Best Ohio player & best Ohio State basketball player

[LitlBuck]

Since it is high school and college basketball tournament time, I thought I would start this thread for the old dogs and the young pups to see who they think was the best ever high school basketball player in Ohio and who was the best player ever to play for The Ohio State University. The best high school player did not have to attend Ohio State and the best Ohio State basketball player does not necessarily have to be from Ohio. Just don't throw out two names but make a little statement with the name.

I will start by saying that the best high school player, in my opinion, whoever played basketball in Ohio was none other than Clark Kellogg. He could do it all both inside and out. He could score, handle the ball, and rebound. I saw Jim Jackson play in high school and I don't think he was even close to Clark as a high school player.

I believe that the best player to ever play at Ohio State was none other than Jerry Lucas. Maybe he did not score that much but when he played at Ohio State it was a team game. He was a tremendous rebounder and ball handler and was no slouch defensively. Another name that I will mention is Robin Freeman. For you young pups, he played in the 50s and had a very sweet jump shot but after graduating from Ohio State his career came to an abrupt end because he cut off part of a couple fingers chopping wood.

 

[DaytonBuck]

I'm a young pup so I didn't see anything pre Randy Ayers.

Jimmy Jackson was the best OSU player I can remember. The guy was a pure scorer from the SG spot at the college level. I can't think of a guy the Buckeyes have since who could do what he did offensively.

High School would have to be Lebron. He was just a man amongst boys out there. Unreal athleticism.

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

[jimotis4heisman]Don Jantonio[/jimotis4heisman]

 

[LitlBuck]

High School would have to be Lebron. He was just a man amongst boys out there. Unreal athleticism.

let me rephrase my question because there is no doubt that Lebron was the best high school player ever so it would be the second-best Ohio high school player ever.

 

[Ttown]

Best high school player was generally acknowledged to be Jerry Lucas and I could argue for LeBron now too.

 

[MaxBuck]

Buckeye: Special K (and yes, I saw Lucas play)

HS: best I personally saw was Bo Lamar

 

[DaytonBuck]

I'll throw in a vote for myself as the worst high school player in the state

 

[stxbuck]

HS-LeBron wins hands down, although I will say that I saw him play 3 times as a HS player-once as a sophmore, and twice as a senior-and by his senior year he was totally mailing it in. When he was a sophmore his upper body had not filled out, but he was still 6'6, and when I saw him play against Oak Hill Academy, all I could think was "Vince Carter".

Buckeye-I honestly had not watched any Buckeye hoops before the JJ era, so I cannot compare Lucas or Special K or John Havlicek(who seems to get overlooked as a Buckeye legend for some reason), but even for one year, w/ a good hand for only 10 games, I would say Greg Oden takes the cake.

 

[LitlBuck]

Buckeye: Special K (and yes, I saw Lucas play)

HS: best I personally saw was Bo Lamar

I sort of forgot about Nick Ratliff and Conner and "Bo" Lamar but it is interesting that you would take Bo over the other two. There were plenty of "Street" players that were very very good though we never heard of them because they never played high school ball. Interesting you would take Special K. over Lucas.

 

[akronbuck]

By far,Lebron James but, Lucas and special K were amazing and before, my time

Anyone remember Nate Thurmond or Herb Williams, played about 30 years in the N.B.A. :)

wasn't Phil Hubbard a canton mckinley player

 

[jimotis4heisman]

[jimotis4heisman]Don Jantonio[/jimotis4heisman]

bus brings him up, not me.

im not sure. ill have to kick this one around.

 

[LitlBuck]

By far,Lebron James but, Lucas and special K were amazing and before, my time

Anyone remember Nate Thurmond or Herb Williams, played about 30 years in the N.B.A. :)

wasn't Phil Hubbard a canton mckinley player

Thurmond did not really standout in high school that I recall go was a dominating defensive player at BG. I had thought about Williams but he just wasn't that consistent IMO and Ohio State never read had another dominant big man.

Yup, Hubbard was from McKinley and was all Ohio but I still will take Clark over him as a high school player. There are probably some guys from Southwest Ohio that played in the 60s there were pretty good who I do not know. Donnie May and Bill Hoskett were very good high school players.

 

[buckeyesin07]

For college, I have to vote JJ--he could score at will and was also the type of player that made everyone on the floor with him better players.

I will throw this out, however: Conley did masterful things on the floor in terms of getting his teammates wide open shots by driving and drawing the defense to him, and driving and scoring at the rim, and he made the incredibly difficult look so smooth and effortless. I can't imagine what he would have been able to do to opposing defenders if he had stuck around for another year or two.

 

[stxbuck]

People still talk about Dwight Anderson in Dayton, too bad crack got the better of him.

 

[BB73]

LeBron for HS. He is one of 3 players to win Student Sports' National POY for high school twice. The other 2 are Lew Alcindor (aka Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) & Jerry Lucas.

Jerry Lucas for tOSU, and he's way ahead of second place.