The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews Bobby Cremins about 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Stephon Marbury

Posted on September 8, 2020 by Jon Teitel

The NBA Finals date back to 1947 (when they were known as the Basketball Association of America Finals) and the very 1st NCAA tourney was held in 1939. Olympic basketball competition is even older: it debuted as a demonstration event in 1904 and the men’s version became a medal sport in 1936, with the women finally getting their chance to go for the gold in 1976. The United States has dominated Olympic basketball competition from the start: the men have won 15 gold medals in the 18 tournaments they have participated in during the past 84 years, while the women have won 8 gold medals in the 10 tournaments in which they have competed during the past 44 years. Those of you who were looking forward to the 2020 Olympics opening ceremonies in Tokyo on July 24, 2020 will have to wait an extra 364 days, as the coronavirus caused a postponement until July 23, 2021. Due to the absence of college basketball since mid-March, HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel decided to fill the void by trying to interview as many prior Olympic players/coaches as possible so that you have something to read this summer while not watching the Summer Games. We continue our coverage by chatting with Bobby Cremins, 1996 Olympic assistant coach, about his former Georgia Tech player Stephon Marbury winning a bronze medal in 2004.

(photo credit: kronozio.com)

In 1995 Stephon was named a McDonald’s All-American along with future NBA All-Stars Chauncey Billups/Vince Carter/Antawn Jamison/Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce: where does that 1995 high school senior class rank among the best that you have ever seen? It definitely does ran high: he was at Lincoln High School.

He was born/raised in Brooklyn: how did you convince him to attend Georgia Tech, and how difficult was it? It was a crazy recruiting story. He loved Kenny Anderson, which we had going for us, and Travis Best was a senior so it was a perfect opening for him. I almost gave up because Syracuse and some other schools were involved. I knew his coach Bobby Hartstein through the Howard Garfinkel basketball camps. Bobby told me that we were high on his list because Stephon loved Kenny. I went to his school around September or October and saw that he was a scoring machine. There was a period where I thought that we lost him and Bobby called me to ask what was going on because he still wanted to come to Georgia Tech, so we eventually got back in there. He was a great kid who gave me no problems and always went to class. I lacked some foresight because I thought that he would stay more than 1 year.

In 1996 he was named 1st-team All-ACC and ACC ROY: how was he able to come in and dominate right from the start? He was in the Kenny Anderson category but they were different players. Kenny was a better passer but Stephon had better range/power. The 1 thing they had in common is that they were both terrific scorers. Some freshmen try to do too much but Stephon was such a great scorer who just had to learn how to get other people involved. He was a tough kid and very athletic.

In the summer of 1996 he was drafted 4th overall by Milwaukee and then traded shortly thereafter to Minnesota for the draft rights to Ray Allen and a future 1st-round pick: what did it mean to him to get drafted, and what did it mean to him to get traded? Back then I stayed out of the NBA stuff once the kid left campus because I wanted him to start his own life. I never attended the draft because it was their time to realize their dream. Kevin Garnett was already on Minnesota and they had some familiarity so Stephon was excited to play with him. When he turned pro it was quite a show. He had a press conference that I attended in Brooklyn with his whole family: it started 90 minutes late because he would not start until his mother showed up. He had a brother who played at Georgia and he wanted to help his big family. He felt like God had given him this basketball ability to help his family get out of the projects: he felt like he was the chosen one.

He averaged 15.8 PPG/7.8 APG in his 1st season and was named to the 1997 NBA All-Rookie 1st-Team: how was he able to make such a smooth transition to the NBA after only 1 year of college? He was 1 of the most talented kids you ever saw. He was the chosen 1: that is for sure. All of a sudden he started jumping around from team to team. 1 year he came down to South Carolina where the Knicks were training: he met up with my team manager and bought us a beautiful new TV for our locker room. He was a good kid but there was a lot of pressure on him due to high expectations. I really wanted to talk to him when he was on the Knicks but he was hard to get a hold of. I was worried when he went to China but it turned out to be a good move for him.

In the 2001 All-Star Game he scored 12 PTS including 2 threes in the final minute to clinch a 1-PT win by the East: how was he able to play his best against the best? I would put his talent up against anyone: he just needed to learn how to play the game. He could take over any game and was very confident. He was not a pure PG because he wanted to score and was so powerful that he could put 50 on you.

