James Silas is living proof that you do not need to be a D-1 superstar to end up as a pro basketball superstar. As as senior at at Stephen F. Austin (which at the time was an NAIA school) he led the Lumberjacks to a 29-1 record, scored 30.7 PPG, and was named an All-American. After joining the ABA he was named an All-Star in both 1975/1976 and in 1997 was named to the ABA All-Time Team. San Antonio realized how special he was a decade earlier when his lucky #13 became the 1st number ever retired by the Spurs. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with James about his nifty nicknames and being 1 of the best FT shooters in ABA history. Today marks the 38th anniversary of James’ jersey retirement on February 28, 1984, so we take this time to honor his life/legacy.
You had several nicknames including “The Snake”, “Captain Late”, and “The Late Mr. Silas”: which 1 did you enjoy the most? Probably “Captain Late” because of the meaning it had: the guys gave it to me for a positive reason (because he always seemed to play his best in clutch time). “Snake” was also my dad’s nickname so that 1 stuck with me the most.
You were a 2-time NAIA All-American at Stephen F. Austin and as a senior you led your team to the NAIA tourney semifinals with a 29-0 record before a 5-PT loss to 2-time-defending-champ Kentucky State: how close did you come to going undefeated? We had 5 seniors on that squad and they all got drafted. We had a center named George Johnson who had been hurt for half of the year. We changed the lineup for the Kentucky State game and it broke the rhythm up…plus the guy he guarded scored around 35 PTS!
You scored 30.7 PPG that year: what is the secret to being a great scorer? Hard work! Back in the day you could always play 1-on-1 or 2-on-2 since we usually did not have enough for a full 5-on-5 game. I would never let anyone beat me 1-on-1 so when we went 5-on-5 it was easy for me: I am glad that my coach believed in me.
In the spring of 1972 you were picked in the 5th round of the NBA draft by Houston, but after getting waived you signed with the Dallas Chaparrals and were named to the ABA All-Rookie team: how did it feel to be waived, and how were you able to make such a smooth transition from college to the pros? When I was drafted there was a player named Johnny Egan who was supposed to retire that year but he changed his mind. They gave somebody else a no-cut contract and had some other great players like future Hall-of-Famer Calvin Murphy so they did not have room for me. I played 1 scrimmage with Houston against Dallas on my college court and I put on a show. They told me on the ride back that they would have to let me go and the next morning Dallas coach Babe McCarthy called my agent and I had my 1st practice that day. Babe had that wide-open game that fit what I did. Once I proved what I could do as a rookie I never looked back.
The Chaparrals moved to San Antonio the following season, where you spent the following 8 years with the Spurs: how did it feel to switch cities by moving farther down I-35, and what did it mean to you to when your #13 became the 1st # ever retired by San Antonio in 1984? I was glad to be playing pro basketball but the city of Dallas was Cowboys-crazy: we could not even give away tickets to get people to come to our games! The fans in San Antonio went crazy for the Spurs because there was no other pro team in the city: we were their heart and soul and we all became family. It is still not the biggest market but we could always hold our own: they later had to raise the roof at the HemisFair Arena to add some more seats. It took me about a year to realize what being the 1st player to have his # retired meant. It was huge and no matter how many titles the team wins that will remain important to all of my friends/family and heartwarming to me.
In Game 7 of the 1979 Eastern Conference Finals vs. Washington you scored 17 PTS but Bob Dandridge scored 37 PTS including the series-winning shot with 8 seconds left as the Bullets became only the 3rd team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit: do you think that Elvin Hayes should have been whistled for jumping into you at the buzzer, and where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? When you play the game at that level it is hard to hold onto 1 particular play. I moved on…but if we played it over then I think that we would win! There are so many tough games/opponents that you just have to forget it and move on.
Your 85.7 career FT% remains #5 in ABA history: what is the key to making FTs? You just said it: free. It is the only time during a 48-minute game when nobody is guarding you. You have to work at it: it is a mental thing but once you figure it out then it is easy. I never thought that I would miss so I tried to take advantage of it.
You were known for being a fabulous 4th quarter scorer: was that due to changing the offensive strategy, or your endurance, or George Gervin getting double-teamed, or other? I remember 1 game against Portland where Gervin had scored about 40 PTS. There were about 9 seconds left and it came down to the final shot: Coach Bob Bass called a timeout and said that we would run a play for Ice…but Gervin declined and said to run the play for me instead. We had a 1-4 play that was hard to guard because I would just read where the double-team might come from. If nobody came to help then I would make 1 hard move and either score or get fouled and make the FTs, and it became part of our offense at the end of every single quarter. It was 1 of the best things that Bob did for me because we had to get Ice/Larry Kenon/Billy Paultz their shots as well.
In 1997 you were named to the ABA All-Time Team: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? Just look at all of the guys who played in the ABA and were selected to the Hall of Fame (Louie Dampier/Charlie Scott/David Thompson/etc.): if I am mentioned as 1 of the best guards in ABA history then that is huge.
You run a summer basketball camp with your son Xavier, who has played pro basketball for most of the past decade: what makes your camp different from other camps, and who is the best athlete in the family? We came up with the idea of “like father, like son”: it is hard to find a pair like us who have both played in the league. We do not do it for numbers: it means a lot if we can teach the kids something and work with them until they get it. I know who is best! I scored more than 12,000 PTS in my career but never made a 3-PT shot because I took the shots that I wanted to take and could get to wherever I wanted to. Back then it was a come-from-behind shot but now players take threes all of the time.
Pingback: News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Tuesday, Mar 1st | Hoops HD