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the documentary concluded on May 17th, HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel has dug through his archives and discovered oodles of unpublished interviews about Jordan’s career, from his early days as the leading scorer for team USA at the 1983 Pan Am Games to a 55-PT playoff performance during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 conclude our trip down memory lane by chatting with Ashraf Amaya about playing for a Washington team that lost to Chicago in the 1997 playoffs after Jordan scored 55 PTS in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference 1st round.
You went to high school in Illinois: what made you choose Southern Illinois? I was recruited by 1 of their awesome assistant coaches when I was 15 years old and I formed a good relationship with him before anyone else saw my potential.
In the 1990 MVC tourney title game your team missed a shot at the buzzer in a 3-PT loss to Illinois State: how much of a home court advantage did they have at Redbird Arena, and where does that rank among the most devastating losses of our career? They have a great fan base and definitely had a home-court advantage. It was a heartbreaker for me: I have had other heartbreaks in the pros but that 1 stuck with me for a long time because we had a very talented team.
In 1992 you led the MVC in scoring and were named conference POY: what did it mean to you to win such an outstanding honor? It was not something that I played for but it was a great honor. I was pretty much a back-to-the-basket player but 1 way I could control the game was by rebounding. I think that it was a reflection of our entire team.
You averaged a double-double during each of your junior/senior seasons: how did you balance your scoring with your rebounding? Rebounding was a necessity and something that I had to do. I was a 6’6” center in college and a 6’8” PF in the pros but 1 thing that I could control was how hard I played. Rebounding is not necessarily about size/athleticism: it is about hard work.
In the 1993 NCAA tourney you scored 10 PTS in a loss to Duke: what was it like to face the 2-time defending champions featuring Bobby Hurley (25 PTS/6-7 3PM) and Grant Hill (14 PTS)? You talk about tough losses: that basically ended my college career in Chicago in front of a lot of my family/friends. I did not think that I would be facing double/triple teams but they were the most talented team I faced in college. A few years later I was in the locker room with Grant when he was with the Pistons: he looked at me and said “I hate your guts!” I asked him why and he said that Coach K just kept repeating, “Amaya Amaya Amaya”: I did not realize how seriously they took me.
After going undrafted you eventually played for Vancouver in their inaugural season (1995–96): what was it like to play for a brand-new team that was created from scratch? It was a blessing and a great learning experience. I was fortunate to play with some great veterans like Byron Scott/Kenny Gattison who taught me what to do…and more importantly what NOT to do. If they said that they needed a pastry at 6AM I would go get it, and then they would take me to dinner later that night and tell me all kinds of stories about all of their battles. The losing aspect was not as fun: we set a record for the most losses (67) that thankfully has been surpassed.
You played for Washington the following season: what is your favorite memory from your time in the NBA, and how good was that 69-win Chicago team that swept your team in the 1st round of the playoffs (Michael Jordan scored 55 PTS in Game 2)? Chicago had a phenomenal team with Jordan in his prime: rarely do you step onto the court with guys like Rod Strickland/Juwan Howard and feel that you are outmatched. We were just in their way. My most memorable moment was in a packed arena in Canada: the fans did not know when to cheer and loved it when the ref twirled his arms during a traveling call! They stood up the entire game and it was deafening: our coach had to scream during huddles and it was a great experience to see how sports touched so many lives.
You spent several years playing pro basketball overseas: what is the biggest difference between the NBA and pro leagues in other countries? The 2 biggest differences are resources/talent. There is talent in Europe, which you see when their players get drafted and then come to the US to make an impact like Drazen Petrovic/Dirk Nowitzki/Manu Ginobili: they were ballers who could play. The teams that have the greatest success overseas can find talent and have great resources. We played Barcelona 1 year when they brought Anderson Varejao/Marc Gasol OFF THE BENCH! They could afford to buy enough talent to have the depth necessary to just beat you down. We have to put our best product out there: the game has caught up some and it is exciting to see.
At the 1998 FIBA World Championship you had a 2-PT loss to Russia in the semifinals before beating Greece to win a bronze medal with team USA: what did it mean to you to represent your country, and which of your teammates impressed you the most (Jimmy King/Brad Miller/other)? I played with a couple of gentlemen I knew: I won a European title with Jimmy Oliver later on and we had a good mix of players with NBA experience like David Wood. Coach Rudy Tomjanovich was phenomenal but a lot of people thought that it was a letdown because the lockout kept us from having stars like Scottie Pippen. I played against some of the Greek guys so I wanted to blow them out. It was great to represent my country and we bonded very quickly. Mateen Cleaves hurt his ankle in Monte Carlo and it had a big impact on our team.
What have you been up to since retiring, and what do you hope to do in the future? I have a training company and work with a lot of athletes. I have helped over 100 kids get D-1 scholarships and have also focused on helping kids with special needs. I have worked with Kevin Ware at JustBreathe815 to help young individuals become productive members of society.