Mount Rushmore of centers 1980 to now

Greg Stokes
Acie Earl
Adam Woodbury
Luka Garza

These guys were full time centers. Players like Gerry Wright, Ed Horton, Ryan Bowen and Russ Millard (a tremendously underrated player) were part time power forwards.
 
Garza
Earl
Stokes
Waite

Great topic for discussion.
I will admit that I forgot about Steve Krafsicsin. He fit the criteria for 1980 and up and I would have to slot him in there ahead of Adam Woodbury. Kraf was a considerably better offensive player in a system that favored scoring balance and all five players on the floor being scoring threats.

Three of these should be absolutely cut and dry. Stokes, Earl and Garza. Luka will break Iowa's scoring record if he comes back, Greg left as Iowa's all time scoring leader and Acie left as Iowa's second all time scoring leader.

A poster mentioned Jepsen but he had only one good year. Another mentioned Lohaus but he wasn't a full time center.

The classic, back to the basket center has been going the way of the dinosaur for some time now, especially in the NBA. It's too bad Luka Garza didn't come along when Jack Sikma or Robert Parish did.
 
Lohaus and Jepsen (The Pride of Bowbells) don't make my list. They both only scored in double digits their senior year and really didn't contribute a ton until then. Adam Woodbury never did score double digits, but started all but one game in his career at Iowa and was very good defensively. He would be on my Honorable Mention list. I would put Erek Hansen, who led the B1G twice in blocked shots, on that list as well. Jared Reiner might also squeeze onto that list. He really should have been granted an addition year by the NCAA. Steve Krafcisin is very close to the Mount. He only played three years here, but was instrumental on the 1980 FF team. In fact, he may still be the only player in history that played in the Final Four for two different teams, having also gotten there with UNC.

My Mount Rushmore would include Greg Stokes, Acie Earl, with Luka Garza taking the prominent spot in the middle. He is a rare talent.

PS If you were to expand the time frame a couple of years, I would add the late Bruce "Sky" King to that list.
 
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Lohaus and Jepsen (The Pride of Bowbells) don't make my list. They both only scored in double digits their senior year and really didn't contribute a ton until then. Adam Woodbury never did score double digits, but started all but one game in his career at Iowa and was very good defensively. He would be on my Honorable Mention list. I would put Erek Hansen, who led the B1G twice in blocked shots, on that list as well. Jared Reiner might also squeeze onto that list. He really should have been granted an addition year by the NCAA. Steve Krafcisin is very close to the Mount. He only played three years here, but was instrumental on the 1980 FF team. In fact, he may still be the only player in history that played in the Final Four for two different teams, having also gotten there with UNC.

My Mount Rushmore would include Greg Stokes, Acie Earl, with Luka Garza taking the prominent spot in the middle. He is a rare talent.

PS If you were to expand the time frame a couple of years, I would add the late Bruce "Sky" King to that list.
Sky King was critical to getting the program back on the map during the early Lute years, which in turn may have upgraded recruiting. Had 68 teams made the dance back then our 1977 team for sure would have gotten an at large bid.

At least one other player made the final four with two different teams. Bob Bender was on the 1976 Indiana team that won it all, transferred to Duke, then was on their 1978 national runner up.

Rick Calloway was on another Indiana championship team in 1987, transferred to Kansas, then missed their runner up the in 1991 by one year.

I have Bobby Knight and Dean Smith as people who have won an NCAA championship as a player and as a head coach. Are their any more to add to that list, or additional who have won as player/assistant coach? Nolan Richardson (Texas Western player/Arkansas coach) just missed the player part of it.

Tim Stoddard won an NCAA championship (North Carolina State 1974) and played in a baseball world series (1979 Baltimore Orioles)
 
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I will admit that I forgot about Steve Krafsicsin. He fit the criteria for 1980 and up and I would have to slot him in there ahead of Adam Woodbury. Kraf was a considerably better offensive player in a system that favored scoring balance and all five players on the floor being scoring threats.



Three of these should be absolutely cut and dry. Stokes, Earl and Garza. Luka will break Iowa's scoring record if he comes back, Greg left as Iowa's all time scoring leader and Acie left as Iowa's second all time scoring leader.

A poster mentioned Jepsen but he had only one good year. Another mentioned Lohaus but he wasn't a full time center.

The classic, back to the basket center has been going the way of the dinosaur for some time now, especially in the NBA. It's too bad Luka Garza didn't come along when Jack Sikma or Robert Parish did.

All good selections. Bruce (SKY) King was no slouch either. I was about 16 when he was around.
 
Sky King was critical to getting the program back on the map during the early Lute years, which in turn may have upgraded recruiting. Had 68 teams made the dance back then our 1977 team for sure would have gotten an at large bid.

At least one other player made the final four with two different teams. Bob Bender was on the 1976 Indiana team that won it all, transferred to Duke, then was on their 1978 national runner up.

Rick Calloway was on another Indiana championship team in 1987, transferred to Kansas, then missed their runner up the in 1991 by one year.

I have Bobby Knight and Dean Smith as people who have won an NCAA championship as a player and as a head coach. Are their any more to add to that list, or additional who have won as player/assistant coach? Nolan Richardson (Texas Western player/Arkansas coach) just missed the player part of it.

Tim Stoddard won an NCAA championship (North Carolina State 1974) and played in a baseball world series (1979 Baltimore Orioles)

lol, after I posted my comment I saw your comments on King. Those were fun days under the guidance of Lute! Lute! Lute!
 
Lohaus and Jepsen (The Pride of Bowbells) don't make my list. They both only scored in double digits their senior year and really didn't contribute a ton until then. Adam Woodbury never did score double digits, but started all but one game in his career at Iowa and was very good defensively. He would be on my Honorable Mention list. I would put Erek Hansen, who led the B1G twice in blocked shots, on that list as well. Jared Reiner might also squeeze onto that list. He really should have been granted an addition year by the NCAA. Steve Krafcisin is very close to the Mount. He only played three years here, but was instrumental on the 1980 FF team. In fact, he may still be the only player in history that played in the Final Four for two different teams, having also gotten there with UNC.

My Mount Rushmore would include Greg Stokes, Acie Earl, with Luka Garza taking the prominent spot in the middle. He is a rare talent.

PS If you were to expand the time frame a couple of years, I would add the late Bruce "Sky" King to that list.

Well I see I am not the only guy on here old enough to remember King playing.
 
Well I see I am not the only guy on here old enough to remember King playing.

Deserves a picture ...

Dm_mPoyVsAAjHMm.jpg
 
If we went to the 60s don Nelson. Would be good at 6 foot 6 inches now think if Connie Hawkins would of played with him. Just think of us playing the Ohio state during middle 60s
 
Kevin Kunnert was a great center that seems to have fallen through the cracks because he played on those awful Dick Schulz teams. Averaged a double/double (16 Pts/13 Rbs) for his career here and played nine years in the pros.
 

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