This is our saddest Selection Sunday ever because there is too much Sunday and not enough Selection. America obviously has bigger problems to worry about this month and quite possibly the only silver lining is that we have a LOT of free time to reflect on Sundays from the past. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel concludes our 3-part series with ASU play-by-play guy Tim Healey, who shared a story of how he made the Selection Sunday show in 2009 and his college memories of the future NBA MVP.
In the 2007 McDonald’s All-American Game Harden scored 8 PTS for the West in a 2-PT win over the East: how good was he back in high school? It was a really big deal because ASU does not get McDonald’s All-Americans very often. The top programs in the country get most of them every recruiting cycle while ASU only gets about 1 per decade. To this day he remains 1 of the highest ranked recruits we have ever had, although Bobby Hurley has brought in some great classes.
In 2009 as as sophomore at ASU he was named conference POY/All-American: what did it mean to him to receive such outstanding honors? It was also a big deal: for 35 years ASU has struggled to remain consistently competitive/relevant. During Ned Wulk’s tenure prior to joining the Pac-8 they had a proud history but it has been challenging over the past few decades. However, the worm may start to turn even though they have only made the NCAA tourney about 6 times since Ned left. Given their past history, ASU has still been able to have several conference POYs (including Eddie House/Ike Diogu).
He started growing his trademark beard that same year: was it really because he was too lazy to shave, and do you think that he will ever shave it? I do not know why he started to grow it. He might shave it some day but it is both his nickname as well as part of his mystique.
In 2012 he was named NBA 6th Man of the Year with Oklahoma City (a season that included a 40-PT effort off the bench in a road win at Phoenix): do you think that it was a difficult adjustment for him to go from college start to coming off the bench in the pros? I would think that when you are a rookie and go to a team that has enough talent to make the NBA Finals it can be tough, but it must be nice to be a key piece of a great team with guys like Russell Westbrook/Kevin Durant. Everyone wants to be “the guy” but it cannot have been too unsatisfactory since he played as well as he did.
He played for team USA at the 2012 Olympics: what did it mean to him to win a gold medal? It had to have been a big honor to represent his country in that way and wear the red/white/blue. It was a great honor for ASU to have a player on the Olympic team.
He entered the NBA as a SG but switched to PG in 2016: what position do you feel he is most comfortable at on the court? I think that he is really gifted in both areas. He sees the court so well but also has a great shot. He has good size yet can drive to the hoop.
In January 2018 he became the first player in NBA history to have a 60-PT triple-double (60 PTS/10 REB/11 AST) in a 7-PT win over Orlando: where does that rank among the best all-around games that you have ever heard of? It is right there at the top. I do not get to watch a lot of regular season games but it was a pretty remarkable performance.
In 2018 he led the league with 30.4 PPG and was named MVP: what did it mean to him to be named the best player in the best league in the world? People ask me if I am surprised with how good he has become and my answer is “yes”. He was talented from the 1st time he walked onto the court as a freshman…but I never dreamed that he would become MVP. I thought that the 6th Man of the Year was the niche he would settle into but he has turned out to be a better pro than I ever envisioned. I am sure that being MVP meant the world to him. Arizona has been a nationally elite basketball program since the 1980s and sent so many players to the NBA, but the interesting thing that I would argue is that none of them have achieved the heights that James has or been as great a player as he is. It meant a lot to ASU fans to give them something to brag about to their in-state rival. He still maintains a rooting interest in his alma mater: they hung his jersey in the rafters a couple of years ago and he came back to Tempe for that special night.
He has led the NBA in FTM/FTA every single year since 2015: what is his secret for getting to the FT line, and what is the key to making them once he gets there? He is just a big/strong individual who can lower his head as a guard and just get through traffic: many things can happen when you drive and most of them are good. He has been a good FT shooter throughout his career (85.8 career FT% is top-50 all-time). I remember a game at Washington State when he made some clutch FTs at the end of regulation to force OT before the Devils lost to the Cougars on a buzzer-beater. CBS ended up using my radio call of that Taylor Rochestie basket in their Selection Sunday intro! It was a heartbreaking loss but I remember how clutch James was in defeat.
(P.S. Here is a clip of that Rochestie shot: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVc1xWIfLCQ)
His 2296 career 3PM ranks #5 all-time: do you think that he will eventually pass Ray Allen (2973 career 3PM) for #1 all-time, and do you think that we will see him in the Hall of Fame 1 day? If he keeps playing at his current level I think that he will be a potential Hall of Famer at some point. He has the talent so the main thing is whether he can stay healthy. He left here more than a decade ago but I am unsure if he can catch Ray Allen.