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10/20/2021 10:51 pm  #1


Obi Toppin Year 2 and The A10

Up and down rookie year, but Obi looked electric tonight at times.  MSG was rocking, double OT thriller.

Really good for the A10 if Toppin becomes a star, in the world's most famous arena.

Got me thinking, which A10 star had the most success in the NBA to date??

Last edited by The Dude (10/20/2021 10:57 pm)

 

10/21/2021 7:49 am  #2


Re: Obi Toppin Year 2 and The A10

Well, I guess Dr J, Bob Lanier, and Tom Gola (and Red Auerbach) don’t count because while they played for original A10 teams, they played before the league. 

But as for guys who actually played in the A10, I think it’s a close between Eddie Jones and Marcus Camby.   Camby was a DPOY and the best shot blocker in the NBA, but Jones made All-NBA third team one year (meaning he was one of the 15 best players in the league) and was all defense a couple of times, too.  I’d probably lean Jones but it’s close. 

Other names that came to mind are Aaron McKie, Lamar Odom, Jameer Nelson, and Deonte West.  Plenty of other guys who had nice NBA runs, too. 

Also, best A10 player in the NFL goes to Mo Allie-Cox.  Still so weird to see him catching TDs for the colts.

 

10/21/2021 8:46 am  #3


Re: Obi Toppin Year 2 and The A10

Big Bob Lanier.  It's remarkable how he seems to have been forgotten.  Those Temple players, Jones and McKie, were joys to watch,  Even as they beat GWU badly.

 

10/21/2021 9:13 am  #4


Re: Obi Toppin Year 2 and The A10

I'll ignore the Bob Lanier oversight.

It's interesting to see how Temple had so many great college players who did not pan out in the NBA.  Macon, Stansbury, Granger Hall, plenty of others too.  I chalk this up to what was the one-time rap of Bob Knight and Coach K players...while the genuine superstars can adapt, the majority are taught to play a very specific way in college which did not translate well to the NBA.  

FQ,  a few others I would add to your group:

David West       Averaged 17 and 7 for 7 seasons over an 8 year period.  Would have been 8 for 8 but an injury slowed him down.

Norm Nixon.   The phenomenal Duquesne point guard averaged 15.7 points, over 8 assists and 1.5 steals per game during a 10 year NBA career.  Helped lead the Lakers to 2 championships, and was eventually traded to the lowly Clippers so that Magic did not have to share point guard duties.

As far as best A10 player in the NFL, if you will allow a technicality, Pitt's Sam Clancy deserves a lot of consideration.  In four years at Pitt, he averaged 14.4 points, 11.6 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.5 blocks per game.  He had more impact on a game than Cox did.  Sam went on to have a good career as a defensive linemen, primarily with the Browns as I recall.  The technicality is that for a brief period, after GW left the Southern Conference but before the new A10 branding, our conference was known as the Eastern Athletic Association which became better known as the Eastern 8.  Clancy was technically an Eastern 8 player.  The season after he graduated, Temple, St. Joe's and Penn State would join the conference (for Penn State, this would mean re-joining), Pitt would follow Villanova to the Big East (Nova had left two seasons earlier), and the now ten school conference would be renamed the Atlantic 10.

 

 

10/21/2021 11:08 am  #5


Re: Obi Toppin Year 2 and The A10

Camby, David West, Eddie Jones are all good candidates for the top spot.

Obi Toppin looks to have a ceiling as high as any of them if he can put it all together

Other names come to mind?

     Thread Starter
 

10/21/2021 12:24 pm  #6


Re: Obi Toppin Year 2 and The A10

Didn't a GWU center make Camby wet his pants?

Mark Macon was on SI's cover, I think, in high school.   Oh well.  

Temple has had great coaches.  And, they stayed.  That's a lesson for some college administrators: Hire smart, and keep the good staffers happy. 

 

10/21/2021 8:07 pm  #7


Re: Obi Toppin Year 2 and The A10

Steph Curry, wouldn't qualify either, but is worth a mention.   

Might be the best ever player produced by a current A10 program?  Dr J?

 

     Thread Starter
 

10/21/2021 8:10 pm  #8


Re: Obi Toppin Year 2 and The A10

It's good to see Obi Toppin making an impact last night because his rookie year didn't go so well when you consider how high he was picked in the draft. It may be hard for him to shine with the Knicks because he plays the exact same position as Julius Randle, who is the Knicks best player and an All-Star. Two other A-10 players in the NBA right now(besides Yuta) are VCU's Bones Hyland on Denver and St.Joe's DeAndre Bembry on Brooklyn. 

