Best Bobcat BASKETBALL players

mslacat · Post by **mslacat** » Wed Mar 31, 2004 3:59 pm

Ok sice you started the Idea of "best of" how about a best of mens basketball players. Learning from the football posts I will break the era's down as follows. The Golden Era 1908-1940; the middle ages 1941-1969 ;The Modern Era 1970-2004. My first inclination was to have the modern era from 1980-2004 (When I really started to follow Cat basketball), but that is pretty much the Starner/Durham era so I expanded it a little.

MSU01 · Post by **MSU01** » Wed Mar 31, 2004 4:11 pm

I can only go back to the mid 80's on this one in terms of having seen the players in person...

1) Quadre Lollis- Still holds the NCAA West Regional record for FG% in a game last I checked, without him Syracuse would've won by 50.

1A) Erickson

My favorite player would have to be Alonzo Stephens.

CARDIAC_CATS · Post by **CARDIAC_CATS** » Wed Mar 31, 2004 4:19 pm

Wow, I have the same exact picks as well.

1) Lollis
2) Erickson

With regards to: Scott Hatler, Tom Domako, Willis Jr, Danny Sprinkle.

mslacat · Post by **mslacat** » Wed Mar 31, 2004 4:34 pm

The player I have to go with is Domako. There have been few players at MSU who have shown up on campus and who were capable of dominating a game their very first year. Domako scored 27 points in his first game as a Cat in about 20 minutes of play.

Erickson is also up there real high, and the player I always think of that is an example of a protypical Bobcat player though is Kral Ferch. The other player that has fallen off the radar as an all time great but should not have is big old Doug Hashly. In his day no one could contain him.

Helcat72 · Post by **Helcat72** » Wed Mar 31, 2004 4:44 pm

Jack Gillespie was pretty unstoppable in his day. You don't see anyone since Kareem who had the sky hook that Gillespie had. Jack would set up at the "L" at the high post, receive the pass and hook it from there!

Helcat72 · Post by **Helcat72** » Wed Mar 31, 2004 4:46 pm

How about refining it to positions? We might get an all time team for each era!

HelenaCat · Post by **HelenaCat** » Wed Mar 31, 2004 6:22 pm

Another really good player when I was at school was Craig Finberg. He played shooting gaurd with Mick Durham at point gaurd. Craig could shoot the lights out from a LONG distance. If he had played when the 3 point shot was around, he would be much higher on MSU's all time lists. He also played when MSU did not have a lot of other scoring threats, so other teams really keyed on him.

I have sure enjoyed Jason Erickson's all around good play these last 4 years. As far as well rounded and excelling at everything, he would get my nod.

PapaG · Post by **PapaG** » Wed Mar 31, 2004 8:31 pm

I'm sticking to players that I remember watching except for #1. Consider this an early'80s and on list.

1) The Golden Bobcats - enough said.

2) Tony Hampton - He almost made the Portland Trailblazers post MSU and was one of my all-time favorites. Tough as nails and gutty.

3) Quad Lollis - undersized but the most athletic post player MSU has ever seen.

4) Tom Domako - A world-class shooter.

5) Kral Ferch - as complete a player as MSU has ever seen.

6) Nate Holmquist - A very, very good Big Sky player.

7) Danny Sprinkle - one could say he peaked as a frosh in the championship game against Weber, but there was really no way to surpass that performance.

8- Nico Harrison - Terrific wing player

SPECIAL ADDITION - Scott Hurley. I was at the game when he banked in the 40 footer to beat the UM. Half my family are Griz, the other half Bobcats. That moment made me a Bobcat.

CatfaninGA · Post by **CatfaninGA** » Wed Mar 31, 2004 8:52 pm

My favorites in no particual order would be:

1. Ray Willis - Mr. consistant
2. Tony Hampton - remember his games at the 1988 BSC tournaments!
3. Tom Domako - could shoot lights out
4. Nico Harrison - great player
5. Calvin Andrews - Awsome dunks!
6. Kral Ferch - could jump for a white boy!
7. Greg Walters - remember when he took a tissue out of his shoe during a game to wipe his nose, I've never laughed so hard in my life!

PapaG · Post by **PapaG** » Wed Mar 31, 2004 9:00 pm

I left out two obvious misses.

Ray Willis and Jason Erickson.

I guess that gives me a top ten, and Erickson is probably in the top 3. I forgot him because I graduated from MSU before Jason arrived.

Forgetting Ray Willis was a big miss too.

gfallscat · Post by **gfallscat** » Thu Apr 01, 2004 8:59 am

i think quad was the best of recent times.....but

i am somewhat bias..but scott hatler is one of the best. court sense, team player, team leader.

nobody mentioned the crowd pleaser art menefe (sp)...was always good for a great dunk or rebound!!

