Happy Birthday!: HoopsHD interviews Portland State legend Freeman Williams

Posted on May 15, 2021 by Jon Teitel

Most college basketball fans know that Pete Maravich is the leading-scorer in D-1 history, but if you asked them who was #2 you would probably receive a lot of wrong guesses. The correct answer is Freeman Williams, who led the nation in scoring for 2 straight years in 1977/1978 and graduated from Portland State with 3249 career PTS. He was drafted 8th overall by the Celtics in 1978 and became 1 of the most efficient scorers in the league, finishing his NBA career by averaging 14.7 PPG despite only playing 20.5 minutes/game. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Freeman about scoring 81 PTS in a game and being part of the film “White Men Can’t Jump”. Today is Freeman’s 65th birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!

You were a member of Team USA at the 1977 World University Games in Bulgaria (along with Larry Bird/Darrell Griffith/Sidney Moncrief): what did it mean to you to win a gold medal, and was that that greatest team you have ever been a part of? It was definitely the best team that I ever played on: most of them went to big-time colleges and ended up having successful NBA careers. Our coach was Denny Crum, who was also great. Winning a gold medal was 1 of the greatest accomplishments of my life.

In December 1977 as a senior at Portland State you made 17 FG (which remains a Rupp Arena record) and scored 39 PTS in a loss at Kentucky: how were you able to play so well against a great team in their legendary gym? Even though I was the nation’s leading scorer, a lot of people said that it was only because I played against weak competition. When we got the chance to play against major schools I tried to play my best.

In February 1978 you scored 81 PTS (still the 3rd highest total in NCAA history) on 37-56 FG (including 54 PTS in the 1st half) in a win over Rocky Mountain College: how on earth were you able to take 56 shots, and at halftime were you thinking that you could make it to 100 PTS? I did not know how many points I had at halftime because nobody told me. However, I knew that it was a special night because everything I shot went in: left-handed, right-handed, you name it!

In 1977 and 1978 you led D-1 in scoring, and you are still the #2 scorer in D-1 history with 3249 PTS (trailing only Pete Maravich): what was your secret for being a great scorer, and do you consider yourself to be 1 of the best players in NCAA history? I do consider myself to be 1 of the best. I had always been a scorer and was expected to put up a lot of shots. If I did not score then we would lose so when the ball came to me I would shoot it. To be #2 to the great Pete Maravich is exciting.

You were also a 2-time All-American: what did it mean to you to win such outstanding honors? Most of the other All-American players like David Greenwood (UCLA)/Jack Givens (Kentucky) came from big schools and all of them got drafted as well.

In the summer of 1978 you were drafted 8th overall by Boston (2 spots behind Larry Bird) and then traded to San Diego a couple of months later: what did it mean to you to get drafted, and what did it mean to you to get traded? I will never forget getting the call from Celtics owner Red Auerbach after they drafted me. If I had stayed in Boston then I would probably have a couple of championship rings but I have no regrets: I was just happy to be in the NBA.

In January 1980 you scored a career-high 51 PTS vs. Phoenix: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? Phoenix had a good team with guys like Paul Westphal/Truck Robinson but it was hard to stop me when I was making so many shots.

In 1981 you scored 19.3 PPG in only 24.1 MPG, becoming the only player to ever score 18+ PPG in less than 25 MPG and the only player to ever lead his team in scoring while coming off the bench: why did Coach Paul Silas decide to have you come off the bench, and how were you able to be so effective? After we traded Lloyd Free to Golden State, Coach Silas named Phil Smith/Brian Taylor as our starting guards because they had more experience than I did. However, I was always in the game during the 4th quarter and got to take a lot of shots down the stretch.

You finished in the top-10 in 3PM each year from 1980-1982 and were #2 in 3P% in 1981: what was your secret to 3-PT shooting? I always used to shoot from long-range in college even though they did not have a 3-PT line. When I got to the NBA it was nothing really new for me.

You played fictional playground legend Duck Johnson in the film “White Men Can’t Jump”: how did you get the part, and how did you like being an actor? I was lying in bed 1 day when the phone rang: it was Marques Johnson calling me to say that he was auditioning for a movie and that I should try out as well. I auditioned for director Ron Shelton and he ended up hiring me. It was great to play against Wesley Snipes/Woody Harrelson: they were very nice guys.

