sweetness34;2157272; said:
All haters! I don't care if he wins a championship or not. He will be a top 10-12 player all-time regardless. You guys can hate all you want but the guy is great and no one can take that away from him! He will always be the best Cavalier player ever and the best high school player from the state as well.
I refuse to let LBJ be the best anything from Ohio.. try a Buckeye:
In 1956 and 1957, Lucas led Middletown High School to undefeated seasons and back-to-back Ohio state high school championships...As competition increased, Lucas became more important to the team's base offense. He learned to help his own game and the team by developing an advanced pivot passing game. Meanwhile, his hook shot became nearly automatic and his shooting eye was strong well past 20', then unusual for a center. His star was born in the 1956 state quarterfinals. Lucas, still weeks from his 16th birthday, burned Cleveland East Technical for 53 points before a crowd of 5,000. He added 44 in the state final for a two game total of 97, still an Ohio high school record.
During his junior and senior seasons, Lucas and Middletown soared to remarkable levels in fame and attention. In a time with no television or internet, Lucas was written about by the New York Times as early as 1957. Game crowds of 10,000 were not uncommon for him in an era where the NBA typically drew 3500. At this time, the first national prep All-American teams were being named, and Lucas was soon considered among the best high schoolers in the country.
Middletown ran their winning streak to an impressive 79 straight during his senior year. By this point, Middletown home games were jammed well past capacity, with hundreds more listening in their cars in the school parking lot.
By 1958 Lucas had drawn crowds of 10,000 to the Cleveland Arena and St. John's Arena in Columbus. That same year, the rivalry Middletown-Hamilton high school game was moved to Cincinnati Gardens. When Cincinnati Royals owner Les Harrison saw Lucas thrill a crowd of 12,000 with a 49-point 34-rebound performance, he made the 18 year old a territorial draft pick of the NBA team.
Statistically, Lucas averaged more than a point per minute for the 32-minute games. With numbers then not well-kept, his rebounding figures are unknown, but were likely about 17 per game. We do know he did hit a then very high 60% of his field goal attempts and over 80% of his free throws. Increasingly a passer, he may have also averaged 5?6 assists per game
Wearing #13 as a senior, Lucas made news by surpassing Wilt Chamberlain's high school scoring mark. College scouts now came around in remarkable numbers. Before Lew Alcindor in the mid-1960s, the only high schooler to earn more scholarship offers than Lucas was Chamberlain.
Lucas' Middletown team suffered its only loss in three years at the 1958 Ohio state finals. Losing by one point to an undefeated opponent. Lucas was rated Ohio's top high school player all three varsity years 1956?1958. Lucas was the first player to be named three time First Team All-Ohio by the Associated Press and on February 17, 2009 Jerry's number 13 was retired at Wade E. Miller gymnasium.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Lucas
Jesus has there ever been a more overused word than "haters" in history? It's so old and tired, and beyond that it is useless and shows absolutely no thought process.
