Thx for the camera flash warning!….as someone that has seizures due to visual flashes it is refreshing to see someone recognize that flashing can cause issues with some people!! Thank you.
Wow, I remember this McDonald's class well, as this is/was my graduating high school class. I also attended the game @ The Omni in Atlanta, R.I.P. Frank Ford, Darryl Thomas, and Dwayne "Pearl" Washington...🙏🏼🕊
Not sure if Tom Curry is still here in the Huntington WV area, but his daughter, KaShawna Curry, played at Marshall as well from 2003-2007. KaShawna grew up in Huntington and went to Huntington High School where she was a 2-time All-State player, catching Marshall’s attention.
It was Chris Mills whose payment popped open in transit. But Im sure Bennett was paid too. UK paid players for decades. Leonard Hamilton was the bag man for Joe B.
Pretty sure Steve Alford was a HS AA that year, He was Indiana Mr Basketball ahead of James Blackmon, who was on this list. Averaged like 37 ppg his senior year. Over 90%FTs. 2-time All-American, national champion, Olympic gold medalist, NBA player. When he graduated IU he was the ALL TIME Big 10 leading scorer, and still would be had he been able to play with the 3 pointer all 4 of his seasons instead of just one. Shot 53% on 3's that year (107-203) and led IU to the NCAA title. Scored 56 points in the FInal 4. Blackmon averaged like 6 ppg at UK but still claimed he was better than Alford lol.
I PLAYED AGAINST TOM AMAKER AT THE 1ST MYRTLE.BEACH BALL CLASSIC IN SOUTH CAROLINA. MY TEAM BEAT HIS TEAM IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. AMAKER MADE THE ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM AS DID I
@@a1aprospects470 Yes Washington was slow and couldnt shoot. Good ballhandler but a lot of NYC hype. Joubert was even slower, fatter and even more overrated. I know someone who went to Michigan at the same time as Joubert, said he wore a MINK COAT to class sometimes lol. Wonder where he got that, coach Frieder. Nickname was the Judge, I called him the Sludge.
@@cortr9310 Fun stuff. As I noted in my Popson comment, some players in the 80s got crazy undeserved hype and reputations from Dick Vitale during his peak years on ESPN. Vitale was a terrible evaluator of potential and often latched onto a player because of elements outside performance, like a nickname. Joubert's "judge" nickname supposedly came just from him saying in high school that he wanted to be judge someday. Vitale repeated that ad nauseum. Plus, Joubert was from Detroit where Vitale had coached. Watching him, my teammates and I in high school called him Fudge instead of Judge since he seemed to be partaking of multiple desserts in the dining hall. One of the last players to cling to the jeri curl hairstyle so the fur coat makes perfect sense (every time I see the sofa jeri curl scene in Coming to America I think of Joubert). Best - Scott Skiles smacking Joubert on court and saying "show me what you got fat boy." Pearl Washington was just another NYC guard with handles who never developed a complete game... the hype he had out of high school seemed to go to his head. He seemed more focused on having a few flashy highlight plays every game than anything else. But you could list literally 100 guards who were NYC playground & high school legends who never lived up to their hype going back even before Earl Manigault.
I played against Popson in high school and oddly I think he was AD at my old school for awhile and his son was QB of the football team. But back then I thought Larry Koretz from GAR was the better big man. Koretz outplayed Popson head to head, and Koretz outplayed Dallas Comegys (also in this video) in the championship game of the WARM tourney in Scranton that year. Koretz started 4 years at LaSalle then was playing pro in France with a real shot at the NBA but a drunk driver in France ran him over on the sidewalk ruining his leg and career.
Useless fact, 4 different guys named Reggie Williams played in the NBA making it the name shared by the most players. There’s like ten different names shared by 3 former players.
