Top 10 Power Forwards of all time

[mat1992 2,231]

This is an easy one but I have to give kudos to Pat McKinley, the 6-8 HOFer who played in the 70s at the D2 level and was drafted when there were more than two rounds.

1)Jerrelle Benimon (2012-14). Two-time CAA POY. Future HOFer. Georgetown transfer who averaged 18ppg, 11.2 rpg, 3.1apg and 1.6 blocks in his two seasons with the Tigers on 53% shooting.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/jerrelle-benimon-1.html

2)Cam Holden (2021-current). First-team All-CAA and all-defense. Juco transfer. Avg. 13.5ppg, 7.9rpg, 2spg and 3.1apg.  Played with a fractured jaw in conference play.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/cameron-holden-1.html

3)William Arnaud Moto (2015-17). Wake Forest transfer who averaged 13.4ppg and 7.5rpg. Shot just 42% from the field and 27% from the three-point line. Shot better in his two seasons at Wake Forest. Built like a Greek God at 6-7, 240.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/arnaudwilliam-adalamoto-1.html

4)Lawrence Hamm (2002-06). Is one of the more underrated players in Towson history because he played on the early CAA teams and was just 6-6, 205. Avg. 11.6 points and 6.9 rpg on 48% shooting. In 2005-06, he averaged 15.6ppg and 9.1 rpg. on 57% shooting. Second all-time in rebounds. 

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/lawrence-hamm-1.html

5)John Davis (2013-17), Undersized at 6-5, 230. Lefty who averaged 9.6 ppg and 6.1rpg in his career. Avg. 11.8ppg, 7.6rpg and shot 53% from the field in his senior season. Unfortunately was shot in the knee in Philadelphia, ending his season and college career. 

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/john-davis-4.html

6)Junior Hairston (2007-09). Just around 6-7, 200. Very athletic. Transfer from Charleston. Tremendous rebounder. Had over 20 rebounds twice. Avg. 12.5ppg and 8.2 rpg with 1.8 bpg. Shot 44% from the field and 32% from beyond the arc.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/junior-hairston-1.html

7)Kennell Jones (1988-90). A 6-4 power forward who shot 58% from the field in two years. ODU transfer and went to local Poly HS. Avg. 7.5ppg and 5.3 RPG. Outstanding defender. A glue guy with a great motor who helped the Tigers get their first ECC title in 1990.

vhttps://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/kennell-jones-1.htmlhttps://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/kennell-jones-1.html

8)Brian Barber (1997-01). Only around 6-7, 200. Good leaper. Not many players can sky for an ally-oop and sign the National Anthem in the same game. Avg. 12.1ppg and 4.8rpg on 52% shooting. Avg. 17ppg and 6rpg as a junior. 

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/brian-barber-1.html

9)Stefon Bunsavage (1982-86). The 6-8 power forward averaged 10.7ppg and 5.5rpg at 50% in his four-year career. Avg. 15.3 ppg and 7.9rpg in his senior season, shooting 57% from the floor. 

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/steffan-bunsavage-1.html

10)Stevie Thomas (1992-96). Avg. 7.5ppg and 5rpg on 46% shooting. At 6-7, 240, should have been more productive. More of a face-up 4 with a good mid-range shot.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/stevie-thomas-1.html

 

[TuTigers2012 1,061]

Been waiting for this one. By far our most successful position.  
By no means a sanders fan and didn’t see 9-10 play but he did have better stats then them during his 2 years in black and gold. 

[mat1992 2,231]

17 minutes ago, TuTigers2012 said:

Been waiting for this one. By far our most successful position.  
By no means a sanders fan and didn’t see 9-10 play but he did have better stats then them during his 2 years in black and gold. 

Nakye? I have him at center

[Tiger93 299]

These rankings seem about right, but I think context of what type of team these guys played on could move a few guys up and down. I feel like skill-wise Stevie Thomas could be as high as fifth or sixth on this list, but in 1993-94 Scooter Alexander and Ralph Blalock did most of the scoring and John James took some of his rebounding numbers.

His numbers were 11 ppg and 7.5 rpg when James was gone and Alexander redshirted in 1994-95. Of course, if he was better maybe that team could have been better. Towson was ineligible for postseason that year and it felt like there was some motivation missing that year. The next year Alexander and Blalock were both there again as was transfer Matt Dellinger, which took away some of his rebounds. Him and Dellinger had some knock down, drag out battles with Malik Rose and co. when Drexel beat us three times, but I do remember Rose getting a lot of touch foul calls in that matchup. That being said, Drexel was clearly the better team. He also had some good battles with Tunji Awojobi that year as well. 

