In honor of the most wonderful time of the year (March Madness), I’ve done some reflecting on the greatest players I’ve had the privilege to be a part of during my lifetime. Some of them I was extremely involved with, while others I only got a glimpse of their greatness. Regardless, below are my very own “Hall of Fame” teams:
Greatest players I’ve played with:
1) Larry Henry (Wichita Falls Rockets; University of Texas at Arlington)
2) Riley Lambert (Wichita Falls Rockets; University of Texas at El Paso)
3) Drew Mathews (LCF; All-American at William Jewell College)
4) Brian Richards (Kent Island High School; United States Naval Academy)
5) Nick Larson (Liberty High School; All-American at William Jewell College)
Honorable Mention: Kyle Fisher (Liberty High School; Washburn University)
Larry Henry (bottom left) was the best PG I’ve ever played with
Greatest players I’ve coached:
1) Michael Dixon Jr. (Kansas City Blue Jays; University of Missouri)
2) Kellan Turner (Liberty High School; TBD)
3) Ricky Kreklow (Rock Bridge High School; University of California)
4) Shaun Adams (Kansas City Blue Jays; Saint Leo University)
5) Jordan Dressler (Rock Bridge High School; All-American at Columbia College)
Honorable Mention: Daniel Sanders (Windsor High School)
Michael Dixon Jr. (#11) played for my dad’s team (the KC Blue Jays) during Jr. High
Greatest players I’ve coached against:
1) Bradley Beal (Chaminade High School; University of Florida; Washington Wizards)
2) Alec Burks (Grandview High School; University of Colorado; Utah Jazz)
3) Drew Lock (Lee’s Summit High School; TBD)
4) Tyler Griffey (Lafayette High School; University of Illinois)
5) Steve Moore (Truman High School; University of Missouri)
Honorable Mention: Justin Pitts (Blue Springs South High School; TBD)
Bradley Beal led his Chaminade Red Devils on a furious 18 point comeback to knock off my Rock Bridge Bruins during the 2009 State Semifinals
Greatest players I’ve seen play:
1) LeBron James (Miami Heat)
2) Clyde Drexler (Houston Rockets)
3) Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder)
4) Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets)
5) Shaquille O’Neal (Los Angeles Lakers)
Honorable Mention: Jason Kidd (New Jersey Nets)
The 1995 Houston Rockets were my first-ever team I actually followed. I’m thankful I got to see both Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon play in person when they played against the Dallas Mavericks back in 1997.
Greatest coaches I’ve learned from:
1) Tommy Hammond (Wichita Falls Rockets/Kansas City Blue Jays)
2) Roger Stirtz (Liberty High School)
3) Jim Scanlon (Rock Bridge High School)
4) Kim Anderson (University of Central Missouri)
5) Jeff Ray (Midwestern State University)
Honorable Mention: Bob Knight (Texas Tech University)–I attended his basketball camp during Jr. High
Other coaches I’ve heard speak: Jeff Van Gundy (New York Knicks), Tom Izzo (Michigan State), Don Meyer (Northern State), Mike Anderson (Mizzou), Bruce Webber (Kansas State), Rick Majerus (Saint Louis), Hubie Brown (Memphis Grizzlies), Ben Jacobson (Northern Iowa)
My dad has coached me since I was four. He is easily the coach who has had the most influence on my life!
So very much…
-BH
Brady Hammond 