Pat knows his bball.

Pat knows his bball.

There is another thread going best player ever at your High school, not to many names from last 5-10 years on those lists. The main area where period players would struggle would be adjusting to the way games are called nowadays. Some games now look like organized fights. Ernie Ligget would have fouled everyone out in one quarter in the games I've seen. Also the jump stop would have been a travel.

Big Stud...Stating that teams 1 thru 8 are better today was not your original argument. I believe that teams today are better. On the other hand, for some reason I can't explain the 60's produced unusual talent and the team I chose would absolutely smoke a team made up of current players. Weight lifting is apparently important and that was a very rare thing in the sixties.

On the other hand, playing AAU ball involves playing a couple of games a day in which one is on the floor for maybe 25 minutes. I was a terrible player, but a typical day for me was to go to Goebel Park in the morning and shoot until enough players arrived to begin pick up games. We then played the entire day. At night the better players showed up and we played under the lights. Often players from other parks would arrive and challenge us or we would get in the car and seek games at other locations. I thus got the opportunity to play against Jack Thobe and embarass myself trying to guard a 6' 4' guard like Roger Sullivan when we visited Ludlow. I also played against Tom Thacker, Gus Roberts, Jerry McCullough AAron Baallard and a guy named Butler who could jump like few others.

My Goebel Park opponents include the Tieman brothers, Red Cowie , Tom Herron and a lot of other fine players. I used to lose nickles playing Roger Tieman around the world and our shooting games were often played after the park closed when we played by street light. We played year round, but the summer was when we played most often.

I can recall my mother being upset with me whan I left my home on Covington Avenue carrying a shovel to break the ice off the Goebel Park court. We then played in shirt sleeves no matter what the temperature and we warmed ourselves when necessary by pot bellied stove at Mr. Piepers store.

We were as devoted to the game as any generation and we were better shooters than recent players because we shot more. We were not the athletes that the players today are and generally speaking, we did not play defense the way they do today. The Holmes team that I saw yesterday would have smoked any of our teams and I am the first to admit that.

In closing, I will say, you may have beaten the "war baby" teams, but you don't want to play the All-Star team I picked. My team had size, strength athletic ability and above all shooting skills from both the foul line and the field. And as individuals, they accomplished much more.

 

I didn't mean teams, I meant players 1-8. Teams overall talent are better.

Big Stud...Stating that teams 1 thru 8 are better today was not your original argument. I believe that teams today are better. On the other hand, for some reason I can't explain the 60's produced unusual talent and the team I chose would absolutely smoke a team made up of current players. Weight lifting is apparently important and that was a very rare thing in the sixties.

On the other hand, playing AAU ball involves playing a couple of games a day in which one is on the floor for maybe 25 minutes. I was a terrible player, but a typical day for me was to go to Goebel Park in the morning and shoot until enough players arrived to begin pick up games. We then played the entire day. At night the better players showed up and we played under the lights. Often players from other parks would arrive and challenge us or we would get in the car and seek games at other locations. I thus got the opportunity to play against Jack Thobe and embarass myself trying to guard a 6' 4' guard like Roger Sullivan when we visited Ludlow. I also played against Tom Thacker, Gus Roberts, Jerry McCullough AAron Baallard and a guy named Butler who could jump like few others.

My Goebel Park opponents include the Tieman brothers, Red Cowie , Tom Herron and a lot of other fine players. I used to lose nickles playing Roger Tieman around the world and our shooting games were often played after the park closed when we played by street light. We played year round, but the summer was when we played most often.

I can recall my mother being upset with me whan I left my home on Covington Avenue carrying a shovel to break the ice off the Goebel Park court. We then played in shirt sleeves no matter what the temperature and we warmed ourselves when necessary by pot bellied stove at Mr. Piepers store.

We were as devoted to the game as any generation and we were better shooters than recent players because we shot more. We were not the athletes that the players today are and generally speaking, we did not play defense the way they do today. The Holmes team that I saw yesterday would have smoked any of our teams and I am the first to admit that.

In closing, I will say, you may have beaten the "war baby" teams, but you don't want to play the All-Star team I picked. My team had size, strength athletic ability and above all shooting skills from both the foul line and the field. And as individuals, they accomplished much more.

 

I didn't discredit pick up games. Will you old guys read all of my posts. I just said AAU is part of the reason why players are more devolped physicaly and ready to play tougher competion. As well as the way kids train in the weight room and trainers.

 

Why would I know pick up ball, when I grew up in Covington myself playing pick up basketball all over the city? I just think AAU allows you to play a quality of player you can't see everday in pickup.

 

If I go play in AAU state or National I'm playing the best guys in nation or state. Which a majority of those kids accomplised alot more than any player you named.

I think we've reached a good ending point with this one...