Best Center to Anchor the 2/3 Zone Defensively

[walsh2012]

Chukwu deserves a mention. He’s not the best, but he was better defensively than some of these other guys being mentioned IMO.

It’s either Fab or Etan. Etan was also a strong man to man defender, and we still played quite a bit of it back then. He was a better overall defender than Fab IMO. But i can see an argument for Fab as being better for the zone. He was just so big, and as others have noted he became adept at taking charges too.

I really wish we got to see wgat Pascal would have been if that eye injury doesn’t happen.

 

[OrangeDW]

I was on campus from fall 08-spring 12. It was such an awesome time to be a student who loves college basketball.

Fair deserved a better shot at the NBA. That dude is an absolute stone cold gamer.

Two 3 seeds and two 1 seeds. Not a bad 4 year run at all, lol.

I think Fair would’ve made the league just a decade or so earlier.

 

[walsh2012]

Two 3 seeds and two 1 seeds. Not a bad 4 year run at all, lol.

I think Fair would’ve made the league just a decade or so earlier.

our worst NCAA run was a loss to Blake Griffin

 

[OrangeDW]

our worst NCAA run was a loss to Blake Griffin

Or that Marquette bad backcourt violation call.

 

[sufandu]

DC. Hands down. Ferocious defender. Played with a massive chip on his shoulder. All time leading rebounder. Even if he sometimes play the four, I would take him at center any day when he was at his prime. Etan and AO would be my runner-ups but DC was something beyond special.

DC didn't sometimes play the 4. That was his primary position. Greatest rebounder, regardless. His outlet passes were the best.

 

[OmahaCuse]

Liked watching Conrad McNasty, not the best but imposing and Seikly was a stud and could be the top guy.

 

[walsh2012]

Or that Marquette bad backcourt violation call.

i thought i got so black out drunk i would forget that but i didnt

 

[OrangeDW]

DC didn't sometimes play the 4. That was his primary position. Greatest rebounder, regardless. His outlet passes were the best.

Yeah - except for 88-89. DC at the 5 and Billy at the 4 that year.

What a squad.

 

[Col. Bleep]

Etan Thomas substantially could influence a game just by being on the court.
Players avoided coming inside.
And he had 9 blocks in a game against Pitt.
He easily topped Roosevelt Bouie's SU record for most blocks in career.
Have to put him on top of the list.

Bouie was big time.
And he had some classic matchups...including the big showdown with Jeff Ruland (Iona).
SU won that one with some good outside shooting in the second half (about which then Iona coach Jim Valvano had some classic comments which won't be repeated here).

Fab is more recent, so more memorable.
And he had that classic Big East coming out party with 10 blocks on Seton Hall.
Became great at positional play taking charges.
But still not Etan Thomas.

Arinze was like the Hulk.
He could terrify people.
He substantially was aided by what may be the best zone defense the Orange ever had...especially when Andy Rautins was on the court disrupting passing lanes up top.
(Recall the second half against UNC when the Orange just ran them off the court).

It would be very interesting to get Jim Boeheim's honest opinion on this question.

 

[sufandu]

Yeah - except for 88-89. DC at the 5 and Billy at the 4 that year.

What a squad.

Yeah, and that was out of necessity. We got Leron Ellis the next year so he wouldn't have to play there as much.

 

[721Comstock]

That’s what a boomer would say.

I’m Gen X. Suck it.
Face it - I’m older, and I have more insurance.

My older brother & sister are Boomers, my ‘rents were the Silent Generation

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Rosie Bouie. He was a shot blocking/shot altering machine who had defenders cowering when they tried to come into the paint, according to everyone who saw him play in person. In the era I grew up in, I’d say DC and Rony. I know those are before we played the 2/3 zone 95 percent of the time but we still played it a lot. Etan is probably head and shoulders above all in the more modern era. Over the past decade, I do think the platoon or Rak and Baye were equal to Fab. That 2012-13 defense was incredible.

We were zone on OOB under the basket almost exclusively then, not full time.

 

[Eric15]

What made Etan such an incredible defender was that he could block shots with both hands, and he would block them and keep the ball in-bounds to lead to a fast break the other way. Case in point -- 36:10 mark of this clip.

