I'm interested in hearing from anyone about stories they have of kids who could've gone on and played big time ball but never worked out for them. Who are the best players from NorCal that never panned out? What happened to them?
Best Players that Never Were...
- Thread starter Sacsports33
- Start date
Hook mitchell way up on list. legend but streets and drugs in oak town got to him.
This will test peoples knowledge... Shawn Pennington out of Hayward HS 1992 with Gerald Walker and Carl Leopold. Pennington had rides to Penn State and virtually every else. robbed a convenient store and that was it.. but he could have played college hoops.
here is a little video. these 2 were amazing.
walker was #2 in state scoring when he graduated in 1992.
This will test peoples knowledge... Shawn Pennington out of Hayward HS 1992 with Gerald Walker and Carl Leopold. Pennington had rides to Penn State and virtually every else. robbed a convenient store and that was it.. but he could have played college hoops.
here is a little video. these 2 were amazing.
walker was #2 in state scoring when he graduated in 1992.
Winters Patterson, Balboa. Died after a seizure or heart attack after hitting his head in a pickup basketball game.
That is terrible and tragic. I'm thinking most of these other guys are more self inflicted.
Lathan Wilson 6’6 with serious guard skills, and Ricky Smith from Mack class of 1980. Was the smoothest guard in the Bay hands down!!!
Teeter Marshall, Jefferson late 80s.....MVP in the SF ProAm when JKidd, Gary Payton and Brian Shaw were playing....Played @ CCSF, Skyline and had a ride to NM State with Neil McCarthy was building a powerhouse program. Goes down there, starts school and goes to a party at UTEP, where he accidentally shoots himself in his leg. Finished his career....Would have been a dominant pro at some point...
Basketball only? Cuz Sac area alone is ripe with FB studs who seemed to have it all, but life got in the way for one reason or another
Kevin Willhite, Cordova, (one of best HS RBs ever..National Player of the year) - Injured Sr Year in HS
Rae Carruth , Valley (serving has final year of prison)
Don Rodgers, Del Norte (heart attack from drug use)
Kevin Willhite, Cordova, (one of best HS RBs ever..National Player of the year) - Injured Sr Year in HS
Rae Carruth , Valley (serving has final year of prison)
Don Rodgers, Del Norte (heart attack from drug use)
Carruth went on and played (Colorado and Panthers) before helped OJ his old lady. So he did go on a bit and played big time.
Great call on Turner. Did he ever show up in the D(G) League?
Darius Nelson wasn’t the player Turner was, but last I heard of Nelson, he was charged in a home invasion.
Ray Young, St. Joseph’s
Darrell Tucker, Mack
Senque Carey, St. Francis
Darnell Robinson, Emery
Darrell Tucker, Mack
Senque Carey, St. Francis
Darnell Robinson, Emery
If we’re talking about students athletes that fell off because of off the court issues Marquis Kately and Dante Sawyer. Both should have been pros
Last edited:
Teeter!! Watched him put up 40 on SRJC.... He was legit.
List can't be complete without Darious Nelson from sheldon. He was one of all time leading scorers in norcal history when he graduated when sheldon and was involved in a robbery. Don't think he ever played in college.
Some of these people on the list might not have turned out to be good in college but they did go on to play. If a kid goes to college and gets a degree that isn't exactly something to be ashamed of. kateley played at Cal and did well. I wouldn't have a player like that on this list.
List can't be complete without Darious Nelson from sheldon. He was one of all time leading scorers in norcal history when he graduated when sheldon and was involved in a robbery. Don't think he ever played in college.
Some of these people on the list might not have turned out to be good in college but they did go on to play. If a kid goes to college and gets a degree that isn't exactly something to be ashamed of. kateley played at Cal and did well. I wouldn't have a player like that on this list.
Those guys were all serious players in D1 P5 programs at least. Pretty sure Robinson played in the NBA for a minute
Rob was a good player but to say he was a pro or had pro potential is ridiculous. Friends with Rob and he would tell you the same thing.