I played against Dave Popson in high school and saw Dallas Comegys play that year too. I remember looking up into the stands during warmups seeing Bob Knight (Indiana), Dean Smith (North Carolina), and Digger Phelps (Notre Dame) all sitting together to watch Popson. Popson was called the best center in America by Dick Vitale, but he peaked in high school... didn't keep developing but he wasn't overrated like Antoine Joubert was. The other big man in our conference, Larry Koretz from Wilkes-Barre GAR High School, my school's arch rival was, I thought then and now, was better than Popson but didn't get the recognition. When they played head to head Koretz dominated Popson and Koretz outplayed Dallas Comegys in a tournament that year. Koretz started 4 years for LaSalle then was playing in Europe with a legit shot the NBA, but a drunk driver in France ran him over on the sidewalk destroying his leg and ending his career. BTW - a few years later Bobby Sura came out of GAR too. Oddly, Popson was AD at my school years later and his son was QB of the football team.
Popson was advertised for a bit as another Bobby Jones at NC due to their similar appearance and size. But of course Jones went on to be a Hall of Famer and in my mind, the quintessential Smith UNC player. Popson was ok in college played a lil for Celtics.
@@cortr9310 They were calling Popson the next Bobby Jones back in high school. He was highly touted entirely because of Dick Vitale, the most fun announcer but worst judge of potential ever. Vitale saw Popson play in an AAU tournament at Syracuse the summer before his senior year (while Vitale was no doubt there to suck up to Boeheim). Vitale saw Popson dominate against players who weren't elite and decided he was, as he said all season while doing college games, the "Secretariat of high school centers" and the "second coming of Bobby Jones." So many players got undeserved status because of Vitale's hype (like Pearl Washington, Antoine Joubert, Fennis Dembo, and others). Popson was very good in high school, but played in a league and district where the next tallest player was 5 inches shorter. His team lost in the state playoffs well before the championship when they faced a team with a center near his height (the rest of Popson's team was mediocre). During his senior year the city newspaper had him writing a series of articles about his recruiting and college visits. But if you saw Popson play Larry Koretz head to head (who was only 6'7") you knew he wouldn't be elite in college without huge improvement, which never really happened. Had Popson gone to another college where he could've been the main post player.... but after he committed to UNC later Joe Wolfe committed and turned out to be better.
@@a1aprospects470 Yes Joe Wolf was a much better shooter and played with more of an edge. Yes Vitale was a hype-master and a ?able judge of talent. Remember he picked Kelser over Moncrief when he was with the Pistons, when anyone could see Kelser couldnt shoot a lick and Moncrief was better all-around. Popson wasnt nearly as athletic as Jones either. Bobby was incredibly fast and a great leaper, won the NC high jump title. Filled the lane better on the break and finished as well or better than anyone his size.
@@cortr9310 Agree 100% with all you just said. Kelser, of course, played high school ball in Detroit like Joubert so no surprise Vitale loved him. Plus Kelser played in college with Magic so you couldn't be set up better to be a wing scorer. Popson could really jump for a 7 footer (he didn't want to be listed as that). Chipped his tooth on the rim playing against us. But he didn't have the agility or athleticism of a Bobby Jones. People overrated him because he wasn't gawky for his height in high school, but most of the people in that area never got to see truly elite, athletic guys over 6'8" so they just didn't know. You nailed the edge thing too... people "back home" were surprised Popson didn't dominate in college, became more of a soft 4 than a true power forward or center. He never needed that edge in high school then couldn't find it in college.
@@a1aprospects470 Thanks man. I didnt know Popson was a footer, as Larry Bird liked to call his Celtic drinking buddy Rick Robey. I was a big Bobby Jones fan as a kid when he played for the Sixers, one of my all-time favorite players. Popson just seemed to kind of mosey along, not play as hard as he could have. As you imply, probably was able to dominate playing that way against smaller lesser comp and never got out of that mode. Wolf jumped fairly well too, had an older brother who played at NC I think (Jeff?) so he probably got beat up playing against older brother every day, making him tougher. I am an Indiana fan and I remember Joe Wolf flying in for a tip dunk late in the 84 IU upset of NC in the sweet 16. Wolf was from Wisconsin I think (Kohler?), as was a 6-8 freshman for Indiana then too named Todd Meier. Meier wasnt bad but knees deteriorated each year in college and he prob had his best year as a frosh. May have played against Joe in HS. Of course Alford was a superstar freshman and as I wrote above, was a HS AA.Indiana Mr. Basketball not in this video. So much better than Blackmon, who scored 6 ppg at UK but claimed he was better than Steve. Lol. I have an older friend who went to Michigan and said he had a class with Joubert, and that the Sludge wore a mink coat to class in winter. Thanks to Santa Frieder.
