. Randolph Morris-Kentucky
This idiot entered the draft and wasn't drafted. So why did the NCAA reward him and allow him to come back? Who rewards a moron? He has since been inconsistent and is probably just as dumb. If Kentucky beats Villanova and Morris is responsible, he will skyrocket up this list.

31. Dan Grunfeld-Stanford
Everyone used to say this guy was really good, but in reality he was just an over hyped loser. Everyone realized this once his averages plummeted down to 12 points a game his senior year. No one has probably talked about him since that season until now.

30. Nik Caner-Medley-Maryland
Numerous issues with this guy. First of all, it's Nick not Nik. Second, be a man and pick a last name. Finally, some idiot once told me that Caner-Medley was drafted when the truth was that he didn't even enter the draft and was still playing. That really made me angry.

29. Chris Hill-Michigan State
This guy was a fine player, but what bothered me was the way he looked. The reason: he looked exactly like Pete Sampras. How did I realize this? Because every time I'd watch Michigan State on TV, I would have an announcer tell me 72 times. Enough is enough, eventually I grew to hate this man.

28. James Augustine- Illinois
I was never much of an Illinois fan the season they went to the final, and Augustine was the main reason behind this. He was a big part of their success, but all he would do is dunk the ball. What angered me was every time he dunked, he would yell and scream like he was really good. That was a bit irritating. Also he shaved his head in college, yet now I see he has hair in the NBA. Who does this guy think he is?

27. Darius Songaila-Wake Forest
This guy barely knew how to play basketball. Basically, he would stand out there, set illegal picks and put an elbow to his opponents' throats. Possibly the dirtiest player I have ever seen.

26. Luke Schenscher-Georgia Tech
The day Georgia Tech beat BC in the tournament will probably be the source of therapy years later in my life. People seem to forget that the only reason this great Yellow Jackets team make their run to the final was because they were given phantom foul calls on Craig Smith that enabled them to edge the Eagles by three points in the second round. Schenscher, the big Australian goon who stood there and did nothing the whole tournament, coaxed these foul calls. He will never be forgiven.

25. John Oates-Boston College
This is an example of a player you hate because he just happens to be on your team. All Oates does is take three-pointers, which he doesn't make. Even worse, he is the center. The 6'10" big man was apparently never though how to post up or play defense. Also, he tends to want to take big shots and missing them. That's always a great type of player to have.

24. Charlie Villanueva-UConn

To put it nicely, Villanueva's head looked like it was made out of clay. He reminded me of one of the Blockheads from Gumby. He used his clay body to trick people by morphing into what appeared to be a good basketball player. However, I knew better, and saw that he was just an overy agressive loser. He left after one year, possibly because his clay brain could not handle the everyday rigors of school.


23. Christian Drejer-Florida
Drejer was a pretty good player on the Florida. Then a few weeks before one season, he left the school and went to play over seas. Probably one of the biggest jerk moves you could possibly pull. Florida had a tough time recovering and replacing him. I don't like Florida too much, but this guy I hate even more.

22. Brad Buckman-Texas
Buckman thought he was a real tough guy. That was probably his problem. He would always try to play dirty and muscle people out of the way, but instead would just wind up bleeding or with a broken bone. Some one should have told this guy, he is just simply a wuss.

21. Shavlik Randolph-Duke
I'm pretty sure it's hard to like anyone named Shavlik Randolph in the first place, so I'm probably not alone here. He was one of those typical role players on Duke who never did anything but was given an unreasonable amount of credit for doing average things like throwing a chest pass. He also left school way too early and somehow found his way to the NBA.

20. Chris Taft-Pittsburgh
Speaking of idiots who leave early....why look, it's Chris Taft! He had a great freshman year where he showed that he too could be one of those dirty, complaining Pitt big men. Taft was a bust his sophomore year and felt that coming off such a horrible season his draft stock would never be higher, so he entered the NBA draft. Typical reasoning by a Pitt player. It was good too see him leave.

19. Chris Quinn-Notre Dame
One of Quinn's biggest hobbies was missing game winning shots. He was really good at that and liked to do it as often as possible. Also, Quinn still looks like he belongs in Sunday school class. Currently, he plays for the Miami Heat and looks like he's wearing his brother's jersey. He's an example of one of the many Notre Dame players who can only shoot threes and is useless in every other aspect of the game.