In Thomas' four years, Towson finished first in the Big South twice (of course we choked in the tournament), went 67-43 overall and 36-22 in conference play (held back by the crappy 6-10 year in the Big South in 1994-95). 

I am probably looking at this through the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia, but I will always stick up for John James and Stevie Thomas being very underrated historically. Although, I will say the most frustrating part about Thomas is it always felt like he settled for outside shots and could do more inside. It felt like he had the potential to be even better than he was. 

[mat1992 2,231]

11 minutes ago, Tiger93 said:

These rankings seem about right, but I think context of what type of team these guys played on could move a few guys up and down. I feel like skill-wise Stevie Thomas could be as high as fifth or sixth on this list, but in 1993-94 Scooter Alexander and Ralph Blalock did most of the scoring and John James took some of his rebounding numbers.

His numbers were 11 ppg and 7.5 rpg when James was gone and Alexander redshirted in 1994-95. Of course, if he was better maybe that team could have been better. Towson was ineligible for postseason that year and it felt like there was some motivation missing that year. The next year Alexander and Blalock were both there again as was transfer Matt Dellinger, which took away some of his rebounds. Him and Dellinger had some knock down, drag out battles with Malik Rose and co. when Drexel beat us three times, but I do remember Rose getting a lot of touch foul calls in that matchup. That being said, Drexel was clearly the better team. He also had some good battles with Tunji Awojobi that year as well. 

In Thomas' four years, Towson finished first in the Big South twice (of course we choked in the tournament), went 67-43 overall and 36-22 in conference play (held back by the crappy 6-10 year in the Big South in 1994-95). 

I am probably looking at this through the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia, but I will always stick up for John James and Stevie Thomas being very underrated historically. Although, I will say the most frustrating part about Thomas is it always felt like he settled for outside shots and could do more inside. It felt like he had the potential to be even better than he was. 

I liked Stevie but I thought he underachieved and should have dominated the paint a lot more. He fell in love with the foul-line jumper. Towson was not ineligible for postseason in 1994-95. It was 1991-92 when the ECC was folding. Scooter redshirted because they wanted him in the North Atlantic (maybe grades?) and that was the same season they shocked Louisville and West Virginia, yet had a losing season overall.

[Tiger93 299]

I agree about Stevie settling for the free-throw jumper way too much, but athletically and talent-wise he was every bit as capable as a lot of those guys higher on the list. He also played on a better team where other guys did the scoring. Overall, your ranking is probably right but Thomas had a ton of upside. 

As for 1994-95 season, I stated incorrectly that Towson was ineligible for postseason play. There was just no automatic bid for the Big South that had something to do with all of the teams leaving the next year (I believe). We were a very unmotivated team in conference play that year for that reason. Like you said, part of the reason we redshirted Scooter was to make a run in the NAC in our first year. I do know Charleston Southern won the conference tournament and did not play in the NCAA Tournament. 

[mat1992 2,231]

3 hours ago, Tiger93 said:

I agree about Stevie settling for the free-throw jumper way too much, but athletically and talent-wise he was every bit as capable as a lot of those guys higher on the list. He also played on a better team where other guys did the scoring. Overall, your ranking is probably right but Thomas had a ton of upside. 

As for 1994-95 season, I stated incorrectly that Towson was ineligible for postseason play. There was just no automatic bid for the Big South that had something to do with all of the teams leaving the next year (I believe). We were a very unmotivated team in conference play that year for that reason. Like you said, part of the reason we redshirted Scooter was to make a run in the NAC in our first year. I do know Charleston Southern won the conference tournament and did not play in the NCAA Tournament. 

I don't remember the Big South not having an automatic bid in 1994-95, but I guess you're right since we had such a terrible season and we were leaving for the North Atlantic. Campbell was also leaving so that made sense. Those Big South seasons were a blur to me considering we won two regular season titles and sh-t the bed in the postseason.

As for Stevie, I'm not basing the list on talent. If I was, he'd be second behind Benimion. More about production and you have a point that some of those guys on the list put up good numbers on bad teams. It wasn't necessarily their fault that the teams were bad.

[Tiger93 299]

By the way, thank you for putting these together. It is a fun read. Players from my college days like Stevie Thomas, Ralph Blalock, Scooter Alexander and John James are always fun to discuss and compare to the players who have come along since. That Big South era was a blur, but it also our best regular-season basketball until some of the Skerry years. Especially taking into account our regular-season conference play success.

I am often trying to think in my head of the best Towson teams of the era since I have been around (1993-now). While we were going through the run last year, I was comparing the 1993-94 squad to the 2013-14 and 2021-22 teams. I also really liked the personnel and the way the 2012-13 team was playing at the end of the year even though their record was not comparable to some of the better teams. I would think the two NCAA Teams would be our gold standards of the D-1 era.