In Game 1 of the 2003 Western Conference 1st round with Phoenix he scored 26 PTS in 53 minutes including the game-winning 3 at the buzzer in a 1-PT OT win at San Antonio: what made him such a great clutch player? There was nothing that he could not do physically: I just tried to teach him the game and he bought in. Sometimes it is hard to coach a talented guy because he thinks he knows everything.

He won a bronze medal with team USA at the 2004 Olympics: what did it mean to him to represent his country, and what did it mean to him to win a bronze medal? I am sure that he was very disappointed with the bronze medal because he did not like losing.

He spent 12 years in the NBA before moving to China and becoming a 6-time All-Star yet his 7.6 career APG remains top-20 in NBA history: what made him such a great PG? That was the part that we were working on: a PG has to get assists so that is great to hear. I think that he was best when he was happy. He had the talent so if the other intangibles were there then he would perform very well. You needed to earn his trust and I was glad to see him do so well in China. I was a little nervous about why he went to China but it turned out pretty well for him.

In 2001 he donated $250,000 to help victims of the September 11th attacks, in 2005 he donated more than $500,000 to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, and in March he announced a plan to deliver 10 million N95 masks from China to the USA for hospital workers and other first responders: what impact do you think his off-court generosity will have on his legacy? A lot. I was really proud about him trying to get the masks because he absolutely loves New York. His philanthropy is really wonderful. The biggest thing I tried to teach him was peripheral vision so that he would see the whole court…but at the same time he was talented enough to score. I coached him for 4 months when we were on the quarter system and he was gone after 2 quarters: I did not see that coming but he did the right thing. It was not real common back then to leave after 1 year but taking care of his family was his #1 priority because he loved them. 1 time I went to see him and I got lost in the projects: I had a little kid ask me if I was looking for Marbury…and it turned out to be his cousin Sebastian Telfair! We had a great New York City connection that started with Mark Price and we eventually became known as “Point Guard University”. I wish I could run into him more because I am very proud of him.

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The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews Chad Carlson about 1948 Olympic gold medalist Don Barksdale

Posted on September 7, 2020 by Jon Teitel

The NBA Finals date back to 1947 (when they were known as the Basketball Association of America Finals) and the very 1st NCAA tourney was held in 1939. Olympic basketball competition is even older: it debuted as a demonstration event in 1904 and the men’s version became a medal sport in 1936, with the women finally getting their chance to go for the gold in 1976. The United States has dominated Olympic basketball competition from the start: the men have won 15 gold medals in the 18 tournaments they have participated in during the past 84 years, while the women have won 8 gold medals in the 10 tournaments in which they have competed during the past 44 years. Those of you who were looking forward to the 2020 Olympics opening ceremonies in Tokyo on July 24, 2020 will have to wait an extra 364 days, as the coronavirus caused a postponement until July 23, 2021. Due to the absence of college basketball since mid-March, HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel decided to fill the void by trying to interview as many prior Olympic players/coaches as possible so that you have something to read this summer while not watching the Summer Games. We continue our coverage by chatting with Chad Carlson, author of “Basketball’s Forgotten Experiment: Don Barksdale and the Legacy of the United States Olympic Basketball Team”, about Don winning a gold medal in 1948. Today marks the 8th anniversary of Don’s induction into the Hall of Fame.

In 1948 Don became the 1st African-American to play on a US Olympic basketball team, but after traveling to Kentucky to scrimmage the 1948 NCAA champs he was not allowed to stay at a hotel with the rest of the team and had to stay with a local African-American family instead: how did he feel about being good enough to represent his country despite hotels in Lexington feeling that he did not have the right skin color to stay there? The 1948 US Olympic basketball team was split into 2 groups: the University of Kentucky 5 plus 2 collegians trained in Lexington with Coach Adolph Rupp while the 5 AAU players from the Phillips 66ers trained with Barksdale, Baylor’s Jackie Robinson (huge coincidence: he was White!), and head coach Omar “Bud” Browning in Bartlesville, OK (home of the 66ers). Both areas were segregated but Oklahoma’s Jim Crow laws were a bit more accommodating than Lexington for 2 reasons: the presence of large numbers of Native Americans, as well as Barksdale’s light skin tone. When he stayed at an all-White hotel with his teammates in Tulsa during a fundraising exhibition there was an elderly woman who complained. The hotel manager told the woman that Barksdale was Persian…and she dropped the matter: that would not have happened in Lexington. While there for the last of 3 intra-squad scrimmages before the Olympics Barksdale’s White teammates stayed at a nice hotel and had country club access that he did not have. In fact, there is some evidence that his life was threatened via a letter he received the day before the scrimmage. The Wildcats had never played against a Black opponent at that time and would not do so again until the following decade. Further, Rupp would not have an African-American player on his team until 1970 (Tom Payne), so Barksdale’s participation in a game against 5 Kentucky players coached by Rupp was truly groundbreaking. Remember: this was only 1 year after the other Jackie Robinson had broken baseball’s color line so integrated sports was still a new concept. Black athletes knew that in order to leave their mark in mainstream sports they had to be overly-qualified while also accepting 2nd-class treatment. Barksdale was more than qualified and had great composure. The local Black community celebrated him during his short stay in Lexington. Black fans crammed into the end zone section of UK’s football field that had been transformed into a basketball court for the scrimmage: this was the only place where non-White spectators could sit to watch the action.

