When the NCAA tourney got canceled in March we entered a whole new world, which included a sports void the likes of which we have never seen before. The fine folks at ESPN came to the rescue in mid-April with “The Last Dance”, a 10-part miniseries about the 1998 Chicago Bulls and their quest to win a 6th NBA title in an 8-year span before Coach Phil Jackson and most of his star players all went their separate ways. While it has been comforting to spend the past several Sunday nights with behind-the-scenes stories from Steve Kerr/Scottie Pippen/Dennis Rodman, the star of the show as always is Michael Jordan. Even though the documentary concluded on May 17th, HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel has dug through his archives and discovered oodles of unpublished interviews about Jordan’s career, from his early days as the leading scorer for team USA at the 1983 Pan Am Games to a 55-PT playoff performance during Chicago’s final title run in 1998. We continue our trip down memory lane by chatting with former GMU star Ricky Wilson about getting drafted by the Bulls in 1986 and cutting Jordan’s hair.
You grew up in Hampton, VA: what made you choose George Mason? I really wanted to go to Old Dominion: I had attended basketball camps there for a few summers and they were right in my backyard. I took a visit during my junior year of high school when not a lot of teams were recruiting me. Coach Rick Barnes was at GMU and really endeared himself to my mom/dad and made them feel comfortable. I visited the school and kind of liked it but my cousin who joined me loved it. I just felt like it was the right fit for me.
You played for Coach Joe Harrington: what made him such a good coach, and what was the most important thing you learned from him? He was there for all 4 of my years there, which was huge. You are probably closest to the coach who recruited you (which was Rick) but I spent a lot of time with Coach Harrington every single summer. They both cared about my development as a student-athlete and Joe taught me about the ramifications of my decisions.
Take me through the 1986 postseason:
You made the CAA tourney title game before losing to Navy: could you tell at the time that tourney MVP David Robinson (26 PTS) was going to become a Hall of Famer? I cannot say that I envisioned that. We really felt that we could overcome obstacles and did not think there was any team we could not beat. David was an indomitable force and it was apparent that he was really good. I did not give our opponent his just due: I actually have a video of me dunking on him! He was probably the best center in the country. I actually played in San Antonio in 1988 while he was still completing his military service. He was not a national star at the time because he was unheralded until his junior year when he started dunking every ball/blocking every shot. He could also run like a deer and was a beast in the paint: Coach Barnes recruited him when he was 6’7” but at Navy he grew to 7’.
In the NIT you had a 2-PT win over Lamar before losing to Providence: what are your memories of your NIT run? I remember both games quite well. I was really afraid before the Lamar game because I feared that it might be my last game as a college player. We played them in Beaumont and used that as motivation to make a last-second shot. That Providence team with Coach Rick Pitino/Billy Donovan just shuffled players in and out: they probably had a 10-man rotation and pressed us the whole time.
You still rank in the school’s all-time top-5 with 405 career AST: what is the key to being a good PG? I had to learn that position. My freshman year I was a backup to a good PG (John Niehoff): he could not even touch the bottom of the net but he knew exactly when/where the ball needed to be. He told us to run, he would find me with a pass, and then I would attack the rim for a dunk. I became a starter as a sophomore and learned to have a keen understanding of how to make the players around you better. Brian Miller was a better shooter than I was so I brought that skill set out of him.
In the summer of 1986 you were drafted 52nd overall by Chicago (8 spots ahead of Drazen Petrovic): did you see that as a validation of your college career or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA? It definitely was not the latter. As a kid it was really cool to watch guys like George Gervin/Gus Williams but I did not go to college expecting to get drafted. I was at a camp that day and a camper was the 1 who actually told me that I got drafted! I was super-excited but did not understand that it was the beginning of the odyssey. At the start of my senior year I did not think I was a shoo-in to get drafted, but after graduating and playing in some pre-draft camps against highly-ranked players and proving myself against them I felt that it might happen.
You were still 1 year away from having Phil Jackson/Scottie Pippen join the Bulls: did you have any interaction with a young 3rd-year player named Michael Jordan? I met Michael before I even graduated. I would cut hair to earn a couple of bucks. When Michael was in town to visit a guy I knew named Howard White they called me over and I cut Michael’s hair in Howard’s house in Maryland. Michael at least knew my name but I would not have made an NBA roster without getting to see how hard he worked during practice/in the weight room/etc. It was obvious from the start that he was playing a different game and had a better work ethic than anyone else. When I realized that he showed up earlier than I did, it made me second-guess how badly I wanted to make it.
In the 1988 Western Conference 1st round with San Antonio you were swept by the eventual champion Lakers: what was it like to face the defending champs with legends like Magic Johnson/James Worthy/Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? At 1st I was in awe of their team: they showed up with a different mindset than anyone else. There was some popular movie at the time that required an entire theater to be rented out: it might have been “Colors”. I was there and Byron Scott/Michael Cooper/Magic went as well so I had a chance to see them in a relaxed atmosphere. Once the game started it was weird to face a 6’9” PG like Magic. Kareem was still an effective post player (at age 41) so neither of the 1st 2 games at the Forum were close. I enjoyed being in that setting against those kinds of players. Once the ball is tossed up the butterflies go away…but I knew that we were not going to beat them.
You spent the next several years playing pro basketball in the US/overseas: what was the biggest difference between the NBA vs. other pro basketball leagues? Most NBA players have been reared from an early age to vie for 1-2 spots on a roster. You are busting your tail every day just to be the last man on the bench and nobody wants the coach to think that they are expendable. In Europe many of the guys worked during the day and simply showed up at night for practices/games. Basketball was just something they did rather than who they were. It was much less stressful in Europe: 1 game a week, shorter seasons, and practices at convenient times. In my era everyone wanted to be in the NBA but I decided to go to Europe, make some money, and learn about another country.
You spent several years as a color analyst for your alma mater: how did you like the job? I loved doing color with play-by-play guy Bill Roland. I remember listening to a game while driving in the car and wondering about what was happening during the game. I sat down with Bill and we went through the rehearsal of a game. When I 1st started doing it I would erupt in a screeching voice when something big happened but I later learned to control my emotions. I am a fan of the sport who loved watching Mason’s games and eventually I grew to become a part of it.
When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? I think my contribution to George Mason was a huge part of where the school is now…although I do not think that many of the students there now would know who I am. To still be among the AST leaders after 30 years is cool but what I enjoyed the most were my teammates who I still remain close with. We reach out to each other and discuss what we are doing in our lives: there is a brotherhood and I was a part of an amazing group of individuals who made the NIT. Without the bricks that we laid I do not think the future success would have been possible.