Who is the best (or your favorite ) college center from the 80's?
Ralph Lee Sampson, Jr. (born July 7, 1960) is an American retired basketball player. A 7-foot-4 phenom, three-time College Player of the Year
Sampson was arguably the most heavily recruited college and professional basketball prospect of his generation, appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated six times in a span of less than four years (December 17, 1979; December 1, 1980; March 30, 1981; November 29, 1982; December 20, 1982; and October 31, 1983).
Playing center for the University of Virginia, he led the Cavaliers to an NIT title in 1980, an NCAA Final Four appearance in 1981 and an NCAA Elite Eight appearance in 1983. He earned three Naismith Awards as the National Player of the Year, only the second athlete to do so (Bill Walton was the first), and a pair of Wooden Awards.
Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962)Ewing was one of the best college basketball players of his era, as Georgetown reached the championship game of the NCAA tournament three out of four years. He was a first-team All-American.
Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (/əˈlaɪʒuːˌɒn/;[1][olaɟuwɔ̃]; born January 21, 1963)Olajuwon emigrated from Nigeria to play basketball at the University of Houston under Cougars coach Guy Lewis. He and his teammates (including Clyde Drexler) formed what was dubbed "Phi Slama Jama", the first slam-dunking "fraternity", so named because of its above-the-rim prowess. In his sophomore and junior years he helped the Cougars advance to consecutive NCAA championship games, where they lost to North Carolina State on a last second tip-in in 1983 and a Patrick Ewing-led Georgetown team in 1984.[15] Olajuwon won the 1983 NCAA Tournament Player of the Year award,[16]even though he played for the losing team in the final game. He is, to date, the last player from a losing side to be granted this honor.
David Maurice Robinson (born August 6, 1965) David Robinson is widely considered to be the best basketball player in Naval Academy history.[4] He chose the jersey number 50 after his idol Ralph Sampson. By the time he took the court in his first basketball game for the Navy Midshipmen men's basketball team, he had grown to 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), and over the course of his college basketball career he grew to 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m).[5][6] He began college with no expectations of playing in the NBA,[3] but in Robinson's final two years he was a consensus All-American and won college basketball's two most prestigious player awards, the Naismith and Wooden Awards, as a Naval Academy first classman (senior). In 1986, Robinson led Navy, a number seven seed, within a game of the Final Four before falling to Duke in the East Regional Final.
Bradley Lee Daugherty (born October 19, 1965) Daugherty was one of the greatest big men ever to play at the University of North Carolina. He entered college as a 16-year-old freshman and was a two-time All-ACC first team selection, and a first team All-American in 1986. He was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team in 2002 and was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. Daugherty averaged more than twenty points per game in his senior season.
Ralph Lee Sampson, Jr. (born July 7, 1960) is an American retired basketball player. A 7-foot-4 phenom, three-time College Player of the Year
Sampson was arguably the most heavily recruited college and professional basketball prospect of his generation, appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated six times in a span of less than four years (December 17, 1979; December 1, 1980; March 30, 1981; November 29, 1982; December 20, 1982; and October 31, 1983).
Playing center for the University of Virginia, he led the Cavaliers to an NIT title in 1980, an NCAA Final Four appearance in 1981 and an NCAA Elite Eight appearance in 1983. He earned three Naismith Awards as the National Player of the Year, only the second athlete to do so (Bill Walton was the first), and a pair of Wooden Awards.
Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962)Ewing was one of the best college basketball players of his era, as Georgetown reached the championship game of the NCAA tournament three out of four years. He was a first-team All-American.
Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (/əˈlaɪʒuːˌɒn/;[1][olaɟuwɔ̃]; born January 21, 1963)Olajuwon emigrated from Nigeria to play basketball at the University of Houston under Cougars coach Guy Lewis. He and his teammates (including Clyde Drexler) formed what was dubbed "Phi Slama Jama", the first slam-dunking "fraternity", so named because of its above-the-rim prowess. In his sophomore and junior years he helped the Cougars advance to consecutive NCAA championship games, where they lost to North Carolina State on a last second tip-in in 1983 and a Patrick Ewing-led Georgetown team in 1984.[15] Olajuwon won the 1983 NCAA Tournament Player of the Year award,[16]even though he played for the losing team in the final game. He is, to date, the last player from a losing side to be granted this honor.
David Maurice Robinson (born August 6, 1965) David Robinson is widely considered to be the best basketball player in Naval Academy history.[4] He chose the jersey number 50 after his idol Ralph Sampson. By the time he took the court in his first basketball game for the Navy Midshipmen men's basketball team, he had grown to 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), and over the course of his college basketball career he grew to 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m).[5][6] He began college with no expectations of playing in the NBA,[3] but in Robinson's final two years he was a consensus All-American and won college basketball's two most prestigious player awards, the Naismith and Wooden Awards, as a Naval Academy first classman (senior). In 1986, Robinson led Navy, a number seven seed, within a game of the Final Four before falling to Duke in the East Regional Final.
Bradley Lee Daugherty (born October 19, 1965) Daugherty was one of the greatest big men ever to play at the University of North Carolina. He entered college as a 16-year-old freshman and was a two-time All-ACC first team selection, and a first team All-American in 1986. He was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team in 2002 and was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. Daugherty averaged more than twenty points per game in his senior season.
Last edited:
