The playmakers. Here's my list of the greatest floor generals:
Men
Isiah Thomas -- Indiana Hoosiers, Detroit Pistons
Scott Skiles -- Plymouth HS, Michigan State, NBA Keith Smart -- Indiana Hoosiers
David Rivers -- Notre Dame
Women
Stephanie White -- Purdue, Indiana Fever
Megan Duffy -- Notre Dame
Relatively short lists, these are the individuals that stood out the most. Isiah Thomas stands out in my mind as the greatest of all time period. He could penetrate, lead the fast break, and keep defenses from collapasing on the big men with his outside shooting ability. He also had a special leadership quality that inspired his teammates to play at their best. Larry Bird could also be put on this list, but I'm limiting it to guards who were primarily responsible for setting up the offese and getting everyone involved.
Of course "The Big O" Oscar Robertson was an all-time great, but the list above is players I saw live. Oscar was a little before my time. |
