Shooting Gallery
A discussion at the end of a comment string last week got me thinking – what would an all-time “first team” list of ACC shooters look like? I had a chance to discuss with two colleagues at lunch (one Duke fan, one UNC fan), and we seemed to agree on the following:
Updated: You convinced me about Mark Price.
- Rodney Monroe, NC State
- Randolph Childress, Wake Forest
- J.J. Redick, Duke
- Dennis Scott, Georgia Tech
- Donald Williams, UNC
- Mark Price, Georgia Tech
This list only considers players I’ve seen play over the years, and my ACC hoops memory only goes back to 1981 or 1982. I call this a shooters’ list, but I only really considered players who were also prolific scorers (i.e., not just designated zone-busters, but rather players that could take over a game with their shooting ability). That kept guys like Terry Gannon on the bench. Of these 5, I consider the first 3 no brainers, and I am most iffy about Williams. But he was a clutch guy, and did take home the Final Four MVP trophy (which he dedicated to V, earning him my eternal respect). NOTE: Williams has since been bumped for Price.
Feel free to note other deserving candidates in the comments section.
34 Responses to “Shooting Gallery”
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04/13/2007
[...] I found this on YouTube, and it’s too hilarious not to pass along. Longtime State fans will remember some of the wild shots Rodney Monroe made while at NC State, one of the best shooters the ACC has ever seen, and how he looked when he got in the zone1. Well, here he is making a buzzer beater to win a game (I think in the 2001-02 season) for his Italian team, Banca Marche Fabriano. And if you think Dick Vitale goes bonkers over Duke and Carolina, even he’s got nothing over the Italian announcer here. Rodney hits a free throw, then the opposing team (is it Chris Corchiani’s team Tau Vitoria?) set up the finale drama by going down and hitting an off-balanced 3-pointer. I don’t know Italian, but it seems the announcer is screaming about that shot being impossible — he nears the agony of defeat until Monroe answers with the thrill of victory, and that makes announcer go completely out of his gourd. It’s hilarious. [...]
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Some others that night warrant consideration:
Mark Price
Jason Williams
Shane Battier
Jeff Lebo
Hubert Davis
Derrick Whittenburg
Trajan Langdon
Johnny Dawkins
Curtis Staples
Curtis Staples is the NCAA career leader in 3 point shots. Having Donald Williams on that list is a joke….right?
Bob Verga- Duke, Ernest Graham-Maryland, Barry Parkhill-UVa, Skip Wise-Clemson, John Roche- USC and Charlie Davis-WF.
Just a few that I remember as able to take over a game and score at will. Note Skip Wise only played one year as a freshman and he was unstoppable.
Jeff Lamp would have to be considered as well. Isn’t he top 10 in scoring all-time?
Leave it to a Heel fan to try and get Donald Williams on a top 5 “shooter” of all-time list.
Mark Price, IMO, would be in over Donald Williams. The other 4 are solid.
I thought about Staples, but I don’t remember him having the same kind of “game impact.” I think Mark Price makes the strongest case for position #5 on the list, so far. Indeed, I had forgotten him.
I actually mentioned Donald Williams first, as I had trouble coming up with a 5th name. The UNC fan is not only a UNC fan, but also a Garner native – making him doubly biased in his assent.
I also strongly considered Whit, but 2 State players made the listed seemed like homerism. No question he deserves to be part of the conversation.
Staples didn’t play on great teams. But he had a huge impact on games. If he is first in NCAA history in 3s, then it seems like he would have to make the list.
To make Mr. O happy, we’ll change the list to:
Great Shooters who NEVER won a Final Four MVP and a National Championship.
That way we could take Donald Williams off the list.
David Thompson could shoot as well as go to the basket. If he could have had the 3pnt shot and freshman year ……
1st Team:
JJ Redick
Rodney Monroe
Kenny Matthews
Mark Price
Curtis Staples
2nd Team:
Terry Gannon
John Roche
Charlie Scott
Dennis Scott
Greg Manning
I’d have to add Juan Dixon – he never seemed to miss an outside shot that mattered.
