Top 10: New York City's Greatest Point Guards

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Top 10: New York City's Greatest Point Guards
« on: June 27, 2011, 02:30:14 PM »
http://www.maxpreps.com/news/s6vRpaQxhkGX5goss-dOfA/top-10--new-york-citys-greatest-point-guards.htm

The list tries to rank players by their performance at the high school level, however their college and NBA careers were also considered.

10. Larry Brown, Long Beach, Long Island
Although known for his long coaching career that includes stints with nine NBA teams, two ABA teams and three college teams, Brown was a standout player in college and in the ABA. Brown attended Long Beach High School on Long Island and played for Dean Smith at North Carolina. He played in the 1964 Olympics and joined the ABA in 1967 with the New Orleans Buccaneers. He led the Oakland Oaks to an ABA title in 1969 (along with Rick Barry and Doug Moe) and finished his career as the all-time assist leader in ABA history. As a coach, Brown is the only coach in history to lead an NBA team (Detroit) and NCAA team (Kansas) to a championship. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2002.

9. Nate Archibald, DeWitt Clinton, Bronx
Cut from the team as a sophomore, Archibald eventually rejoined the team at DeWitt Clinton as a junior with limited playing time. Archibald blossomed as a senior and earned all-city honors in 1966, but he didn’t have adequate grades to play immediately out of high school. After three standout seasons at University of Texas at El Paso, Archibald was picked in the 1970 draft by the Cincinnati Royals. He led the NBA in scoring (34.0) and assists (11.4) in 1973 and was named the league’s most valuable player. He was a six-time NBA all-star and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1991.

8. Lenny Wilkens, Boys, Brooklyn
Wilkens didn’t begin playing on the varsity team at Boys High School in Brooklyn until his senior year. He played well enough during that one season to earn a scholarship to Providence where he led the team to the NIT finals. The sixth pick in the NBA draft in 1960, Wilkens joined the St. Louis Hawks and went on to nine all-star appearances. Wilkens became a coach in the NBA, winning a championship with the Seattle Sonics in 1979. He retired from coaching as the winningest coach in NBA history with 1,332 wins. He was named to the Hall of Fame in 1998.

7. Mark Jackson, Bishop Loughlin Memorial, Brooklyn
Jackson was one of the top players in the country in 1985, leading Bishop Loughlin to a state championship. He played at St. John’s where he became the university’s all-time assist leader. Drafted by his hometown New York Knicks in 1987, Jackson was the NBA rookie of the year in 1988. During his 17-year NBA career, Jackson played for seven teams and finished second on the all-time career assists list with 10,344.

6. Kenny Smith, Archbishop Molloy, Jamaica, Queens
A cousin to Kenny Anderson, Smith starred at Molloy in the early 1980s and appeared in the McDonald’s All-American game in 1983. He became a four-year starter at North Carolina and set the school record for assists. The No. 6 pick in the 1987 draft by the Sacramento Kings, Smith eventually played for six teams and won two NBA championships with the Houston Rockets.

5. Pearl Washington, Boys and Girls, Brooklyn
Washington was a legend on the playgrounds of Brooklyn and he became the No. 1 ranked player in the class of 1983 while at Boys and Girls in Brooklyn. Washington attended Syracuse University where he is still considered one of the top recruits in the school’s history. He averaged 15.6 points and 6.7 assists in three seasons with the Orangemen and was a first-team All-American as a senior. Drafted by the Washington Bullets in 1986, Washington played just 194 games in the NBA before being cut in 1989 by the Miami Heat.

4. Bob Cousy, Andrew Jackson, Cambria Heights
Cousy didn’t become a star on the hardcourt until his senior year at Andrew Jackson High School in St. Albans. He led his team to the Queens division championship and he was the leading scorer in the city. He made the all-city team and took his talents to Holy Cross in Massachusetts where he became a three-time All-American. Drafted originally by the Tri-City Blackhawks, but played his first season with the Chicago Stags. When that team folded, Red Auerbach of the Boston Celtics picked up the hometown hero. Cousy went on to earn all-NBA honors for 13 years while playing on six NBA championship teams. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1971.

3. Stephon Marbury, Lincoln, Brooklyn
A three-time all-state choice for the Railsplitters, Marbury was a McDonald’s All-American in 1995 and was considered one of the top five recruits in the nation. He played one year at Georgia Tech, earning third team All-American honors. He was drafted in 1996 by the Milwaukee Bucks and has played for four teams in his NBA career. In his 14-year career, Marbury has averaged 19.7 points and 7.8 assists per game.