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Our favorite Doctor: HoopsHD interviews Al Beaubien about Julius Erving

Posted on May 13, 2021 by Jon Teitel

Few basketball players have had a better year than Julius Erving did in 1976: Slam Dunk contest champ, scoring champ, all-defensive 1st-team, all-ABA 1st-team, All-Star, league MVP, Playoffs MVP, and league champ. Not too shabby for a guy who only played 2 years of college basketball, although it was a heck of a 2 years. After enrolling at UMass in 1968 he averaged 26.3 PPG/20.2 RPG in 2 years on the varsity while becoming 1 of only 6 players to average 20 & 20 during their college careers. He turned pro in 1971, had a Hall of Fame career in the ABA/NBA, and later fulfilled a promise to his mother by earning a bachelor’s degree in creative leadership and administration. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with UMass alum Al Beaubien about his memories of the man known simply as “Dr. J”. Today marks the 45th anniversary of Erving winning the ABA title with the New York Nets and being named Playoffs MVP on May 13, 1976.

Erving was nicknamed “Dr. J”: who gave him the nickname, and how did he like it? He was never really known by that nickname in college: it sort of evolved after he got to the pros. I know that a good friend of his gave it to him.

In 2 varsity seasons at UMass he averaged 26.3 PPG/20.2 RPG: how did he balance his scoring with his rebounding? He had a great ability to jump/rebound and could score both inside/outside. He worked hard at his game: he did not just show up and play. He played on an undefeated freshman team, the 1st in school history: he did not average a ton of AST but was a good passer. We did not keep stats on BLK back then but he definitely had multiple BLK every single game. Coach Jack Leaman was drooling to get Julius and Al Skinner on the court at the same time…but it did not happen until Julius attended Al’s retirement ceremony! He played against Syracuse on his 21st birthday and had 1 of the greatest performances that I have ever seen: 36 PTS/32 REB/7 AST! Our gym only held about 4000 but there must have been around 6000 people crowded in there that evening. The crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to him before the game and he did not flinch 1 bit: I was sitting in my usual seat behind the basket.

He left college early to pursue a pro career and scored 27.3 PPG as a rookie with Virginia while leading the ABA in offensive REB: how was he able to make such a smooth transition from college to the pros? He was just a good player. Some people probably thought that he was not that good because he went to UMass but he stepped up his game against the best opponents we played. He fouled out of his final game against North Carolina in the NIT. The coach was looking forward to picking out a game during his senior year where he would let Julius loose to just score as many PTS as he could.

He won the 1976 ABA Slam Dunk Contest with a dunk from the FT line (www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNTgdcBDqJ4) and is considered by many to be the greatest dunker of all time: how crucial was his athleticism to his success? His hands were absolutely huge: the only player I ever saw with bigger hands was Connie Hawkins. It was easy for him to palm the ball and he was so graceful. When he went up in the air and someone tried to get under him, he could just adjust in mid-air and go right around them. I heard stories from his sophomore year that the team could dunk during the pregame as long as the refs were not out there watching. There were guys who would mill around the hallway and then signal the team when the refs were close to coming out! He put on a heck of a show: even dunking 2 balls at the same time.

Off the court he became 1 of the first basketball players to endorse products, had a shoe marketed under his name, and even starred in the 1979 film “The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh” (www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv5W7XRhvfY): did it reach a point where he was simply 1 of the most popular athletes in the country? I do not know about that. There were still some great around like Wilt Chamberlain/Bill Russell and by the end of the career Larry Bird/Magic Johnson/Michael Jordan had arrived.

In the 1980 NBA Finals with the 76ers he executed the legendary “Baseline Move” where he made a reverse layup from behind the backboard to avoid getting his shot blocked by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ2apIiatlg): did people realize at the time how incredible a move it was? It was an amazing shot! That was before ESPN became popular but it still got replayed a ton of times: even my grandsons have seen it and go “wow!” The other 1 that I remember was the dunk over the Lakers (www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrlBgLdGKZM).

