Burney's Bytes with Scott Burnstein

Basketball


  • All

Five For Fighting – The Motown Cager Elite

By: Scott Burnstein, February 1, 2016, 12:16 am

FIVE FOR FIGHTING – The Top 5 Hoopsters To Ever Play In The D (in honor of "Wood’s" UD-Mercy jersey going into the rafters at  the historic Calihan Hall last week)

1. Dave DeBusschere (Detroit Austin F) – So darn good, so darn versatile, so darn fundamentally-sound, such a winner, the ultimate “Glue Guy” superstar – Prep state champion, Hall of Famer, 8x NBA All-Star, 2x NBA World Champ

2. Spencer Haywood (Detroit Pershing F) – Maybe the single most electrifying player of his time and maybe ever in The D Cage Kingdom, prep state champion on probably the best HS team in PSL history, 4x NBA All-Star, ABA MVP, averaged 19 pts, 9 boards for his pro career,

3. George Gervin (Detroit King-EasternG/F) – He’s the ICEMAN……’Nuff Said ……(oh, ok, I’ll say a little more, All-Time NBA Great, Hall of Famer, total offensive assassin inventor of the finger roll)

4. Antoine Joubert (Detroit Southwestern G) – Probably the most pure scorer in the glory-filled annals of the PSL (along with Cooley’s Larry Fogle, Burney’s No. 6 on this list), the definition of dynamic as a prepster and collegiate (All Big 10 at UofM)  

5. Derrick Coleman (Detroit Northern C) – ‘DC’ was downright nasty on the block as a high schooler taking Northern to the final four, as a multi-season college All-American at Syracuse where he took the Orange to the Final Four, 15-year NBA vet the averaged nearly a double-double (16 pts, 9 boards)

HM: Roy Tarpley, Ralph Simpson, Bill Buntin, Jalen Rose, Voshon Leonard, Earl Cureton, Curtis Jones (The Motor City’s own Earl ‘The Goat’ Manigault, check Wikipedia you youngsters), Bubbles Hawkins, Mel Daniels, Steve Smith, Kevin Willis, Terry Tyler, Greg Kelser, Howard Eisley, Willie Green, Jermaine Jackson, Eric Money, Danny Roundfield, Gary Plummer, Carlos Rogers, Mannie Harris, Doug Smith, Maurice Taylor, Robert Traylor, Lindsey Hairston, Reggie Harding, Oliver Darden, James McElroy, Dorie Murray, Ike Harge, Blaine Denning, Maurice Ager, the Crawford Boys, Keith Appling