The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews 2-time Olympic gold medalist DeLisha Milton-Jones

Posted on July 17, 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 DeLisha Milton-Jones about winning a pair of gold medals in 2000/2008. Today marks the 20th anniversary of her very 1st WNBA All-Star game appearance in 2000.

(photo credit: coastalcourier.com)

You were born on 9/11: how has that tragic day in 2001 affected your own life (if at all)? It is ingrained in everyone’s mind as a horrific moment in American history. Whenever I mention my birthday it always make people gasp/apologize but I tell people that I am not sad about it because the entire world came together to unite even though it was for a sad cause. It definitely changed my birthday for sure.

You have an 84” wingspan: how much of an advantage did your long arms give you on the court? That is true and it gave me a tremendous advantage. It allowed me to be more versatile in terms of who I could defend from point guards to centers, which allowed me to have longevity in the game. When I grew my fingernails out that would give me an extra inch or 2 to try to block an opponent who was 6’5”. It also got me in trouble sometimes because I was quirky/awkward growing up and would accidentally knock things over or poke someone in the face! If I stuck my arm out straight and someone was coming full speed then it would cause my elbow to get hyperextended a couple of times.

In the 1994 NCAA tourney as a freshman at Florida you had a 2-PT upset loss to #13-seed Texas A&M: do you think that you would have won the game had you not been forced to play on the road due to a Rod Stewart concert?! I definitely do because we were a tough team to beat at home with our fans supporting us. I immediately said to myself that I would never like any of Rod’s music: he is on my blacklist for the rest of my life!

In 1997 you were named SEC POY and won the Wade Trophy/Honda Sports Award as the best player in the nation: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? I never played for awards: I just tried to play as hard as I could for my coach. She believed in me and allowed me to better my situation so I would run through a titanium wall for her. I achieved a lot that year and was proud of that: the SEC had great players like Dominique Canty at Alabama/Chamique Holdsclaw at Tennessee so it said a lot about my growth in the game.

You won a pair of Olympic gold medals with team USA in 2000 and 2008 and a pair of World Championship gold medals in 1998 and 2002: what did it mean to you to win all of those gold medals, and how frustrating was it to miss the 2004 Olympics due to injury? It means the world to me: USA Basketball will always remain near and dear to me and helped set me apart as the crème de la crème. You need the right attitude/ability to be part of that. I definitely feel that 2004 should have an asterisk by my name: it was a low moment in my life and to see Ruth Riley win my medal after I had sacrificed for 3 years hurt deeply.

You won back-to-back WNBA titles with LA in 2001/2002: what did it mean to you to win a pair of titles, and where does Nikki Teasley’s series-winning 3-PT shot with 2.1 seconds left in the 2002 WNBA Finals against New York rank among the greatest clutch shots that you have ever seen? Winning back-to-back title with the Sparks while the Lakers were also hot was great: the city was vibing on a different frequency and it was a lot of fun. We knew that New York was going to focus its attention on Lisa Leslie but we had go-to players all over the floor. Teresa Weatherspoon helped off of Nikki a little bit and she hit a shot that was heard all over women’s basketball. It was a dagger and even bigger than Spoon’s 50-footer in the 1999 WNBA Finals.

In 2005 you became 2nd woman ever to coach a men’s pro basketball team when you took over the ABA’s Los Angeles Stars: what is the biggest difference between coaching men vs. coaching women? This will sound bad but I am telling the truth. Women are tough/resilient and have instant loyalty. We naturally are pleasers and will do whatever it takes to make the coach happy. The men are gifted athletically but sometimes it hinders their game because they do not see the game in its beautiful form below the rim and will just try to jump over/through someone. Women see the execution/timing of the play, which I admire.

In 2015 you retired as the WNBA’s all-time leader with 499 career games played: what is the secret to having such a long career in pro basketball? The main thing is to take care of yourself and be someone who other people want to have around. I garnered a lot of respect from my teammates/GMs and they knew that I had a genuine love for the game/passion for people. I had my head on straight and took pride in being a pro. I invested in myself by getting a massage every day, going to a chiropractor 3 times/week, and having meals that were scientifically prepared after hearing that Kobe Bryant did that. It paid off big-time for me: 16 of my 17 years involved playing year-round and the only 1 that was not is the 1 where I tore my ACL. I could score X amount of PTS every night but took less shots so that we could win games: that was the most important thing for me.