He won 3 scoring titles and his 30,026 PTS in that ABA/NBA combined remains in the top-10 all-time: what was his secret for being such a great scorer? I know that 30,000 PTS was quite important to him: he mentions that specifically in his autobiography. He was not a great shooter and there was no 3-PT line at the time but he could always score. He worked hard to make himself what he was.

He is 1 of the few players in the modern basketball era to have his number retired by 2 different franchises (Nets and 76ers): these days you see plenty of future Hall of Famers switching teams (Kevin Durant/LeBron James/Chris Paul/etc.) but how big a deal was it back in 1976 when Erving switched teams? The only real switch was from the Nets. It was sad in a way because he started with Virginia but they sold him to the Nets before they went belly-up. When he joined Philly it was another deal where the ABA was going to fold. It was so different back then with no free agency but did not seem like that big a deal: now it is totally different.

In 1993 he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame and in 1996 he was named to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time team: where do these accomplishments rank among the highlights of his career? When I 1st saw him play on campus he was a great player and a class act. He worked hard and played at the highest level and was honored as 1 of the greats.

He won 3 championships/4 MVP awards: do you think that his lasting legacy will be as a winner or a great player or a combination of both? I think that he is a combination. When he went to the 76ers he had some tough times at 1st: not on a personal level but simply adjusting to putting the right crew on the floor. I was happy when he finally won a title with Philly even though he had already won a pair of ABA titles. He led the league in scoring/rebounding as well.

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In Memoriam: HoopsHD interviews Vinnie Cazzetta about his father Vince

Posted on May 4, 2021 by Jon Teitel

It is difficult to make a significant impact when you only have 1 opportunity to get it right…but that is exactly what Vince Cazzetta did back in 1968. After leading Seattle University to 3 straight NCAA tourney appearances from 1961-1963, he spent 4 years as an assistant at Rhode Island. In 1967 he was hired as head coach of the Pittsburgh Pipers during the very 1st season of the American Basketball Association, and ended up beating New Orleans in Game 7 of the Finals to win the title. He was named Coach of the Year but resigned after the team owners refused to give him a raise when the franchise moved to Minnesota. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Vince’s son Vinnie about his father’s winning ways in both college and the ABA. Today is both the 53rd anniversary of Vince winning the very 1st ABA title on May 4, 1968, and the 16th anniversary of his passing on May 4, 2005, so it seems like an appropriate day to both celebrate his success and remember his legacy.

Your father served in the Army at the Battle of the Bulge during World War II: what impact did the war have on him both as a father and as a coach? As a father he never talked much about the war at all, but we knew that he had a couple of toes freeze during the war. However, I remember him vividly retelling his grandkids some of his old war stories. As a coach he was a taskmaster: there was no gray area. When things got crazy in the 1960s he would not bend at all and his players responded well to his discipline.

In 1958 he replaced his childhood friend John Castellani as coach at Seattle after Castellani lost to Kentucky in the title game the previous spring and then resigned due to improprieties (providing airfare to a pair of coveted recruits): how was he able to step into such a sticky situation and make the best of it? He inherited a solid core of players so John did not leave the cupboard bare. It might have been easier back then due to the lack of media attention/outside distractions. He was ahead of his times in terms of recruiting: Seattle had more African-American players than a lot of other schools at the time. He would go up and down the East Coast to find talented players.

What are your memories of the 1961 NCAA tourney (Jerry Hahn had 13 PTS/12 REB and made a shot with 4 seconds left in a 2-PT win by ASU) or 1962 NCAA tourney (Mel Counts had 20 PTS/15 REB in a 4-PT OT win by Oregon State)? I do not remember these games but I recall him mentioning that the 4 or 5 best teams in the entire tourney were all from the West Coast and he ended up having to play them all. Nowadays all of those good teams would be split up around the country and only meet in the Final 4.

He resigned as coach of Seattle with 9 games left in the 1963 season after a dispute with the athletic director: what was the nature of the dispute, and how could he walk away from a team that was on its way to its 3rd straight NCAA tourney? My dad was the kind of guy who would sit down with the media at a local restaurant on a regular basis and talk with them about anything. He would not give the canned answers you hear today so a lot of the Seattle-area media encouraged him to seek more power within the organization. The AD and Jesuit administration started to get nervous about the high level of success he was having. I played at a Jesuit university (Fairfield) and it is still like that even today: you cannot have it both ways. There was a concern that people might think it was a basketball factory that was not strong academically. If he were alive today I think he would say that he would have done things differently because he had to start all over as an assistant coach at Rhode Island. I cannot imagine someone like Coach K starting over.

