Who was Utah’s greatest basketball player?

[ProudUte]

The post below about the best recruits got me thinking about the best players.

In recent years it has to be Keith Van Horn, Andre Miller, and Andrew Bogut.  But, Billy McGill has to be the best Ute basketball player ever.  I looked up his stats.  In his senior year, he averaged 38.8 points a game and 15 rebounds.  That’s amazing.  I remember the headline after a close win against BYU when McGill scored 60.  It said something like, “If McGill only scored 50 – Utah would have lost.”

[Tony (admin)]

I guess one could argue the best single season by a Ute player may have been Bogut with all the awards he won and the 1st round draft pick. 

[ProudUte]

Billy McGill was also the first pick in the NBA draft and I assume he won many awards, but I cannot remember the details.

[PAC12Teams]

As a senior in 1961-1962, McGill averaged 38.8 points and 15.0 rebounds, leading the Utes to a 26-3 record and a #7 final ranking.^[20] Utah was banned from the 1962 NCAA tournament, because a Ute player had earlier accepted a plane ticket from a booster.^[21]

During the season, McGill scored 60 points vs. Brigham Young on February 24, 1962 in a 106-101 victory.^[22] His 60 points remains the school record.

[Rick]

I think McGill was the greatest Ute. He would have been a great pro if his legs had held up. The biography on McGill goes into detail about a knee injury that affected him – I believe beginning in his second or third year at the U. He was constantly visiting a physician who drained his knee to enable him to continue playing. The conjecture in the book leads one to believe he was playing with severly damaged knees late college and throughout his short NBA career. It’s always left me wondering what if. This is a player who would play pick up games with Wilt and more than hold his own in the summers while he was developing from a high school to a college player.

[CincyUte]

Utah was 22-3 during McGill’s senior season and finished #7.  But because of some stupid NCAA rules infraction, they were not allowed to play in the NCAA tournament that year.  Sucks, huh?

[EagleMountainUte]

Andre Miller is my favorite Ute across all sports and throughout all time. 

[ProudUte]

I agree with Andre being a favorite.  Others I would add to the list of favorites for me would be:

Alex Smith

Huntley

Mike Newlin

Chase Hansen

Roy Jefferson

Keith Van Horn

Eric Weddle

[EagleMountainUte]

Waddle is a close second. Alex Jensen was also one of the best defenders in college I have ever watched. 

[Tony (admin)]

Such a stud. 

[dystopiamembrane]

Amen

[Distantute]

Andre was my favorite. Bogut was the best. He had little talent around him and carried utah to the sweet 16 where of course we lost to uk. That guy was an unreal force.

[FountainofUte]

McGill was before my time so I just have to leave it to his records and witnesses to account for it. But there’s something about Bogut doing ALL that he did by his SOPHOMORE year. His ceiling as a four-year player would have been ridiculous and would have made him clearly the best we’ve ever had. He’s arguably there with only two seasons under his belt.

Then again, I saw KVH and Miller with my own eyes and they were special. Very, very special.