Last April you were named head coach at Old Dominion: how has the coronavirus affected your new job either on or off the court? It has had a huge effect. I am a hands-on person and love communicating/hugging so it has really thrown a monkey wrench into the entire mechanism. I prefer face-to-face but am trying to make the most out of it: even interviewing for the job virtually was weird but I like to be myself organically.

When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? I want people to remember me as someone who did it the right way: with humility/passion/compassion/love. I am tough but the foundation for everything I do is love. I really studied my craft and played a part in growing the game by helping those who came after me.

Are there any thoughts you would like to share about everything that has been going on in our country recently (George Floyd/protests/police/other)? I am wrapped up with so many different emotions after seeing everything taking place. The death of George is the straw that broke the camel’s back. I know that there are good police officers out there but justice has to be upheld for the incidents of cowardly people who use aggressive force. They need to be held responsible in every police department: we need to rewrite the script and go back to the days when they served/protected rather than instilled fear. I am sick and tired of it and want us all to become better human beings because underneath our skin we are all the same.

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The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews 1976 Olympic gold medalist Steve Sheppard and his college coach

Posted on July 16, 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 Steve Sheppard and his college coach Lefty Driesell about Steve winning a gold medal in 1976.

You were nicknamed “Bear”: who gave you the nickname, and how did you like it? Steve Sheppard: My friend Kenny gave it to me during the 5th grade after he moved from the Bronx to Queens. Lefty Driesell: We had a big fan with a big voice so whenever Steve came into the game or did something he would just yell out “Bear”!

You were born/raised in New York City: how did you end up in College Park? SS: 1 of their assistant coaches came up to NYC to recruit me: he talked about playing on national TV in the ACC against teams like UNC. When I came down on my visit it was great to walk into a beautiful arena like Cole Field House. Lefty talked about also playing against teams like UCLA and I was thrilled by that. As soon as I got out of high school I went to Hawaii with Tommy Henderson: we had played together as kids but after looking at their schedule/players I thought about it and decided to leave. LD: He was a great player in NYC. I think that he actually signed with Hawaii and went there in the summertime but did not like it. He called me up and asked me if he could come to Maryland and I said yes. He and Adrian Dantley were 2 of the best players in the country but played the same position. I tried to get both of them but I am unsure if they ever discussed it with each other.

In the 1975 NCAA tourney you beat Creighton/Notre Dame before losing to Louisville: how close did you come to making the Final 4? SS: It was a very close game right up until the end when they broke the game open in the final minutes thanks to Phil Bond even though he was not their main guy. LD: Louisville ended up losing by 1-PT to UCLA in OT so that could have been us. They had Junior Bridgeman, who played really well against us.

In 1976 you were named to the All-ACC Tournament 2nd-team: what kind of home-court advantage did you have while playing in Landover? SS: Not much because we had only played there a couple of times previously. It was more like a neutral court. LD: I thought that we had a great team but we did not make the NCAA tourney because back then you had to win the ACC tourney to become eligible.

You made the 1976 Olympic team: how much pressure was there on the team after losing to the Soviets in 1972? SS: To be honest we were not really thinking about the Russians: we were just going there to win. I did not care who we played: when the game was over I did not cling to it and just cared about who we played next. LD: Dean Smith was the coach and he picked Steve because he played so well for me despite coming off the bench as a substitute. He could have chosen anyone in America but I remember Dean telling me how impressed he was with Steve giving us a lift. He probably averaged more PTS off the bench (16-17 PPG) than anyone else I ever coached.