@@RobBrown2288 yep don't that because I have wayyy more money than you soo a lot of ppl had to care for me to get hush I'm wayyy younger than you and retired already hush broke guy
@@tacodelgrande2963 Wow taco... reading this little exchange, even if you actually have money you're pretty sad. Always guys like you who never played a sport seriously but comment like this. If you'd like, I'll tell you what it's like to get recruited and play on scholarship since I'm certain you never experienced it.
Thx for the camera flash warning!….as someone that has seizures due to visual flashes it is refreshing to see someone recognize that flashing can cause issues with some people!! Thank you.
For sure. I don't have severe problems, but it was giving me issues while editing, so wanted to throw it in there!
Wow, I remember this McDonald's class well, as this is/was my graduating high school class. I also attended the game @ The Omni in Atlanta, R.I.P. Frank Ford, Darryl Thomas, and Dwayne "Pearl" Washington...🙏🏼🕊
I am glad that you use your actual voice instead of A.I.
I wouldn't want the world to miss my phenomenal voice lol. Also, people do that? Weird
Not sure if Tom Curry is still here in the Huntington WV area, but his daughter, KaShawna Curry, played at Marshall as well from 2003-2007. KaShawna grew up in Huntington and went to Huntington High School where she was a 2-time All-State player, catching Marshall’s attention.
Thanks for the insight!
Corey Gaines St. Bernard's HS Playa Del Rey, CA My HS teammate.
I think Stipanovich was coaching his daughter in high school. She played 4 years at St. Louis and was their all time leading scorer.
Wow as a Maryland fan didn’t know Keith Gatlin was a McDonald’s AA
Dang, if those players who didn't make the M.A. roster actually did, we would be talking about this class as an all-time great one in it's history lol
Wasnt Winston Bennett in the midfle of the cash payment issue while at Kentucky?
Abc antoine Joubert wax often known as Mr Jheri Curl
It was Chris Mills whose payment popped open in transit. But Im sure Bennett was paid too. UK paid players for decades. Leonard Hamilton was the bag man for Joe B.
Keith Gatlin played high school basketball at DH Conley High in Greenville, NC
Pretty sure Steve Alford was a HS AA that year, He was Indiana Mr Basketball ahead of James Blackmon, who was on this list. Averaged like 37 ppg his senior year. Over 90%FTs. 2-time All-American, national champion, Olympic gold medalist, NBA player. When he graduated IU he was the ALL TIME Big 10 leading scorer, and still would be had he been able to play with the 3 pointer all 4 of his seasons instead of just one. Shot 53% on 3's that year (107-203) and led IU to the NCAA title. Scored 56 points in the FInal 4. Blackmon averaged like 6 ppg at UK but still claimed he was better than Alford lol.
Where can we find the mcdonald's and capital classic games in 1983!
Jeez Joe Wolf ending this list made it a retroactive downer
I PLAYED AGAINST TOM AMAKER AT THE 1ST MYRTLE.BEACH BALL CLASSIC IN SOUTH CAROLINA. MY TEAM BEAT HIS TEAM IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. AMAKER MADE THE ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM AS DID I
Pearl Washington was easily the most exciting player of the group.
I remember all of these guys ...man im old .i see u Pearl... Couldn't stand him..
Yep, Pearl was overrated and too cocky but not as overrated as Antoine Joubert.