Helcat72 · Post by **Helcat72** » Thu Apr 01, 2004 9:36 am

I too forgot about Finberg....He used to regularly post over 30 points without the 3-pointer. I bet he would shoot circles around the modern day shooters. He played in the continental league for a couple of years for Great Falls, but he never really got a chance to get any real playing time. He's a great highschool coach in Dillon though!

Helcat72 · Post by **Helcat72** » Thu Apr 01, 2004 12:13 pm

As far as position breakdowns go I would say:

Point Guard:
1. Scott Hatler 2. Bill Brickhouse
Shooting Guard
1. Craig Finberg 2. Danny Sprinkle
Best All around players
1. Jason Erickson 2. Ray Willis
Small forward
1.Tom Domako 2. Nico Harrison
Strong Forward
1. Quadre Lollis 2. Doug Hashley
Center
1. Jack Gillespie 2. Nate Holmstadt

There are so many good players that it's difficult to pick just two. I would say that Jason Erickson would get my vote as the MVP of all of them just because of what he meant to his team and how he caried them.

hoags11 · Post by **hoags11** » Thu Apr 01, 2004 1:14 pm

Nico Harris had some of the best games while I attended MSU 1993-1998. The cats had a play were Nico cut down the Key and he woulld finish with a thuderous dunk . Does anyone remeber Qwase (sp) Coleman. Streaking 3 point shooter?

mslacat · Post by **mslacat** » Thu Apr 01, 2004 2:43 pm

I guess if I had to pull a Bobcat basketball moment/event to pull as my favorite I would have to pick between two. The first was the Kral Ferch / Tony Hampton led Bobcats against St. Johns in the NCAA tourney. That team would not back down, to anyone that day. When Ferch broke for a break away wuth Willie Glass on his butt I still get goose bumbs. The national anouncers were saying how Ferch needed to pull the ball out and wait for the rest of the team and yet EVERY SINGLE Bobcat fan knew that Ferch was going right over the top of Glass for the slam. Yea Baby!

The other was Domako's first game, you left that game knowing Starner landed a very important player.

CatfaninGA · Post by **CatfaninGA** » Thu Apr 01, 2004 4:20 pm

Just think if they used the 3 point line when we played St. Johns we would have won by 20+, we were shooting from 3 point range all night and hung with the big boys.

If I remember correctly, the BSC used the 3 point line that year, but it was not recognized by the NCAA in the tourment.........yet.

mslacat · Post by **mslacat** » Thu Apr 01, 2004 5:19 pm

Yea at that time we were using a 3-pt line that at NBA range. The NCAA gave permission for confrences to experiment with the 3-pt line, but they wanted them all to try different distances. The Big Sky had the longest 3-pt shot with the exeption of the NBA.

farmcats · Post by **farmcats** » Thu Apr 01, 2004 8:44 pm

Because of his over all defense, scoreing ability and team leadership Jason Erickson is the best I have seen over his four years career. Some of the others were not as complet as Jason. Tom D was a scorer, Quadre L came in as a JC and didn't play much his frist year but was tremendous his second year, Sprinkle was a scorer but didn't do a good job creating his own shot. Some of the others, Ray W, Tony H had great speed but weren't great shooters, they were good but not great and they weren't as great at creating there own shot like Jason could if he really wanted to.

Hell's Bells · Post by **Hell's Bells** » Wed May 04, 2005 12:26 am

sorry for pulling this up from the dead sea scrolls of bobcatnation.com but i read it and figured that it would make for some excellent chat. Anywho my picks for some of the best bobcat basketball players

1)Holmstadt - one of our best athletes ever.
2)Sprinkle
3)Erickson - alright player somewhat timid
4) Queise (sp) coleman - entertaining player.

anyone remember michaels? I watched him play - starter on the tournament team of 1995 i belive he and Danny Sullivan have my vote on the most unathletic player on the bobcats - hell i can jump higher then the 2 and i cant jump!

BCATbread · Post by **BCATbread** » Wed May 04, 2005 1:47 am

Tough to pick an all time best.....but
Quad Lollis had the best single season of any bobcat ever.
Domako, Sprinkle, and Fineberg best shooters to wear the blue and gold
As far as big men, Hashley was a machine with maybe the greatest rebound to outlet skills ever in the game. Dont for get Nico was a 3 time all BSC selection as well as Newcomer of the year...his Freshmen year at army he was voted frosh of the year. Tony Hampton, Ray Willis Jr. and Kral Ferch were some of the great Cats of the early 80's. My old school vote gets checked for Larry Chaney who still lurks the top of all school scoring and fg records...so many more