Best By The Numbers

Best DePaul Basketball Player Ever

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:54:00 +0000

A few names to be considered here : Mark Aguirre, George Mikan, Dave Corzine and Stanley Brundey, among others. If you take into account the players' contributions to their team over the length of their career at DePaul, I think you have to go with Mark Aguirre here.

credit: Amazon.com

A native of Chicago, Aguirre would remain in the Windy City through his college years, spending three seasons between 1978 and 1981 at DePaul. As a freshman Blue Demon, Aguirre would notch an impressive 767 points. This was the beginning of a collegiate career in which he would
score a DePaul record 2,181 points.

Some of Aguirre's other collegiate accomplishments include:

1980 AP NCAA Player of the Year
2-Time AP NCAA 1st Team All-American
1980 Naismith Men's College Player of the Year
1980 Adolph F. Rupp Trophy Winner
24.5 ppg at DePaul
Led DePaul to Final Four as a Freshman
#1 Pick in the 1981 NBA Draft

Aguirre's NBA accomplishments are nothing to sneeze at either. Between 1981-82 and 1993-94, Aguirre achieved:

18,458 regular season points
.484 field goal percentage
2-Time NBA Champion
20.0 ppg

Did you know.................that DePaul has retired Aguirre's jersey number 24?

sources: wikipedia.com, basketball-reference.com, depaulbluedemons.com,

Other Big East Bests

Best UConn Basketball Player Ever

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:09:00 +0000

Hamilton's #32 UConn Jersey
credit: flickr - randomduck

A tough one here. For me, it came down to two players: Ray Allen and Richard Hamilton. I can recall Ray Allen's time at UConn and how dominant he was in the Big East, along with players like Kerry Kittles, Allen Iverson and Lawrence Moten. When I look at the all-time stats, I gotta give the nod to Richard "Rip" Hamilton here though.

In three years at UConn, Hamilton put up some impressive numbers culminating in a National Championship.

2,036 points
19.8 ppg
.426 field-goal %

His total points at Connecticut leave him second on the all-time list, behind only Chris Smith with 2,145. In his sophomore and junior years as a Husky, Rip averaged a steady 21.5 points per game in each season.

Hamilton was, of course, named the Most Outstanding Player of the 1999 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, and was twice the Big East Player of the Year.

sources: wikipedia.com, basketball-reference.com, flickr.com, bleacherreport.com,

Best Cincinnati Bearcat Basketball Player Ever

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 01:48:00 +0000

Who is the best Cincinnati Bearcat basketball player ever? Kenyon Martin? Certainly a good guess. He did after all win the Naismith College Player of the Year Award in 2000. For those familiar with the earlier Bearcats, you may be thinking: Jack Tywman. Another very worthy candidate.

My pick however, is Oscar Robertson. The video below really explains all the reasons why Robertson is not only the best Bearcat ever, but also one of the best college basketball players of all-time.

Oscar Robertson - Cincinnati Bearcats - Greatest Basketball Players - More free videos are here

Did you know...........that Cincinnati has retired Robertson's jersey number 12?

sources: basketball-reference.com, bleacherreport.com, gobearcats.com,

NBA Athlete Number 99 - George Mikan

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:19:00 +0000

George Mikan Statue - credit: jpellgen

George Mikan, who wore number 99 on his way to the Basketball Hall of Fame, rounds out our best NBA athletes to wear each jersey number.

The 6'10" center out of DePaul University played seven seasons in the BAA/NBA, all with the Minneapolis Lakers. His impact on the game was immediate. In his first three seasons, all Mikan did was lead the league in field goals, free throws and points scored, in each season.

Although he only played in the league for seven seasons, he amassed 10,156 points, and 3,544 field goals. His career points per game mark is 23.1 putting him at 22nd all-time.

Mikan was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1959.

Did you know..............George Mikan's son and brother also played in the NBA?

Best Number 99 in Other Pro Sports
NFL Number 99
NHL Number 99

source: basketball-reference.com

NBA Athlete Number 98 - Chet Aubuchon

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 10:35:00 +0000

No one has chosen to wear the number 97 in the NBA to-date, so it's on to number 98. And I'm bending the rules a bit here with this choice too. Why? Because technically, this jersey number was only worn in the Basketball Association of America, the NBA's predecessor.

Chet Aubuchon, out of Michigan State, wore number 98 for the Detroit Falcons in 1946-47, netting 65 points that season.

NBA Athlete Number 96 - Ron Artest

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 12:36:00 +0000

Could it be? Ron Artest again? Yep. Artest has worn, among others, 15, 37, 93 and 96. He was in jersey number 96 for his brief, but productive, stint with the Rockets.

