We’ll take Iceland…build three hotels…we have a “contact” from there.
Devin Davis is an unsung Miami player of sorts. Just doesn’t get the pub he should. In my opinion one of Miami’s 5 greatest players. My top 4 are easy-Harp, Wally, Embry, Davis. Davis averaged 15.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1828 points, 1027 career rebounds.
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Devin Davis is my favorite Miami basketball player - I was too late for Harper. Devin made us relevant- Wally had one incredible year and many amazing games but he was hurt most of his junior year. Certainly Wallys senior year was the best single season imo
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Ron Harper’s 1985-86 season and Wally’s 98-99 season were the two best I have seen. I was at Miami for Harper’s years. Ron and Wally were both 2nd team All Americans in those 2 respective seasons. I never saw Wayne Embry play, but his seasons at Miami were monster ball. Take the 4 I mention above, add Damon Frierson, and that is a starting 5 that could hang with just about anyone.
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Too hard to pick. Me? I see Ira as that under the radar star. His career backs that up defensive stat wise. Dude made 12-14mm NBA and wasn’t even all-MAC. You could write that as a Hollywood movie and it would do well. Damon is another stud. Landon Hackim from Herb’s team. He would shoot lights out in the sets we run. Penno. Same thing. Mason. Wow. Just nuts.
I wrote this a while back but it’s new news for the students reading: back in the day, when we went to the show regularly, we once had a team with 4 state Mr. Basketballs on it: Wally from NY. Devis was Florida. Damon was Mr. Basketball Indiana and I think Chet was in Minnesota. Ira was Mr. Basketball finalist (runner up) in Michigan I believe. This year is exactly what it felt like. We hit the lottery.
Edit: Rob Mestas was from Minny. Not Chet who was from Cleveland. This picking is getting a lot harder.
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Tim Pollitz has entered the conversation.
Rob Mestas was Mr. Basketball in MN. Wally was Mr. Basketball on Long Island.
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The three Mr. Basketball’s recruited by Sendek were Wally, Damon and Mestas. Chet Mason was from South High in Cleveland.
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Yes! That’s right. Mestas. Doh!
That group of Ayer’s, Aldridge and Shoemaker weren’t too shabby either. Also, before them in the early 70’s, the group headed by Lumpkin, Hampton and Fields beat UNC in Chapel Hill by 10.
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Adding to the rabbit trail. Fred Foster who tragically passed away before the age of 40 was a Miami great.
Fred J. Foster (1946–1985) was a standout 6’4" forward for Miami University, later playing eight seasons in the NBA (1968–1977). A key collegiate scorer and 1968 draft pick of the Cincinnati Royals, Foster carved out a respectable professional career as a reliable forward for five different teams, leaving a lasting impact on Ohio basketball.
Miami University Highlights
Foster, a Springfield, Ohio native, played for Miami University and blossomed into a dominant player during his junior year. He was a key offensive force for the Redskins (now RedHawks) during his collegiate tenure, eventually being honored for his outstanding performance.
Induction: In 1998, Foster was posthumously inducted into the Miami Athletics Hall of Fame.
Playstyle: Known for his scoring ability at the collegiate level, he was described as a versatile forward with strong offensive capabilities, which caught the attention of professional scouts.
Professional Career
Selected by the Cincinnati Royals in the third round (28th overall) of the 1968 NBA Draft, Foster began his pro career, which spanned eight seasons.
NBA Teams: He played for the Cincinnati Royals, Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Buffalo Braves.
Key Seasons: He was a steady contributor for the Pistons, averaging 11.9 points and 3.7 rebounds in the 1971–72 season, including a 30-point performance against the Golden State Warriors.
Longevity: Despite being a rotational player, Foster was a valued utility forward who played in 549 NBA regular-season games, averaging 6.4 points and 2.4 rebounds for his career.
Legacy
After his NBA career, Foster returned to Ohio. In 2017, he was further recognized for his contributions to the sport by being enshrined into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame. He passed away in 1985 at the age of 39 in his hometown of Springfield
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Randy Ayers played EVERY position on the floor…Including, at times, center. When Bernie Newman became ineligible, he nicely filled, when needed, the center position.
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Find memories of Fred Foster and a packed Withrow Court.
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If you talk about good times at Miami BB games you have to include Withrow Court experiences- the first row of seats were almost on the floor- after consuming a number of adult beverages we would walk over from the Phi Delt House and “ get into the game “ in a big way by talking trash to opposing players ( esp Marshall games )- anyone remember pitching “ hot pennies “ at opposing players? Great memories of Freddy “ Bear “ Foster, Jeff Gehring ( remember the Sports I story about Miami BB and p the picture of Jeff and his girlfriend and I believe his eventual wife - Mary Ann making it into SI ? )), Phil Snow , Charlie Dinkins and many others- if anyone has pictures of Miami BB from Withrow please share
I have good memories of Withrow though it was smaller than my high school gym. Had never seen a gym before with seats only on 1 side!
Embry was a beast..look at his eye popping rebounding stats! Averaged 23.1 and 24.9 ppg his junior and senior season and 17.2 and 18.1 rebounds per game. Off the charts! Five time all star in the NBA as well. No other Miami player comes close to that NBA all star inclusion.
Harp and Wally obviously in the top 5, and some many other good nominations. And speaking of high school players of the year on Miami rosters, did you know that Archie Aldridge and Randy Ayers were back to back Ohio HS players of the year? What a tandem!
Arizona tied with ASU at halftime
Arizona win