What did it mean to you to represent your country, and what did it mean to you to win a gold medal? SS: It was definitely a privilege to be on that team. I used to hold camps and told the kids that marching into the stadium while they played the national anthem was a heck of a feeling. To be a kid from the Bronx among the best athletes in the world was outstanding. As a kid I would watch “Wide World of Sports” and after winning a gold medal I finally fit into the category of the best athletes in the world. LD: I am sure it was great. He was not a very good student during high school: I asked him how many hours/day he spent studying and he did not understand what I meant. I had him room with John Lucas who was a very good student and had a father who worked at a school. As a senior Steve was named Academic All-ACC. I had had some Rhodes Scholars before but not many of them have been named Academic All-ACC. When he told me that he was thinking of getting his Masters’ degree rather than going to the NBA, I almost fainted!

In the summer of 1977 you were drafted 30th overall by Chicago (8 spots behind Norm Nixon): did you see that as a validation of your college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other? SS: It was sort of disappointing to go in the 2nd round but I got hurt during my senior season and did not come back until the ACC tourney so it was a little bittersweet. I had a 2-year guaranteed contract to play with my idol Tiny Archibald in Kansas City while Chicago offered me no guarantee. I wish I could have played with Tiny: I knew him from childhood and it would have been a better deal for me. Had Jerry Sloan got the coaching job the very next year it would have been great but Larry Costello got the job instead and it was not the ideal situation for me. LD: I am sure that it meant a great deal to him even though he did not become a star in the NBA. Everybody liked/respected him, especially the people who had to guard him.

You played 2 years in the NBA and then 3 years overseas: how did pro basketball compare to college basketball? SS: The big men were bigger/better/quicker: they were more agile and could jump higher. LD: He was small for his position. He was an inside player like Dantley: he was a great rebounder and did not often shoot from outside. They both played hard and were mean/tough, which allowed them to rebound inside and then score on put-backs. I dreamed of having both of them on my team.

Since retiring from basketball you moved back to Prince George’s County to work for the school system and coach basketball: could you have imagined back in your playing days that you would get into coaching? SS: I like the kids and try to help fulfill their dreams. Most of the kids at my camp were not listening and did not work hard: they just came to play for fun or their parents made them come, unlike the kids at a specialty camp who really wanted to be good. LD: Yes: he knew the game and always played so hard. To average 9 RPG off the bench was just incredible.

When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? SS: I was a real hard-nosed player and when I stepped onto the floor I was definitely serious about what I was doing. We were enemies on the court until the game was over. I do not watch the game now because I have seen so many guys destroyed by basketball when it does not work out. I always had the attitude of doing something totally different when my time was up: I would not even go to a game if they gave me free tickets. Even at the camps I would hardly touch the ball besides doing a quick demonstration: I let it go and that was it. LD: I am proud of him for making Academic All-ACC. He rebounded hard for a 6’6” forward and we won 65 games during his 3 years here: I always judge a guy by how many games he won. He definitely should have his jersey hanging up in the XFINITY Center: he played on a pair of top-15 teams and won a gold medal. He was a great young man who earned his degree.

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The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews 1968 Olympic gold medalist Bill Hosket

Posted on July 15, 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 Bill Hosket about winning an NBA title in 1970 and a gold medal in 1968.

In 1964 you were named a Parade All-American: which of your fellow honorees impressed you the most (Lew Alcindor/Don Chaney/Wes Unseld/other)? Looking back on it now I realize that it was a nice honor but I am not sure how much it meant because I do not know how many of the voters actually saw us play.

That spring you won a state title at Belmont High School and were named MVP of the state tourney: what made you choose Ohio State? My father had played there in the 1930s after going to high school in Dayton. He passed away when I was 10 so we never really got to compare notes. When I was growing up a lot of people asked me if I would go to the same school that my father did. Following in his footsteps directed my life a lot of the time.

You led the Buckeyes in PPG/RPG during each of your 3 varsity seasons, were named to the All-Conference Academic 1st-Team 3 times, and became the 1st Academic All-American in school history: how were you able to balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? My mother was always interested in education but never got a chance to go to college due to the Depression. For a city high school we had a great group of teachers so we tried to do as well as we could in the classroom as well as in extracurricular activities. Jerry Lucas was a prominent name who grew up 20 miles south of me and got a lot of notoriety for both athletics/academics so I tried to emulate him. Ohio State coach Fred Taylor said that we would graduate from college and work toward winning: he had 102 players letter for him and 97 of them got their degrees! It was a different era with no 1-and-done players, and by not playing as freshman it helped us get acclimated to class and allowed us to learn how to play.