Artest had his third highest single season scoring total while a member of the Houston Rockets, netting 1,181 points in the 2008-09 season.

Did you know...........Artest scored 203 points in 13 playoff games for the Rockets in 2009?

NBA Athlete Number 93 - Ron Artest

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:22:00 +0000

Ron Artest, now known as Metta World Peace, is the best NBA athlete to wear number 93, in addition to number 37.

Artest has worn a plethora of jersey numbers in his NBA career, this one being worn while he was a member of the Sacramento Kings. He played for them between the 2005-06 and 2007-08 NBA seasons.

After a trade sent Artest from the Indiana Pacers to Sacramento, in exchange for Peja Stojakovic, he would spend just about half of the 2005-06 season as a King.

The St. John's graduate proved his offensive worth immediately. In 40 regular season games, Artest scored 674 points. He was no slouch defensively either, pulling down 159 defensive boards. Artest saw his only playoff time with the Kings in that season, scoring 87 points in 5 games.

Did you know..............Artest was the 2004 NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2004?

NBA Athlete Number 92 - DeShawn Stevenson

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:22:00 +0000

The number 23 overall draft pick in the 2000 NBA draft is the only NBA player, as of this post, to wear the jersey number 92.

DeShawn Stevenson wore the numbers 2 and 9 while with the Utah Jazz, Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards. He would combine those numbers, in reverse, upon joining the Dallas Mavericks for the 2009-10 season.

After a relatively short, 24 games with the Mavs in 2009-10, he would see much more court time in Dallas, playing in a hefty 72 games. In those 72 regular season games, Stevenson would score 383 points, while pulling down 106 boards.

Did you know............that the best NBA athlete to wear number 90, Drew Gooden, was involved in Dallas' trade for Stevenson?

sources: wikipedia.com, basketball-reference.com

Best Number 92 in Other Pro Sports
NFL Number 92
NHL Number 92

NBA Athlete Number 91 - Dennis Rodman

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 14:21:00 +0000

He was on this list for number 10, 73, and now here he is again at number 91. It was in this jersey number that Rodman won three NBA Championships with the Chicago Bulls.

While playing in the Windy City, Rodman would twice lead the league in offensive rebounds, and once lead the league in total rebounds. In fact, he had his second highest career total for rebounds in the regular season, with 1,201 in 1997-98, his last in Chicago.

Did you know...............Rodman pulled down 248 boards in the 1997-98 playoffs, the most in his single season playoff career?

Best Number 91 in Other Pro Sports
NFL Number 91
NHL Number 91

source: basketball-reference.com

NBA Athlete Number 90 - Drew Gooden

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:37:00 +0000

He's worn three numbers (counting zero as a number) using both 0 and 9. 0, 9 and 90. Drew Gooden is being recognized here as the best NBAer to ever wear number 90.

Gooden, taken with the 4th overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft by the Grizzlies out of Kansas,
would begin his rookie season in Memphis, but finish it in Orlando. It wasn't until he reach
Cleveland in 2004-05 however, that he would begin wearing jersey number 90.

It was while wearing number 90 with the Cavaliers, that Gooden would score over 1,000 points. He had two and a half more very productive offensive seasons in Cleveland, before spending parts of two seasons as a Bull, while again wearing 90.

Gooden was committed to the number 90, wearing it in stints with the Kings, Spurs and Mavericks over the next two seasons.

Did you know...............Gooden was named the Player of the Year in 2002 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, for his play as a Kansas Jayhawk?

NBA Athlete Number 89 - Clyde Lovellette

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:24:00 +0000

Clyde Lovellette wore the jersey number 89 for the Minneapolis Lakers in 1954. He would score 588 points in 72 games that season, and would go on to change his jersey number to 34, except for a brief stint with the Celtics in 1963, when he would wear number 4.

Did you know..........Lovellette won the 1952 NCAA Championship in 1952 while playing with Kansas?

sources: wikipedia, basketball-reference.com

Best Number 89 in Other Pro Sports
NFL Number 89
NHL Number 89

NBA Athlete Number 88 - Nicolas Batum

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:10:00 +0000

No number 87, so we're on to number 88. And Nicolas Batum, the 25th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft, taken by the Houston Rockets, is the best to wear the number. Batum was born in 1988, so is it possible that's the reason he wears the number, a la Sid-the-Kid in the NHL?

Batum was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in a three-team trade on draft day. In three seasons with the Trail Blazers, Batum has scored 1,791 regular season points with 722 boards.

Did you know........Batum was born in France?

sources: nba.com, basketball-reference.com

Best Number 88 in Other Pro Sports
NHL Number 88
NFL Number 88

NBA Athlete Number 86 - Semih Erden

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:01:00 +0000

Nobody has chosen to wear jersey number 86 until 2011. So, it's kinda strange that two athletes on the same professional team would choose to wear the number in the same season.