18. Nick Smith-Illinois
Who? Exactly. Smith barely played on that great Illinois team and deservedly so. Yet, he felt it was his place to complain about his lack of playing time. This guy was basically on the team only to keep its GPA up, and he feels like he deserves to play. When he did play, he was awful. He is most likely currently complaining about a lack of playing time in your local men's league.

17. Ed McCants-Wisconsin-Milwaukee
It was all perfect that year. BC had just beaten UPenn in the first round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament. Now they lucked out by having to play Wisconsin-Milwaukee instead of Alabama. After that, I was convinced they could shock the world and beat Illinois. However, they never got there because Bruce Pearl and his street yard, dirty basketball players did everything but take swings at BC to win that game. It was like a combination of basketball and kill the carrier. Ed McCants had a big day, so I blame him most to this day.

16. Collin Falls-Notre Dame
Another one of those Fighting Irish players who can only shoot threes. Falls is especially irritating because he likes the flail his legs around after he shoots so teams get called for fouls against him. Basically, you aren't allowed to touch this guy because if you do he'll do a soccer flop and shoot free throws. As a result of this, Falls now stole the record for most three-pointers in Big East history.

15. BJ Elder-Georgia Tech
A lot was said about the BC-Georgia Tech game already. In addition to the previous comments, I'd like to add that Elder had a big day and killed the Eagles. For some reason, the fact that he looked like teammate Jarret Jack really made me angry. He also has a head to big for his body.

14. Mike Dunleavy-Duke
Probably the most over hyped player ever. Combine being a famous coach's son and playing at Duke, and people think you are the reincarnation of Larry Bird. Dunleavy, who was probably the third best player on his team, let his ego grow which caused him to declare for the draft way too early. He stinks now. Things like this make me wonder why I'm not some one's GM.

13. Paul Davis-Michigan State
I had a buddy who was a a huge Michigan State fan. Basically, for four years while Davis toiled in mediocrity, I heard everyday how he was the best big man in college basketball. Eventually, these type of irrational comments begin to wear on you and you begin to hate that player. Thus, he's number 13.

12. Greg Paulus-Duke
I never really disliked Paulus till the 2006 ACC Final. That's when this punk started a confrontation with BC guard Louis Hinnant which led to a large shouting match between both teams. Paulus then pretended he didn't do anything and tried to blame everything on Hinnant. That was enough for me. Also, Paulus passed up a chance to be the QB at Notre Dame to be PG on Duke. Any guy with options like that makes me regret my shortcomings as an athlete. I'll take that out on Paulus too.

11. Craig Forth-Syracuse
This guy played center for Syracuse the year they won the national championship. People thought he was good, but all he actually did was foul people and watch rebounds go through his hands. He also stunted the growth of their backup center McNeal (first name I can't remember), who was one of the best shot blockers I have ever seen. If I ran the world, Forth would be asked to give his championship ring back.

10. Rudy Gay-UConn
To echo the words of Rick Majerus, I'm not a big Gay guy. I wonder why this guy even bothered going to college. He clearly did not want to be there. He came in with so much hype, but turned out to be average player who showed no sort of enthusiasm or desire on the court. Also, Gay felt he was too good to play defense. Eventually, this caught up with him and Coach Calhoun removed him from late game situations. He looked smug and played like it, and therefore, I disliked him.





9. Josh McRoberts-Duke



This guy is always yelling and screaming on the court, which is pretty annoying if you ask me. I can even see Coach K telling him to settle down at least twice a game. He doesn't really do much, but once in awhile he does a crazy dunk and everyone thinks he's the best player they have ever seen in their life. I am not fooled by this hoax. McRoberts is so annoying I bet his parents don't even enjoy watching him play.

8. Chevy Troutman-Pitt
Another player in a long list of Pitt forward thugs. He was a member of one of their better teams, and when he wasn't killing my teams with big days, he was giving low blows to them. Luckily, all Pitt teams choke in the NCAA tournament, so my revenge comes then.

7. Rashad Anderson- UConn
This guy just would kill my teams for years. He would always hit big shot after big shot in the most crucial points of the game. I can picture it now. He's standing in the corner, gets the feed, it's good. I would have re-occurring nightmares of this for his entire career. I've never been happier that one player graduated.

