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CU's Jay Humphries invited to 1984 US Olympic tryouts.....

Mick Ronson

Well-Known Member
a lot the noobs think CU was never any good. we have had some players in the day. here's one:

http://www.usabasketball.com/mens/national/84_moly_trials_roster.html

some real players on and off this team.

mark price, karl malone, john stockton, charles barkley, danny manning, ac green got cut from this Gold Medal team. before the Barcelona Dream Team...this was a dominant US team still comprised of college players.

jay humphries.

i thought some young'uns new to CU hoops could learn a little.

jay humphries was a serious player.
 
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Is it me or would it be tough to find a year in the last 15 when the talent in college basketball was that deep? Guess that's the result of all the one and dones.

Some of the other names on that list that jumped out at me: Michael Cage, Antoine Carr, Ty Corbin, Joe Dumars.

And to your point on Humphries, I started following CU hoops just a little later and long carried a torch for Vandiver, who also seemed to get lost in the wilderness of the program's less than sparkling history.
 
PuebloBuff said:
Is it me or would it be tough to find a year in the last 15 when the talent in college basketball was that deep? Guess that's the result of all the one and dones.

Some of the other names on that list that jumped out at me: Michael Cage, Antoine Carr, Ty Corbin, Joe Dumars.

And to your point on Humphries, I started following CU hoops just a little later and long carried a torch for Vandiver, who also seemed to get lost in the wilderness of the program's less than sparkling history.
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our history is not as bad as people think. we aren't North Carolina but we've been solid for long stretches....only under Bzdelik we were in cellar.

anyway, Vandiver was a very good college player. our problem then we took a proto-Princeton type offense coach on the recommendation of Bobby Knight when the rest of the Big 8 was going up-tempo...with Norm Stewart, Billy Tubbs, Johnny Orr. Tom Miller was a great guy, knew hoops, but he was in the wrong position in time. back then, all the old Big 8 home floors were tough for visiting teams....and the CEC was no different. we were respectable on our home floor.

the college shot-clock was new. and then the 3 point line. either you try and score more, or slow it down.

SV was a great low post player with nice moves....but still, you put him on a team that is trying to score 90 instead of 55...he can run the floor some. get some easy buckets. transition.

we made the wrong decision because in a few short years in the early 80's...the Big 8 went from one of the most boring conferences in basketball to a up and down the court, fast-break powerhouse. Big 8 was sending 4-5 teams to the NCAA Dance in the late 80's. over half the conference.
 
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Thanks Mick. Appreciate the overview on the Big 8's evolution/rule changes and the contrast to the Miller's style.
 
I have attended men's basketball games on and off since the late 70's. Saw many a good player over the time. I started attending because one of my girlfriends was dating a player and we got free tickets. When he was done playing (he was the supposed star of a very mediocre team under Walseth. This was back in the day when the games were in Balch. I enjoyed the Bill Blair and Tom Apke teams.

Mick is very true about Tom Miller. Miller was a true Knight disciple. He played for Knight at Army. Found this article from the Chicago Tribune dated June 26, 1988.

Colorado basketball coach Tom Miller has vowed to alter some of his coaching tactics after reports he physically abused team members. Athletic Director Bill Marolt said if Miller repeats any of the incidents, he`ll be fired. In Friday`s edition of the Colorado Daily, three players said Miller had physically abused team members. Matt Bullard, Ken Countryman and Torin Williams all transferred because of Miller`s tactics, according to the Boulder newspaper. The players recounted several instances in which Miller had lost his temper and physically ``manhandled`` or otherwise abused players since he was named coach April 2, 1986. Miller admitted he had acted improperly. Miller played his high school basketball at St. Joseph in Westchester, Ill. He also played for Bob Knight at Army, then served as an assistant to Knight at Indiana.
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Bullard transferred to Iowa and went on to have a successful pro career mostly with the Houston Rockets.

The Miller era was not a happy time in CU men's basketball history.
 
thanks for that buffgal. lot of respect for your history with CU hoops men and women. i don't remember that about Miller....but not good.

i always thought Bill Blair was underrated by CU fans.

matt bullard was a good player and a Colorado kid.
 
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Bullard was an Iowa kid. Graduated from Valley High in West Des Moines. Iowa had recruited him originally but he wanted to play away from home. Miller ruined that for him, so he did well at Iowa and in the NBA.

Blair was a fun coach to watch. His teams were fun. He was intense and expected a lot from his players. Always appeared he was giving it his all at the games.
 
I'm another one who enjoyed watching Shawn Vandiver play. Had a lot of talent.

Will never forget when Humphries broke his leg.
 
Apparently I need to spread rep around before hitting either one of you again. Great stuff though.
 
for some reason i'm still thinking about the Miller hire. and we go the other way hiring Harrington after that. half a decade late. Run Press Score Win.....some of Crazy J's team's were pretty good. not sure what happened with them....Buffs would lose 5-6 in a row and then beat Kansas. weirdness. Guy has cashed a lot of NBA checks in front office positions. i still remember losing to Southern Utah in Boulder and they canned Crazy Joe to usher in the Rico Patton era...and we kept Chauncey committed.


next time around someone tell Mick Ronson that pro sports jobs are the way to go. you can't hardly get fired from the NBA, MLB, or especially NFL. !!!!.
 
Crazy Joe could get the team fired up to beat Kansas after losing games that we should have won.
 
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