Both Semih Erden and Chris Johnson wore 86 for the Boston Celtics in 2011. Now, we know from previous posts, that the Celtics are running out of numbers to give to athletes, because they've retired so many. Still strange to see that number worn twice in a season, though.

Semih Erden gets the nod here, because he wore the number for a longer period of time, and therefore put up more stats, and because I like his first name. First time I've come across that name.

Erden scored 150 points in 37 games for the Celts in 2011.

Did you know....................Erden was born in Turkey?

source: basketball-reference.com

Best Number 86 in Other Pro Sports

NFL Athlete Number 86

NHL Athlete Number 86

NBA Athlete Number 85 - Baron Davis

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:47:00 +0000

Another high jersey number, another unpopular jersey number. 85 has been worn by one NBA athlete, Baron Davis, for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011. Davis supposedly wore number 85 to honor his Grandparents who lived on 85th street in Los Angeles, CA.

Davis has primarily worn jersey numbers 1 and 5 throughout his NBA career, spent with the Hornets, Warriors and Clippers. While in Cleveland in 2011, Davis played in just 15 regular season games with the Cavs, netting 208 points for a 13.9 per game average.

Did you know...............Davis was the 3rd overall draft pick in 1999 out of UCLA?

source: basketball-reference.com

Best Number 85 in Other Pro Sports
NHL Number 85
NFL Number 85

NBA Athlete Number 84 - Chris Webber

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:39:00 +0000

Plenty of numbers available for NBA athletes who want to make a number their own. The numbers 78, 79, 80, 81, 82 and 83 are all up for grabs. Kind of hard to believe actually. When you look at a league like the NHL or the NFL, where a player has worn every jersey number from 1 through 99, it's kind of hard to believe that there are so many open jersey numbers in the NBA.

But, here we are. And jersey number 84 has only even been worn in one season, by Chris Webber of the Detroit Pistons. In 2007 Webber wore 84 in 43 regular season games for the Motor City NBA team.

Webber, of course, had a long a distinguished NBA career. We won't go into all of his accomplishments over his career here. What we will say, is that Webber scored 486 points and pulled down 288 boards in his time with Detroit. (If you want to see all of his career NBA stats go to basketball-reference.com.)

Did you know..............Chris Webber was born in Detroit?

Best Number 84 in Other Pro Sports
NFL Number 84
NHL Number 84

NBA Athlete Number 77 - Gheorghe Muresan

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 22:59:00 +0000

The best NBA athlete to wear number 77, is also one of the tallest players ever in professional basketball. Maybe not so coincidentally, Gheorghe Muresan stood on the court at 7 feet 7 inches, while wearing the jersey number 77.

The 30th overall pick in the 1993 NBA draft taken by the Washington Bullets (now Wizards), Muresan would play four seasons in D.C. He would top out with 1,104 points scored in his third season, 1995-96. This performance would earn Muresan the Most Improved Player award, which was also assisted by his 172 shots blocked (8th overall that year).

After a release by the Bullets, Muresan joined the New Jersey Nets in 1999, playing in just one game. He would round out his career by playing in 30 games the next season with the Nets.

Over six NBA seasons, Muresan would score 3,020 points, block 455 shots, and pull down 1,957 boards.

Did you know........Muresan twice led the NBA in field goal percentage?

sources: basketball-reference.com; wikipedia.com

Best Number 77 in Other Pro Sports
NFL Number 77
NHL Number 77

NBA Athlete Number 76 - Shawn Bradley

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 22:48:00 +0000

No one has worn, as of this post, numbers 74 and 75. So we're on to number 76. And there's one big man who has worn this number. He's the only NBA athlete to wear this number as of this post.

Shawn Bradley, it just so happened was 7' 6" tall. And it just so happened that the Philadelphia 76ers had drafted him. So what number do you think he wore? Naturally, number 76.

The 76ers took Bradley out of BYU with the second pick of the 1993 NBA draft. Bradley would play two and change seasons with Philly, posting fairly strong rebound numbers and very strong
block numbers.

Bradley was dealt to the New Jersey Nets during the '95-'96 NBA season. Parts of two seasons were spent by Bradley in the Meadowlands, before he was dealt once again, this time to the Dallas Mavericks.

Stability would be found in Dallas. Bradley finished out the '96-'97 season as a Maverick, and would remain one through the 2004-05 season. He would finish in the top 5 in blocks over 4 separate seasons in Dallas, leading the league for the 2000-01 NBA season with 228 swats.

