Washington, DC, has produced plenty of great basketball players over the past several decades: Elgin Baylor/Kevin Durant/Adrian Dantley/etc. Another DC native who excelled at the college level was Jeff Covington, who did some terrific things at Youngstown State. He graduated as the all-time leading scorer in school history with 2424 PTS and is #2 all-time with 1381 REB. He was a 3-time All-American and the Basketball Weekly “College Division Player of the Year” in 1978. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Ed DiGregorio, former women’s coach at Youngstown State who helped recruit Covington, about Jeff’s consistency/size. Today marks the 44th anniversary of Jeff’s amazing 46-PT game on February 11, 1978, so we take this time to remember that remarkable feat.
Jeff grew up in Washington, DC: what made him choose Youngstown State? He went to Ballou High School and 1 of his teammates (Emmett King) was recruited to play football at YSU. Jeff was not on the radar of too many people at the time so they just came here together.
As a freshman he led the team with 21.2 PPG: how was he able to come in and dominate right from the start? He was just a naturally good player and the best player we have ever had. The only player ahead of him in rebounding had his stats padded by a friend of his! He had an accurate shot, could handle the ball pretty well, and was an excellent rebounder.
He averaged a double-double during each of his 4 years on campus: how was he able to remain so consistent throughout his career? He did not have many injuries, which helped. He took pretty darn good care of himself.
He was 6’7”: how much of an advantage was his size on the court? He played the 5-spot and was as big as anyone else on the court. He had some great teammates as well including some long-range shooters who are in the school Hall of Fame. He was the centerpiece of the best team in school history. He could jump and was pretty well-built.
On February 11, 1978, he scored 46 PTS against Mankato State: was it just 1 of those situations where every shot he put up seemed to go in because he was “in the zone”? Pretty much. He could score inside/outside and with his back to the basket or facing the basket. I recall a # of timeouts where the coach instructed everyone to just get the ball to Jeff: he was our go-to guy.
He graduated as the all-time leading scorer in Penguins history with 2424 PTS (and is also #2 with 1381 REB): did you realize at the time how prolific a player he was, and do you think that anyone will ever break his record? You never say never but his record still stands. He just brought it every night: you could depend on him for 20 PPG/10 RPG in every single game.
He was a 3-time D-2 All-American and the 1978 College Division national POY: what did it mean to him to receive such outstanding honors? He was a really popular guy and so beloved by the school/fans that he always got plenty of votes for any awards that were decided by an election.
In the 1978 NBA draft he was taken in the 4th round by New Orleans (11 spots behind Gerald Henderson): did he see that as a validation of his college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other? He was happy with that but I do not think that he ever saw pro basketball as his life’s work because they did not pay as much back then. He ended up going into education.
He earned his undergraduate degree from Youngstown State, his graduate degree from Kent State, and after retiring as a player he worked as an assistant high school principal: how much importance did he place on education? He matured after his playing days were over and realized that basketball was not his future so he buckled down and moved on to what we called a “real job” back then. He realized that he would do pretty well outside of basketball.
When people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? I remember him as a nice/humble guy who was an outstanding player. He is 1 of the all-time great players that we have ever had.