He spent 1 year as head coach of the ABA’s Pittsburgh Pipers in 1968, who beat New Orleans in 7 games to win the 1st-ever ABA title led by MVP Connie Hawkins: why did he decide to take the job, and what did it mean to him to win the title? He was looking to move up the ranks and thought about becoming a college head coach, but he decided to take a new challenge in the professional ranks. Hawkins was the star but he had great role players around him. All of the African-American players worked hard for him because he motivated them. It was a thrill for him, as it would be for any coach on any level.

That same year he was named ABA COY: what did it mean to him to win such an outstanding honor? It was both humbling and rewarding. The ABA was still trying to feel its way around after starting very quickly. He did not have a lot of time to mold players from different background into a team…but he did. They made a key trade during the season that really solidified things.

He resigned as coach of the Pipers after team owners refused to give him a raise in order to help move your family to Minnesota (where the franchise was relocating to): why on earth did the team change cities after winning the title, and how do you feel about his decision to place his family over his job? The reason they moved is because ABA Commissioner George Mikan had to live in a city where there is a franchise. When the Muskies moved after the season Mikan convinced the Pipers’ owners to move from Pittsburgh to Minnesota. He was making about $12,000 at the time and was offered a choice: a $1000 raise or relocation costs for our family (but not both). My dad felt we had to establish roots and he knew that if we moved to Minnesota then we would just end up moving again sometime soon (which became true when the Pipers ended up moving back to Pittsburgh).

He later served as a professor in the Sports Management department at UMass Amherst and as a scout for the Minnesota Timberwolves/Toronto Raptors: how did he like his post-coaching gigs, and which 1 did he enjoy the most? In his heart of hearts he always wanted to coach. I would see him watching games on TV late at night and asking out loud why a player did a certain thing. I think he enjoyed his TV/radio broadcasting work the most, as it allowed him to stay in contact with his friends in the coaching business and catch up on old times. My siblings and I all played sports growing up: when our coaches would ask him for advice he would always stay out of it because he did not think it was his place to do so. He would never put down another coach because he was just a fan of the game. He never pushed us to play basketball: we pushed ourselves.

He passed away in 2005: when people look back on his career, how do you think he should be remembered the most? I think he should be remembered as a coach who was ahead of his time. He was a visionary and a great student of the game. Basketball was more than just coaching to him. He never played basketball growing up: he was self-taught and always studying the game.

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In Memoriam: HoopsHD interviews Jan Dunbar about Ott Romney

Posted on May 3, 2021 by Jon Teitel

George Ottinger “Ott” Romney was born in 1892 but his legacy as an athlete/coach has lasted well into the 21st century. He served as a head coach in football/track/basketball at at Montana State from 1922-1927 and at BYU from 1928-1936. His basketball teams were successful due to a fast break offense and pressure defense and Montana State later named the 1st gymnasium built on campus after him. In a family of famous politicians (his 1st cousin George was governor of Michigan and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is named for Ott’s younger brother) he served as a great example of how to get things done. He passed away exactly 48 years ago ago on May 3, 1973, but HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Ott’s niece Jan Dunbar about his life/legacy.

During World War I he gave up a Rhodes scholarship to join the Army: how important were academics to your family, and how did his military service affect his coaching ability? Rhodes Scholarships were suspended in 1914 due to the war so he could not participate. Academics were always of major importance to the 5 Romney brothers. In those early days students of ability often were invited to skip grades. He was 16 when he graduated from Salt Lake High School, 19 when he graduated from Utah, and then attended Harvard Business School in 1914. As my father Dick used to say with a laugh, “What were we to do with a brother who read the dictionary for fun!?” All 5 brothers graduated from college and 4 of the 5 served in the armed forces in WWI: the youngest brother Floyd was born in 1902 and was too young to serve. Ott was a Lieutenant in Naval Aviation. He later was Chief of Community Services, Department of the Army (Recreation) and also served on the President’s Youth Program. It is obvious that Ott’s military service affected his coaching ability. He had leadership qualities which must have been enhanced by both his experiences in the Navy as well as working with young people. It would seem that his coaching career greatly influenced his later work with recreation on the national level. Their maternal grandfather George Martin Ottinger was credited with establishing the art department of the U. of Deseret (the forerunner of the U. of Utah) and as a painter he is widely touted as the “Father of Utah Art.”

