10 College Basketball Players Who Opposing Fans Love to Hate
No one in college basketball today elicits the kind of hatred from opposing fans that players like Duke's Christian Laettner, Mississippi's Marshall Henderson (pictured above) and Oregon State's Gary Payton did in years past.
However, there are a few who can rankle some feathers.
The No. 1 prerequisite for a player to be disliked by opposing fans is that the player must be a star. A reserve or a complementary player does not have enough influence in a game to sway a fan's emotions.
Often it is the mere greatness of the player that brings animosity, in which case the hatred is a thinly veiled compliment. Sometimes a player's demeanor causes opposing fans to be annoyed. Sometimes it's a single incident.
We offer 10 players who seem to be hated in opposing arenas.
D'Angelo Russell, Ohio State
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Ohio State freshman D'Angelo Russell earned a place on this list with his first-half performance against Minnesota on January 6 on the Gophers' home court.
It was not just that Russell scored 25 points in the first half on 10-of-12 shooting, including 5 of 5 on three-pointers, to outscore the entire Gophers team. It was also the way he enjoyed himself in what was supposed to be an intimidating road environment, especially for a freshman.
"He’s running all over our gym smiling and laughing. That can't happen," said Andre Hollins, one of the Minnesota players who guarded Russell in the first half, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
The Gophers controlled Russell in the second half with constant double-teams, but the Buckeyes still won.
Russell has been better than expected this season, contributing in virtually every statistical category while leading the Buckeyes into contention for a NCAA tournament berth. Russell has made himself one of the leading candidates for Big Ten Player of the Year and might be a first-team All-American.
Opposing fans know that Ohio State's success depends largely on Russell's performance, so they know enough to root against him.
Tyler Haws, BYU
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BYU guard Tyler Haws is an excellent shooter and scorer and was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year last season.
He ranked sixth in the nation in scoring last season, averaging 23.2 points per game, and he is fourth this season, averaging 21.9 points. Like many players who score that much, Haws is a volume shooter, averaging 15.2 field-goal attempts per game, and he has attempted 20 or more shots four times this season.
Anyone doing that much scoring and shooting is going to labeled a gunner by opposing fans, especially when the team is as good as BYU is.
BYU, and its high-scoring offense, is always a threat, and Haws is the Cougars' single-biggest threat, making him a natural enemy of opposing fans.
Playing for the Cougars may intensify the feeling, because some people don't like BYU in general.
A 2014 Wall Street Journal article with the headline "BYU Is Now the Duke of the West" asserted that, like Duke, BYU is hated everywhere. Joe Cravens, a men's basketball analyst for The Mtn., the network of the Mountain West Conference, was quoted in the article as saying, "They're the team everyone loves to hate."
Montrezl Harrell, Louisville
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Louisville forward Montrezl Harrell is a powerfully built forward who plays a powerful game. He makes a habit of throwing down rim-rattling dunks, then emphasizing his accomplishment with loud, celebratory shrieks.
That does not sit well with opposing fans when Harrell does it on the road.
If Harrell were a reserve or a complementary player, it probably wouldn't matter. But Harrell is an All-American-caliber player, someone likely to be taken in the first round of the upcoming NBA draft. The fact that Harrell is a junior and has been outmuscling foes for three years just makes him more familiar to fans on the road.
Harrell is an intimidating presence on the court, which is why opposing fans worry about him and learn to dislike his game.
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J.J. Avila, Colorado State
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An incident in a January 10 game in Colorado Springs, Colo., against host Air Force made Colorado State's J.J. Avila a villain to Falcons fans.
The fact that Avila had 28 points and 14 rebounds in the Rams' 92-87 victory probably accentuated the feeling.
Colorado State is a big, physical team, and as Nevada forward Ronnie Stevens said to the Reno Gazette-Journal in reference to facing the Rams, "We have to keep our ground. If you back down to a physical team, it shows a soft side. We don't have that."
The incident against Air Force occurred with 17:34 left in the game and Colorado State leading by 16 points. Avila went over the back of Air Force's Zach Kocur for an offensive rebound. Both players went to the floor, and Avila had Kocur in a headlock.
Matt Mooney of Air Force rushed in and punched Avila in the back, and pushing ensued. Mooney was ejected, and the Falcons made a run, but it was not enough to overtake Colorado State.
Both Mooney and Avila were subsequently suspended for their next game by the Mountain West Conference. Avila was penalized for physical abuse of an opponent, the type of wording that is not going to endear Avila to fans on the road.
Colorado State is a very good team and Avila is a very good player who employs a physical style home fans love and opposing fans don't.
Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky
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Somebody has to play the heavy for a Kentucky team that is both lauded and hated.
As Myron Medcalf of ESPN.com wrote in December,"...John Calipari’s Wildcats already have won the title of most polarizing team since Christian Laettner’s Blue Devils played for Mike Krzyzewski."
The Wildcats are 30-0, which demands respect, but many people dislike the slick Calipari and his method of bringing in the best high school talent for a year or two to create a national powerhouse before they march off to the NBA.
As a big man who has been swatting shots away for three seasons, Willie Cauley-Stein has become the villain for opposing fans, almost by default.
"Nobody roots for Goliath," Wilt Chamberlain said more than once, according to an ESPN.com story.
