Steve Hayes put the “Big” in Big Sky Conference. The 7-foot center led the league in PPG/RPG as a sophomore at Idaho State…then did it again as a junior. As a senior he became the 3rd player in history to be named 1st-team All-Big Sky for 3 straight years, then led his team to an upset of UCLA in the Sweet 16. After turning pro he won the 1980 CBA title and was named CBA Playoff MVP, then a few years later was named 1985 CBA MVP. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Steve about being a great rebounder and beating the Bruins. Today is Steve’s 67th birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!
Take me through the 1977 NCAA tourney as a player at Idaho State:
You had 27 PTS/12 REB in a 1-PT win over UCLA: how on earth were you able to beat a school that had been to 10 consecutive Final Fours? We were a very good team with a lot of size/talent, including a trio of guys who ended up in the NBA (the other 2 being Jeff Cook/Greg Griffin). Our coach Jim Killingsworth was great at preparing us for games, especially defensively. They were probably a little overconfident going into the game and we were able to handle their full-court press.
You had 16 PTS and a tourney-school record 13 REB in a loss to UNLV: what was the reaction like when you got back to campus? It was as if we had won a national championship: the whole city treated us great! We were on the radio and asked to speak at banquets all over town. However, we were disappointed at losing to UNLV and thought that we could have played better.
You remain the Big Sky’s all-time leader in REB: what is your secret for being a great rebounder, and do you think that anyone will ever break your record? My secret was twofold: I was a good jumper and had a good feel for which way errant shots would bounce off the rim. It also did not hurt that I was tall. I think that someone will break my record…but it will take someone who is a dominant player and chooses to stick around for 4 years.
In the summer of 1977 you were drafted in the 4th round by the Knicks but decided to begin your career in Italy: what did it mean to you to be drafted, and why did you decide to go abroad? It was very exciting to get that phone call saying I was drafted: it was a dream of mine for a long time. Coming from a little town in Idaho and going to the Big Apple made it extra-special. When I got to rookie camp and was told that there were already 14 guaranteed contracts on the roster I realized it would be tough to make the team, so I talked to my agent and decided to go to Italy. It was a great place to live and the basketball was very good. I went back to France after spending some time in the NBA, which was also nice.
A couple of years later you came back to the US and won a CBA title in 1981 with the Anchorage Northern Knights: why did you decide to return to America, and what did it mean to you to win the title? I came back to the US because I wanted to be in the NBA. I tried out with Portland and then joined the CBA. It is a thrill anytime you win a championship and at that time the CBA was the 2nd-best league in the world. I spent 18 months in Anchorage and the town really adopted us.
The following season you began a 5-year NBA career: what is your favorite memory from your time in the NBA? There are 2 memories that stand out the most. My very 1st game was in San Antonio on a 10-day contract and I got a lot of playing time because I was replacing someone who was hurt. I scored 10 PTS and got my name in the paper and had a chance to play with the Iceman (George Gervin) so I will always remember that. The other moment that stands out was playing against the Bulls in Philly. A young Michael Jordan drove down and made a spectacular dunk, and then Dr. J took the inbounds pass and drove the length of the court and made his own amazing dunk: the crowd just exploded!
After going back to the CBA in 1985 with the Tampa Bay Thrillers you were named league MVP: what did it mean to receive such an outstanding honor like that? It was a great honor despite being demoted from the NBA. We had several NBA-caliber guys on that team.
In 1994 you took a job in the Idaho State athletic department as the Director of Athletic Development and Executive Director of the Bengal Foundation: why did you take the job, and how important is a development office to the success of a school’s athletic program? After retiring I spent about 5 years as a coach/GM in the CBA but later felt it would be a good opportunity to go back to campus and work in the athletic department. At a school like Idaho State it is very important to have a development office that raises money for the program through boosters/donations/promotions.
You were also asked to become interim coach of the women’s basketball team when their coach developed heart problems just prior to the start of the season: how close did you come to taking the job, and what was the biggest factor in your decision? I took the job when the coach had to step down due to heart problems. I found that women were much more open to receiving advice from coaches, whereas the guys I coached in the CBA just wanted to do things their way because they had been stars for a long time. The women were much better at fundamentals, even if they could not dunk.
You currently work as a Business Process Management Consultant for ConocoPhillips, 1 of the largest integrated energy companies in the US: how did you get into that field, and how do you like it? My cousin had an IT consulting company and got a contract with Conoco, so he contacted me to be a project manager and help coordinate the effort. It helped that when I arrived in Houston it was 65 degrees in the winter! Conoco later gave me a better offer so I just got a good break and then parlayed that into a good career.
You were also Secretary of the Board of Directors of the National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA): what kind of services does the NBRPA provide for its members, and what do you hope to do in the future? We help players during the transition into the real world after basketball: health benefits, career counseling, etc. We are a non-profit so we team up with other organizations to give back to the community and help the younger generation focus on things outside of basketball. We also travel to other countries to spread goodwill.