UL Athlete Andrew Toney

[Boomer]

I think Hatfield---I remember the name on the board at congress and Bertrand--something like---Remember this name Andrew Toney ---Toby's deal when he signed!!!!

[zephyr]

_ Hi
This is Ted Lyles. I have a whole box of pictures of "T". _

Ted, while I was young when you were playing, I think you were my dad's favorite player in a cajun uniform. He constantly spoke of you when basketball came up so naturally I became a fan. It's good to see you poking in from time to time.

[J-Town Cajun]

_ I had the oppoertunity to meet Toney a few times and had a couple of classes with him. He always sat in the front, was at every class and made some of the highest scores on tests. How many guards do we see in college these days who shoot 53% for a career?

Somebody help with the pic in the article. Andrew, Dion Rainey, CJ and Steve Who??? _

Steve Jones

[duggie85]

A friend of mine told me that he saw Barkley on the golf channel and Barkley met up with Toney. When he walked up to him he said that he would like to introduce everyone to the best player he's ever played with.....Andrew Toney.

That was on The Haney Project

[shof]

_ That was on The Haney Project _

Several years ago (probably 1995 timeframe) I was in town for a homecoming game. Was playing golf with my brother-in-law at Le Triomphe. Just the two of us when one of his collegues caught us on #9 nine. His partner that day was Andrew Toney; so the two of them joined us for the final 10 holes. The dued can play golf too! Nice fluid swing. Anyway, I mentioned that I'd heard Barkley was something like a 12 handicap at the time and Andrew just laughed and said something like "in his dreams"! ;-) After watching Barkley on the Haney Project I can see why he laughed at the time! Great day shared with a USL legend!

[HoustonCajun]

_ Great article about the best player ever to play at UL. Saw him many times in college and was like the rest of the people in the article, "in awe". He played like a pro in college and was a man among boys.

He was a class act also. Mr. Basketball for the state of Alabama in High School and showed his real class when he left the team on a west coast tour and while they went to play in the Great Alaskan Shootout, he walked across the stage for his diploma in only 3-1/2 years of school. I forget what he majored in but it wasn't a crip course.

One more thing. In his day he was known as the best "pure shooter" in basketball. _

I have to disagree with you. Let's not get pro basketball confused with college basketball. Bo Lamar was the greatest player in UL history and was a better pure shooter. If there had been a 3 point shot back then, Lamar would have averaged about 45 a game. Toney was quicker and stronger and had a game and body built for the NBA, Lamar did not. I was around for both and saw all of their games at Blackham. Toney was a great player, but Lamar was The Man (in college).

[zephyr]

_ I have to disagree with you. Let's not get pro basketball confused with college basketball. Bo Lamar was the greatest player in UL history and was a better pure shooter. If there had been a 3 point shot back then, Lamar would have averaged about 45 a game. Toney was quicker and stronger and had a game and body built for the NBA, Lamar did not. I was around for both and saw all of their games at Blackham. Toney was a great player, but Lamar was The Man (in college). _

I was going to mention the same thing. I never really got a chance to watch either, I watched Toney when I was about 5-6 years old so I really have no recollection but the things I've heard, read and talked about with my father were that Lamar was on another level in college.

[Duggie35]

_ I have to disagree with you. Let's not get pro basketball confused with college basketball. Bo Lamar was the greatest player in UL history and was a better pure shooter. If there had been a 3 point shot back then, Lamar would have averaged about 45 a game. Toney was quicker and stronger and had a game and body built for the NBA, Lamar did not. I was around for both and saw all of their games at Blackham. Toney was a great player, but Lamar was The Man (in college). _

I was also fortunate enough to be around for both Bo and Andrew's careers here at UL. Bo Lamar will always be "The Man" and the best offensive player in UL history, but his defense left something to be desired. However, Andrew also played defense. So when you combine his play on both ends of the court, Mr. Toney is probably the best overall player to ever put on a Cajun uniform.

It's ashame that Cajun fans who were not around in the 70's and 80's don't have any idea of what Cajun basketball used to be. Although we have had a "few" good teams since then, the overall program is nowhere close to what it was during the days of Coaches Shipley, Hatfield and the early years of Pascal.

It's way past time to do what needs to be done to start the rebuilding process!!!!

[IHateLaState]

_ I was also fortunate enough to be around for both Bo and Andrew's careers here at UL. Bo Lamar will always be "The Man" and the best offensive player in UL history, but his defense left something to be desired. However, Andrew also played defense. So when you combine his play on both ends of the court, Mr. Toney is probably the best overall player to ever put on a Cajun uniform.

It's ashame that Cajun fans who were not around in the 70's and 80's don't have any idea of what Cajun basketball used to be. Although we have had a "few" good teams since then, the overall program is nowhere close to what it was during the days of Coaches Shipley, Hatfield and the early years of Pascal.

It's way past time to do what needs to be done to start the rebuilding process!!!! _

Its hard to choose from these two... Bo and Andrew.... During the Bo years we were legitimate National Championship contenders... something I mentioned awhile back and was scoffed at by some younger posters... i.e. the idea that UL ever had a truely elite basketball program... we did... Bo and Roy Ebron and the others were mentioned in the same vien as Bill Walton and UCLA back then.... Then the Death Penalty to which we recovered and came on with Andrew Toney and an NIT Final Four appearance...

This is why it is soo hard for some of us to see what this program has become... why some of us say it is indeed possible for UL to have a quality basketball program... why changes need to be made

[HoustonCajun]

_ Its hard to choose from these two... Bo and Andrew.... During the Bo years we were legitimate National Championship contenders... something I mentioned awhile back and was scoffed at by some younger posters... i.e. the idea that UL ever had a truely elite basketball program... we did... Bo and Roy Ebron and the others were mentioned in the same vien as Bill Walton and UCLA back then.... Then the Death Penalty to which we recovered and came on with Andrew Toney and an NIT Final Four appearance...

This is why it is soo hard for some of us to see what this program has become... why some of us say it is indeed possible for UL to have a quality basketball program... why changes need to be made _

Not only that, but Roy Ebron was on the cover of Sports Illustrated along with Bill Walton and two others. They said Ebron was the only center in the country who could possibly play with Walton and USL was picked as a national contender that year. Also, there were Small College and Major College basketball divisions back then, as I remember it. USL was Small College one year and Bo Lamar led the nation in scoring with something like 35 points a game. The next year, USL went Major College and Lamar again led the nation in scoring with over 32 points a game. I saw him score 51 vs. LA Tech in Ruston and he came out of the game with about 3 minutes left. Some great basketball was played back then, particularly LA Tech and Lamar who had outstanding teams and also could play with anyone. Bo Lamar could shoot the lights out and would have averaged over 45 points a game if we had the 3 point shot back then. He was truly a pure shooter. Toney had an awkward shot as I remember. Quick and strong, but no way the shooter Lamar was. What was also great is that as students, we had to get to Blackham about 5:00 for a 7:30 game to get a seat. Blackham was rocking back then and USL basketball was a hot ticket.