Wizzer White. /Thread.
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Kin: Most important CU athlete ever?
- Thread starter seattlebuff
- Start date
Preston?
Sergeant.
seattlebuff
Well-Known Member
Dinwiddie didn't have near the impact Kin has had. Mostly due to the injury of course. Had he been healthy and stayed 4 years, maybe he eclipses Kin. We'll never know. Defense, rebounding and sheer grit is what gives Kin the edge IMO. I'll agree that Chauncey is probably 1A, and Kin 1B ... but Mayor is in the top 5 at best.
Has Kin won a tournament game?
Yeah, Spencer started that game but it’s not like he carried the team. Dre and Ski were amazing that night.
I get that. I just mean that it is really hard for me to call Kin the most important CU athlete ever when he has never even done the bare minimum which is to win a tournament game.
He hasn't done the bare minimum?
He just achieved perhaps the most impressive overall stat line in the history of the Pac Conference. Kin really needs to start doing something to show his worth... what a slacker
Season isn't written yet where we ultimately finish and we are waiting to see if the major uptick in recruiting has put the program at a new level.
CB is the best player, but it was only 2 seasons that led to nothing in terms of elevating the program.
I agree that we need to see where this ends. He might end up being the most important bball player for the rise of the program. We will see what happens in the tourney. He is not the most important athlete to CU from a historical perspective. If they win it all, that could change but we have Whizzer White and a team that hit the pinnacle of college football. Until something like that happens in bball, it will not be possible to be the most important athlete in CU history.
I think this thread should have been "most important CU basketball player ever" because we have a lot of CU fans who can't wrap their heads around any non-football player being more important than even a Joel Klatt.
I am not in that crowd but there is still something to prove and we will see how the story finishes. I think he becomes the most important to bball for sure. We do something like elite 8 and then he is in the convo for most important overall
I'm catching flak on this thread but I've been following buffs basketball for over 20 years.
Kin is a great player and I love everything about him. I just think the argument that he is the most important basketball player in the history of the program is a bit thin at this point. Let alone that he is the most important overall athlete.
I'd agree that a serious run in the tournament would be very meaningful. That's why I pointed out that he has not won a tournament game yet.
CB:
9-18 team record as a frosh
22-10 as a soph, won 8-9 game as a 9, lost by 17 in the Rd of 32
People talk about recency bias, but aren't aware of how they romanticize the past.
Kin:
17-15 as a frosh
23-13 as a soph
21-11 as a junior
16-5 (and counting) as a senior
I think we got jobbed out of Dance his soph year (10-8 conf record), made NIT quarterfinals.
Junior year was headed to the Dance, but got jobbed by Covid.
We will see what happens this year with P12 (can he lead us to a title?) and Dance (can he lead us to 1 or more wins?).
9-18 team record as a frosh
22-10 as a soph, won 8-9 game as a 9, lost by 17 in the Rd of 32
People talk about recency bias, but aren't aware of how they romanticize the past.
Kin:
17-15 as a frosh
23-13 as a soph
21-11 as a junior
16-5 (and counting) as a senior
I think we got jobbed out of Dance his soph year (10-8 conf record), made NIT quarterfinals.
Junior year was headed to the Dance, but got jobbed by Covid.
We will see what happens this year with P12 (can he lead us to a title?) and Dance (can he lead us to 1 or more wins?).
seattlebuff
Well-Known Member
Well, he was robbed of an opportunity last year to win an NCAA game. We’ll see about this year. (With these C19 variants spreading, nothing is guaranteed at this point.)
But IMO, I didn’t base my original post on W-L necessarily. Sure, that’s a factor. But winning a game depends on 5-6 other guys (or 25–30 guys in football). And Kin has won MANY games singlehandedly, especially down the stretch.
I’m just thinking more about his individual impact, historic stats, leadership, sheer guts and ... probably most important, the eyeball test. The dude is easily the most dynamic player in all facets of the game we’ve had since Chauncey, and he’s basically done it for 4 years.
