The three best basketball players to ever come out of Arkansas?

[werehog]

Sidney Montcrief, Scotty Pippen and James (Country) King. Other thoughts?

[pigture perfect]

The three best happened to play on the same team. If any of them had chosen to go somewhere else, Arkansas would not have had the tradition that it has. Moncrief, Delph, and Brewer Sr.

[dhornjr1]

Do you mean the University of Arkansas or the state of Arkansas?

If you mean the University, then Sidney Moncrief, Corliss Williamson and probably Joe Kleine would be the answers.

If you mean the state of Arkansas, then Sidney Moncrief, Scottie Pippen and Corliss Williamson would have to be it. Keith Lee would get a mention as well as Ron Brewer and Caldwell Jones.

[werehog]

I mean the state of Arkansas. The three who had the best pro careers are Montcrief, Pippin and King. King was a LA Laker mainstay on some their best teams with Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlin, Happy Hairston, Gail Goodrich. Jimmy KIing was known for his karate defense (hand checking which was legal at the time).

[Tater Salad]

JOE JOHNSON

Scottie Pippen

the third is a toss up

[pigture perfect]

Geese Ausbie was spectacular. If you like the Globetrotters. Jim "bad News Barnes was great they tell nme as well. He played on that NC team from utep. He is still the legend of Tuckerman Arkansas. He played for the trotters as well. I forget which NBA teams he played for.

[werehog]

Maybe this should be the best five because I saw UTep play Arkansas State when Jim (Bad News) Barnes played for the Miners. Joe Johnson is too good to leave off the list. I hate to leave Corliss off the list, but he hasn't been able to do as much in the NBA as I thought he would

[ErieHog]

Corliss Williamson
Joe Johnson
Alvin Robertson

Lots of great players, but those are the three that have a legacy, or are marquee names recognized beyond Arkansas' borders

[An old hog fanatic]

Moncrief, Pippen and Joe Johnson are best that I saw play.  However, I hear Barnes was something to see and Joe Kliene was fantastic in college.

[3kgthog]

Pippen - He's one of the NBA's 50 greatest of all-time. Duh on this one.

Moncrief - Two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Four-time All-NBA First Team, Five-time NBA All-DefensiveTeam, Five-time All-Star. Another Duh.

Corliss - led his state team to their first ever national title, NBA Sixth MOY, solid career, multi All-American nods. I heart Big Nasty.

[TNhogfan]

Moncrief, Caldwell Jones and Scottie Pippen

[MJ2]

I believe Karl Malone was from around El Dorado too.

[hoggystyle78]

1. Sidney Moncrief
2. Scottie Pippen
3. Alvin Robertson
4. Caldwell Jones/ Michael Cage

[dana caldwell]

hoggystyle78 beat me to michael cage, altho i probably wouldn't put him top-three on the homegrown list:
1) pippen
2) moncrief
3) corliss (but joe johnson's likely to change that one)

[HoopS]

Moncrief, Corliss, Alvin, Klein and JJ - all will have an arguement.  As well as others from the earlier years.
Others I think of as far as former UA stars:
Day
Mayberry
D. Walker
Beck
Brewer, dad and son
Delph
Big O
U.S. Reed (half court vs Louisville)
I have lasting memories of them all.  I know I got off topic a bit, I had to mention all those guys.

[Burnt Orange Sucks]

Alvin Robertson

Sydney Moncreif

Corliss Williamson

[SultanofSwine]

For a full career, I'd say Pippen, Moncrief and Cage. Not the best players imo but had the best overall careers. I am surprised no one has mentioned Derek Fisher since he has had a nice career too.

[werehog]

I forgot about Cage. Love Fish, but he is an off the bench player. I see everyone has forgotten about Jim King who was from Fort Smith who was from Fort Smith but played at Tulsa and them spent at least 12 seasons with the LA Lakers.

[Porkerpower]

1.  Moncreif
2.  Pippen
3.  Joe Johnson ( could be the alltime greatest before he's done)

[bigyellowdog]

Pippen
Moncrief
Corliss

[yraciv]

I forgot about Cage. Love Fish, but he is an off the bench player. I see everyone has forgotten about Jim King who was from Fort Smith who was from Fort Smith but played at Tulsa and them spent at least 12 seasons with the LA Lakers.

Never saw King, but looking at his stats it appears he was just a role player for good teams.  He only played with the lakers 64-66, was a one time all star, and only averaged more then 10 ppg in 2 seasons

University of Arkansas:
1. Sidney Moncrief
2. Alvin Robertson
3. Darrell Walker
HM: Joe Johnson soon to pass Walker

Born in Arkansas:
1. Pippen
2. Moncrief
3. Joe Berry Carrol(would put all U of A people ahead)
HM: Fat Lever

HS in Arkansas:
1. Ronnie Brewer
2. Corliss Williamson
3. haven't seen any others worth mentioning, but Matt Jones was definately impressive

[Hogeye_Pierce]

3.  Joe Johnson ( could be the alltime greatest before he's done)

Joe is destined to labor in obscurity unless he can find his way out of Atlanta somehow. He's in the NBAs equivalent of a black hole right now.

[SultanofSwine]

If you didn't get to see Cage and Lee together in HS then you haven't seen the best.

Marcus Brown was a stud in HS too. He went on to Murray St. where he was outstanding. His head to head games with Corliss were something else.

[Beaverfever]

If we are talkin about in the nba then fisher has to be ahead of corliss. IMO

[SultanofSwine]

mania, I have only been watching HS ball since '80 when Lee and Cage were so dominant but at 6'9" and 6'10" I doubt many tandems would have ate them up.

[SiriusHog™]

best razorbacks:

guy whitney
cannon whitby
john engskov

[fineswine]

Joe Harvell was a monster in high school.  Led the SEC in scoring as a senior (Ole Miss).