What did it mean to him to represent his country/race, and what did it mean to him to win a gold medal? This was only the 2nd Olympic basketball tournament ever (the 1st 1 was in 1936 and the Games were cancelled in 1940/1944) and the competition was not very good so winning was never in doubt. Essentially, anyone who made the US roster was ensured of winning a gold medal so the most difficult thing for Barksdale was making the team. He had a very strong individual showing at the Olympic Trials in New York City but his team did not play very well. He was eventually chosen for 1 of the 4 at-large roster spots. He was likely the only African-American player at the trials, although 1 of the 5 Phillips 66ers players was Native American Jesse “Cab” Renick. After the London Games Renick became the 1st Native American gold medalist since Jim Thorpe! The basketball selection committee was quite progressive, including a strong voice from New York City in lawyer Harry Henshel who fought vigorously against racial exclusion. Barksdale also received support from Olympic basketball committee representatives out west who were quite familiar with his abilities and (maybe more importantly) his ability to fit in with an all-White team.

After graduating he became the 1st African-American radio DJ/beer distributor/TV host in the Bay area: was this due to him being interested in various businesses or did he just need to make some money while waiting for the NBA to eventually integrate? There were plenty of college basketball stars at the time who eschewed the NBA to play on the AAU circuit. At the time the AAU was filled with companies across the country that would hire top college basketball graduates and then pay them to both work and play basketball for the company. Barksdale was clearly interested in disc jockeying/entertainment but his interest in beer distributorship is unclear. Nonetheless, the Bittner Company in Oakland hired him and had an AAU basketball team that he played for. This brought him back to his hometown and allowed him to play high-level basketball while also learning trade skills he could use once his basketball skills diminished. The NBA did not exist when he graduated from UCLA so that was not an option: the league was founded in 1949 and Barksdale joined the following season.

He was a 3-time AAU All-American as a player for the Oakland Bittners and won the 1949 AAU national title: what did it mean to him to break the Phillips 66ers’ streak of 6 straight AAU titles? At the time of the Bittners’ victory over the 66ers there were 5 guys on the 66ers who were teammates of Barksdale during the Olympics. He knew those guys and had trained with them as teammates so there was a great deal of respect there. They knew what he was capable of and vice-versa but the 66ers were not the same team as in the past. Browning retired from coaching after the Olympics (for a few years at least) while Renick and 2 other Olympians did not return to the 66ers for the 1948-49 season so it was a very different squad compared to what it was before the Olympics.

He only played 4 years in the NBA before retiring due to injuries but his style of basketball (running up and down the court and playing both above and below the rim) foreshadowed the modern era of the game: do you think that his stats suffered due to not receiving more passes from his White teammates in Baltimore/Boston? That is certainly a possibility but Barksdale played basketball in an era that did not quantify much on the court and was not obsessed with statistics. All of our sports are heavily quantified now and we rely far too much on stats in sports. Barksdale was good and his teammates/opponents/coaches knew it…but statistics do not show his true prowess because they only existed in primitive fashion. The lone Black players from each team would often be told to guard each other regardless of their size/position. When this was the case, racial dynamics played a major factor in each team’s strategies. Fortunately for Barksdale he was very good at doing the things that White coaches stereotypically wanted out of Black players: defending/rebounding above the rim and scoring above the rim/close to the basket.

He passed away in 1993 but was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012: when people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? Barksdale should be remembered right alongside Jackie Robinson. His accomplishment is not as recognized as Robinson’s because basketball (especially pro basketball) was not nearly as big a deal as baseball was at the time but his accomplishment was no less impressive.