Take me through the 1968 NCAA tourney:
In the Elite 8 you passed the ball to Dave Sorenson for the game-winning bank shot in a 1-PT win at Kentucky: how much of a home-court advantage did the Wildcats have in Lexington, and did you think that Sorenson’s shot was going in? It was kind of a broken play. Dan Issel was guarding me and lowered his arm so I just threw it to Dave when he popped open. Kentucky had a great year and was definitely the favorite so we were fortunate to upset them. The state police surrounded the baskets and said, “Boys, those nets belong to the university and are not to be touched!” They did not bring out the ladders but we got a pair of scissors and the police broke it up immediately.

After losing to North Carolina in the Final 4 you had 19 PTS/17 REB in a 4-PT win over Houston in the consolation game: where does Elvin Hayes (34 PTS/16 REB) rank among the greatest players that you have ever seen? Elvin was a great talent and was just physically imposing with a fadeaway jump shot. Chaney was on that team as well so they were very talented, along with my future Olympic teammate Ken Spain. I think they made the Final 4 during each of Elvin’s 3 years there and were 31-0 entering the 1968 Final 4 before losing to UCLA in a rematch of the Game of the Century that had occurred 2 months earlier.

In the spring of 1968 you were drafted 10th overall by the Knicks (9 spots behind Hayes): 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 interesting because there was no Internet back then so communication was different. We played against Marquette and lost to them in the Rainbow Classic: afterward Coach Al McGuire congratulated me on a great game and said he would call his brother (Knicks coach Dick McGuire) to tell him about me. I really did not know what would happen in the draft because 1 magazine said I was a “can’t miss prospect” while another 1 said that I had a bad knee. I found out that I got drafted while I was at the Olympic Trials in Albuquerque when Knicks GM Eddie Donovan called me. I was happy but knew that I would miss training camp as well as a few regular season games due to the Olympics. We were always encouraged to stay in Columbus during the season but 1 year my roommate and I drove to Cincinnati to see the Knicks play the Royals. I wanted to see how good 1965 national POY Bill Bradley was but he never played that night: he later told me that was the only game of his career that he never played! The Knicks were a talented/deep team with a bunch of good guys.

That fall you played for team USA at the Olympics: what did it mean to you to represent your country, and what did it mean to you to win a gold medal? It was a great thrill and an honor to have competed. There was some pressure on us: a lot of seniors were encouraged not to attend the trials because those who were drafted into the pro would have to miss training camp, and other players boycotted due to racial reasons. Elvin/Wes Unseld signed NBA deals and Lew Alcindor skipped it so a lot of people thought that we would be the 1st US basketball team to ever lose but Coach Iba did a great job with all of us. He was a taskmaster but trained us really well: he turned Spencer Haywood from an athlete into a basketball player in just 6 weeks. It was the only Olympic sport at the time that was native to the US and we certainly did not want to be the 1st team to lose so we were fortunate to win. It is something I really cherish.

Take me through the magical 1970 NBA Finals:
In Game 3 Jerry West scored 34 PTS including a 60-foot buzzer-beater at the end of regulation but the Lakers ended up losing by 3 PTS in OT: where does that rank among the most clutch shots that you have ever seen? That rates up there but it would have meant more to him had the Lakers won the game. I was sitting on the bench and saw that his shot had a little backspin on it. I said to my teammates that he was going to make it and it found nothing but the bottom of the net. Dave DeBusschere dropped to his knees and I saw Jerry walking to his bench while just shrugging with his palms up. When something like that happens you feel destined to not win.