Juan Dixon is definitely a credible candidate. But Sammy, how can you keep Childress off the list? That ACC final against UNC alone made him immortal (at least to me).
I almost get misty-eyed thinking back to Monroe’s days. It’s astonishing that he never won an ACCT or made the Final Four. Remember the numerous times he would go an a 18-2 run BY HIMSELF? I can still see the Raycom graphics against GT and UVA in particular.
Yea, Rodney is my favorite State player of all-time. I remember joking to my roomate after the Iowa game in the NCAAs that we should put up a statue of him on campus.
Of course, this little streak that Redick is on is more than just a little incredible in its own right. To use NCAA tourney jargon, Redick and Monroe are No. 1 seeds.
I wish they would show that Iowa game on ESPN Classic. It has to be among the Top 10 individual performances I’ve seen in my lifetime, at any level of competition.
I would vote against Kenny Matthews. He never lived up to the hype….even though he played a big part in the comeback against UNC that Clyde Austin gave away. Kenny ended that game by missing the shot that Dockery hit against VT this year.
I remember juan dixon missing a last second 3 pointer at the end of the acc semi against NC State
In addition to your top 4, I would say that Jeff Lamp, Marc Price and Jason Williams would warrant consideration for the top 5. Monroe and Redick are the only locks.
This is not the question but the best pre-game shooter in ACC history was a guy by the name of Brian Magid that played for Maryland in the late 70′s. Fans would show up early just to watch his shooting exhibition from long range. I’ve never seen anybody close with this range and accuracy. He was truly amazing. Unfortunately, his athletic skills were more pedestrian and he never became much of a player. He transferred from Maryland after a couple of years, I think either American or George Washington.
^I saw him win 4 or 5 $1dollar bets at Cameron from the students. If you just let him shoot unguarded he was a phenom.
Magid is a name I haven’t heard in years. He certainly could shoot though. Here’s some stuff from his high school’s web site:
Brian Magid
Following Browne is former Blazer sharpshooter Brian Magid (class of 1975). Magid holds Blair’s all-time career scoring record, at 1,191 points. He also holds the mark for highest single-season scoring average, with 24.5 points per game. Magid was a leader on the 1975 Blair team that won a state championship. Then, Magid joined the basketball team at the University of Maryland, where he shot an astounding 63 percent from the field as a freshman.
After his sophomore year, Magid transferred to George Washington University, where he finished his college career. Magid was drafted by the Indiana Pacers in 1980 but never played in the NBA, instead opting to play pro ball in Israel after the Pacers waived him.
Juan Dixon is also way up there on the acc all-time scoring list IIRC. Maybe top 12 or so.
Shame on all of you for not mentioning Lakista McCuller, arguably the “purest” shooter to put on a jersey for the Pack. (j/k)
Looky I found a site that lists all Wolfpack bball squads from 81 – 97:
http://cbs.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/9014921
That’s fine because I remember 1997 fairly well : } Boy was Vinny del Negro a good player for us! What ever happened to Donny Seal?!
On a serious note, has JJ Redick actually accomplished anything that Trajan Langdon did not while at Duke? I find them to be very, very similar in that they had both shoot lights out, but could not play D or very skilled with the ball. Hence, I see JJ going down the same NBA career-length path as Trajan.
^you need to get a new tv it’s apparent the one you’ve been watching has a poor picture because you’ve missed seeing one of the 10 best guards in ACC history.
My candidates for the conversation:
JJ Redick
Rodney Monroe
Curtis Staples
Dennis Scott
Trajan Langdon
Jeff Lebo
Mark Price
Terry Gannon
Randolph Childress
Jason Williams
Derrick Whittenburg
Juan Dixon
…..and, of course…..Andy Kennedy & Migjen Bakali
When Migjen was on…
Migjen was the classic case of a player looking pretty good when he was surrounded by great players. With Chris & Rodney on the court, shots were plentiful and life was good. When Fire & Ice left, suddenly shots are contested and hard to come by. Think Melchionni at Duke – he is giving them a lot this year. Put him on a bad team and he would look a lot different.