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The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews Leon Barmore about 1984 Olympic gold medalist Janice Lawrence Braxton

Posted on September 6, 2020 by Jon Teitel

The NBA Finals date back to 1947 (when they were known as the Basketball Association of America Finals) and the very 1st NCAA tourney was held in 1939. Olympic basketball competition is even older: it debuted as a demonstration event in 1904 and the men’s version became a medal sport in 1936, with the women finally getting their chance to go for the gold in 1976. The United States has dominated Olympic basketball competition from the start: the men have won 15 gold medals in the 18 tournaments they have participated in during the past 84 years, while the women have won 8 gold medals in the 10 tournaments in which they have competed during the past 44 years. Those of you who were looking forward to the 2020 Olympics opening ceremonies in Tokyo on July 24, 2020 will have to wait an extra 364 days, as the coronavirus caused a postponement until July 23, 2021. Due to the absence of college basketball since mid-March, HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel decided to fill the void by trying to interview as many prior Olympic players/coaches as possible so that you have something to read this summer while not watching the Summer Games. We continue our coverage by chatting with Hall of Fame coach Leon Barmore about his former player Janice Lawrence Braxton winning a pair of national titles in 1981/1982 and a gold medal in 1984.

(photo credit: espn.com)

Janice was born/raised in Mississippi and was a 2-time Parade Magazine All-American: how did you recruit her to Louisiana Tech? Watching her play in high school I would say that she was 1 of the 2 or 3 best high school players I ever saw. We used to keep a shot chart: she made something like 16-18 shots on 1 night I saw her play…and they were not all layups.

She was 6’3”: how much of an advantage was her size on the court? It helped her but after coaching for 25 years I think she is the most versatile player I ever had. She could run the court, make outside shots, and post up. She is 1 of the best all-around players we ever had.

Your team won the 1981 AIAW title game over Tennessee by 20 PTS and finished the season 34-0: how was your team able to stay focused for every single game? We had lost in the Final 4 the previous 2 years so that was certainly a motivational factor to actually finish it. We beat USC in the semifinals and Pat Summitt in the title game.

In the 1st-ever NCAA tourney title game in 1982 she scored 20 PTS in a win over Cheyney State (who had won 23 games in a row) en route to being named tourney MOP: how was she able to play her best when it mattered the most? She is 1 of the top competitors we ever had here. She was a fiery player and took it seriously. That team was even better than the undefeated year: I have said it is the best team I ever had and it is due to her.

In the 1983 NCAA title game you had a 2-PT loss to USC and in the 1984 Final 4 you had a 5-PT loss to eventual champ USC: how close did she come to winning 4 titles in a row, and how intense was the rivalry back in the day? It was very intense. We beat USC in the semifinals in 1981 but then they brought in Cheryl Miller, who I think is the best college player ever, as well as the McGee twins. They also had Cynthia Cooper, who made 3 straight jumpers to beat us in 1983. In 1984 we had to play them in their backyard at UCLA.

She was the 1984 national POY/2-time All-American: what did it mean to her to receive such outstanding honors? She deserved those honors and was very proud of them. You always wonder how players from the past could compete in today’s era: she could play with anyone.

She went 130-6 and made the Final 4 for 4 straight years: did it reach a point where you just expected to win every time that she stepped onto the court? We had a lot of wins! Kim Mulkey also played on those teams: we were not cocky about it but knew that we were good. What pleases me is that we had great success for a 12-13 year period.

She played for team USA at the 1983 Pan Am Games and 1984 Olympics: what did it mean to her to represent her country, and what did it mean to her to win a pair of gold medals? Janice had a lot of pride in playing for her country and appreciated winning those gold medals.

She played pro basketball for 15 years in Italy: how was she able to have such a nice long career overseas? She lasted that long because she was slender/wiry and never got hurt. She took good care of herself and had a good makeup. She was tough: if you threw her down on the pavement she would bounce right back up.

She was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006: when people look back on her career, how do you think that she should be remembered the most? I would put her in the top 2-3 players we ever had here. She was surrounded by some good players but she made the difference in how highly we were ranked.

