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Earl's Dream High School Final Four (Who Would Win?)

29/04/2010 15:34:00 Earl Austin

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There have been many great high school basketball teams to grace the courts of St. Louis. In this entry, I have narrowed it down to what is my Dream Final Four of St. Louis basketball. Imagine a special Final Four featuring the 1969 Sumner Bulldogs (pictured), the 1978 DeSmet Spartans, the 1987 East St. Louis Lincoln Tigers and the 1988 Vashon Wolverines. In my opinion, these four teams stand out from the rest. Who would win these epic showdowns and emerge as the best team in the history of St. Louis prep hoops? Here's a quick breakdown of these four great teams.

1969 Sumner Bulldogs
Head Coach: John Algee

Starting Five:

Harry Rogers 6'7" (F); James Brown 6'4" (F); David Brent 7'0" (C)

Travis Brown 6'0" (G); Lawrence Weathers 5'7" (G): Bench: Marshall Rogers 6'0" (G), William Westfall 6'8" (F), Clarence Weaver 6'8" (F), Mack Rush 6'5"(F)

*A towering and talented team that won the Class L state championship with a 30-1 record. They were led by the multitalented Rogers and the dominant big man Brent. As if that weren't enough talent, the Bulldogs brought off the bench guard Marshall Rogers, who was a future NCAA scoring champion, and Westfall, who was a starter on Memphis State's 1973 NCAA Tournament runnerup team.

1978 DeSmet Spartans

Head Coach: Rich Grawer

Starting Five

Mark Dressler 6'6" (F); Steve Stipanovich 6'11" (C); Curtis Conyears 6'0" (G)Anthony Darby 6'0" (G); Michael Meara 6'2" (G): Bench; Tom Hornof 6'3" (F)John Culliton 6'3" (F); Ken Klump 6'3" (F)

*The '78 Spartans won the Missouri Class 4A state title with an umblemished 32-0 in what was the front end of back to back state championships and an area record 63-game winning streak. The Spartans were led by senior forward Mark Dressler and prep All-American center Steve Stipanovich, who would team up in college to lead Missouri to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in 1980. They were a balanced team with size, quickness and depth.

1987 Lincoln Tigers

Head Coach: Bennie Lewis

Starting Five: James Harris 6'7" (F), Chris Rogers 6'7" (F), LaPhonso Ellis 6'9" (C), Mark Chambers 6'1" (G), Rodney Chavis 6'1" (G); Bench: Lawrence Bradford 6'1" (G)
*The Tigers won the IHSA Class AA state championship in what was the first of their historic run of three consecutive state titles in the state of Illinois. The Tigers featured one of the top front lines in the history of the area, led by the prep All-American Ellis. He was joined up front by 6'7" bookends Harris and Rogers, who also played Division I basketball. The Tigers defeated Chicago King for the state title.

1988 Vashon Wolverines
Head Coach: Floyd Irons

Starting Five:Malcolm Nash 6'7" (F), Corey Warner 6'7" (F), Kenneth Simpson 6'5" (C), Sean Tunstall 6'3" (G), Glover Cody 5'10 (G); Bench: Montrell Nash 6'9" (F); Melvin Robinson 6'11" (C); Anthony Jones 5'9" (G); Mark Gant 6'2" (G); Eric Dancy 6'3" (G)

*The Wolverines won the Class 4A state championship and finished in the top five of the USA Today National High School Rankings. Vashon was big, deep and very talented. Their second unit was just as talented as many of the other top high school teams in the state. Eight of the Wolverines' top 10 played Division I basketball in college while center Kenneth Simpson was a Division II All-American in college.

Who do you think would emerge as the victor of these Dream Final Four. Give me your thoughts in the comments section below. If there is another team that you think should be there instead, let me know. Let the woofin' begin.

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Comments (56 posted):

Bob Swanson on 14/05/2010 19:37:05

What about the 1974 McCluer Comets who were 30 and 2, and beat Johnny Parker and Arthur McFaddin for the Title. Grayling Tobias and company..

Earl Austin on 14/05/2010 20:09:42

That '74 McCluer team was great indeed. In fact, I have a copy of that state championship game.

Ashley Chase on 30/06/2010 23:14:10

The 1977 Maplewood-Richmond Heights team that was 21-4 and was undefeated in the newly formed Suburban East conference

Monroe Douglass on 17/07/2010 06:10:51

As a former stand out player and having played with some of the best players in the world. I would have to go with the 69 Sumner team. I was only 3 at the time but I had a chance to play with some of those guys later in their life. In high school, Marshall Rogers would come to our practice and play with us and no one could guard him. By then he was aproaching 40. He could step across and nail jumper after jumper. One of the best. And as you know Harry Rogers held the SLU scoring record until I broke that in 1988. So his record stood for almost 20 years. That was a great team. Probably one of the best ever in the STL. Then I would have to put the 1984 Mckinley Goldbugs up there as well. We played as a 3a school in the PHL that had almost all 4a school and we still tied to 1st that year and Won the State title.

Basketball Man on 09/08/2010 05:30:47

Earl what a final four, but E.St. Louis Lincoln and that diamond n 1 press with that match up 2-3 zone would have smothered the other 3 teams. This team would have barely beat the E. St. Louis Lincoln 82 team.

Ole School BBall Fanatic on 16/08/2010 03:08:14

Those are some great teams and I saw all of them personally. I think that the Vashon team of 1985-86 was better than the 1988 team in my opinion but the other was still great.
With all due respect to Lincoln's diamond n 1 press and 2-3 match-up would not have mattered to the Sumner team because they would have passed over it. Plus, the 6-7 Harry Rogers was the ultimate zone breaker in that he was also a guard or point forward on that team. If they got it to half court which they surely would have Brent would have gotten lay-up after lay-up or short jumpers which he was very profficient. But that is why they play the games. Marshall and Harry Rogers would shoot any team out of a zone and Brent killed man-to-man.

Mike Jones on 19/08/2010 15:39:39

of this four I would pick the 69 Sumner team. But you missed the best,the 70 Vashon team

Larry Brown on 22/09/2010 13:32:38

As much as it pains me to admit that any team could be better than the 74 McCluer team mentioned above, I have to say that the 69 Sumner team was probably the best ever. Although a couple years before even my time, I recall Beaumont's Billy Morris getting the best of David Brent the following year in 1970.

Dana O. Clay on 13/11/2010 00:35:02