@@a1aprospects470 Yes Washington was slow and couldnt shoot. Good ballhandler but a lot of NYC hype. Joubert was even slower, fatter and even more overrated. I know someone who went to Michigan at the same time as Joubert, said he wore a MINK COAT to class sometimes lol. Wonder where he got that, coach Frieder. Nickname was the Judge, I called him the Sludge.
@@cortr9310 Fun stuff. As I noted in my Popson comment, some players in the 80s got crazy undeserved hype and reputations from Dick Vitale during his peak years on ESPN. Vitale was a terrible evaluator of potential and often latched onto a player because of elements outside performance, like a nickname. Joubert's "judge" nickname supposedly came just from him saying in high school that he wanted to be judge someday. Vitale repeated that ad nauseum. Plus, Joubert was from Detroit where Vitale had coached. Watching him, my teammates and I in high school called him Fudge instead of Judge since he seemed to be partaking of multiple desserts in the dining hall. One of the last players to cling to the jeri curl hairstyle so the fur coat makes perfect sense (every time I see the sofa jeri curl scene in Coming to America I think of Joubert). Best - Scott Skiles smacking Joubert on court and saying "show me what you got fat boy." Pearl Washington was just another NYC guard with handles who never developed a complete game... the hype he had out of high school seemed to go to his head. He seemed more focused on having a few flashy highlight plays every game than anything else. But you could list literally 100 guards who were NYC playground & high school legends who never lived up to their hype going back even before Earl Manigault.
Dave Popson is the athletic director at State Correctional Institution Retreat in Pennsylvania
I played against Popson in high school and oddly I think he was AD at my old school for awhile and his son was QB of the football team. But back then I thought Larry Koretz from GAR was the better big man. Koretz outplayed Popson head to head, and Koretz outplayed Dallas Comegys (also in this video) in the championship game of the WARM tourney in Scranton that year. Koretz started 4 years at LaSalle then was playing pro in France with a real shot at the NBA but a drunk driver in France ran him over on the sidewalk ruining his leg and career.
Useless fact, 4 different guys named Reggie Williams played in the NBA making it the name shared by the most players. There’s like ten different names shared by 3 former players.
Reggie Williams... East Baltimore legend🔥🔥
Greatest high school team ever of legit players from one area (not the bullcrap recruited teams now like Monteverde and IMG).
I played against Dave Popson in high school and saw Dallas Comegys play that year too. I remember looking up into the stands during warmups seeing Bob Knight (Indiana), Dean Smith (North Carolina), and Digger Phelps (Notre Dame) all sitting together to watch Popson. Popson was called the best center in America by Dick Vitale, but he peaked in high school... didn't keep developing but he wasn't overrated like Antoine Joubert was. The other big man in our conference, Larry Koretz from Wilkes-Barre GAR High School, my school's arch rival was, I thought then and now, was better than Popson but didn't get the recognition. When they played head to head Koretz dominated Popson and Koretz outplayed Dallas Comegys in a tournament that year. Koretz started 4 years for LaSalle then was playing in Europe with a legit shot the NBA, but a drunk driver in France ran him over on the sidewalk destroying his leg and ending his career. BTW - a few years later Bobby Sura came out of GAR too. Oddly, Popson was AD at my school years later and his son was QB of the football team.
Popson was advertised for a bit as another Bobby Jones at NC due to their similar appearance and size. But of course Jones went on to be a Hall of Famer and in my mind, the quintessential Smith UNC player. Popson was ok in college played a lil for Celtics.
