It is hard to go undefeated in conference play but several teams have a shot this year: Belmont will try to finish 20-0 in OVC play this weekend, and Baylor/Gonzaga have yet to lose a game at all. Charleston will finish their abbreviated CAA regular season with a winning record but you have to travel all the way back to the 1990s to find the only 2 undefeated seasons in school history. The Cougars went 16-0 in 1999 in the SoCon due to a balanced lineup featuring 4 guys scoring 10-14 PPG, but the 1st time they went 16-0 was in the Trans America Athletic Conference in 1997 thanks to a 2-man senior wrecking crew of Thaddeous Delaney (15.8 PPG/9.5 RPG) and Anthony Johnson (13.9 PPG/7.2 APG). That summer Anthony became the 1st player in school history to be selected in the NBA Draft, and a few years later he became the 1st D-League player to participate in the NBA Finals. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Anthony about going undefeated and getting the only NCAA tourney win in school history. Today marks the 24th anniversary of Charleston’s 94-73 win over Centenary(!) to wrap up its magical regular season on February 22, 1997.
In high school you were an all-conference QB on a state runner-up football team and an honorable mention all-conference shortstop on a state semifinal baseball team: which sport did you enjoy the most, and how did you end up choosing basketball at Charleston? Basketball was #1 but football was a close 2nd. I enjoyed the physicality of the sport: the QB is the most important person on the field so I liked having a big impact on the outcome of the game.
From 1994-1997 you won 4 straight conference tourneys and in 1997 you were part of the 1st team to ever go 16-0 in TAAC play: how was your team able to dominate throughout your college career? A big part of it was our head coach John Kresse and a great staff including assistant Gregg Marshall. Probably 75% of us redshirted, which gave us an extra year to develop: it really benefited us by the time we were seniors. I tore my ACL and head to redshirt.
Take me through the 1996 NIT:
You scored 11 PTS in a 6-PT win over Tennessee: what did you learn from the 1995 NIT that allowed you to succeed in 1996? Even when you are not playing in the Big Dance you get the opportunity in the NIT to travel to play big schools in their home arenas. I made some big buckets down the stretch in Knoxville to help us win a close 1.
You had 8 AST while playing all 45 minutes in a 4-PT OT loss to Rhode Island: how on earth were the Rams able to send it into OT after not scoring a field goal during the final 14 minutes of regulation? They were up 22 PTS on us! We shut them out for that 14-minute stretch and were able to tie it up before they pulled away in overtime. We clawed back into it before falling short.
In 1997 you were named conference POY/All-American: what did it mean to you to win such outstanding honors? It was an honor not just for myself but also for my family/teammates. We worked hard to have a great year: I got some accolades but it was a team effort. I wanted to be the best player on the floor night in and night out and my coaches put me in a position to accomplish that.
Take me through the 1997 NCAA tourney:
You scored 17 PTS and had a tourney school-record 9 AST in a 9-PT win over Maryland (which remains the only tourney win in school history): how much of a factor was the decision by Terps coach Gary Williams to have Laron Profit/Terrell Stokes sit out the 1st 6 minutes after they showed up late to a team meeting? It helped us settle in a little quicker because their backup guards were not athletic enough to deal with us. We jumped on them, gained some confidence early, and rolled on through.
You scored 14 PTS in a 4-PT loss to Arizona to end the team’s 23-game winning streak: how close did you come to beating the eventual champs? We were up 10 PTS with about 10 minutes left and were playing very good ball. They had great guards in Mike Bibby/Jason Terry/Miles Simon who got them going. Bibby hit a couple of threes and Terry had 1 as well: they erased our lead over the span of 4-5 possessions. We were probably the better team that night but give them credit for winning the title.
You finished your career with a school-record 520 career AST: what made you such a great PG, and do you think that anyone will ever break your record? The key is to just know your guys: where they wanted the ball, how they wanted to receive passes, etc. My record came from the system we were in but I wanted to get every single AST on the floor. I was a willing passer and wanted to put my guys in a position to be successful. I am pretty sure that someone will take it down eventually but I hope it stands a little while longer.
In the summer of 1997 you became the 1st player in Charleston history selected in the NBA Draft when you were picked in the 2nd round by Sacramento (3 spots ahead of Stephen Jackson): were you thrilled to get drafted, or disappointed that you did not get selected earlier, or other? It meant the world to me because not many achieve that accomplishment. I shared that with everyone who helped me get there. I felt that I was a 1st-round talent but there were some solid PGs taken ahead of me like Antonio Daniels/Chauncey Billups: that is some pretty elite company. I ended up having a nice long career.
In the series-clinching Game 6 of the 1st round of the 2006 playoffs you scored a career-high 40 PTS/16-23 FG for Indiana in a 6-PT loss to New Jersey: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”, and did you really tell Jason Kidd after Game 5 that you were going to go for 40?! I was in the zone: I am not a really religious person but that night I heard a voice from the big man upstairs to just shoot it. It was a crazy night to make shots from anywhere I shot it from. It was not quite worded like that…but I probably told him that I was going to have a big night.
In 2002 you became the 1st D-League player to participate in the NBA Finals (with Orlando): what was the secret to your successful journey? I played in the D-League in 2001 and made the Finals in 2002. I had not been playing up to my potential so I went to the D-League to get my confidence back. We made it to the Finals 2 years in a row, which was quite a feat.
Since retiring you have hosted basketball camps and helped coach your son’s AAU team: how do you like coaching, and what do you hope to do in the future? I enjoy coaching a lot. I have played ball since age 5 so I have 40+ years of experience and love to share it with young kids. I hope to coach in the pros in the future but am happy to coach AAU for now.