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The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews 1976 Olympic gold medalist Phil Ford

Posted on September 5, 2020 by Jon Teitel

The NBA Finals date back to 1947 (when they were known as the Basketball Association of America Finals) and the very 1st NCAA tourney was held in 1939. Olympic basketball competition is even older: it debuted as a demonstration event in 1904 and the men’s version became a medal sport in 1936, with the women finally getting their chance to go for the gold in 1976. The United States has dominated Olympic basketball competition from the start: the men have won 15 gold medals in the 18 tournaments they have participated in during the past 84 years, while the women have won 8 gold medals in the 10 tournaments in which they have competed during the past 44 years. Those of you who were looking forward to the 2020 Olympics opening ceremonies in Tokyo on July 24, 2020 will have to wait an extra 364 days, as the coronavirus caused a postponement until July 23, 2021. Due to the absence of college basketball since mid-March, HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel decided to fill the void by trying to interview as many prior Olympic players/coaches as possible so that you have something to read this summer while not watching the Summer Games. We continue our coverage by chatting with Phil Ford about winning a gold medal in 1976 and being named national POY in 1978.

You were born/raised in North Carolina and were named 1st-team Parade All-American in 1974: which of your fellow honorees impressed you the most (Kenny Carr/Moses Malone/Mike Mitchell/other)? I was born in Kannapolis: my parents were public school teachers and we moved to Rocky Mount after my dad got a job nearby. I was impressed with all of my fellow honorees. There was a guy named Skip Wise who was a great player from Baltimore and was 1st-team All-ACC at Clemson before going pro early in 1975.

You were named to the ACC All-Tourney team for 4 straight years and in 1975 you were named ACC tourney MVP as a freshman after 3 close wins in 3 days (1-PT OT win over Wake Forest/5-PT OT win over Clemson/4-PT win over NC State): how were you able to play your best when it mattered the most? That year was a total team effort. We lost 2 games early in the season during a holiday tournament but by the end of the year we were good enough to win the ACC tourney. Skip missed a shot for Clemson and Tree Rollins got the offensive REB but he missed the put-back, then to beat arguably 1 of the best players in league history in David Thompson in the title game was a great win for our school. Had I not gone to UNC I would have went to NC State.

You played for Coach Dean Smith/Coach Bill Guthridge and with 3 of your Tar Heel teammates (Walter Davis/Mitch Kupchak/Tom LaGarde) on team USA at the 1976 Olympics: was it extra-special to have all of those Tar Heels on the national team? What Coach Smith tried to do was to put together a team that was coachable because you do not have a lot of time to prepare against foreign teams that had played together for years. We were very young college kids who were facing grown men who were playing in their 2nd or 3rd Olympics. Having 4 of us on the team was helpful.

You were a 3-time 1st-team All-American/1978 national POY: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? It was very rewarding but I did not have individual awards as my goals because it is a team sport. I tell younger guys like Joel Berry that if they give me their NCAA title then I will gladly give them my jersey from the rafters!

In 1978 you graduated as the all-time leading scorer in school history with 2290 career PTS: what is the secret to being a great scorer, and how did you feel when Tyler Hansbrough broke your record 30 years later? It was not a goal of mine: I just got better and better as a player and picked the right school for me. Playing for Coach Smith was the best thing that I could have done as a player. I was so happy when Tyler broke my record: nobody has won as many awards as has and he is a great friend. I got to attend the game where he broke the record, which was really cool. Coach Roy Williams invited me to be his guest and I got to go out and give Tyler a big hug after he did it.

In the summer of 1978 you were drafted 2nd overall by Kansas City (4 spots ahead of Larry Bird): did you see that as a validation of your college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other? It was a great feeling to be drafted 2nd. Growing up in Rocky Mount we did not see a lot of professional basketball players. I became a UNC fan in junior high school when Charlie Scott enrolled there so it was unbelievable to have an opportunity to follow him to Chapel Hill.

You averaged 15.9 PPG/8.6 APG/2.2 SPG in 1979 and were named 1979 NBA ROY: how were you able to make such a smooth transition from college to the NBA? A lot of people think of the 4 Corners offense when you mention UNC but we really played an up-tempo pro-style of game and a lot of man-to-man defense. You have to learn how to play with 4 good teammates: we did not have anyone taking 30 shots/game because we spread our scoring around. My college/Olympic teammate Walter Davis was NBA ROY in 1978.

After retiring as a player you returned to your alma mater as an assistant coach and helped lead the team to the 1993 NCAA title: how did you like being a coach, and what did it mean to you to win a title as a coach (thanks to Chris Webber calling a timeout that he did not have in the final seconds) after coming so close as a player in 1977? It was a great time in my life: the enthusiasm/interest for Tar Heel basketball is off the charts. I was just happy to be a part of that title since we had such a great team with guys like Donald Williams/Eric Montross.

In 2003 you were voted the 9th-Greatest Male Athlete in ACC history and in 2012 you were inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame: when people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? Believe it or not I would just like to be remembered as a nice guy. Basketball was an important part of my life but my faith is also important, as is the way that I treat people.

