Most underrated player of the 90's

[FreakTalksAboutSU]

This stems from a discussion was having last night with a few other Syracuse alums. We all know what Moten did for the program, and how Wallace was the centerpiece of the FF team...but who were the quiet, under the radar guys without whom the team would not have accomplished what it did?

While a case by others was made for Elvir Ovcina, my own argument was for Lazarus Sims. Quiet confident team general, may be the most cerebral PG I have seen at Syracuse since I have been following the program. Made others better.

What say ye, fellow Orange faithful?

 

[Rocco]

Hop turned out to be the MVPerson out of all of them, and he will lead us once JB steps down.

 

[Marsh01]

A few come to mind

Adrian Autry
Luke Jackson
Jason Hart
Otis Hill

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Otis Hill

 

[Eric15]

This stems from a discussion was having last night with a few other Syracuse alums. We all know what Moten did for the program, and how Wallace was the centerpiece of the FF team...but who were the quiet, under the radar guys without whom the team would not have accomplished what it did?

While a case by others was made for Elvir Ovcina, my own argument was for Lazarus Sims. Quiet confident team general, may be the most cerebral PG I have seen at Syracuse since I have been following the program. Made others better.

What say ye, fellow Orange faithful?

I could use a lot of adjectives to describe Elvir Ovcina, but underrated would never be one of them.

I'll say Dave Johnson. He was a fantastic player for us as an underclassman but history tends to forget about him.

 

[Marsh01]

I could use a lot of adjectives to describe Elvir Ovcina, but underrated would never be one of them.

I'll say Dave Johnson. He was a fantastic player for us as an underclassman but history tends to forget about him.

His senior year he was just fantastic

 

[KingOtis]

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[Gabjon]

Todd Burgan

 

[sutomcat]

I could use a lot of adjectives to describe Elvir Ovcina, but underrated would never be one of them.

I'll say Dave Johnson. He was a fantastic player for us as an underclassman but history tends to forget about him.

Hart was treated unfairly by the fanbase and never fully appreciated, and I am tempted to select him for that reason, but I will also go with David Johnson, who was a terrific player who grew each season and carried us his senior year, when he was one of the best players in the country.

Sims was a fine player but he barely played until he was a senior. He made a huge impact that season but was almost a non factor before that.

 

[KingOtis]

Todd Burgan

How was he underrated? If anything, he became overrated his last two years.

 

[ORRange]

How was he underrated? If anything, he became overrated his last two years.

He was worse as an upperclassman, most overrated in my view. Dave Johnson was very underrated.

 

[Gabjon]

How was he underrated? If anything, he became overrated his last two years.

He was huge in our FF4 run and has taken a beating in peoples minds for not taking those young and in-experiences teams further (his junior and senior years). When truth was he didn't have the guys around him to go further. If Winfred Walton was allows to play those years would have been different.

 

[orangefog]

He was worse as an upperclassman, most overrated in my view. Dave Johnson was very underrated.

Dave Johnson was a freak athlete. I just watched a game on Time Warner Sports from, I believe, his senior year. Conrad McRae was suspended. Moten was a freshman, as was Luke Jackson. That team was small and not what you would expect to see from a Syracuse team. But, they won 22 games and lost in the second round of the NCAA.

 

[DoctorBombay]

Elvira Ovchina

 

[KingOtis]

He was huge in our FF4 run and has taken a beating in peoples minds for not taking those young and in-experiences teams further. When truth was he did have the guys around him to go further. If Winfred Walton was allows to play those years would have been different.

He was a sophomore during the Final Four run. That's when he peaked IMO.

Burgan takes a beating (interesting choice of words) because when it was time for him to become "the man," he failed miserably. His supporting cast his last two years was fine.

 

[orangefog]

He was a sophomore during the Final Four run. That's when he peaked IMO.

Burgan takes a beating (interesting choice of words) because when it was time for him to become "the man," he failed miserably. His supporting cast his last two years was fine.

Eh, Burgan just wasn't cut out to be a main man. He was a great sidekick, but he couldn't be the man. There is no shame in that. There are tons of guys like that.

 

[KingOtis]

Eh, Burgan just wasn't cut out to be a main man. He was a great sidekick, but he couldn't be the man.

And that's why he's overrated.

 

[Marsh01]

And that's why he's overrated.

Burgan was never rated high to begin with so he cant be overrated.

 

[orangefog]

And that's why he's overrated.

Yeah, coming in, I don't remember expecting much from him. His sophomore season was spectacular as a number two and most of us fans adjusted our expectations for his junior and senior seasons. I can't remember, did the preseason magazines expect him to be all-american? If yes, then he was surely overrated.

 

[Gabjon]

He was a sophomore during the Final Four run. That's when he peaked IMO.

Burgan takes a beating (interesting choice of words) because when it was time for him to become "the man," he failed miserably. His supporting cast his last two years was fine.

His supporting case developed into good players but he was gone by then. Todd was CJ with a jump shot which is pretty damn good to me. J. Hart and Etan were not ready as freshmen, the next year they went to the sweet 16. His personal issues aside he was a better player than he gets credit for.

 

[KingOtis]

Burgan was never rated high to begin with so he cant be overrated.

It was his #30 jersey they were selling in the bookstores his last two years. That means he was supposed to be "the man." He wasn't, so in that sense he was most definitely overrated.

 

[KingOtis]

Yeah, coming in, I don't remember expecting much from him. His sophomore season was spectacular as a number two and most of us fans adjusted our expectations for his junior and senior seasons. I can't remember, did the preseason magazines expect him to be all-american? If yes, then he was surely overrated.

I don't remember if he was a preseason all-american either of those two years. Either way, wouldn't the high expectations from fans make him overrated?

 

[orangefog]

I don't remember if he was a preseason all-american either of those two years. Either way, wouldn't the high expectations from fans make him overrated?

Yes, I suppose it would.

 

[KingOtis]

His supporting case developed into good players but he was gone by then. Todd was CJ with a jump shot which is pretty damn good to me. J. Hart and Etan were not ready as freshmen, the next year they went to the sweet 16. His personal issues aside he was a better player than he gets credit for.

Cipolla and Hill were seniors when Burgan was a junior. Marius Janulis was also a starter that year.

 

[Gabjon]

Cipolla and Hill were seniors when Burgan was a junior. Marius Janulis was also a starter that year.

Off the ball players we had no point guard that year...