Carolina Alumni Review - March/April 2010

Picking the Men’s
Basketball Top Five

As Carolina celebrates 100 years of men’s basketball, we asked alumni which five players they would pick as the best in that century. We didn’t worry about filling specific positions, we’re just asking for any five and why they’re the tops. Some who commented said there were too many greats to choose from. “Can you possibly limit it to five? No way,” said Marjory Jo Timothy ’ 78 of Charlotte. Still, a few gave it a shot. Excerpts below. Share your picks on our enhanced Alumni Message Boards, alumni.unc.edu/topfive or at the GAA’s Facebook page at alumni.unc.edu/facebook.

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class quotes

UNC NEWS SERVICES

The many jerseys hung in the rafters of the Dean E. Smith Center to honor outstanding players attest to how difficult it is to pick the top five from Carolina’s 100 years of men’s basketball.

“Lennie Rosenbluth ’ 57, Michael Jordan ’ 86, Phil Ford ’ 78, James Worthy ’ 85 and Charles Scott ’ 70. Rosenbluth was the star of the undefeated ’ 57 national champs. It was an unforgettable experience as a sophomore at Carolina. Jordan, the best. Ford, great scoring point guard not to be surpassed. Worthy, leader of Dean Smith’s first national champs. And Scott, a path-breaker to be admired. A personal favorite of mine was Bobby Jones ’ 74. So many great memories.”

Dr. Tom Rand ’ 59, ’ 63 (MD)
Wilson
“I have a book more than an inch thick
that tells about most Tar Heel greats. What
about Jerry Stackhouse ’ 97, Al Wood ’ 81,
Bobby Jones ’ 74, etc., etc.?”
Bill Caligan ’ 69
Herndon, Va.

“Phil Ford ’ 78, best tempo-control guard, before shot clock. Larry Miller ’ 68, won countless games by himself, three Final Fours (had to win ACC). James Worthy ’ 85, fastest and strongest power forward, Dean’s first title. Tyler Hansbrough ’09, most intensive player ever, breaks all records. Michael Jordan ’ 86, what can I say? Hard to leave out Lennie Rosenbluth ’ 57 and Charlie Scott ’ 70.”

Robert Sloop ’ 73
Concord

“Michael Jordan ’ 86, ‘the shot’ against
Georgetown, ‘the steal’ against Virginia, ‘the
block’ against Maryland. He must be at the top
of everyone’s list. Tyler ‘Psycho T’ Hansbrough
’09 — the fact that he manhandled the Dookies
at Cameron (aka Hansbrough) Indoor Stadium
four straight years puts him on this list. The
National Championship is just baby-blue icing
on the cake. James Worthy ’ 85, ‘Big Game James’
was the real hero of the ’ 82 championship. He
had the ability to just take over a game. Phil
Ford ’ 78, the consummate point guard. After
30 years, he is still the face of Carolina basket-
ball. Lennie Rosenbluth ’ 57, perfection. What
else needs to be said?”

“Such great teams and players over the years.
MJ and any other four will do just nicely!”
Leon Rodgers ’ 84 (MSW)
Columbus, Ga.

“Ranzino Smith ’ 88, terrific and tough player, Chapel Hill native, my first-year roommate at Granville Towers. Curtis Hunter ’ 87, Durham native who was a loyal Tar Heel, another roommate in Carrboro. James Daye ’ 86, great role player, another roommate for one semester in Carrboro. Steven Bucknall ’ 89, former L.A. Laker coached by Pat Riley, another roommate during my senior year in Carrboro, native of London. Scott Williams ’ 90, the great Chicago Bull and MJ’s teammate on three NBA championship teams, always

Bob Greenbaum ’ 88

“Tyler Hansbrough ’09, unwavering determi-
nation, finding the 16th way to get the ball in the
basket when most players stop at the fourth,
and my 4-year-old daughter is in love with
him. Rasheed Wallace ’ 97, ‘If I could dunk like
that, I’d scream, too.’ — Dean Smith. David Noel
’06, made 2006 my favorite team and was a total
inspiration. Warren Martin ’ 86, was a fifth-year
senior when I was a freshman, the last member
of MJ’s championship team still playing, and
scored the first basket for UNC in the first game
at the Dean Dome en route to beating Dook,
and was the nicest guy on campus. George
Glamack ’ 41, ‘the Blind Bomber,’ shot by look-
ing at the hash marks on the court and led us in
field goal percentage for decades? Come on!”

“Man, this is a tough one. So many to choose from! As far as the ‘best,’ here are mine: Tyler Hansbrough ’09: I was lucky enough to be in the Dean Dome for many of his great games, from scoring 40 against Georgia Tech as a freshman to breaking Phil’s record vs. Evansville as a senior. What a competitor. Antawn Jamison ’99: I still have a pit in my stomach about that 1998 loss to Utah in the Final Four. Jamison, Vince Carter ’ 99, Ed Cota ’00, et al., should have hung a banner that year. Jamison still is one of the most unique players I’ve ever watched at Carolina. I can’t remember the specifics, but Antawn scored something like 33 points against Duke one year and only had the ball in his hand for less than one minute. Michael Jordan ’86: What else needs to be said? Phil Ford ’78: He was before my time, but Ford is an icon of UNC basketball. And for the fifth, I’ll go a little off the board and pick … Ed Cota: If UNC basketball is all about teamwork and playing the right way, how can you leave off the guy that has more assists than any other UNC player?”