He coached for 6 years at Montana State, where he won at least 80% of his games in each season except 1, then went to BYU and won at least 18 games in each of his 7 seasons there: how was he able to be so successful at Montana State, and why did he decide to go to BYU? Ott had a very extroverted personality, which was enhanced by his sonorous voice and vivid vocabulary. He had natural leadership qualities and was very colorful. In the days when coaches spent much of their time trying to attract good high school athletes to their institutions, he was gifted at this due to his friendly/outgoing persona. I can only conjecture but I suppose he saw a career advantage in the long run by moving to BYU. Many aspirations were changed by the Depression.

His “Golden Bobcats” were 1 of college basketball’s 1st legendary teams and after he moved on to BYU his former players went on to win the 1929 Helms national title led by Cat Thompson (who was 1 of the greatest players of the 1st half of the 20th century): do you think he was happy that his former team won the title, or sad that he did not stick around to lead them to victory? Uncle Ott maintained a close relationship with Montana State and was always interested in the school and his athletes’ careers after he left. It was they who awarded him his honorary doctor’s degree and named the Romney Gym after him.

He also spent 14 years as a football coach at Montana State/BYU and had a record of 66-47-7: which sport did he enjoy more, and how was he able to balance the 2? I could only guess but I would say that he liked basketball best. My father coached basketball/football/track for a number of years at Utah State and it was indeed a balancing act. I supposed it was the same for Uncle Ott at Montana State/BYU. It was football practice in the afternoon and basketball in the evening, or basketball in the afternoon and track in the evening, or vice-versa. Weekday dinners with the family were an unknown quantity!

He served in some national positions, including chairman of the National Recreation Policies Committee and member of President Eisenhower’s Council on Youth Fitness: how did he gain such national respect for physical fitness, and what did it mean to him to contribute in such prominent roles? Ott had a very magnetic personality and was a “public speaker” at many banquets. When he found himself in the neighborhood of the federal government, he found a venue for his speaking/organizing ability and his athletic career lent credence to his resume. I vaguely recall that he taught for a short time at American University in Washington, DC: he was just in the right place at the right time.

He had several athletic brothers, including Dick (All-American basketball player/College Football Hall of Fame coach), Woody (All-American basketball player/owner of the minor league baseball Denver Bears), and Milt (QB for the Chicago Bears/coach of the Texas basketball team): who was the best athlete in the family, and have the athletics genes been passed down to the current generation? He had 4 athletic brothers. However, the “Woody” you mention is not Ott’s brother, but rather WW “Woody” Romney. Elwood “Woody” Romney was a cousin. Ott’s brother Wilford “Woody” Woodruff played football/basketball for Utah. It is difficult to say who was the best. Naturally I am biased because I know the career of my father EL “Dick” Romney more than those of my uncles. My father often said that he grew up in “Romneyville”, a name for our family of cousins in the area of Salt Lake City called “The Avenues”. We had athletic events among the kids all the time. There were the “Big Romneys” and the “Little Romneys”. I think my father may have been the best basketball player and Mitt may have been the best football player. My father’s career as a coach certainly was the longest: 3 decades at Utah State (1919-1949) and then a decade as Athletic Commissioner of the Mountain States Conference (1949-60). The legendary qualities of the family of Romney athletes lives on because all of them were outstanding, gifted, successful, charismatic, and “grassroots”, in the sense of being athletes because they loved it. They were not large men but large enough; smart, crafty, inventive, and they attracted a lot of attention. I would call them “cerebral” athletes/coaches. The 5 brothers were raised to be competitive among themselves and with the world beyond “Romneyville.” Mitt went into the business world and lived far away from Utah but may have been the best athlete of the bunch. I do not think anyone would argue that Dick was the best coach. I do not know enough about the subsequent careers of the “genes’ in the family. The 5 brothers produced only 7 children among them (2 boys/5 girls) and none of us were more than average in athletic ability.