2. Sebastian Telfair, Lincoln, Brooklyn
Telfair finished his high school career at Lincoln as the all-time leading scorer in New York with 2,785 points. The Railsplitters won three PSAL titles and one state title with Telfair leading the way. He averaged 33.2 points and 9.2 assists his senior year and was a finalist for the 2004 Naismith Award. He was selected with the 13th pick by the Portland Trailblazers in the 2004 NBA draft. He played two seasons with the Boston Celtics and was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2007.

1. Kenny Anderson, Archbishop Molloy, Jamaica, Queens
Anderson finished his career as the state’s all-time leading scorer with 2,621 points. He still ranks third all-time behind Lance Stephenson and Sebastian Telfair, both of Lincoln. A three-time all-state player, Anderson also earned Parade All-American honors for three seasons. He had two outstanding seasons at Georgia Tech before being drafted by the New Jersey Nets with the second overall pick in the 1991 draft. He played for seven teams during a 16-year NBA career.


Re: Top 10: New York City's Greatest Point Guards
« Reply #1 on: June 27, 2011, 02:48:50 PM »
Writer gotta do his homework.

Long Beach aint in NYC. So cut Larry Brown.
Mark Jackson was '83 and was the 4th best PG in that class.

Choz4Life's unadulterated list of peeps who played in his lifetime:

(subject to change at my whim)
10. Sham
9. Bassey (gonna get hate but whateva)
8. Kemba
7.  Kareem Reid 
6. Omar Cook
5. Boo
4. Kenny Smith
3. Pearl
2. Steph
1. Kenny A.

Outside looking in: Mark Jackson, Dre Barrett, Taliek, Ed Cota, Kenny Satterfield, Speedy, Erick Barkley, Red Autry, Derek Phelps, Kenny Hutch, Lloyd Daniels, Majestic Mapp, Todd Myles, Allen Griffin, Kevin Morris and more but I gotta go.
Parking only for NYCHA permit holders.

Re: Top 10: New York City's Greatest Point Guards
« Reply #2 on: June 27, 2011, 02:55:29 PM »
Writer gotta do his homework.

Long Beach aint in NYC. So cut Larry Brown.
Mark Jackson was '83 and was the 4th best PG in that class.

Choz4Life's unadulterated list of peeps who played in his lifetime:

(subject to change at my whim)
10. Sham
9. Bassey (gonna get hate but whateva)
8. Kemba
7.  Kareem Reid 
6. Omar Cook
5. Boo
4. Kenny Smith
3. Pearl
2. Steph
1. Kenny A.

Outside looking in: Mark Jackson, Dre Barrett, Taliek, Ed Cota, Kenny Satterfield, Speedy, Erick Barkley, Red Autry, Derek Phelps, Kenny Hutch, Lloyd Daniels, Majestic Mapp, Todd Myles, Allen Griffin, Kevin Morris and more but I gotta go.

Nice job Choz! No Ram Fishburne? ;)
« Last Edit: June 27, 2011, 02:57:21 PM by Marco Baldi »

Re: Top 10: New York City's Greatest Point Guards
« Reply #3 on: June 27, 2011, 03:03:57 PM »
Dean Meminger.
Fire Mullin.

Re: Top 10: New York City's Greatest Point Guards
« Reply #4 on: June 27, 2011, 05:11:21 PM »
I went to St. John's Prep w/ Ram Fishburne! No lie. (Vern Fleming & Taliek Brown also from Prep!) :)

Re: Top 10: New York City's Greatest Point Guards
« Reply #5 on: June 27, 2011, 05:53:07 PM »
Rod Strickland

LJSA

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Re: Top 10: New York City's Greatest Point Guards
« Reply #6 on: June 27, 2011, 07:10:43 PM »
HOF numbers for Marbury. Too bad his personality and inability to win would also be taken into consideration.

I readily admit that I didn't see them play all that often, but I was always way more impressed with Reid than Marbury. Then again, it would seem like Marbury wasn't doing much when I did see him, and by the end of the game he'd have 33 points.

derk

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Re: Top 10: New York City's Greatest Point Guards
« Reply #7 on: June 27, 2011, 07:46:30 PM »
Tiny has to be in the top 3. And I'll throw in Eldridge Webb, Boys High, and Willie Worsley of Clinton.

boo3

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Re: Top 10: New York City's Greatest Point Guards
« Reply #8 on: June 27, 2011, 08:15:44 PM »
 Mashburn,  Sweet Pea Daniels

Re: Top 10: New York City's Greatest Point Guards
« Reply #9 on: June 27, 2011, 09:28:07 PM »
Dick McGuire?

Re: Top 10: New York City's Greatest Point Guards
« Reply #10 on: June 27, 2011, 09:38:05 PM »
Mashburn,  Sweet Pea Daniels

Mashburn A PG?