Recency bias is very strong here.
Kin is a great Buff and a player, a leader, and an all-around person. Go down to the sports bars of Denver or other parts of the state and find out how many people even know who Kin is.
We know him because we are the dedicated fans. I guarantee you that had you done the same for Chauncey the recognition factor would have been much higher then and it wouldn't surprise me if you asked those general sports fans to name a CU guard if Chauncey wouldn't still be the most common answer.
This is nothing against Kin but Chauncey in two years far exceeded impact on the program in the eyes of the public of Kin in four.
And Chauncey had much less help in the process.
Kin is a great Buff and a player, a leader, and an all-around person. Go down to the sports bars of Denver or other parts of the state and find out how many people even know who Kin is.
We know him because we are the dedicated fans. I guarantee you that had you done the same for Chauncey the recognition factor would have been much higher then and it wouldn't surprise me if you asked those general sports fans to name a CU guard if Chauncey wouldn't still be the most common answer.
This is nothing against Kin but Chauncey in two years far exceeded impact on the program in the eyes of the public of Kin in four.
And Chauncey had much less help in the process.
I'm not as deep into history of CU athletics as most posters here, but I'm struggling to pick one player "most important" to CU.
At VT, no question it was Vick that put us on the map but I can't point out a CU player with the same impact.
At VT, no question it was Vick that put us on the map but I can't point out a CU player with the same impact.
WarBuff
Club Member
I would agree with MtnBuff that it was Sal. Once he committed, the floodgates opened on the recruitment of top tier players and we got the NC seasons that we long to see again. Without Sal, there is no Alfred or Eric or Deion.
I can't point to one player in any time frame as the "most important" ever. There are other sports than men's basketball and there have been great athletes in every sport CU has.
seattlebuff
Well-Known Member
Again, a lot of good points. But Chauncey's already high-profile in high school and then his decision to stay home and play for a very mediocre at best program was a HUGE deal. So before he even set foot on the floor, his legend was already established. Kin has done it all with his play. ZERO fanfare. He came here on a fluke, the program was the best its ever been, the overall talent and depth is far better ... and yet he's done what he's done, about to become (statistically speaking anyway) the best all-around player in conference history. And as someone pointed out, his record is better than Chauncey. He's 1B to Chauncey at worst. With a tourney win this year, he's 1A.
seattlebuff
Well-Known Member
Absolutely. No doubt. We've had gold medalists at CU. But as good as we are in cross country and skiing, those are not spectator sports, they generate ZERO revenue, contribute very little to the school's profile outside their niche groups and you'd be hard pressed to find an average CU grad that could name an athlete from either sport.
That really doesn't matter. I couldn't tell you the name of a single athlete from my under grad school, but I can tell you about athletes from many of the sports at CU.
The athletes in the Olympic sports work every bit as hard as the ones in the spectator sports. Why should they not be recognized in their own right?
Also, training and medicine has changed so much. That makes it very difficult to compare athletes from different eras.
The athletes in the Olympic sports work every bit as hard as the ones in the spectator sports. Why should they not be recognized in their own right?
Also, training and medicine has changed so much. That makes it very difficult to compare athletes from different eras.
This whole conversation depends on the criteria you are using to define important.
Are we talking about important from a standpoint of public attention and perception? Are we talking about important from a standpoint of carrying a team? Are we talking about important because of their impact on the culture of the team or impacting recruiting.
There is also the question of the impact an athlete has on the programs at the university after they leave or even in outside competitions while at CU. The XC program is already at the top of the sport but how would it be impacted if a current CU athlete won a gold medal in the Olympics or even in the US Championships?
Depending on how you look at it there are a wide range of athletes who we could look at. My sense of this thread though was looking at the sports that draw the most outside attention to the University, football and basketball, and from there which athlete had the biggest impact on the quantity and quality of attention given to that sport by the general public.