A little more behind Marquise's story @ Cal ...He finished at Morgan State and played against OU's Blake Griffin in the NCAA's his senior season.
Brett Crawford Riordan '80.
Saw him when i was in grammar school. 6-6 SF that could do it all! Thought he was the best HS player I ever saw until Gary Payton and Jason Kidd came along. One of the top HS players after his showing in the national summer camps. Started at Pitt, fell off, re-emerged at a D1 school in Fl. I believe he lit up Stanford for 40+ in an NCAA regional and was drafted by the Chicago Bulls-same class as MJ. Unfortunately dealt with a lot of personal demons-very sad.
I don't think these are failures. I'm talking about kids like Josiah Turner, Darius Nelson, Hook Mitchell, Pennington... Etc etc. Guys that were some of the best or most hyped players at the time. Guys that didn't even made it to college because of either crime, drugs, gambling, academics.
My dad would take me to kezar and potero hill as a kid and he would say look there all all the has beens, Guys who still wearing the letterman jacket talking about the glory days. Guys that never adjusted to life after basketball. Sad. Hopefully these others have found there way.
My dad would take me to kezar and potero hill as a kid and he would say look there all all the has beens, Guys who still wearing the letterman jacket talking about the glory days. Guys that never adjusted to life after basketball. Sad. Hopefully these others have found there way.
Exactly. Quit putting kids up here who got rides to good schools and actually went to those schools and played and maybe even graduated. That is hardly a failure.
I think the spirit of the post was who didn't amount to anything. Didn't even make it to the next level. Wasn't Josiah Turner mom a whack job.
To be clear, Josiah Turner played a year at Arizona before the fall out. Had been touted as top PG in nation whil in HS. Think he was one of the first local kids to bail on public school and go to a travel school . Darius Nelson played a year at UTEP I think, before getting booted.
Per this article, Nelson never played a game at UTEP, but transferred to CS Fullerton where he never suited up either.
http://www.sacbee.com/sports/high-school/joe-davidson/article9645629.html
Thought the context was playing big time like NBA, but yah, those guys I listed went on to have productive/useful years at the colleges/universities they played for.
Is this Nelson kid you guys referring to different from DeMarcus Nelson that went to Duke? Wasnt DeMarcus the all time state leading scorer?
Call of this thread. That guy could have been a pro. Not sure he ever played college at all.
Josiah Turner!!!!! He was soooooo good... I didn't know the kid but he really had a gift.... not sure bout his mental state but he had all the tools
Josh Rhodes....left Iowa after one year...not sure what happened to him afterwards (maybe Cabrillo College?)...
Have to disagree with turner being mentioned. He got a scholarship and played and didn’t pan out. And hasn’t panned out since at different leagues. He was a very good high school player that didn’t translate to college or pros.
He never played a minute of college basketball according to my records at any level.
Disagree all you want. It’s an opinion, everyone has one.
For me, Turner fits perfect in this category. He was considered among top PGs in the country as a Sr. Had offers from every major program. His skill level did “TRANSLATE” to college, his work ethic and attitude did not.
The Whigam twins for Oak Ridge probably should be added to this list for those guys that go back 20 years or so.
Dominic Artis... always said he’d be to the league but then got caught up in those sexual assault allegations.. smh
Luke whitehead - St Ignatius
Watched old video of whitehead vs Kenny Walls - walls had a solid if unspectacular college career. But whitehead never panned out in college
Drew Gordon - Mitty
The only reason I remember drew Gordon is because of Jeremy Lin. Lin and Paly beats drew and Mitty to get to 2002 D2 state title game. Of course Lin goes on to beat mater Dei and Taylor King (another flop) to win the state title. But drew was supposedly a stud but he barely played in the NBA while Lin has earned a spot (though he is injured this season)
Similar threads
Latest posts
-
-
-
Congrats to Jayden Russotti (Golden State Prep) Commitment to Pepperdine- Latest: Moses_Scurry
-
-