Sunday, December 27, 2009

Top 10 Black Bears of the 2000s

10.) Justin Rowe
9.) Errick Greene

No. 8
HUGGY DYE (99-01)
The mercurial guard gets a mention despite the disappointing and premature end to his days in Orono. His sensational talent was sometimes overshadowed by his tempermental ways, but there was no doubting his ability. He was one of those occasional athletes who leave a legacy of "what ifs." What if he had stayed out of trouble? What if he had dedicated himself more? What if, what if, what if. So, you ask, how can he be in my Top 10? Because he was fun to watch for three years and had a skill level that should have put him closer to No. 1 on this list. The 6-2 guard averaged 13 points a game for his career and shot 47 percent from the floor and 37 percent from deep. For two years, he was one half of the best UMaine backcourt of the decade.

No. 7
RICKEY WHITE (01-03)
Many folks forget that Rickey, fresh off setting the America East season record for shooting percentage (.662) his junior year, was expected to be a mainstay of the 2003-04 team that went 20-10 and advanced to the conference championship game before losing to Vermont. He never got on the court for his final year because of off-the-court issues. The 6-4 forward out of Topsham was an explosive player around the hoop and was primed for a bust-out campaign after averaging 13.2 points and 5 rebounds as a junior.

2 comments:

MattT said...

What was the "domestic incident" that you refer to involving Rickey White? I thought he left the team to enter the work force after the birth of his son? I was told he had passed his requirements to be grated a fifth year and left the team to take care of his new family. If only they all played as hard as Rickey.

Dan King said...

Rickey worked very hard to earn back his final year of eligibility. It was unfortunate he wasn't able to be part of that team. Loved his intensity.