RIP Denny Crum
- Thread starter Proud NJ Sports Fan
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When I think of Louisville, Denny Crum's name always pops up
RIP to one of the best ever to coach basketball
675–295 at Louie and 2 National Championships to his credit
RIP to one of the best ever to coach basketball
675–295 at Louie and 2 National Championships to his credit
RIP….but Still irate at him for going into the stall in our January 1983 game in the Garden
I didn't care for it either... but if Brunson laid it in instead of trying to dunk it, you'd have a hard time convincing me that we wouldn't have won the game.
R.I.P.
Crum was the opposing coach for Rutgers first ever NCAA game in 1975.
Without looking, I'm guessing the best players ever under Denny Crum were Pervis Ellison and Milt Wagner. I'm sure I'm forgetting someone
"Never Nervous Pervis!"
"Never Nervous Pervis!"
Scooter McCray, Rodney McCray, Billy Thompson, Darrell Griffith, Derek Smith, Junior Bridgeman, Kenny Payne.
I think he played at Lousville a few years before Crum got there.
True
Wes played for Peck Hickman who left after the 1967-68 season
Denny took over Louie in 1971
( edited because I had Crum coaching Louie earlier than he did.
It was in 1971 not 1968)
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Man, they had some all-time coaching names there: Crum, Peck, etc.
Was so ticked at Brunson. Great game at Garden against NON CONFERENCE OPPONENT! We matched up very well as they were so intimidated and were afraid to drive on Hinson.
Junior Bridgeman was really good.
...and now he's really rich.
Michael Jordan is the richest player in NBA history. Bridgeman is No. 2.
https://fanbuzz.com/nba/junior-bridgeman-net-worth/
Darryl Griffith won a National Championship, James Bailey didn’t. Griffith went on the NBA and had several season where he averaged over 20 points a game, until he hurt his foot. James Bailey didn’t.
Bailey might not have had Griffith's NBA career but:
James Bailey, whose RU number 20 was retired in 1992,and avereged 16.7 ppg 8.8 rb over his RU career
Also played in the NBA for around 9 years with the Seattle Supersonics, New Jersey Nets, Houston Rockets, New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns. Known as "Jammin James" Bailey during his RU playing days Bailey was the freshman center on the 1975-76 Final Four team and went on to capture All-America honors from UPI and The Sporting News in 1978.
Don't sell him short
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As an NBA player, I would take Griffith over Bailey every day and twice on Sundays. Griffith's first five years in the league were spectacular. However, as a collegian, I'd take Bailey. Inside players like Bailey were much more of a commodity in the late 70s than they are now. RU wouldn't have had anywhere near the success it had if Griffith was on RU's roster instead of Bailey.
I am as big a Rutgers fan as anyone, but I do have to say I am somewhere between amused and bewildered by the lack of objectivity I always see here. Darrell Griffith was far and away the best player on Louisville’s 1980 championship team, and pretty much carried them on his back to win the title. He scored 23 points a game that season, they only had 2 other players over 10 a game, and was pretty much a one man wrecking crew..
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You and me can agree on that when it comes to the pro game and my bias makes admiting that for the college game hard to do
But your comparison looked like a putdown to me and that's why I replied like I did.
Guess you just presented more of an unbiased scout's assessment that I replied to with a biased RU fan attitude.
Junior Bridgeman (Louisville), Tim Stoddard (NC St), Pete Trgovich (UCLA)…what 2 things do they have in common? They played together on perhaps the greatest Indiana HS State championship team, East Chicago Washington in 1971 and all 3 played in at least 1 Final Four. How’s that for a loaded HS team?!?! Stoddard and Trgovich both won NCAA titles.
Here’s one more…only 2 players have ever played in a Final Four and a World Series…Kenny Lofton (Arizona/Cleveland Indians) and Tim Stoddard (NC St/Orioles). Amazingly, both are from the same city and HS, graduating 14 years apart.
And finally, back to Junior Bridgeman…read a story a few years ago that said in post-NBA basketball career earnings, Bridgeman was 2nd only to Michael Jordan. Near the end of his pro career, he bought some KFCs and Wendy’s iirc, learning the business from the ground up, then expanded them and his portfolio quite nicely in the 80’s and 90’s. I will try and find the story.
Here’s one more…only 2 players have ever played in a Final Four and a World Series…Kenny Lofton (Arizona/Cleveland Indians) and Tim Stoddard (NC St/Orioles). Amazingly, both are from the same city and HS, graduating 14 years apart.
And finally, back to Junior Bridgeman…read a story a few years ago that said in post-NBA basketball career earnings, Bridgeman was 2nd only to Michael Jordan. Near the end of his pro career, he bought some KFCs and Wendy’s iirc, learning the business from the ground up, then expanded them and his portfolio quite nicely in the 80’s and 90’s. I will try and find the story.
I apologize if I came off as aggressive, I just occasionally feel the need to chime in when people say things that don’t seem very accurate, at least in my opinion, and I could be wrong too, though in this case I don’t think I am.
Great coach... RIP.
Sorry to get off topic, but that brings back one of my earliest major memories of Rutgers basketball..
A few friends and I had gone bowling at the student center, and the bowling alley was playing the live radio broadcast of the game... Louisville was ranked #3 in the country at the time, with a 24-2 record... RU was in it up until halftime, even leading by 2 at the half... But then Louisville spanked us after that, killing us on the boards and beating us 91-78... On offense it was the Phil Sellers-Junior Bridgeman show... Sellers ended up with 29 pts on 12-17 shooting, but Bridgeman carried Louisville, 36 pts, 15-18 FG, 6-7 FT 11 Reb, 5 Ast... Eddie Jordan had a decent offensive game too (19 Pts, 8-13 FG), but our other 3 starters shot a combined 7-29... (Louisville finished the season 28-3, losing to eventual champion UCLA in overtime by a point in the national semifinals, but beating Syracuse in the third place consolation game... They finished 4th in the final rankings.)
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Happy 66th Birthday to Jammin' James!
Always loved this SI photo. How many players can you identify? Only one of them failed to play in the NBA.
Always loved this SI photo. How many players can you identify? Only one of them failed to play in the NBA.
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