When people look back on his career, how do you think he should be remembered the most? I think Ott became something of an institution, paving his own way in the athletic/recreation fields. If you met him or were around him for long you could see that he was a personality who held center-stage. He had that vocabulary, that charm, that great big voice, and that great big chin. He was not built like the nurtured athletes of today: he just WAS an athlete, and my father was the same. They could run and jump but mostly they could talk: they had credibility and stage presence. How many athletes do you know who had tea with King George VI and Queen Elizabeth while the bombs fell on London? That was a long way from Third Ave. and E St. in Salt Lake City!

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Happy Birthday!: HoopsHD interviews 2007 NBA champion Melvin Ely

Posted on May 2, 2021 by Jon Teitel

Melvin Ely has been a winner ever since high school when he was named a 1997 McDonald’s All-American after going 93-4 during his 3 years as a starter. He played for Coach Jerry Tarkanian at Fresno State and won back-to-back WAC POY awards in 2001/2002. He was drafted 12th overall by the Clippers in 2002 and a few years later he won a championship ring with the Spurs in 2007. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Melvin about playing for a Hall of Fame coach and winning an NBA title. Today is Melvin’s birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!

In the 1997 McDonald’s All-American Game you played for the East in a win over the West: which of your teammates impressed you the most (Ron Artest/Elton Brand/Lamar Odom/other)? It is funny you say that: we are all thick as thieves now and got to meet up later in the NBA. Lamar impressed me the most: people do not realize what it took to be a near-7 footer who could put the ball on the ground. Tracy McGrady was also a beast.

You played for Hall of Fame coach Jerry Tarkanian at Fresno State: what made him such a great coach, and (even though you previously said you learned something from him every single day) what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? How long you got?! After the All-American Game I had people saying that Tark wanted me but I did not even know who he was. I told my brother and he dropped the phone. I was thinking of going to Wisconsin because my brother had played there. Once I received a letter from Tark the letters from everyone else like Georgetown/Syracuse stopped. I talked to his son Danny who was the in-between guy: we are still close. I picked Tark because he cared: not too many people will come to Harvey by themselves but he pulled over 1 day and asked some gang members how to get to my house! He had some of the roughest guys chauffeuring him around and once he did I was hooked. He was a legend by the time he met me: nobody else would come to my neighborhood. Every day I went to his office he would only have his door closed if he was cussing out 1 of his players. If he told you something then he meant it and loved us like a father would. I lost my dad entering my senior year and Tark was the most genuine coach I ever saw. I have had similar coaches (like Gregg Popovich) but nobody exactly like him. The only thing Tark ever cared about was how we were doing off the court: he wanted to raise a bunch of kids in his shadow. We had a few that stumbled but he never gave up on us and never allowed us to give up on each other. He and his family made me a better man/responsible adult. Basketball was easy: his philosophy was to succeed at life. When we lost a game for Tark the world got a little bit smaller. Whenever I called him he always made time for me: I remember calling him when I got cut by the NBA. I was 1 of the last players to speak to him before he passed and am happy for that. He protected us all the time whenever people came at us with BS: we knew that we had a father figure.

In 2001 & 2002 you were named WAC POY: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? It meant more for me that it shined a light on our coaching staff. I was suspended for a few games during my senior year and when I found out I was in tears in the locker room. Tark asked me if I wanted to get even and told me that when I got back on the court to act like I was playing against the NCAA. If you look back at my stats when I returned from suspension I scored about 30 PPG! Any honor I got was due to Tark. President John Welty told me 1 day that he was thinking of getting rid of Tark: I told him that if he fired Tark I would never play for Fresno State again. When you play for someone else rather than for yourself the game becomes more rewarding.