6. JJ Redick-Duke
No one actually likes Redick so its no surprise that he is number six on this list. Here are a few of the reasons why I hate him. I'm sure you've heard him before. He write poetry, he is on the verge of tears every time some one gets in his face, he doesn't know how to drive in the lane and Dick Vitale probably has a shrine of him in his closet. Overall, its not hard to hate him.

5. Shelden Williams-Duke
Williams, or The Landlord as they call him for some unknown reason, was a pain to watch. Williams basically fouled on every play, but the referees just turned their heads. On a February night in 2006, he clearly fouled a BC player, but it wasn't called. BC lost because of this, and the ACC even admitted they were wrong. I just really hated this guy. It doesn't help that he looks like a character from Star Wars.

4. Tyler Hansbrough-UNC
Gerald Henderson probably felt the same way I did when he committed that foul. Hansbrough is a decent player, I can't deny that. However, he always has a look on his face like he has just seen the most appalling thing on earth. Hansbrough also cannot deal with any sort of contact. He apparently used to play basketball in a league where touching people was against the rules. He will fail miserably in the NBA.

3. Aaron Gray-Pitt
I was at the Big East Tournament this year. I saw Gray miss 12 of 13 layups in the final. I could hit more than 2 out of 13 free throws, and I'm six feet tall. Gray is really bad. I mean really, really bad. Possibly the worst player in college basketball. He's just tall. Gray is the only player in college hoops who's day depends entirely on the referees. If the referees decide to call fouls just because he's just tall, then he has a good day because defenders know anytime you touch him its a foul. If the referees do their job, he plays to his ability, which is next to nothing. Gray is possibly the most overrated player ever. Any team who drafts him is an idiot.

2. Donatas Zavackas-Pitt
This guy is the original Pitt goon. If it weren't for him, Gray, Troutman and Taft would not have bothered me nearly as much. Zavackas had no role in games besides committing dirty, dirty fouls. I was amazed that this player was not ejected from every game he ever played. In his final game, an NCAA tournament game, he removed his shoes and refused to play the final minutes. I can only assume now that after college he is serving as a hitman in his native country.

1. Nate Doornekamp-BC
Here's how bad Doornekamp was: He is the only player on a team I rooted for that I hoped would foul out every game. Every time Doornekamp touched the ball, I would instantly get nervous. The greatest example of how bad he was is in the tournament game against Wisconsin-Milwaukee, BC down was down one score with less than a minute to go. The Eagles threw a simple chest pass to a wide open Doornekamp who, because of his total lack of hand eye cooridnation, was unable to get two hands on it depsite facing no pressure at all. The ball went out of bounds and they lost. I honestly believe that just having Doornekamp on the court cost them several serious runs at the FinalFour. In addition to being the worst basketball player ever, every game I would have to hear the announcer say, "This seven footer used to play hockey in Canada." Great, I don't care. I hate him and always will.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

WOULD SOME ONE JUST SIGN RICKY LEDEE ALREADY!

My, wasn't I surprised to go over to Yahoo! Sports this morning to find that columnist Tim Brown had wasted an entire article on how much Ricky Ledee would like to sign with a team. Not only was this story on Yahoo!, it was also the main story on the the Yahoo! Sports page. Brown tries to make us all feel sorry for Ledee by telling us that he has been hanging out in public batting cages the last few months. We also find some sad and peculiar quotes in this story:

"I want to play," he says, "but nobody wants me." That's a quote by the poor Ledee who's life appears to to be in shambles without baseball. Perhaps if you hit better than .094 for the Mets last season, we wouldn't be having this discussion, Ricky.

Later Tim Brown gives us some bold statements like:

Steve Finley believes he can play another season or three. I'm glad that Steve did not specifically say he could play in the majors for three seasons. Also, it appears that Finley can play one season or three, but just two seasons? Now that's just crazy talk.

It would be interesting to see
Darin Erstad and his perpetual, interchangeable Gold Gloves in the National League. It would also be interesting to see Erstad bring his .221 batting average and decrepit body to the National League.

For God's sake, some one sign these guys before they all go homeless.

For further reading:
Last shot for Ledee?- Yahoo! Sports

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

FIRST POST

Dearly beloved readers,

As some one with a good sense of humor, I feel it is my duty to share my obseravtions about the would world of sports and pop culture with you. I will try my best to update my site as often as possible. I hope you enjoy my posts, and that they cause a laugh or two. Take care.

-David