Miami Basketball legend Rick Barry named best 24 in CBB history
Miami basketball legend Rick Barry was the only Hurricanes player selected to a list of the best players to wear their number in the history of college basketball as published by The Athletic last month.
The naming of Rick Barry is a sense of redemption for the greatest player in the history of the Miami basketball program after the record holder of dozens of Hurricanes records was left off the bracket of the greatest players in the history of college basketball last month. The greatness Barry had in college is often forgotten.
Barry holds the all-time Miami basketball records in points, rebounds, points per game in a career and the two highest-scoring seasons in Miami history. For a Hurricanes basketball player to reach the numbers that Barry put up during his three seasons playing varsity he would have to stay all four seasons.
In this era, a player close to the numbers Barry put up will likely leave for the NBA. In the tenure with Jim Larranaga as the head coach Miami guards Lonnie Walker after his freshman season, Shane Larkin and Bruce Brown following their sophomore seasons and forward Dewan Hernandez after his junior season left for the NBA.
From 1962-65 Barry averaged 29.8 points per game, 16.5 rebounds and shot 52.2 percent from the floor. Barry is the only player from the University of Miami enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame. After his collegiate career, Barry became an eight-time NBA all-star and five-time first-team All-NBA. The Athletic on Barry:
"24: Rick Barry, MiamiBarry is best known for shooting free throws underhanded (or “granny style,” as he put it), but he was one of the most devastating scorers in college basketball history. While playing for Miami from 1962 to ’65, he averaged 29.7 points per game, and his 37.4 average his senior year was tops in the country.Barry led Miami to three consecutive 20-win seasons for the only time in its history, although the Hurricanes were ineligible for the NCAA Tournament because the program was on probation. Barry also averaged 16.5 rebounds during his career."
Although Barry and the Hurricanes did not play in the NCAA Tournament. They did play against St. Joseph’s in the 1964 NIT losing 86-76 in the first round. Barry did everything he could to keep the Hurricanes in the game against the Hawks scoring 35 points on just eight field goals while making 19-22 free throws.
Next. Miami legend Rick Barry left off ESPN CBB greatest bracket. dark
Barry beat out over a half dozen legends for the honor of the best player in college basketball history to wear number 24. That includes for Naismith National Players of the Year Mark Aguirre and Johnny Dawkins in addition to Paul George, Mike Daum, Jamal Mashburn, Terry Dehere, and Antoine Walker.