ESPN counting down top 50 programs of the past 50 years

[orange03]

Anybody that doesn't include the Pearl as one of our top 8 most important/best players of the last 50 years should forfeit his/her right to watch basketball. I love you Gerry, but stop it.

 

[baggerbob]

Have no problem with the 1st 5,Sherm,Bing,Owens,Melo,DC but the 3 off the bench s/b Pearl, Wallace and either Rony or Rosie. Both Bing and Pearl rejuvinated the program, the other 7 except Wallace were part of some of our greastest teams. Wallace fits becuase of the final four run and all american.

 

[HOFCeluck]

Have no problem with the 1st 5,Sherm,Bing,Owens,Melo,DC but the 3 off the bench s/b Pearl, Wallace and either Rony or Rosie. Both Bing and Pearl rejuvinated the program, the other 7 except Wallace were part of some of our greastest teams. Wallace fits becuase of the final four run and all american.

Obviously I'd include Bing or Pearl, not because they "rejuvenated the program" but because they were filthy basketball players.

 

[Gabjon]

ESPN U podcast discussing the list

Podcast

 

[Orangeyes]

I am saying GMac got way more out of his talent than Pearl ever dreamed about getting. Pearl was the 1980's version of Fab, perhaps if he spent a little less time at the bars and more time working on his game he would have gotten past the second round of the tourney.

The Pearl came to a softball practice for my team. Due to rain we went to indoor batting cages. He kept putting his foot in the bucket and mind you it was slow-pitch. One of our guys who had a Don Rickles like shtick was on him unmercifully. Afterwards we went to the bar in an adjoining building. I could not believe the amount of beer he consumed in a very short time. Great guy, love him to death but the effect of booze made him a step slower, no doubt.

 

[JD]

The Pearl came to a softball practice for my team. Due to rain we went to indoor batting cages. He kept putting his foot in the bucket and mind you it was slow-pitch. One of our guys who had a Don Rickles like shtick was on him unmercifully. Afterwards we went to the bar in an adjoining building. I could not believe the amount of beer he consumed in a very short time. Great guy, love him to death but the effect of booze made him a step slower, no doubt.

Pearl was a great guy and terrific player but he never put in the work to be great. He never developed a jump shot that could be counted on if he got cut off outside 15 feet. I thnk he was just happy dong what he could with natural ability. Pearl could have been a more athletic John Stockton he ever tried.

 

[longtimefan]

Pearl was a great guy and terrific player but he never put in the work to be great. He never developed a jump shot that could be counted on if he got cut off outside 15 feet. I thnk he was just happy dong what he could with natural ability. Pearl could have been a more athletic John Stockton he ever tried.

Pearl was not very athletic, and I doubt any amount of work would have made him so. And, a 15-foot shot was exactly what was called for when Pearl played--there was no 3-point line.

 

[Cheriehoop]

The Pearl came to a softball practice for my team. Due to rain we went to indoor batting cages. He kept putting his foot in the bucket and mind you it was slow-pitch. One of our guys who had a Don Rickles like shtick was on him unmercifully. Afterwards we went to the bar in an adjoining building. I could not believe the amount of beer he consumed in a very short time. Great guy, love him to death but the effect of booze made him a step slower, no doubt.

A growing brain tumor certainly had to take its toll also.

 

[syr02esq]

No Celik? This list is trash.

 

[SouthCampusHero]

No Celik? This list is trash.

Gotta love the "Woodchuck." Even Higgins thought he was a giant vermin.

 

[rrlbees]

Yep, we're number 8. UConn fans can't fathom that we are ahead of them. Because college basketball started in 1990.

Just read their threads. Some of those dumbasses don't even realize it was the past 50 years. One even thought it only went up to 2003 and was a conspiracy for SU. Even another must have thought it was an opinion poll and we were put ahead of them because we are going to the ACC.

50 years UConn boys.

Dom Perno says hello.

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[JD]

Pearl was not very athletic, and I doubt any amount of work would have made him so. And, a 15-foot shot was exactly what was called for when Pearl played--there was no 3-point line.

The problem was Pearl was not a good FT shooter as a PG even.