@@cortr9310 They were calling Popson the next Bobby Jones back in high school. He was highly touted entirely because of Dick Vitale, the most fun announcer but worst judge of potential ever. Vitale saw Popson play in an AAU tournament at Syracuse the summer before his senior year (while Vitale was no doubt there to suck up to Boeheim). Vitale saw Popson dominate against players who weren't elite and decided he was, as he said all season while doing college games, the "Secretariat of high school centers" and the "second coming of Bobby Jones." So many players got undeserved status because of Vitale's hype (like Pearl Washington, Antoine Joubert, Fennis Dembo, and others). Popson was very good in high school, but played in a league and district where the next tallest player was 5 inches shorter. His team lost in the state playoffs well before the championship when they faced a team with a center near his height (the rest of Popson's team was mediocre). During his senior year the city newspaper had him writing a series of articles about his recruiting and college visits. But if you saw Popson play Larry Koretz head to head (who was only 6'7") you knew he wouldn't be elite in college without huge improvement, which never really happened. Had Popson gone to another college where he could've been the main post player.... but after he committed to UNC later Joe Wolfe committed and turned out to be better.
@@a1aprospects470 Yes Joe Wolf was a much better shooter and played with more of an edge. Yes Vitale was a hype-master and a ?able judge of talent. Remember he picked Kelser over Moncrief when he was with the Pistons, when anyone could see Kelser couldnt shoot a lick and Moncrief was better all-around. Popson wasnt nearly as athletic as Jones either. Bobby was incredibly fast and a great leaper, won the NC high jump title. Filled the lane better on the break and finished as well or better than anyone his size.
@@cortr9310 Agree 100% with all you just said. Kelser, of course, played high school ball in Detroit like Joubert so no surprise Vitale loved him. Plus Kelser played in college with Magic so you couldn't be set up better to be a wing scorer. Popson could really jump for a 7 footer (he didn't want to be listed as that). Chipped his tooth on the rim playing against us. But he didn't have the agility or athleticism of a Bobby Jones. People overrated him because he wasn't gawky for his height in high school, but most of the people in that area never got to see truly elite, athletic guys over 6'8" so they just didn't know. You nailed the edge thing too... people "back home" were surprised Popson didn't dominate in college, became more of a soft 4 than a true power forward or center. He never needed that edge in high school then couldn't find it in college.
@@a1aprospects470 Thanks man. I didnt know Popson was a footer, as Larry Bird liked to call his Celtic drinking buddy Rick Robey. I was a big Bobby Jones fan as a kid when he played for the Sixers, one of my all-time favorite players. Popson just seemed to kind of mosey along, not play as hard as he could have. As you imply, probably was able to dominate playing that way against smaller lesser comp and never got out of that mode. Wolf jumped fairly well too, had an older brother who played at NC I think (Jeff?) so he probably got beat up playing against older brother every day, making him tougher. I am an Indiana fan and I remember Joe Wolf flying in for a tip dunk late in the 84 IU upset of NC in the sweet 16. Wolf was from Wisconsin I think (Kohler?), as was a 6-8 freshman for Indiana then too named Todd Meier. Meier wasnt bad but knees deteriorated each year in college and he prob had his best year as a frosh. May have played against Joe in HS. Of course Alford was a superstar freshman and as I wrote above, was a HS AA.Indiana Mr. Basketball not in this video. So much better than Blackmon, who scored 6 ppg at UK but claimed he was better than Steve. Lol. I have an older friend who went to Michigan and said he had a class with Joubert, and that the Sludge wore a mink coat to class in winter. Thanks to Santa Frieder.
I PLAYED AGAINST PEARL IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
I PLAYED AGAINST KENNY SMITH IN HIGH SCHOOL
Always NBA players who did great who didn’t make the All-American team or at least most of the times.
not true
Hollywood howard from decatur georgia
Who cares most of us weren't born😂
Get off the computer 🖥 kid 😂
Even more people don't care that you were born
@@RobBrown2288 yep don't that because I have wayyy more money than you soo a lot of ppl had to care for me to get hush I'm wayyy younger than you and retired already hush broke guy
@@tacodelgrande2963 Wow taco... reading this little exchange, even if you actually have money you're pretty sad. Always guys like you who never played a sport seriously but comment like this. If you'd like, I'll tell you what it's like to get recruited and play on scholarship since I'm certain you never experienced it.
Who knows but I bet you they are all broke?
Not all of them, but it sadly does happen way too often
nah, It happens but not as often as people make it seem.