With the 2019 NBA draft taking place later this month, we will spend the next couple of weeks taking a walk down memory lane with a choice collection of players who are celebrating an awesome anniversary this year. From a future Hall of Famer selected 2nd overall in 1959 (60th anniversary) through a conference POY picked in the 2nd round in 2009 (10th anniversary), these stars have all seen their dreams come true in past drafts. We continue our series with Skeeter Swift, who was a conference POY/All-American before being drafted by Milwaukee in 1969. He chose to join the ABA instead, where he became 1 of the best FT shooters in league history, then was hired at coach at Liberty and later won a high school national title as coach at Oak Hill Academy. Skeeter passed away in 2017 but HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with him several years ago and now brings you this never-before-published interview in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Skeeter getting drafted.
Your 1st amazing athletic accomplishment took place on the George Washington (now TC Williams) High School football field in September 1963 when you drop-kicked a field goal at the end of the 1st half in a win over Annandale: why did you do a drop-kick, and did the fans know what the heck you were doing? The fans had no idea what was going on. 1 of my assistant coaches showed me how to do it and on Friday the 13th against the #1 team in the district I just got lucky!
You were named to the 1964/1965 All-Met teams (along with guys like John Hummer/Austin Carr) and played pickup games in DC against Hall of Famers like Elgin Baylor/Dave Bing: how good was the DC basketball scene back in the day, and how big an issue was race (if at all)? Hall of Famer Earl Lloyd summed it up best: once you cross the line, there is no race. In the 1960s I felt that DC metro basketball was the best in the country. The majority of All-Met guys got college basketball scholarships and a few even went on to play in the pros.
In 1965 you scored 21 PTS before fouling out in a 1-PT 2-OT win over Wakefield in the Northern District title game: what did it feel like to get a standing ovation from the fans who had been taunting you from the start of the game? They beat us pretty bad earlier in the year. We had to beat Washington & Lee twice in a week just to get the chance to play Wakefield. The highlight of the Wakefield game came when I was sitting on the bench after fouling out and a group of their players came over to shake my hand and tell me that I played a hell of a game. At that time it was the biggest gym in the area so it was a great atmosphere.
In 1966 you attended the famous Texas Western-Kentucky NCAA championship game: what was the reaction like from the crowd, and could you tell how big a deal it was at the time? You will think I am a wacko but I did not even know it was the title game! I saw Bobby Joe Hill steal the ball 3 times and I saw Big Daddy Lattin dunk it: it was a great game. My favorite part of the movie “Glory Road” is when the team gets off the airplane at the end and we get to see that they all made it in the game of life.
You were recruited by several famous college coaches (including Lefty Driesell/Frank McGuire): why did you decide to attend East Tennessee State? I was not the best at academics but ETSU was willing to take a chance on me. I graduated in 4 years with a 2.5 GPA. We were playing in Richmond after their coach had told me he thought I was too fat and after I made a long shot I turned to ask him, “Did that look like the shot of a fat man?!”
In 1966 you scored 20.9 PPG and were named OVC ROY: how were you able to come in and be so successful right from the start? I was driven to be accepted and felt that I would be accepted if we won. Integration broke in around 1965/1966 and we had the best players in the area because the SEC would not recruit Black players. We were not able to play on the varsity back then.
Take me through the 1968 NCAA tourney:
You had 22 PTS/10 REB in a 7-PT win over Florida State: how were you able to play your best when it mattered the most? FSU coach Hugh Durham was considered to be the best defensive coach in the country and Dave Cowens had led them to a #2 national ranking. I got stronger as the game progressed and just manhandled the guards on the offensive end. After the game Durham said I looked like a Marine drill sergeant!
You scored 21 PTS in a 7-PT loss to Ohio State: what was the reaction like when you got back to campus? We got a police escort back to campus after the FSU game and they had just had a panty raid on our ultra-conservative campus! I did not play really well against OSU and all of their big men were able to get rebounds. We did not play well down the stretch because after playing to win in the 1st half we were playing not to lose in the 2nd half. The consolation game was not that fun: it is a losers’ game.
You made all 18 of your FTs during the tourney: what is your secret for being a great FT shooter? I did a lot of work as I was coming up: I would shoot in the wind, rain, snow, etc. I was not a great scorer but I was always a great shooter. I learned from Hal “Bulldog” Greer who shot FTs the same way that he shot jumpers.
In 1968 you scored 20 PTS in an 8-PT upset of Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium and taunted the Blue Devil fans by walking off the court as you made your final FT: did you really know that it was going in, and how did the Cameron Crazies of the 1960s compare to the present-day edition? Duke invited us to play at their place and thought they would beat us really bad. It is a dungeon look-alike when empty but is gorgeous on game-day. I had a 5’10” guy guarding me so I posted him up a lot. When the final FT left my hand I just ran off the court as it was going in even though there were 20 seconds left. Everyone was interviewing me after the game. Duke might have beaten us 9 out of 10 times…but that night was our night.
In 1969 you had an arena-record 41 PTS (15-26 FG) in a win at Western Kentucky: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? That was my last game in Diddle Arena: I loved playing there in front of 10,000+ people. WKU had 3 guys who were 7’ tall. My mentality is that if my 1st shot goes in then the rest of the night I will be in a zone. I could be a shooter if need be but I liked to pass the ball.
You were a 3-time All-OVC performer, 1968 conference POY, and an All-American: what did it mean to you to win such outstanding honors? Considering the talent I played against it was truly an honor and being named POY was really a highlight. I was also MVP of the Tennessee-Kentucky All-Star Game in Nashville.
You were drafted 31st overall by Milwaukee in the 1969 NBA draft (2 spots ahead of Norm Van Lier), but opted to take an offer from the ABA’s expansion New Orleans Buccaneers: why did you choose the ABA over the NBA, and do you have any regrets? Can you imagine how stupid I was: I could have been the 2 guard on a Milwaukee team with Oscar Robertson/Lew Alcindor! However, the name of the game was money: New Orleans offered me a 3-year no-cut contract and Milwaukee only offered me a 1-year deal. The ABA was a funny league but had some great talent so I have no regrets.
Your career 84.1 FT% is #9 in ABA history (ahead of legends like George Gervin/Rick Mount): do you feel like you were 1 of the best FT shooters in pro basketball? Oh yeah: there is no doubt! Today’s players play above the rim more than ever before and FT shooting is also getting better. I remember Wilt Chamberlain dunking the ball from the FT line: it is a no-brainer that he is the best to ever play the game.
In 1977 you became head coach at Liberty: why did you decide to get into coaching, and what was it like to work for Reverend Jerry Falwell? In order to be a good coach you have to be a good teacher. I was very immature at the time and did not know how to handle that kind of environment: I would jump up, throw my coat, etc. Reverend Falwell was a great motivator but I probably should not have made the move until I was more mature.
In 1979 you became coach at Oak Hill Academy, where you went 61-1 (including 58 wins in a row) and won the 1980 national title: what did it mean to you to win the title, and why did you ever get out of the coaching business? Despite going 61-1 I got fired after refusing to play a guy who was flunking English. I took the position in the spring when they had only 2 games on the schedule so I started scheduling anyone that I could. My rule was that you had to make a 2.5 GPA or go home. I hired an assistant coach who was the real coach and we had a few McDonald’s All-Americans. We ran a clean program and all of our seniors got scholarships: it was disappointing to leave.
When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? I would like to be known as the Pete Rose of basketball…even though I did not bet on my team! I was the consummate team player and a winner who never left anything out on the floor.
*You can find more information on Trey Williams’ book about Skeeter at: www.facebook.com/pg/skeeterswiftbook/posts