[trufanofhogs]

1. Sidney Moncrief
2. Scottie Pippen
3. Caldwell Jones

[reddierazorback]

1) Super Sydney Moncrief
2) Scottie Pippen
3) Joe Johnson

[TNhogfan]

mania, I have only been watching HS ball since '80 when Lee and Cage were so dominant but at 6'9" and 6'10" I doubt many tandems would have ate them up.

Well I guess you are a little young, Caldwell was 7'1" and Major was 6'11" and yes they would of ate them up.  I saw both teams.

Oh and I will add this, Major and Caldwell Jones are brothers, they played at Desha Central HS.  They had two older brothers who also played in the NBA.  Eight children in that family, four of them played in the NBA.

The Jones brothers were great.  There was a period in the mid-70s where Caldwell was one of my favorite players in the NBA.  If I remember correctly, I believe their oldest brother coached all of them in college.
Another big man from AR who had a shot at being great was Danny Davis from Caddo Gap by way of Henderson St.  The Knicks took him in the '71 draft with the thought of him backing up Willis Reed.  He was around 6'11" - 7'.  I saw him play in some men's independent ball after he came back home to Caddo Gap from NYC and he was pretty good inside.

[yraciv]

What about Dennis Nutt? You know he played 25  games for the Mavericks back in 1987

[T-Bag Hawg]

Pippen, Corliss, and Joe Johnson...3B Moncrief

[dhornjr1]

The Caldwell brothers were from Wolff Project, Arkansas. A little blip on the map just north of Mcgehee and just east of Dumas. They also had a brother named Charles who backed up Hakeem Olajuwon in Houston in the '90's.

Caldwell jumped center against Magic Johnson in game six of the 1980 NBA finals. Lakers vs. Sixers. Magic's rookie year. The game in which Magic had 42 points, 15 rebounds and I think 12 assists and played every position on the floor. Kareem didn't play because he was hurt.

I remember my dad telling me about Caldwell and Major Jones when I was a child. He was a broadcaster out of Harrison who called their state championship game against I think Valley Springs.

He also used to mention a player with the last name J. P. Lovelady who played for Arkansas Tech. The St. Louis Hawks were looking at him as a possible signee when he was killed in a car wreck. Does this ring a bell for anybody?

Just found his bio on the Arkansas Sports HAll of Fame Website:

http://www.arksportshalloffame.org/lists.php/mode/details/id/254

[Richard_white]

Willie Cuts

Ron Huery would have been better if he could stay out of trouble

William Mills was a stud but just like the other two

Scott Hastings, Moncrief and Williamson

I would put Mayday up there as well

[hogtusk]

Corliss, Sidney, and Jim King.

[dhornjr1]

The Caldwell brothers were from Wolff Project, Arkansas. A little blip on the map just north of Mcgehee and just east of Dumas. They also had a brother named Charles who backed up Hakeem Olajuwon in Houston in the '90's.

Caldwell jumped center against Magic Johnson in game six of the 1980 NBA finals. Lakers vs. Sixers. Magic's rookie year. The game in which Magic had 42 points, 15 rebounds and I think 12 assists and played every position on the floor. Kareem didn't play because he was hurt.

I remember my dad telling me about Caldwell and Major Jones when I was a child. He was a broadcaster out of Harrison who called their state championship game against I think Valley Springs.

He also used to mention a player with the last name J. P. Lovelady who played for Arkansas Tech. The St. Louis Hawks were looking at him as a possible signee when he was killed in a car wreck. Does this ring a bell for anybody?

Just found his bio on the Arkansas Sports HAll of Fame Website:

http://www.arksportshalloffame.org/lists.php/mode/details/id/254

That game was against Pyatt Arkansas, Joel and Kyle Tabor. Joel was a hell of a player in his own right. I think he had 30+ against those guys. Joel played for the U of A and the Jones boys went on to Albany State where there older brothers had played.

Okay. I couldn't remember exactly. I remember my dad talking about Joel Tabor and Kyle Tabor.

He used to mention that game quite often. Were they Bruno-Pyatt then or still just Pyatt?

[Tomhog™]

I believe Karl Malone was from around El Dorado too.

Karl was from Summerfield, LA. His parents and brother now live in Norphlet, AR.  And Karl frequents the El Dorado area in his big dually truck when he comes to town.  I'd give him an honorable mention...

[bolo1010]

I dont know if he's one of the best but Shawn Marion is from Hamburg, AR

[yraciv]

I dont know if he's one of the best but Shawn Marion is from Hamburg, AR

Shawn Marion is from Chicago! Where did you hear that crap?

[RedSatinHog]

Sidney Moncrief

Scottie Pippen

Derek Fisher

[clemensrules01]

moncrief, joe johnson, and corliss williamson


i hate scottie pippen. he would be nothing without jordan.

[clemensrules01]

Sidney Moncrief

Scottie Pippen

Derek Fisher

derek fisher over joe johnson? the only justification is derek's championships with the lakers. but he didnt have much part in that.

[RedSatinHog]

moncrief, joe johnson, and corliss williamson


i hate scottie pippen. he would be nothing without jordan.

And Jordan never won a title without Pippen, either.  It went both ways.

I chose who I chose based upon what they did AFTER they left Arkansas.  JJ was/is a great player, no doubt about it. 

The simple fact remains that the Lakers didn't win a title after Fisher bolted.  There were other pieces of the puzzle which were more significant, but to say or even imply that Fisher was insignificant is silly.  He still has 3 pieces of jewelry which JJ does not have.  Just because DF wasn't a Razorback doesn't mean jack.

[Ugly Uncle]

1.  HDN at Arkansas
2.  HDN at Arkansas
3.  HDN at Oklahoma State.