Are there any thoughts you would like to share about everything that has been going on in our country this year (George Floyd/protests/police/other)? I love the dialogue that is going on and hopefully it just involves some growing pains since we are a young country. Every day is a gift from God and we have a chance to improve the lives of our fellow man. I will continue to pray for humanity and all of its internal relationships and I hope that we grow closer and closer together.

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The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews Phil Ford about 1976 Olympic gold medalist Tom LaGarde

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Jon Teitel

The NBA Finals date back to 1947 (when they were known as the Basketball Association of America Finals) and the very 1st NCAA tourney was held in 1939. Olympic basketball competition is even older: it debuted as a demonstration event in 1904 and the men’s version became a medal sport in 1936, with the women finally getting their chance to go for the gold in 1976. The United States has dominated Olympic basketball competition from the start: the men have won 15 gold medals in the 18 tournaments they have participated in during the past 84 years, while the women have won 8 gold medals in the 10 tournaments in which they have competed during the past 44 years. Those of you who were looking forward to the 2020 Olympics opening ceremonies in Tokyo on July 24, 2020 will have to wait an extra 364 days, as the coronavirus caused a postponement until July 23, 2021. Due to the absence of college basketball since mid-March, HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel decided to fill the void by trying to interview as many prior Olympic players/coaches as possible so that you have something to read this summer while not watching the Summer Games. We continue our coverage by chatting with Phil Ford about his North Carolina/Olympic teammate Tom LaGarde winning a gold medal in 1976.

You and Tom both played for Hall of Fame coach Dean Smith at North Carolina: what made Smith such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? There are so many things that we learned from him: he was like a 2nd father to me and was more than a coach. His loyalty to us was beyond belief. He was there for us for life even after we graduated because he was an unbelievable person. I think that he is the greatest coach ever and always treated everyone fairly.

In the 1975 NCAA tourney he scored 12 PTS/5-6 FG but Jim Lee made a 17-foot jumper with 5 seconds left in a 2-PT win by Syracuse: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? Every loss hurts so of course that 1 did as well. We had to win the ACC tourney just to make it to the NCAA tourney but you cannot take anything away from Syracuse.

After winning a gold medal at the Pan Am Games in the fall of 1975, he played for Coach Smith/Coach Bill Guthridge on team USA along with you and 2 other Tar Heel teammates (Walter Davis/Mitch Kupchak) at the 1976 Olympics: what did it mean to him to represent his country, and what did it mean to him to win a pair of gold medals? You would have to ask “Stretch” that himself but for me it was extremely rewarding, especially after the way that we lost the gold medal in the 1972 game that was very controversial. We were underdogs in 1976 because a lot of good players did not try out for the team. Coach Smith got some criticism for having 4 UNC players and 3 more from the ACC (Tate Armstrong from Duke/Kenny Carr from NC State/Steve Sheppard from Maryland) but I knew that we were straight on the inside. It was extremely rewarding for us to win the gold under tough circumstances.

He only played 20 games as a senior due to a torn knee and missed out on UNC’s run to the NCAA title game: how bad was the injury, and do you think that your team would have won it all if he was healthy? You cannot guess with the ifs/buts so I give Coach Al McGuire credit for beating us in the title game. Tommy was a future pro player so he definitely made us better when he was healthy. You just have to accept what it is and play the cards that you are dealt. I give Coach Smith credit for just getting us to the title game against Marquette despite all of our injuries: everybody on our roster was beat up.

He was an All-American in 1977 and was a 2-time Academic All-American: how was he able to balance his work on the court with his work in the classroom? We were suitemates and Tommy is brilliant. I am not sure how to measure it but he was close to a genius. He could answer questions for me about my own major!

In the summer of 1977 he was drafted 9th overall by Denver (1 spot behind Jack Sikma): did he see that as a validation of his college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other? Since he was such a talented player I am sure that he was excited to reach the NBA.

He only played 23 regular season games for Seattle during the 1978-79 season and missed the entire playoffs due to injury: how did he feel about his team winning a title without him? I think that he was their starting center to begin the season. I am sure that he was extremely happy for his teammates but anyone would be frustrated to not play due to injury. He is such a great person that he would have been happy even if we would have won the title without him in 1977.

After retiring from pro basketball in 1984 due to knee injuries he founded a professional inline skating league, worked on Wall Street, and opened a live music venue in North Carolina: how was he able to follow his on-court success by becoming so successful off the court? Just because he is so smart. Whatever he tries to do he will be successful at due to his strong work ethic.