 

[721Comstock]

What made Etan such an incredible defender was that he could block shots with both hands, and he would block them and keep the ball in-bounds to lead to a fast break the other way. Case in point -- 36:10 mark of this clip.

THIS was the game you had to use as an example??

I want to burn my eyes out with bleach now.
Thanks.

 

[orange79]

What made Etan such an incredible defender was that he could block shots with both hands, and he would block them and keep the ball in-bounds to lead to a fast break the other way. Case in point -- 36:10 mark of this clip.

Yep. Any schlub (me not included) can knock it into the 5th row. It takes skill, knowledge, and want-to (please, no GRob stuff) to block the ball and keep it in play, preferably to your own team.

 

[moqui]

ricky jackson deserves mention. he was b.e. defensive player of the year as a senior and even though he was nominally a forward & had both fab & baye on the squad, played a ton of minutes at center.

he also averaged a double double that season

one of our most underrated big men, imho

 

[JOC44]

Look to the left for your answer.

<————————

 

[Trueblue25]

Or that Marquette bad backcourt violation call.

Mentioning that game should be a yellow flag on this board

 

[RF2044]

Etan Thomas or Daryl Watkins. Watkins is really underrated as a zone anchor on this forum.

Guy could run with anyone, was strong as hell to bang in the post with big guys, and was a superior shot blocker. If only he could have harnessed those exceptional physical tools to provide any semblance of consistent offense...

 

[sufandu]

Etan Thomas or Daryl Watkins. Watkins is really underrated as a zone anchor on this forum.

Guy could run with anyone, was strong as hell to bang in the post with big guys, and was a superior shot blocker. If only he could have harnessed those exceptional physical tools to provide any semblance of consistent offense...

Just looked up his numbers. He was a better shot blocker than I remember.

 

[MadNY3]

Not sure hes in this convo, but loved me some McNeil

Best center in the back of a full court press.

 

[Todoubled23]

in his senior year, syracuse was 5th in the nation in defensive efficiency (highest finish ever) and 1st in block percentage

Miss me some chukwu free throws. Still can't believe it's not butter.

 

[SWC75]

Etan was the best shot blocker because he could do it with either hand. Rosey Bouie was the most athletic and covered the most territory. AO learned over the course of his career to move his feet to keep his big body in the way of anyone trying to drive to the basket and it was fun to see drives go there to die. Fab 2.0 was a very good shot blocker and position defender and great at drawing charges, although having your center draw charges always made me nervous because if he doesn't get the call, it leaves the basket wide open, (and it would have taken a linebacker to actually knock Fab down). But Fab always seemed to get the call. Rakeem and Baye absolutely shut down the middle in that 2013 NCAA run. If we could pick a tandem, that would be it. I think Bourama will have a fine senior year but it remains to be seen if he can join this group.

I will go to my grave believing that the 2010 team wins it all with Etan. he wasn't a great player but a key piece of the puzzle on that team. it gave us two inside scorers and he played a great two man game with Rick Jackson. Against Butler we had only Jackson and had 8 turnovers trying to get the ball to that one target and still almost won the game. Butler went on to come within a rimmed-out half court shot of beating Duke for the title, (the worst of Coach K's 5 titles).

The 2012 team's problem was Kentucky and Anthony Davis. We spent the year trading the #1 spot with them and actually were #1 more weeks than they were but do think they were a little better. It would have been fun seeing Davis try to score against Fab but I think and his teammates would have found a way in the end. And the strange officiating we encountered in the Elite 8 might have been a problem with those charges, too. The greater dream is imagining what our team would have been like with Davis, with whom we were supposedly in the lead until Calipari showed up. That would have been the first 40-0 national championship team ever.

 

[SWC75]

Best center in the back of a full court press.

he learned that the the offense has to come to him if he just stands under the basket and he was a fine shot blocker. His troubles occurred when he ventured from the basket. When he realized he didn't have to, that was the end to the fast breaks.

 

[orange79]

Just looked up his numbers. He was a better shot blocker than I remember.

Darryl Swatkins!