Robert Parish retired 25 years ago but still holds the NBA record for most games played with 1611. On the other end of the spectrum is Stan Washington, who played college basketball at San Diego and graduated as the leading scorer in school history with 1472 career PTS (a record that stood for more than 3 decades). He was drafted by Washington in 1974 and ended up playing 1 game before retiring as the only Torero to have ever played in the NBA. In 2010 he was inducted into the USD Athletics Hall of Fame. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Stan about being a great scorer and playing for his hometown team in DC. Today marks the 48th anniversary of that game on October 19, 1974, so we take this time to remember his 1 shining moment.
You were born/raised in Washington, DC: what made you choose San Diego? Most of the guys I knew stayed near DC for college but I wanted to try something else. I got to see another part of the country out west.
You were a 6’4” guard: how much of an advantage was your size on the court? It was a great advantage: not only could I handle the point but I was a scoring guard as well. Now you see guards who are 6’7” or 6’8” but back then 6’4” was tall for a PG.
You graduated in 1974 as the all-time leading scorer in school history, a record that stood for more than 30 years: what is the secret to being a great scorer? I have to give credit to my teammates for getting me the ball. Coach Bernie Bickerstaff had a great system that meshed all of us into a great team. I had the green light to distribute/score when needed. Defense is nice…but you have to put the ball in the hole!
In the summer of 1974 you were drafted 66th overall by Washington: did you see that as a validation of your college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other? I think that it was a combination of the 2 things. I thought that I would get drafted by Portland because 1 of their scouts was at the gym watching me work out. Most hometown guys who come back home do not fare too well but I was happy to come home and work for a spot.
You played 1 game for Washington on October 19, 1974: what are your memories of your 1 shining moment with your hometown team? Your guess is as good as mine! I was surrounded by a group of talented guys: KC Jones was our head coach and Bernie was on his staff. You have to be at the right place at the right time…and I had 11 teammates with no-cut contracts.
After retiring you spent the next few decades working for housing authorities on the East Coast: how did you get into that business, and how did you like it? Right after I got released I tried out for another team but it did not seem feasible. I also tried out for the ABA team in St. Louis but it would have been difficult for them to bring in a rookie. I worked out with the Virginia Squires but after they folded I knew that I needed something else to do. I started in insurance but became a social service supporter to different communities.
You have spent the past several years living in Puerto Rico: how do you like it down there, and how difficult has it been to deal with all of their natural disasters? I call Puerto Rico my home base. My grandsons were looking for a baseball camp and found 1 down here. It just seemed like a good fit for me: I always liked vacationing near water and used my “Spanglish” to fall in with the right people near the water. When I am not here my family/friends still have a place to come hang out and see how another culture is living.
You were inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2010 and later recognized as part of the Toreros Legends program: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? That was awesome! I just received a gift from the university the other day listing all of my accomplishments on the varsity. Just to look at it and remember the guys who I played with is fabulous. I try to visit San Diego a couple of times/year to see some of my teammates who still live there. There were a lot of good-hearted people who cared about student-athletes and assisted us with networking. Coming from DC I only had African-American friends so when school opened it was a great shock…but it was the best thing that ever happened to me. It also helped me learn how to communicate with just about anybody.
I heard that you often attend the WCC basketball tourney in Las Vegas: how has the conference changed from your era to the present? It has had major changes. San Diego went from D-2 to D-1 and all of its facilities/campuses are magnificent. We have a number of guys who have coached in the NBA and Bernie is the grandfather of all of it. To see Gonzaga become a major program with TV revenue and high rankings is amazing: it is so competitive now.
When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? That I was a good guy. I want to leave a legacy of goodwill: anything is possible, care about 1 another, and share the love. After all of the accolades are awarded, it is important to have a sense of pride/respect that has nothing to do with basketball. It took me a number of years to grow into that and become a decent person with character/responsibility, but those ideals became embedded in me at the university.