When people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? As 1 of the greatest players that we have ever had. We should all be proud that he was a Tar Heel because he could have gone to any school in the country: I am just happy that he chose UNC.

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The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews 1972 Olympic silver medalist Mike Bantom

Posted on September 3, 2020 by Jon Teitel

The NBA Finals date back to 1947 (when they were known as the Basketball Association of America Finals) and the very 1st NCAA tourney was held in 1939. Olympic basketball competition is even older: it debuted as a demonstration event in 1904 and the men’s version became a medal sport in 1936, with the women finally getting their chance to go for the gold in 1976. The United States has dominated Olympic basketball competition from the start: the men have won 15 gold medals in the 18 tournaments they have participated in during the past 84 years, while the women have won 8 gold medals in the 10 tournaments in which they have competed during the past 44 years. Those of you who were looking forward to the 2020 Olympics opening ceremonies in Tokyo on July 24, 2020 will have to wait an extra 364 days, as the coronavirus caused a postponement until July 23, 2021. Due to the absence of college basketball since mid-March, HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel decided to fill the void by trying to interview as many prior Olympic players/coaches as possible so that you have something to read this summer while not watching the Summer Games. We continue our coverage by chatting with Mike Bantom about the most controversial basketball game in Olympic history. Today marks the 48th anniversary of Mike scoring a team-high 18 PTS in a 99-33 win over Japan in Olympic round-robin pool play.

(photo credit: theafricanamericanathlete.com)

You were born/raised in Philly: what made you choose St. Joe’s? When I was in high school the Big 5 basketball schools were very popular/competitive and got a lot of local TV coverage. I did not play varsity basketball until my senior year of high school so the 1st schools to heavily recruit me were the local ones. St. Joe’s had the reputation of playing hard and I liked watching them play. Villanova had Howard Porter and La Salle had Kenny Durrett and Penn was a top-5 team so it seemed like St. Joe’s could have used me the most. I felt like I needed to go to a program where I would have the opportunity to develop.

In the 1971 NCAA tourney you had 20 PTS/14 REB in a loss to eventual national runner-up Villanova: what was it like to play a fellow Big 5 team in the postseason? The interesting part of that is that we had played them twice during the regular season: once in Kansas to start the season and once at the Palestra later that season. We were built around a bunch of sophomores so Villanova was much more experienced than we were. However, we were playing much better by the time of the NCAA tourney. We won our conference but still had to play the #1 Independent team in the East. We played them more competitively the final time and it was a great experience to face Porter: I never envisioned playing at his level.

You played for team USA at the 1972 Olympics: who do you blame the most for the controversial loss to the USSR (Bill Walton for not playing, Hank Iba for using a slow tempo, the Secretary General, the timekeeper, the refs, other) and how crushing was “the 1st time I ever cried over a basketball game”? I think it was a combination of the Secretary General and the other administrators who refused to follow the rules of the game and do what should have been done. I do not fault Iba because he just taught us the controlled tempo that he knew. We had not played a lot together so when you play up-tempo you need some familiarity with your teammates. We beat all of the other teams pretty handily before running into a group of experienced Russian men who were probably targeting us from the start of the Games. It was pretty crushing for a 20-year old who spent all summer practicing 2-3 times/day harder than I ever had before. When you put in that sweat equity and then win it makes you so happy, and to have it unfairly reversed and feel so helpless that they would not change their minds hurt a lot. It was 1 of the 1st times I ever experienced outright unfairness where the good guys did not win. I also cried after losing in the Finals against the Lakers: we put our heart and soul into it and did not think that we would lose until we actually did. I did not cry on the floor or in the locker room but did so in my hotel later on: sports are emotional.

You averaged 20 PPG/13.7 RPG during your 3 years on the varsity and in 1973 you were named an All-American: how were you able to balance your scoring with your rebounding, and what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? I was coached to just play as hard as I could: my high school coach Speedy Morris was outstanding. I did not have a lot of basketball skills but was tall/athletic and played hard. At St. Joe’s I played for Coach Paul Westhead who wanted to make me the scoring focus of our team as a freshman. I also tried to get rebounds and help us win and the numbers just took care of themselves.