In Game 7 an injured Willis Reed walked onto the court during warmups and scored 4 PTS to help clinch the title: did you think that he would be able to play, and what did it mean to you to win a title? Willis had such strength of character as well as physical strength. We roomed together on the road and he said that he would play even though he could not walk while in the locker room before the game. We did not know for sure but when he came out it was incredible: there are few scenes like that in sports. It was like the fans and our team became 1: it was bedlam and even the Lakers stopped warming up to watch what was going on! It shows you how strong-willed he was to risk personal injury for the good of the team. We really played well the year before as well but could not get by Boston.

After retiring as a player you served 3 terms on the US Olympic Basketball Committee: how did you get the job, and how did you select the players? I think that I was just invited because they liked to have a former player fill a slot on the Committee. In 1972/1976 there were budget concerns over how many players could be invited to the Trials and what location would offer the cheapest airfare. We had territories/subcommittees that we covered: I remember that Bob Knight really wanted to coach the team in 1980 because the Olympics were in Russia but they chose Dave Gavitt before President Carter said that the US would not participate. That could have been Magic Johnson/Larry Bird’s last chance to be in the Olympics as amateurs but they later had the opportunity to play with the Dream Team.

Your father Bill Sr. won 3 state titles at Stivers High School from 1928-1930 and was later inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame, and your son Brad also played basketball at Ohio State: who is the best athlete in the family? My dad was ambidextrous and played in a different era. He was 6’5” and was almost considered a giant back then. He could throw a football with either hand equally well. After college he formed a pro team and won the state tourney 2 years in a row: they were the original “Hoosiers”. He helped the players get jobs in the Dayton area and then play games on Sunday: they were a big deal in Ohio. He had a pretty illustrious playing career and later became an official. Brad was 6’3” but could really get up in the air so I will let others decide.

You currently are a principal at Hosket Ulen Insurance Solutions: how do you like the job, and how long do you plan to keep doing it for? I was in the paper business for a long time and then decided to switch industries about 14 years ago. Brad is now the managing partner here and 1 of my other sons is in sales so it has been good to see it grow. It has been a fun experience and I am just glad that they have not fired me yet! We are struggling like all companies during the pandemic: it is frustrating to not get out there and meet with customers but I cannot imagine being in the retail/restaurant business. We are all in it together but it has gone beyond temporary and is a trying time for a lot of people. I attend the high school state tourney every year but it got canceled last spring, as did the 50th reunion of our 1970 NBA championship team. I had great coaches/tremendous teammates but if the virus had hit back then it could have been very different due to timing. It makes me appreciate what I had and I feel bad for those who have missed out on opportunities due to something that is beyond their control. If you cannot sell your product then you cannot make any money but somehow we have been able to keep all of our people employed.

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The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews Cindy Heckelsberg about 1952 Olympic gold medalist Clyde Lovellette

Posted on July 14, 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 Cindy Heckelsberg about her father Clyde Lovellette winning an NCAA title AND an Olympic gold medal in 1952. Today marks the 68th anniversary of Clyde scoring 7 PTS vs. Hungary in Olympic round-robin pool play.

(photo credit: teamusa.org)

(photo credit: heckelsberghomes.com)

Your father was born/raised in Indiana and originally enrolled at Indiana for college: what made him switch to Kansas? Coach Phog Allen! I do not know if he was actually enrolled at IU but he was certainly planning to go there. Phog worked on my grandmother quite a bit while my dad stayed at the other end of the house. Phog said that Kansas would be a better situation for my dad’s asthma and promised to get him to the Olympics. I went to the same high school as my dad and there was a life-size photo of him on the wall. There was also a photo of Terry Dischinger, who went to the same school as my dad and won an Olympic medal of his own in 1960. Terry’s father grew up down the street from us and was actually an assistant for my dad’s team!

What made Allen such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that your dad ever learned from him? My dad really revered him due to the discipline that he instilled in his players. He told me stories of throwing the ball away…followed by Phog making him take the ball home with him: he learned his lesson. Phog asked him to focus on his coordination and my dad thought that he was the greatest guy ever.

In the 1952 NCAA title game he had 33 PTS/17 REB in a win over St. John’s en route to being named tourney MOP: how was he able to play his best when it mattered the most, and what did it mean to him to win a title? He was a determined person who never did anything half-assed. He liked to win and always did his best, which he tried to instill that in us as well.

