Friday, January 21, 2005

All-World Answer

Allen Iverson may be the best athlete on the planet not named Jordan. You know what he can do as a basketball player, but look at these gaudy numbers as a high-school quarterback:
During a phenomenal junior year, in 1992, at Bethel High School in Hampton, Va., Iverson accounted for a total of 34 touchdowns. He passed for 1,423 yards and 14 touchdowns. He ran for 781 yards and 15 TDs. He intercepted eight passes as a defensive back, returning one for a score. And he returned four punts all the way to the house. . . . After leading Bethel's football team to the 1992 Division 5 state championship, Iverson sparked his school to the Virginia Group AAA state basketball championship a few months later, averaging 31.6 points.

He's a god.

7 comments:

Birkel said...

You should analyze the high school numbers for Ronald Curry. He was national HS POY in both basketball and football. Played both (not nearly so well) for UNC-CH and now plays for the Raiders. Not as high profile, but his HS stats were... um... gaudy.

Then there was Dave Winfield...

Anonymous said...

Ignoring someone's criminal behavior and poor character because they have some athletic ability (and calling him a god!!- maybe Beelzebub) only encourages young people to emulate their thuglike behavior.
You're a jocksniffer.

Anonymous said...

Iverson is still a professional basketball player. Yes he was an excellent HS football player although those numbers aren't jaw dropping. So I don't think we need to worry about including him in the top ten current athletes based on his activities in high school.

Anonymous said...

I can only assume you were drunk when you made this post. Those numbers are certainly good for a HS QB, but nowhere near record-setting. Heck, High School Demi-God Ken Hall averaged 32.9 points per game in 1953 - by himself! He scored 57 TD's that year, and he's only in 5th place all time (per season). Some kid in North Carolina scored 71 TD's in 2001.

I guess if mean the two championships in one year deal, yes, that is impressive. But one should certainly not be in awe of his accomplishments on the gridiron.

Pat said...

It's a mistake to look too hard at what players did in other sports in their youth. Joe Montana threw three perfect games in Little League and got offered a basketball scholarship to NC State. Most pro athletes were multi-sport stars in high school; a few become multi-sport stars in college, and a very select few can play more than one sport at the pro level.

Scrutineer said...

He's a great player, but wouldn't a "god" have more than one game-winning shot his entire career?

Anonymous said...

Kathleen- In your rush to criticize my post, you managed to miss the point completely. Sit down, take a deep breath, and read the following closely:
Scum like AI will reap what they sow; my quarrel is with J. Last. If you'll recall, I called him a jocksniffer. Ask a male friend what one is, and you'll see my point.