In the spring of 1973 you were drafted 8th overall by Phoenix (3 spots behind Kermit 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 cannot say that it was a lifelong dream but it started materializing after I made the Olympic team because most of the previous Olympians had been drafted. The ABA had also come into existence so underclassmen leaving school early had started to become a thing. I did not know if I would actually be drafted but I gained a lot of confidence during the Olympic Trials. There was not as much media coverage back then so I did not know exactly how good everyone else was, but I competed pretty well against the 63 other players at the Trials. My Olympic coaches added another layer to my game so I expected it to happen. It meant a lot to what my future would look like so I was excited.

You made the 1974 All-Rookie 1st-team: how were you able to make such a smooth transition from college to the NBA? I played center in the low post but we had a movement offense so I told my coach that it would help me become a better all-around player. My nickname was “Stick” so battling down low against big guys was not the most productive thing for me! I had to learn how to play on the wing during the Olympics so when I was picked by Phoenix I was able to run the floor and handle the ball as a forward. I also gained great experience from the Baker League where Sonny Hill/John Chaney taught me how to play defense, which is what a rookie needs to do to stay on the floor.

Take me through the 1982 NBA playoffs for Philly:
In Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals you had 6 REB in a win over Boston: how were you able to become the 2nd team to ever beat the Celtics in a Game 7 in the Garden, and what was your reaction after hearing the fans chant “Beat LA! Beat LA!” as the clock ticked down? That was a hell of an experience. I was not there the previous year when the 76ers blew a 3-1 lead. In 1982 we were up 3-1 and then lost 2 games in a row so nobody gave us a shot to win Game 7 in Boston. We had a team meeting the day before and I shared my perspective of being captain of the Pacers the previous year. We were competitive and made the playoffs. I said I did not understand how the f— we were losing to this team because we were better than Boston and should have beaten them. We were very determined and played great defense against them. I had to guard Larry Bird in the 2nd half and kept denying him the chance to have an impact, which is why Coach Billy Cunningham got me. I do not know if they would have let us return to Philly if we had lost that game! The fans had been talking a lot of trash and calling our hotel rooms so to convert them felt really good.

In the NBA Finals you lost to the Lakers in 6 games: how close did you come to winning a title? It all hinged on Game 1 because we had home-court advantage. Billy mentioned during 1 of our final regular season games that if we won then we would have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. We had a big lead early when “Showtime” ran off something like 28 PTS in a row, and from that point on every team won its home games so we just ran out of time. We were confident that we would win Game 6 but that fast-break led by Magic Johnson could erupt at any time and put us on our heels. It was a little easier for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to do his thing: we just did not have an answer for him.

You played 9 years in the NBA and 7 years in Italy: what was the biggest difference between basketball in the US vs. basketball in Italy? There are more elite players in the NBA with great players even sitting on the bench. In Europe you only have a few. The Italian national team consisted of 12 elite players and 3-4 young players who would eventually replace them. If you made it at age 20 then you would stay in the core group until age 35. In the US there was more turnover because we had more talented players coming up through the system. When I played it was the 1st time where Italy was going after veteran players who could offer experience/professionalism, rather than younger guys who could not make it in the NBA. Later you had guys like Bob McAdoo/George Gervin who would anchor their teams.

Since retiring as a player you have worked for the NBA as a licensing manager, director of marketing, senior VP of player development, and executive VP of referee operations: how has the NBA changed over the past few decades, and how have the refs changed? The league has gotten younger/more athletic and is more perimeter-oriented. Back in the day every offense was built around a big man who the guards would feed the ball to, but now it starts at the 3-PT line. They talk about “position-less basketball”, which allows a faster-paced game. From top to bottom the players now are more skilled and referees have had to adjust. The mechanics were based on that slower game so the territories that were divided up involved keeping a focus on the interior space in the lane. Now there is more focus on what is happening on the perimeter: we have seen rule changes about not allowing a 3-PT shooter to land on his own feet. We also increased the in-season and offseason training so that they are better at their craft: you have to keep pace with the players concentration-wise.

In 2017 you were inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame: when people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? I am hoping that there is still some more to go! I give my high school coach a lot of credit because I could not play a lick until he put me on the JV team as a junior. He told me that if I worked hard enough then I could accomplish anything and I put that to good use. I did not have a lot of role models growing up but by grinding it out I was able to play in the NBA and become a senior executive, which I could never have imagined as a high schooler. I made the most of what God gave me and hopefully there is still something left in the tank.

For more info about the 1972 US Olympic team check out “Stolen Glory” by Mike Brewster and Taps Gallagher at: www.amazon.com/Stolen-Glory-Mike-Brewster/dp/1882383796

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