The Dude,  Lionel Simmons from La Salle. It actually looked like he'd be a dominant NBA player as a rookie, I'm not sure what happened afterwards. Rhode Island's Cuttino Mobley and St.Louis' Larry Hughes are 2 others

Last edited by Thomas (10/21/2021 8:17 pm)

 

10/21/2021 10:35 pm  #9


Re: Obi Toppin Year 2 and The A10

I thought Norm Nixon was pre A10, but I guess he was there when it started and played a year or two in the A10.  He was good, but I don’t think his peak was anywhere close to Eddie Jones or Camby.

David West is someone I definitely should have mentioned. Two time all star and two time nba championship ((though I still say the buzzer tip in he was credited for to beat us was actually Anthony Myles). Mike Jones had a 13 year nba career.   James Posey had a nice run in the NBA, as did Smush Parker.  TJ McConnell is also having a solid career.   

But none of those guys can really be in consideration for having a better career than Camby or Jones.

 

10/21/2021 11:27 pm  #10


Re: Obi Toppin Year 2 and The A10

How about Roy Hinson for top 5? Scored nearly 20 points a game one year and was then traded for the #1 overall pick, used to take Brad Daugherty.  Career averages of 14 points 7 boards.  

I was stunned to learn that the current A10 schools, (which excludes any school that left the A10) produced an incredible 8 players taken 1st or 2nd,
4 #1 overall NBA picks:

Lanier
Hetzel
Si Green 
D*ck Ricketts 
Marcus Camby
Tom Stith 
Bob Ferry 
Tom Gola
 

Last edited by The Dude (10/21/2021 11:37 pm)

     Thread Starter
 

10/21/2021 11:56 pm  #11


Re: Obi Toppin Year 2 and The A10

First game I ever saw in person-Duquesne with Sihugo Green vs.Temple with Hal Lear.Both were big
time programs as I’m sure you all know in the mid-fifties.As an impressionable 9 year old I remember the 
smells and the sounds of the arena to this day.They say olfactory memories may be the earliest.The fact that someone’s name was Sihugo was thrilling and mysterious.

 

10/22/2021 8:47 am  #12


Re: Obi Toppin Year 2 and The A10

FQ, not in consideration?  West, as you say, and Nixon, each won 2 NBA titles.  Nixon was the Lakers leading scorer during one of their Championship runs.  Here are the stats for each:

Player                             GP   Min.     Pts.    FG%      R       A      S       B

E. Jones                         954   34.4   14.8    43.7      4.0    2.9    1.7     0.6

Camby                           973    29.5     9.5    46.6      9.8    1.9    1.0     2.4

West                             1,034  28.2   13.6    49.5      6.4    2.2    0.7      0.8

Nixon                              768   35.5   15.7    48.3      2.6    8.3    1.5      0.1


A bit of apples to oranges here due to positions but I believe what this shows is that all four players should be in the same conversation for having the best career.  Nixon did not play for as many seasons but what's very surprising is that he had a better career shooting percentage than the much taller Camby.  I'd say that Camby was the strongest influence on defense, Nixon and West on offense, and Jones was the most complete player of the four.  

 

10/22/2021 4:22 pm  #13


Re: Obi Toppin Year 2 and The A10

I think Nixon belongs in that grouping.  With Hinson.  

David West and Eddie Jones probably the 2 most consistent and good all around players.  

Side note, Rickets first name creates a search and replace function! hence the *

     Thread Starter
 

10/22/2021 5:51 pm  #14


Re: Obi Toppin Year 2 and The A10

I think the most interesting thing about this thread is how few top level NBA players came out of the A-10.  You would think that after a few decades you would get at least one perennial all star or top level player coming out of this league, which is considered one of the top 10 basketball leagues.  

Also, I think you are all underselling Lamar Odom.  I think he has better, or last least comparable, stats as the four players you listed above.

 

10/22/2021 7:17 pm  #15


Re: Obi Toppin Year 2 and The A10

Norm  Nixon (MVP) led Duquesne to the first Eastern Eight championship in 1977. 57-54 over Villanova at the Spectrum in Philly. (March 2-5)  Seeds were Rutgers #1, Villanova #2, West Virginia #3, Duquesne #4, Penn State #5, Pitt #6, GW #7 and Umass #8  We lost to Villanova in the first round 80-72. 

 

10/23/2021 6:07 pm  #16


Re: Obi Toppin Year 2 and The A10

Only very recently, pre Obi has the A10 not been producing....

Previously really impressive and I think starting with Obi will see a return to more good career NBA caliber players

     Thread Starter
 

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