In the summer of 2002 you were drafted 12th overall by the Clippers (3 spots behind Amar’e Stoudemire): 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 did not even know that I was going to get drafted: I just saw basketball as a way for me to pay for college and get an education so that I could get a better job afterward. I remember all of the times I got cut and had to play with holes in my shoes while wearing the same clothes that I had worn the previously day. We did not get there by ourselves: a lot of people put in the time/effort that got me there. Getting to the NBA is tough…but staying there 10 years is even harder. You have college kids who want your job, overseas players, etc. It was the scariest moment of my life because the whole process was a nightmare. You are lucky if you get your # called. My mom was a steelworker and my dad was a cook so the 1st thing I did was to get my mom out of Harvey and tell her to go back to work 1 more day and tell them to kiss her ass! It is a dream come true but it can be a never-ending nightmare as well.

In 2007 you were voted 1 of the “100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament” along with great players such as Michael Finley/Jack Sikma/Isiah Thomas: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? At the top. When I was in high school you did not want to play us! We played to a packed house everywhere we went. I played with Corey Maggette/Quentin Richardson and against Antoine Walker: when you go through Chicago hoops you have to earn it. We all stayed around each other: it meant a lot to be a Chicago hooper. New York/LA have some legends…but every team in Chicago had 1-2 players who made the NBA or could have made it if they had the grades to get into college. I will go name for name with everybody. I think Chicago is its own mecca: someone should tell the story someday.

In February of 2007 you were traded from Charlotte to San Antonio: what did it mean to you to win an NBA title only a few months later? Bernie Bickerstaff is like Tark to me: a great coach/father figure. People who win championships are not just friends: they are a restructured family. I was a little hurt when I left Charlotte until I realized that Bernie wanted to put me on a better path. It helped me prolong my career because in San Antonio you learn 1 way to do things: the team way. From my very 1st day with the Spurs it was great to be around Pop because he is so funny. When you leave a place as a better man that is amazing to me: the haves got it right and the have-nots do not have a damn clue! The championship was great because I can throw it in people’s faces who do not have 1, but the best part was bringing my family with me on the month-long road trip due to the rodeo. My entire career before that I was told “family can wait” but it was 1 of the best experiences of my life.

In the 2008 Western Conference Semifinals as a player with New Orleans you lost to San Antonio at home in Game 7: how were the Spurs able to become only the 4th team to ever win Game 7 on the road after the home team won each of the 1st 6 games? It was just a fight: that whole series was awesome. We guarded well and were right on the verge but I think their experience edged us out at the end. You can be a great scorer like Michael Jordan but without any experience it is just a bunch of points. The Spurs had done it before and knew what it took to win down the stretch. It was a damn shame that they broke our team up after that. It was bittersweet for me but we all learned from it. If I had a team that took the Spurs to Game 7 I would have kept that entire team together!

You spent more than a decade playing pro basketball in the NBA/Puerto Rico/Japan: what is the biggest difference between basketball in the US vs. basketball overseas? At 1st I thought there would be a huge gap…but it was not. With enough knowledge/care the sport can be the same everywhere. Right now the 2 guys leading the All-Star voting are Luka/Giannis! I coached in the G-League but my advice is to young players is to go overseas and make some money 1st before coming back and then getting your head together. People forget that it is a livable wage for 5 months…but there are 12 months in a year. Now you see every team with an overseas scout so the learning curve is shrinking. Within the next 10-15 years I think there will not be any difference between Europe and the US. Japan has a little ways to go because basketball is newer to them but Puerto Rico has at least 2-3 NBA guys on every roster.

Your brother Louis played basketball at Wisconsin: who is the best athlete in the family? Right now my son would say him. My brother was a better shot-blocker than me because he had great timing as an undersized center. I think that I was the better athlete but my son is a better shooter. There will be 3 different answers if you ask the 3 of us! I am just lucky to have basketball in my family. Without Lou there would be no me.

When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? Hard worker. People laugh when I tell them this: I never started but I always got double-teamed because I worked my ass off during my 13-year career. I did some stupid things when I was younger but at the end of the day I was loyal and a man of my word. The type of person I was really counts to me: “basketball player” is just a job title. Everyone has an opinion on my ride but it was a hell of a ride! I traveled the world and basketball allowed me to spend more time around my kids and be a better father. I am loved/respected and that is all I really wanted. My only regret is not playing longer but I was coached by legends, played with legends, and had a ball. We lost Commissioner David Stern last year: when he walked up to you at the draft and shook your hand, it showed that he knew how hard we worked to get there and he helped us along. We were on the verge of folding but Stern came in and fixed it all. It helps minorities the most and people do not realize that he upped the money for the players: that man will be missed.