This isn't fair to athletes in non-revenue types of sports like skiing and XC but when your athletic program is the public face of the school public perception is important.
Chauncey is hands down the best basketball player to play at CU. No disrespect to the other great Buffs, but it's not close.
Highly recruited. Pretty sure he was Mr. Basketball four straight years as a prep. I remember watching him at the state tournament as a freshman. We were the same age. Colorado basketball never had a player like that. There were guys like Michael Christian, Jamaal Coleman, Chucky Sproiling - they had some success but they never lived up to the hype.
Chauncey delivered in college. Was drafted #3. Was probably mis-managed early in his career. Eventual NBA Finals MVP. It's not close. At all.
Highly recruited. Pretty sure he was Mr. Basketball four straight years as a prep. I remember watching him at the state tournament as a freshman. We were the same age. Colorado basketball never had a player like that. There were guys like Michael Christian, Jamaal Coleman, Chucky Sproiling - they had some success but they never lived up to the hype.
Chauncey delivered in college. Was drafted #3. Was probably mis-managed early in his career. Eventual NBA Finals MVP. It's not close. At all.
No. 3 Kansas 80, Colorado 78 - UPI Archives
Ricardo Patton has had quite a week. He received a sudden promotion to interim head coach for Colorado after Joe Harrington resigned Tuesday. He then had to...
www.upi.com
This is one of my most memorable sporting events of all time. Attendance was not good (that season - sold out for the KU game), and I was able to get center court seats a few rows up. That was pretty typical my freshman year. Always had great seats. That Kansas team was one of the best they have ever had. LaFrentz, Pierce, Vaughn, Pollard, Hasse. They were loaded.
I was born in Wichita. My brother went to KU. I rooted for KU my entire life before going to CU. I honestly did not know what team I would root for when they played for the first time my freshman year. KU pretty much crushed them in the first half. And I was kind of a casual observer, not sure how to react to everything. I think KU was up 10-15 at half.
At the start of the second half, Chauncey hits a couple of threes in the first few possessions and the crowd starts going wild. Next possession he slowly dribbles up the court, and pulls up for a three about midway between the three point line and mid court with the defender 10 feet off of him. It was ridiculous. And he nailed it. It was "game-on." At that point, I was done as a Jayhawks fan (at least when they played against CU). The 2nd half was a dog fight. The Buffs ended up losing a close game, but my allegiance was clear after that game. I wish I had a tape of that 2nd half.
I was also a freshman that year and was at that game in the front rows.No. 3 Kansas 80, Colorado 78 - UPI Archives
Ricardo Patton has had quite a week. He received a sudden promotion to interim head coach for Colorado after Joe Harrington resigned Tuesday. He then had to...
This is one of my most memorable sporting events of all time. Attendance was not good (that season - sold out for the KU game), and I was able to get center court seats a few rows up. That was pretty typical my freshman year. Always had great seats. That Kansas team was one of the best they have ever had. LaFrentz, Pierce, Vaughn, Pollard, Hasse. They were loaded.
I was born in Wichita. My brother went to KU. I rooted for KU my entire life before going to CU. I honestly did not know what team I would root for when they played for the first time my freshman year. KU pretty much crushed them in the first half. And I was kind of a casual observer, not sure how to react to everything. I think KU was up 10-15 at half.
At the start of the second half, Chauncey hits a couple of threes in the first few possessions and the crowd starts going wild. Next possession he slowly dribbles up the court, and pulls up for a three about midway between the three point line and mid court with the defender 10 feet off of him. It was ridiculous. And he nailed it. It was "game-on." At that point, I was done as a Jayhawks fan (at least when they played against CU). The 2nd half was a dog fight. The Buffs ended up losing a close game, but my allegiance was clear after that game. I wish I had a tape of that 2nd half.
The name that made me laugh was Matt Daniels. I think he was the Arkansas POY, but he had no business being out there.
