With the 2020 NBA draft taking place next week we will spend the days ahead taking a walk down memory lane with a choice collection of players who are celebrating an awesome anniversary this year. From the 1st player in NBA history to score 2000 PTS in a season (70th anniversary) through the 2000 Pac-10 POY (20th anniversary), these stars have all seen their dreams come true in past drafts. We continue our series with Rick Mahorn. He led all of D-2 in RPG in 1980, was a 3-time All-American, and won an NBA title with Detroit in 1989. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Rick about the 40th anniversary of getting drafted.
You averaged 6 PPG/6 RPG as a freshman at Hampton, then averaged 22+ PPG/12+ RPG over your next 3 seasons: what changed after your freshman year that allowed you to become a star? I just learned how to play basketball. I had no basketball pedigree: I only became a starter as a senior in high school. The transformation was due to some great coaches including Hank Ford: they taught me how to make a left-handed layup, helped me correct my jump shot, etc. 1 of our starters got hurt and I took his place and had a huge game at UConn, showing off for my hometown fans from Hartford.
In 1979 you grabbed a school-record 28 REB vs. Winston Salem State, and in 1980 you led all of D-2 with 15.8 RPG: what is the secret to being a great rebounder? The keys are discipline and unselfishness. It was a plus for our team if I could rebound so I just had the tenacity to go after every board that I could.
In 1980 you scored a school-record 48 PTS vs. St. Augustine’s: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? Sometimes you get in that zone and you just keep going. During my senior year a lot of our team’s offense ran through me. Our coach’s mindset was to “get the horse the ball” so my teammates just kept feeding the beast. It was too bad that we ended up losing that game.
You were a 3-time All-American and the 1979 CIAA POY: what did it mean to you to win such outstanding honors? It was great but I just tried to be the best I could both on and off the court. My mindset was focused on team goals so my friends probably enjoyed me becoming an All-American even more than I did!
In the summer of 1980 you were drafted in the 2nd round by Washington (10 spots behind Jeff Ruland): 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 realize that I was an actual NBA player until my 4th year in the league. It was never my goal to play in the NBA: just to get into college and get a higher education. I was visiting a friend in San Francisco and reading the local paper when I saw my name in there. To be on a team from the East and see that they were following me in the West made me realize how big a deal it was to be a pro basketball player.
Take me through the legendary 1987 Eastern Conference Finals:
Boston had a 1-PT win in Game 5 on Larry Bird’s famous last-second steal/assist to Dennis Johnson: what do you remember about that play, and did you realize at the time how famous the play would become? I was supposed to inbound the ball and was looking to my right to see what Coach Chuck Daly wanted to do. He wanted to call a timeout but before I could turn my head back Bird had stolen the ball.
You had a 3-PT loss to Boston in Game 7: how close did you come to winning that game, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterwards? We definitely felt that we should have won that game, but it was a learning experience about how important it was to have home-court advantage.
Take me through the 1988 Finals:
In Game 6 Isiah Thomas scored a Finals-record 25 PTS in the 3rd quarter (11-13 FG) despite playing on a sprained ankle: how was he able to battle through the pain and dominate for an entire quarter? You ask yourself if you will ever get to the Finals again, and then you go out and give it your all in case you never get back there. Isiah was doing it all by himself, which was an amazing feat.
In Game 7 Finals MVP James Worthy had 36 PTS/16 REB/10 AST (the only triple-double of his career): were you surprise that it was Worthy who took over the final game, and do you think that Magic Johnson should have got called for a foul after knocking Thomas to the ground in the final seconds? There is always that woulda-coulda-shoulda. Worthy was dominant throughout that series and the Lakers badly wanted to repeat.
In the magical 1989 Finals you swept the Lakers in 4 games: what did it mean to you to win a title? We achieved our goal and beat the best in the world. When you play a sport you want to win a title. It is the highest honor you can get in the NBA and now we are part of the club with the other legendary teams like the Lakers/Celtics/Bulls.
In 1990 you were named 2nd-team All-Defense and your 1007 career BLK remains in the top-100 all-time: what is the key to being a good defender? I learned how to play defense back in college by having to face our opponent’s best player. My goal was to try and hold their player to half of his scoring average. It is not about scoring points but just accepting your role.
You won 2 WNBA titles with the Detroit Shock as an assistant coach for former teammate Bill Laimbeer before becoming head coach in 2009: how did you like working with Laimbeer, and what is the biggest difference between male and female players? Bill should be an NBA coach: I loved working for him. The only difference is the gender: women are not as athletic as men but work just as hard and can execute plays.
