College Basketball Players on Ranked Teams and Their Celebrity Counterparts
As I was flipping through college basketball the other day, I noticed some names on the court that were destined to be linked to some famous people.
I have decided to pick a player from each ranked college basketball team entering the season, and do a spin-off on that player's celebrity counterpart.
The comparison has more to do with the similarity in names than the personality of the player...but I tried to find a way to weasel the personality aspect in there, too.
Enjoy.
25. San Diego State: Billy White=Billy "White Shoes" Johnson
1 of 25
Billy White, the 6'8", 235-lb. forward from San Diego State, may not have the speed or juke moves of legendary return man Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, but what he lacks in speed he makes up in agility.
24. Tennessee: Tobias Harris=Tobias Funke, Toby Huss, Tobey Maguire
2 of 25
Looking for similar names to Tobias Harris, I came across Tobias Funke, Toby Huss and Tobey Maguire. Take your pick: They all are horrible people to be compared to.
Tobias Funke was the flamboyant Arrested Development character, Toby Huss played Artie (The Strongest Man in the World) in the Nickelodeon cult hit The Adventures of Pete & Pete, and Tobey Maguire, well, we can all agree he doesn't pull a convincing Spiderman and should not, in any way, be landing Kirsten Dunst.
Sorry Tobias Harris, you deserved better. Although he does look like he's doing an Artie pose in this picture (on the right).
23. Brigham Young: Chris Collinsworth=Chris Collinsworth
3 of 25
They both look like goofy white guys. But Brigham Young's Chris Collinsworth will probably never get a video game named after him like the broadcaster did.
22. Virginia Tech: Malcolm Delaney=Malcolm Gladwell
4 of 25
This senior Hokies guard better find the right Tipping Point and better not Blink or the Hokies will be Outliers to the NCAA Tournament (lying outside of it).
If the Hokies lie outside the arena during NCAA Tournament play, they will most likely read What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures.
See how I did that? Those were all Malcolm Gladwell books!
21. Temple: Ramone Moore=Joey Ramone
5 of 25
The junior Owls guard likes to rock out on the court much like Joey Ramone of the Ramones liked to rock out on the stage.
This was the only similarity I could find between the two.
20. Georgetown: Jason Clark=Clark Kent
6 of 25
On the day his grandmother passed away, junior guard Jason Clark turned into Superman against Tulane, scoring 17 points, hitting three three-pointers, grabbing 11 rebounds, and adding five steals in the 69-53 win.
It was a career game for him.
19. Memphis: Joe Jackson="Shoeless" Joe Jackson
7 of 25
The speedy freshman guard could probably cover a lot of ground in left field, as "Shoeless" Joe Jackson did for most of his 12-year baseball career.
Let's just hope he doesn't play basketball in his socks.
18. Washington: Matthew Bryan-Amaning=Matthew Manning
8 of 25
The bestselling British author Matthew Manning is alleged to have psychic abilities. The way the game comes to Matthew Bryan-Amaning, I would allege that he has psychic abilities, as well.
Matthew Manning grew up in England. Matthew Bryan-Amaning grew up in England.
Matthew Manning allegedly was subjected to poltergeist disturbances as a kid. Matthew Bryan-Amaning...wasn't...that we know of at least...
"E.T. phone home." (see picture)
17. Baylor: Quincy Acy=Quincy Jones
9 of 25
Don't know if Quincy Acy is a Thriller fan—or a Quincy Jones or Michael Jackson fan for that matter—but he won't be if he ever watches this creepy video of the musician-producer combo.
Was Quincy Jones petting the snake or Michael Jackson's leg?
16. Butler: Shelvin Mack=Connie Mack
10 of 25
Connie Mack, baseball's longest-serving manager, was a catcher in his playing days.
Guard Shelvin Mack catches passes, then shoots them into the net.
Kinda the same thing.
15. Missouri: Laurence Bowers=Jon "Bowzer" Bauman
11 of 25
Jon "Bowzer" Bauman was a member of the band Sha Na Na, famous for it's part in the movie Grease. Bowzer was known for flexing his muscles, burping, and spitting in the general direction of the bassist during the group's long tenure.
Missouri junior forward Laurence Bowers, all 6'8" of him, is known for flexing his muscles when pulling down rebounds and blocking shots, as evidenced by his 10 rebounds and four blocks in Tigers' first game against Western Illinois on November 18th.
Now all he has to do is burp in players' faces and spit in their general direction and the comparison will be complete.
14. Purdue: E'Twaun Moore=E.T.
12 of 25
Boilermakers senior guard E'Twaun Moore had 19 points and seven assists against Alcorn State on Nov. 17.
They say he just points his finger, says, "E'Twaun phone home" and the ball goes into the net.