Re: Top 10: New York City's Greatest Point Guards
« Reply #11 on: June 28, 2011, 01:24:24 PM »
Tiny has to be in the top 3. And I'll throw in Eldridge Webb, Boys High, and Willie Worsley of Clinton.
I agree.  Tiny led the NBA in scoring and assists simultaneously.  What more can you do?

Moose

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Re: Top 10: New York City's Greatest Point Guards
« Reply #12 on: June 28, 2011, 01:49:02 PM »
Tiny has to be in the top 3. And I'll throw in Eldridge Webb, Boys High, and Willie Worsley of Clinton.
I agree.  Tiny led the NBA in scoring and assists simultaneously.  What more can you do?

Check out the criteria- "The list tries to rank players by their performance at the high school level, however their college and NBA careers were also considered."  So NBA careers weren't as big of a factor.
Remember who broke the Slice news

Re: Top 10: New York City's Greatest Point Guards
« Reply #13 on: June 28, 2011, 04:24:41 PM »
TIS is correct in my opinion that former Rice star Dean Meminger belongs somewhere on that list. Also if I may augment Choz "outside looking in" list there are afew noteable omissions:
1) Carlton Owens-Lincoln. He likely gets short changed because of the great players that followed at Lincoln but he was a great player with a smooth lefty "J" that earned him his nickname "Silk" He and Rhode Island native Tom Garrick led Tom Penders' Rhode Island team on a great NCAA run of upsets over Missouri and Syracuse. Big East coaches considered him  slight but he was a fierce competitor.

2) Ricky Sobers-DeWitt Clinton. He was one of several NY players to play for Tark at the height of UNLV's prowess. He was a good scorer and typically rugged on defense and that helped him to a substantial NBA career.

3) Frankie "King" Edwards-Julia Richmond Before Mouse McFadden arrived at Cleveland State "King" was the greatest player in that school's history. Unlike Mouse he played enough high school games to make this list. The fact that he played for a school that wasn't a traditional power is what keeps him off the list but man he could play. He got NBA burn with the Sixers and Clippers.

Arnold "A-train" Bernard-Our Savior Lutheran He makes this list for one reason in my opinion and it's a state finals game where his OSNA team beat Kenny Anderson's Molloy squad in what was the only game where anyone saw Kenny Anderson just stop playing. He was so fast getting from end to end with the dribble that no one could handle him.  He was a great juco star at San Jacinto and had two good years at Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri  State) where he teamed with former St. Ray's star Darryl Reid

pmg911

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Re: Top 10: New York City's Greatest Point Guards
« Reply #14 on: June 28, 2011, 05:38:15 PM »
Stephon Marbury is the best high school basketball player that I have seen in NYC that I can fully appreciate how good he was.

So many people will say Kenny Anderson is the best ever but its hard to judge a kid you played against your entire life. Being that we are the same age its hard for me to appreciate how good he was when he was in high school.

That all being said..  one HUGE glaring omission has been Khalid Reeves. He was as ghood as just about any player mentioned and doesn't get credit as a point guard because he played with Derrik Phelps.

Also, if you talk to a lot of older guys who really know NYC hoops, they will tell you that Brian Winters & Kevin Joyce were among the best ever to play in NYC.

Re: Top 10: New York City's Greatest Point Guards
« Reply #15 on: June 28, 2011, 06:02:58 PM »
you ever get the better of kenny pmg?
*wipes ketchup from his eyes* - I guess Heinz sight isn’t 20/20.

Re: Top 10: New York City's Greatest Point Guards
« Reply #16 on: June 28, 2011, 07:08:29 PM »
Stephon Marbury is the best high school basketball player that I have seen in NYC that I can fully appreciate how good he was.

So many people will say Kenny Anderson is the best ever but its hard to judge a kid you played against your entire life. Being that we are the same age its hard for me to appreciate how good he was when he was in high school.

That all being said..  one HUGE glaring omission has been Khalid Reeves. He was as ghood as just about any player mentioned and doesn't get credit as a point guard because he played with Derrik Phelps.

Also, if you talk to a lot of older guys who really know NYC hoops, they will tell you that Brian Winters & Kevin Joyce were among the best ever to play in NYC.

Hey John, how about these 2 LaSalle HS PG's?
Johnny Roche and Vinny Caruso.
Fire Mullin.

Re: Top 10: New York City's Greatest Point Guards
« Reply #17 on: June 28, 2011, 09:30:31 PM »
Pearl Washington, nuff said on this topic.

Poison

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Re: Top 10: New York City's Greatest Point Guards
« Reply #18 on: June 28, 2011, 09:39:09 PM »
Who's Bassey?

Moose

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Re: Top 10: New York City's Greatest Point Guards
« Reply #19 on: June 28, 2011, 09:46:11 PM »
Remember who broke the Slice news