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Happy Birthday!: HoopsHD interviews Liberty legend Julius Nwosu

Posted on May 1, 2021 by Jon Teitel

Julius Nwosu took a very interesting path to the NBA. He was born in Nigeria, then attended college at Liberty, where he averaged 14.3 PPG/7.4 RPG while shooting 56.2 FG%. He did not get drafted but was signed by San Antonio in 1994 and joined a fantastic frontcourt that included future Hall of Famers Moses Malone/David Robinson/Dennis Rodman. He continued to play basketball around the globe, ending up in 14 different countries during his 14-year pro career. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Julius about growing up in Nigeria and playing in the NBA. Today is his 50th birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!

You were born/raised in Nigeria: how did you 1st get into basketball, and why did you decide to go to Liberty? I played volleyball/handball/soccer growing up but then I started getting taller than all of my teammates. We would watch Hakeem Olajuwon’s games on TV. Everyone else was pushing me to get into basketball when I was about 15-16. I am a Christian and attended a Baptist church: we had a missionary every summer from Florida and the guy asked me if I wanted to play in the US at a Christian university.

You were named All-Conference as a junior and senior: did you feel like you were 1 of the best players in the conference? I think so: I was 1 of the dominant centers in the Big South at the time.

In 1993 you tied a Big South tourney record with 18 REB and made 9-10 FG in a 4-PT loss to Radford: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? It was 1 of those big rivalry games and I was ready to go right out of the gate.

You also finished 2nd in the conference in shooting as a senior (61.5 FG%): what is you secret for being a great shooter? I was not that good of a shooter from outside as a freshman but I worked on my shot during the summertime. I wanted to shoot from 3-PT land as a senior but the coach would not let me!

In 1994 you signed as a free agent and played 23 games for the Spurs: what is your favorite memory from your time in the NBA? 1 time I was voted as Player of the Week off the bench and my teammates were all happy for me.

Your team made it to the Western Conference Finals that season: what is the biggest difference between the regular season vs. the postseason? I was just a rookie with a lot of veteran players who played hard, but when you get to the playoffs you try to leave everything on the floor. If you have a broken finger during the regular season you would let it heal, but in the playoffs you just wrap it up and try to go as far as you can.

You played for the Nigerian national team at the 1998 FIBA World Championship, but due to bad medication bought at a market in Lagos you were suspended for doping and could not finish the tournament: how did you feel when you learned about your suspension, and what impact did it have on your reputation (if any)? We spent a month in the capital of Nigeria prior to the FIBA games and I got malaria and was very sick. I took some medicine (including Nyquil) the night before the game hoping that I would wake up refreshed. I have never had a drink or a smoke so drug testing was never a problem for me when I was playing professionally. I did not list Nyquil on the list of medications that I was taking because I did not even think it was illegal. I tried to play the next season but every team I talked to told my agent that they were concerned about my failed test, so I ended up having to go to Russia and played for a team that never paid me.

You played in 14 different countries during your 14-year pro career: what did you learn from these experiences, and how did they compare to the NBA? It was amazing to play overseas. When I 1st came out of school and played in Spain there was a huge gap between Europe and the US, but nowadays most of the pro teams abroad could blow out any US college team. The system in Europe is about playing as a team and moving the ball, whereas the NBA is about individual talent. When I watch college basketball I see so many guys doing things the wrong way due to flaws in the system.

You later became a coach in Texas: how did you like the job, and what do you hope to do in the future? I would like to coach college basketball. Due to all of my experience I think that I could make a difference. For example, when you are playing defense on the post you cannot front your opponent all the time because he will push you outside and then have the ball dumped inside to him, but it seems like a lot of college players do exactly that. Most mid-level NCAA coaches end up borrowing a system from a high-level coach and then their assistants just learn their own coach’s system.

When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? I was a guy who liked to play defense so when I look back I wonder if I should have tried to score more often. I am probably the only player who has won 15 championships because I have played in so many different places and was willing to do whatever it took to win. I was relentless on the court and worked very hard.

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