13. Illinois: Demetri McCamey=Demetri Martin
13 of 25
It's COMICAL how easily senior Illinois guard Demetri McCamey makes the game look, averaging 16.5 points and 7.5 assists while shooting 56 percent from the floor through four games.
Almost as comical as a Demetri Martin stand-up. Couldn't find video that wouldn't offend someone, but look him up, he's amusing.
He also was the keytar player in season one of "Flight of the Conchords."
12. Kentucky: Terrence Jones=Terry Jones
14 of 25
A member of the Monty Python group, Terry Jones is most known for his roles as a middle-aged woman and the bowler-hatted "man in the street." He had a wide range of things he could do in comedy.
Wildcats forward Terrence Jones can do a wide range of things on the basketball court, with a line of 25 points, two three-pointers, 12 rebounds, three steals and two blocks against East Tennessee State on November 12th.
11. Gonzaga: Steven Gray=Steven Page
15 of 25
Founder of the Canadian band The Barenaked Ladies, Steven Page was a big hit when the band exploded onto the scene in 1998 behind such songs as One Week.
Senior guard Steven Gray is a big hit right now, averaging 25.7 points, six rebounds, 7.3 assists and three steals through three games.
Gray also was born in Irondale, Wash., which is close to Canada!
10. Syracuse: Rick Jackson=Rick James
16 of 25
One of Rick James' most famous songs was Super Freak.
Syracuse senior forward Rick Jackson is a "super freak" on the court, averaging 13.7 points, 14 rebounds, 1.7 steals and two blocks in three games.
9. Florida: Chandler Parsons=Chandler ("Friends")
17 of 25
Chandler was the awkward, neurotic, fidgety character in the hit sitcom Friends.
His hair is similar to senior forward Chandler Parsons.
That was the only similarity I could find.
8. North Carolina: John Henson=Jim Henson
18 of 25
Jim Henson, of course, was the creator of The Muppets and one of the most famous puppeteers in puppeteer history.
Tar Heels sophomore forward John Henson has been playing with opponents as if they're puppets, averaging 11 points, 14 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in his first two games of the 2010 season.
7. Kansas: Markieff Morris=Kiefer Sutherland
19 of 25
Junior forward Markieff Morris has been known to have some exceptional jumping ability, averaging 14 boards and 1.5 blocks in two games this season.
But not even Markieff can jump into a Christmas tree the way 24 star Kiefer Sutherland can when he's drunk.
6. Villanova: Maalik Wayns=Marlon Wayans
20 of 25
Comedian Marlon Wayans has made a life out of collaborating with brother Shawn Wayans.
Forward Maalik Wayns apparently makes a life out of collaborating with teammate Corey Stokes in finding ways to produce hilarious pictures.
5. Pittsburgh: Talib Zanna=Talib Kweli
21 of 25
The name Talib, of Arabic origin, means "knowledge-seeker."
Hip hop artist extraordinaire Talib Kweli seeks knowledge on how to create dope songs.
Panthers freshman forward Talib Zanna seeks knowledge on how to grab rebounds, averaging 9.3 a game in under 20 minutes through the season's first four games.
He grabs rebounds "just to get by."
4. Ohio State: Jared Sullinger=J.D. Salinger
22 of 25
"I don't even know what I was running for—I just felt like it."
So goes the line from main character Holden Caulfield in author J.D. Salinger's famous novel, The Catcher in the Rye.
Ohio State's beast freshman forward, Jared Sullinger, probably feels this way too—before he dunks a basketball into an opponent's face.
So poetic, those dunks.
3. Kansas State: Rodney McGruder=MacGruber!
23 of 25
The SNL sketch character turned movie star based on MacGyver, the versatile MacGruber can solve a wide range of dilemmas.
Sophomore guard Rodney McGruder solves a wide range of dilemmas for the Wildcats on the basketball court, and is very versatile, averaging 11 points, 6.7 rebounds, three assists and a steal per game.
2. Michigan State: Durrell Summers=Darrelle Revis
24 of 25
The New York Jets' Darrelle Revis is considered one of the best corners in the NFL. The leader of the Jets defense, he is largely responsibly when the Jets outscore their opponents.
Senior guard Durrell Summers has been largely responsible for Michigan State outscoring its opponents two games into the season, averaging 19.5 points per game while shooting 50 percent from the field.
The Spartans have scored 96 and 82 points in their first two games.
1. Duke: Seth Curry=Stephen Curry
25 of 25
This one was an easy one.
Sophomore guard Seth Curry is the younger brother of the Golden State Warriors' phenom Stephen Curry.
They both are talented guards and the way Seth has been playing at Duke so far he has a good chance of following Stephen's footsteps to the NBA.
.png?w=600 "Who Will Panthers Take at No. 9 ? 🤔")
