Our most hated Big 12 basketball players list

Watching Brady Heslip smack gum and launch three balls on Wednesday got me thinking. Actually this tweet got me thinking…

It got me thinking about who my all-time Big 12 most hated starting five was.

Obviously we’re talking sports hate here. I don’t know any of these guys therefore there’s no possible way I could actually hate them, you guys know what I mean.

A few other PFB contributors weighed on with their picks as well. Hope you guys enjoy…

OKC Dave

Jason Sutherland (Missouri) – In the past, Sutherland has been accused of crossing the line from time to time with a leg whip or other not-so-subtle tactics. Whether or not it’s fair, he’s become a favorite whipping boy of crowds on the road in the Big 12 Conference. At Oklahoma State, he was booed every time he touched the ball.”

Ryan Minor (Oklahoma) – I would have loved him as a Poke, but he seemed to be OU’s answer to Brooks Thompson. The smartass player who was always in the right spot and seemed to revel in beating us.

Blake Griffin (Oklahoma) –  I like him now, but I’ve even had OU fans admit he was a punk at OU. Yes, he was an incredible player. But the way he used to stare people down was waaay over the top. He learned his lesson last year in his first NBA season.

John Lucas (Baylor-version) – Sure, everyone loves JL3. But remember this? 2/16/03. OSU’s video boards are brand new. 12,514 fans came to see the #13 Cowboys take on the lowly Baylor Bears, 2-8 in league play and losers of 22 straight road games. Lucas stole the ball from Andre Williams with two minutes remaining and found someone for a layup, cutting our lead to one. Then, on the next possession, he found a fellow Bear open for three to give Baylor a 74-72 win. I remember Lucas dancing on our white maple. I found it in my heart to forgive him when he transferred in.

Kevin Bookout (Oklahoma) – Easy to hate…a solid 4-year player for the Sooners that was part of a team that took down Eddie in his last true game as head coach at GIA.

@CarsonC5

Eduardo Najera (team captain) (Oklahoma) – My team captain. Guy you hated when he wasn’t on your team. Epitomized the Kelvin Sampson era. (Photo)

Jason Sutherland (Missouri) – Trash-talking extraordinaire, cheap shot artist and he single-handedly triggered a brawl versus the And-1 Mixtape Tour. (Photo)

Jeff Boschee (Kansas) – Over-sized t-shirt, taped wrist & a 4-year starter. It felt like he played 10 years & scored 50,000 (self-righteous) career points. (Photo)

Gabe Muoneke (Texas) – Another 4-year starter, dirty player (suspended for punching a KU player) & kicked OSU’s tail along the way. (Photo)

Brad Buckman (Texas) – The Luke Schenscher of the Big 12: Couldn’t play dead until scoring a career-high 28 points to end the nation’s longest home court winning streak at GIA. All of it with a goofy look on his face. (Photo)

Quincy Acy (Baylor) – He would be in the midst of an 0-7 shooting night and make an uncontested dunk, then celebrate as if he had won the NBA title. Also played 10 years. (Photo)

 Pistolsboy

Luke Axtell (Texas/Kansas) – Throwing this one wayyyy back to the early days of the Big 12. He played for Texas then transferred to KU for the last two years of his career. I remember going to the ’97 (maybe ’98?) Big 12 tournament in Kansas City with my pops and walking away with one thought: “I sports hate Luke Axtell.”

Austin Johnson (Oklahoma) – I think this one is pretty self-explanatory. He thought he was the best player on teams with Taj Gray, Kevin Bookout, Willie Warren, and Blake Griffin. Once said “You can’t let up when you get a lead. You have to keep stepping on their throat until it’s over.”

Brian Boddicker (Texas) – Any questions here?

Renzi Stone (Oklahoma) – I know he’s a big-time leader in the OKC community now. I know he was a bit player on some pretty good teams. I know all of these things and yet I loathed him. Maybe it was because he closed down GIA with a win in Bedlam over my favorite team ever.

Gabe Muoneke (Texas) – Let’s just say the “Chinese captain attacks Gabe Muoneke” story doesn’t surprise me.

Also considered: James Thomas, Aaron Bruce, Brady Morningstar, Sasha Kaun, Eduardo Najera, Kevin Bookout, Michael Beasley, Byron Eaton.

I love that Carson included photos in case we needed to be convinced to hate his guys. And had a 6th man.

Who’d we miss?