 

[alphaorange]

These anti-Pearl posts are beyond asinine. I am old enough to have followed his recruitment and career. True, he didn't have a great jumper and wasn't very athletic. Stevie also had a bad jumper that he worked on relentlessly and it never got better. To assume that Pearl didn't work hard enough on it because it wasn't good is a stupid assumption. He was the only player ever that made Thompson pull out of the famed GT press. He was a one man press breaker. Then, to blame the loss to St Johns on his inability to shoot over Berry? Are you a imbecile or a nut job? Walter Berry was a GREAT shot blocker. What you posted was like blaming a player for being blocked by Ewing, Mourning, et al. His lack of an outside shot and lack of athleticism cost him a career at the next level, however, NBA execs thought enough of him to make him an early 1st rounder. Too bad SU fans would rather cut him down (unjustifiably so) than to extoll his really great qualities. Plus he punched Ewing. That's good for extra credit.

 

[JD]

No his being fat and lazy cost him his shot at the next level. He got paid and his lack of work habits caught up with him.

 

[realorange]

No his being fat and lazy cost him his shot at the next level. He got paid and his lack of work habits caught up with him.

Please explain to those of us who saw Pearl play, what makes you want to see nothing but negatives about a player who's number hangs in the Dome. The Dome that he showed how to fill with fans.
And by the way, did you ever see Pearl play for Syracuse?

 

[cliftonparksufan]

I guess people must have different definitions of athleticism. Pearl did things on the court that others could only dream of. He was great taking the ball to the rim and carrying the team on his back. When Pearl was on the court, it was "his" team. No question about it. Of course he had some downside, but there is a reason he is Syracuse legend and a first round NBA draft pick (13th).

 

[Halfmooncuse]

One of the Greatest moments in SU basketball history was when Pearl hit that last second half-court winning shot against BC and kept running after the release and right off the court into the locker room. Anyone who witnessed that shot had to be a Pearl fan forever.

 

[Eric15]

Exactly.

How can you say "exactly" when docsu's correct point about the 2004 team going to the Sweet 16 accurately contradicted you saying that the 2003 team without Melo wouldn't win the Carrier Classic?

 

[HOFCeluck]

Yeah I saw that but was too lazy to respond. I don't know who fabricated the "SU would have sucked without Melo in 2003" meme but I'm pretty sure it was proven false the very next year.

 

[Cheriehoop]

The problem was Pearl was not a good FT shooter as a PG even.

Huh? Can't help but wonder if you just make up stuff to be constantly negative. Do you ever bother to look anything up since you must not have watched these players in person to form an informed opinion. Pearl was a 73% free throw shooter over his career at SU and shot 53% fga in his 3 years. He certainly wasn't a bad free throw shooter as you allege nor "as a pg even" - whatever that means.

He was a great college player who didn't have a good pro career but he wasn't alone and it sure doesn't deflect from his game while at SU. College stars like Christian Laettner, Danny Manning, Steve Alford, Pervis Ellison, Ed O'Bannon, Danny Ferry, Ralph Sampson on and on didn't fare well in the NBA. So?

 

[orange03]

How can you say "exactly" when docsu's correct point about the 2004 team going to the Sweet 16 accurately contradicted you saying that the 2003 team without Melo wouldn't win the Carrier Classic?

I guess you didn't take sarcasm in high school. I don't consider the Sweet 16 with that roster a success. Therefor my point stands--we didn't win anything w/o Melo.

 

[HOFCeluck]

I guess you didn't take sarcasm in high school. I don't consider the Sweet 16 with that roster a success. Therefor my point stands--we didn't win anything w/o Melo.

Because there's no gray area between being terrible and getting to the second weekend.

I can do sarcasm as well.

 

[orange03]

Because there's no gray area between being terrible and getting to the second weekend.

I can do sarcasm as well.

If you say so. My point still stands.

 

[HOFCeluck]

Look don't change the goal posts because you're getting called out. You said the 2003 team minus Melo wouldn't "win the Carrier Classic.". I think any reasonable person would take that to mean that the team would be pretty terrible. Given the same team minus Melo and Duany made the sweet 16 I think most would disagree. It may fall below your standards but but it's certainly not terrible by any definition.

 

[rrlbees]

I guess you didn't take sarcasm in high school. I don't consider the Sweet 16 with that roster a success. Therefor my point stands--we didn't win anything w/o Melo.

We've never won anything without Melo. Point?

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