The 7'0" Cauley-Stein is so athletic for his size, it seems almost unfair. He can slam home an alley-oop pass or finish off a fast break with a dunk. Cauley-Stein also has blocked four shots in a game four times this season despite getting limited playing time in the Wildcats' time-sharing plan. He is averaging just 8.9 points but could be a first-team All-American.
Cauley-Stein has come to symbolize the shot-blocking threat that Kentucky's huge, athletic frontcourt poses. Fans on the road don't like that too much.
Quinn Cook, Duke
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At least one Duke player is obligated to be on the list. No elite team is more hated than the Blue Devils, and USA Today even ran a story two years ago titled "The 12 biggest reasons everybody hates Duke."
It's a bit hard to pick someone out of this season's Duke roster to be the villain. Center Jahlil Okafor is the team's star but there is little about him to dislike. He does not attract nearly the amount of animosity that former Duke stars such as Christian Laettner and J.J. Redick did.
The closest thing to a bad guy this year is Quinn Cook, a junior who has been a critical part of the program for three years.
Cook did display some cockiness in his first two seasons at Duke, when he was the team's starting point guard. When Tyus Jones was signed, the Twitter world lit up with people trying to take him down a peg because he would be replaced by an incoming freshman.
"I saw it all the time on Twitter . . . stuff like 'Tyus Jones is coming to take your job,'" Cook told CBSSports.com's Gary Parrish. "But, you know, it wasn't like Ty was tweeting those things."
Cook has seamlessly accepted his switch to the shooting guard spot and is now the team's second-leading scorer. Fewer signs of cockiness arise, and the Blue Devils look like a national title contender again.
But somebody at Duke has to play the bad guy.
Aaron Harrison, Kentucky
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Can two players from the same team be on this list, even though neither has any history of provocative or annoying behavior?
We say, yes, when that team happens to be Kentucky, which is lauded for its 30-0 record but hated by some because of the presence of a polarizing coach (John Calipari) and its amazing collection of young talent.
Sophomore guard Aaron Harrison has become a thorn in the sides of many opposing fans for is ability to hit clutch shots.
In last year's NCAA tournament against Louisville, Harrison made a three-point shot from the deep corner with 39 seconds left that put Kentucky ahead to stay against its hated state rival in a Sweet 16 game.
Two days after making that shot, Harrison nailed a three from the corner with 2.3 seconds left to provide the Wildcats with a 75-72 victory over Michigan.
In the national semifinals against Wisconsin, Harrison hit a contested three-pointer with 5.7 seconds left and Kentucky down by two. The Wildcats won the game by a point on Harrison's shot.
This season, Aaron Harrison has often been the key factor when the Wildcats get in trouble. His double-clutch jump shot with 3:57 left tied Georgia, after the host Bulldogs had led by nine points with 9:10 remaining.
He always seems to ruin the hopes of opposing teams, which makes him a villain.
Ron Baker, Wichita State
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Wichita State guard Ron Baker is the classic example of the player you love if he's on your team but hate if he's on the opposing team.
His hustle and willingness to get on the floor are admirable, but that can also be very annoying for those in the other camp.
For some reason excessive hustle always seems to turn the opposing crowds against a player.
It probably wouldn't matter if Baker were just another player, but he is an all-Missouri Valley Conference selection for a team ranked No. 8 in the country.
The fact that he had to pay his own way to play for Wichita State his first year there only makes his sweet story more annoying when he hits a critical three-pointer in an opposing team's arena.
T.J. McConnell, Arizona
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Much like Wichita State's Ron Baker, Arizona point guard T.J. McConnell is a player who's admired if he's on your team but disliked if he plays for your foe.
McConnell is all intensity, toughness and hustle. He displays an unfriendly countenance at all times and often admonishes teammates in a way that would seem arrogant, perhaps even belligerent, to outsiders.
He plays scrappy, in-your-face defense to lock down opposing guards, a method that hardly endears him to foes.
McConnell does not have the athleticism or skills to be a standout in the NBA. He probably won't get taken in the NBA draft and is only fourth on the team in scoring, at 9.7 points per game. Yet he is a candidate to be named Pac-12 Player of the Year because of his grittiness and the sheer force of his will.
An Associated Press story, via Yahoo.com, described McConnell as follows: "He spits fire, not compliments. Hounds opponents relentlessly. Howls at the crowd with a red-faced fury. Puts every ounce of his being toward winning."
To fans of Arizona's opponent, McConnell is the annoying gnat that can't be swatted.
Delon Wright, Utah
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Delon Wright's problem is that he makes the game look too doggone easy.
The multi-dimensional Utah point guard never seems to be in a hurry, never seems concerned, never seems to panic.
He just rolls along at his own pace, scoring points, dishing assists, grabbing rebounds and blocking shots. Nothing about him looks spectacular, yet he's the unquestioned leader of a Utah team that is ranked No. 13 in the country and has a shot to be a first-team All-American.
Nothing is more annoying to opposing fans than a player who does not seem to be trying but beats your team like a drum.
Wright finds ways to methodically penetrate to the basket when no gap is apparent. He can get double-teamed in the corner, apparently trapped, only to effortlessly whistle a perfect pass to a teammate for a layup. Although Wright is just a 32.2 percent three-point shooter, he has a knack for hitting a trey when it matters most.
How he does it confounds opponents because he seems to be traveling at half-speed. That's annoying.
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