For his career, Bradley wound up with 2,119 blocked shots and a 2.5 blocks per game average.

Did you know..............Bradley is a German-American dual citizen?

For more Shawn Bradley statistics, visit basketball-reference.com.

sources: basketball-reference.com, wikipedia.com

Best Number 76 in Other Pro Sports
NFL Number 76
NHL Number 76

Best Home Run Hitter by Decade - 1900 to 1909

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 21:29:00 +0000

Do you know, off the top of your head, the most prolific home run hitter of the first decade of the 20th century? If you're a casual baseball fan, you almost certainly don't. If you are a SABR member, you probably do know.

Well, let's end the suspense here. The home run king of the 1900 to 1909 decade is none other than........Harry Davis. He's not a Hall of Famer, but a case could certainly be made that he should be. Davis hit 67 dingers between 1900 and 1909. Doesn't sound like a lot based on today's homer totals does it? Well, consider this: Davis led the majors in home runs in four consecutive seasons in that decade.

Davis' single season high was 12 in that decade, when he led the Athletics, and the league in 1906. Between 1904 and 1907, Davis was the home run champ every year. In that same time span, Davis also lead the league in RBI twice, doubles twice and runs once.

Yes, Davis' numbers don't match up with the likes of Mickey Mantle. But when you judge him against his peers in the same era, Davis ranks at the top in power.

Best Performances - October 20, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 12:42:00 +0000

Unfortunately, his performance didn't translate into a win. But it was a great pitching performance nonetheless. Jaime Garcia allowed only 3 hits over 7 innings, with no earned runs, 7 strikeouts and only 1 walk.

In the NHL, Alex Ovechkin netted two goals on only 3 shots, to lead the Capitals past the Flyers.

Best Performances - October 19, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 12:08:00 +0000

Lance Berkman went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI as the Cardinals won World Series game 1 at home over the Rangers. Both Chris Carpeneter and C.J. Wilson pitched well, however Carpenter gave up one less earned run and that was enough to win the game.

Tony LaRussa used 5 relievers after Carpenter exited. Combined, those 5 relievers gave up a total of one hit and one walk with no earned runs.

Carson Palmer - Oakland Raider Jersey Number...........

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 08:16:00 +0000

If the Raiders.com store is accurate, it looks like Carson Palmer will be wearing jersey number 3 for the Oakland Raiders, shedding the familiar number 9 he wore for the Bengals.

Best Performances - October 18, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 08:10:00 +0000

The Rangers had no goals against the 2010-11 Western Conference Champion Canucks, through two periods of play. That didn't matter much, because their netminder, Henrik Lundqvist, denied all scoring attempts. Netted at 0-0 heading into the third, the blushirts broke out for four goals, while Lundqvist continued to deny all shots on goal. The result was 40 saves for the New York goalie wearing jersey number 30, and a 4-0 victory for the Rangers.

Vancouver dropped their third contest, while the Rangers got their first win of the 2011-12 NHL season.

Best Performances - October 17, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:26:00 +0000

4 passes defended, 2 interceptions and a 100-yard TD return for one of those INTs. Yeah, I'd say that's the best performance, offensive or defensive, of the night in the NFL. Darrelle Revis once again proved why he's one of the best, if not the best, defensive backs in the NFL, as number 24 led his Jets to a 24-6 victory over Miami in East Rutherford, NJ.

In the NHL, Kris Versteeg was one of 3 Panthers to score 4 points as he netted 2 and assisted on 2 more with a plus one on-ice rating in under 10 minutes of ice time and only 4 shots on goal. Florida topped Tampa Bay 7-4.

Best Performances - October 16, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:33:00 +0000

In what may have been Prince Fielder's last outing with the Brew Crew, the St. Louis Cardinals clinched the NL pennant with a 12-6 victory. The best performance of the game came from David Freese, who "froze" the Brewers pitching staff (sorry, couldn't resist that one). Freese, the Cardinals third baseman wearing jersey number 23, went a hefty 3 for 4 with a homer, 3 runs and 3 RBI.

In the NFL lineup, Ahmad Bradshaw led his G-Men past the suprising Buffalo Bills, 27-24. Bradshaw rushed for 104 yards and found the end-zone 3 times. This was the first 3 TD performance for Bradshaw in his NFL regular season career dating back to 2007.

Best Performances - October 15, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 13:37:00 +0000

John Tavares is heating up. He propelled the Isles over that other New York hockey team, 4-2 on Saturday, with a hatrick. He's now got 5 goals on the season. Here's just one of his three goals from Saturday.

And of course, the other Rangers won the ALCS and advanced to the World Series for the second straight year. It was in large part due to Michael Young and his 3 for 6, 5 RBI peformance.