As a senior he led the nation in scoring with 28.4 PPG and was named national POY: what made him such a great scorer, and what did it mean to him to receive such an outstanding honor? Lots and lots of practice. He was very proud of all his achievements but was also very humble. He had the innate ability to know where things would fly. Even fooling around it seemed like he could pick up a ball and swish it from wherever he was standing. All of the accolades kind of roll into 1.

That April he was drafted 9th overall by Minneapolis but wanted to play in the Olympics so badly that he turned down an $80,000 contract to play AAU ball for the Phillips 66ers for 1 year, then that summer he was 1 of 7 Jayhawks (with Allen serving as assistant coach) who won a gold medal at the 1952 Olympics: what did it mean to him to win a gold medal? He would tell me about flying across the ocean to win a gold medal for his country, which was his greatest achievement. I remember him taking the medal out of the lockbox when I was a kid to show it to me. I did not realize that he turned down such a big contract. I remember seeing photos of my mom helping him pack for the Olympics. The other half of team USA was comprised of players from an AAU team in Peoria. I was with my dad in Lawrence when the school held a celebration for the 1952 team. I overheard a group of men talking about a Caterpillar strike and I asked my dad who they were: he said they were his Olympic teammates. The only reason that Phog was the assistant rather than the head coach is because Peoria beat KU in a scrimmage. My former babysitter brought me a catalog that the school sold to raise funds to help send the team to the Olympics: I still have it.

After Minneapolis beat Syracuse in Game 7 of the 1954 NBA Finals he became the 1st basketball player to ever win an NCAA title/Olympic gold medal/NBA title: how was he able to pull off such an amazing feat in the span of about 24 months? It was a huge deal but the times were different back then: pro basketball was new at the time.

After losing 2 NBA Finals with St. Louis in 1959/1961 he was traded to Boston in the summer of 1962 and won back-to-back NBA titles with Boston in 1963/1964: did it reach a point where the family just expected him to be busy every spring in the Finals?! It was hard for me as a little kid to understand when my dad got traded. We were in Missouri for a few years and 1 day I asked my dad to saddle my horse for me. I went to the kitchen and was tugging on my dad’s shirt sleeve and my parents told me to be quiet. I asked my mom who he was talking to and she said, “Red Auerbach!” My parents were talking back and forth about whether they wanted to sell the house and move to Boston: we went back to Terre Haute, IN, to live there every summer. He agreed to go to Boston for 1 year and commuted from St. Louis but it ended up becoming 2 years: my mom was not very happy living in the snow. He thought that he was a farmer and loved his tractor/cows. I remember hearing my dad talking about John Havlicek all the time and after an exhibition 1 day John came by our house to spend the night. I went downstairs, introduced myself to him (after waking him up), and asked him for an autograph. Many year later I went with my dad to the Hall of Fame and got stuck in a sea of tall men and could not find my dad. When I finally found him he was talking to Havlicek…who remembered me!

After retiring he served as a county sheriff and a basketball coach: how did he like working in law enforcement, and how did he like being a coach? He liked being sheriff and thought that he was John Wayne, literally! He closed down all of the whorehouses in Terre Haute after deciding to clean up the town by staging a raid: it was known as “Sin City USA” for a time because that is where the gangsters from Chicago would come to cool off. I remember my dad’s campaign signs: “Lovellette for Sheriff: A Big Man for a Big Job”. I did an awful lot of campaigning for him as a kid. He got called before the grand jury a couple of times. I do not believe that he ever graduated from KU: he took some criminal justice classes at Indiana State but actually got his degree from Eastern Illinois, which is right across the border from Terre Haute. He actually lived with me for a while after applying for some teacher positions but eventually got a job coaching in Wabash, IN. He worked with some kids in a group home and would sometimes lift them off the ground so they could see him eye to eye. He was always interested in lowering the juvenile delinquency rate and trying to put kids on the straight and narrow. We played cards with him toward the end of his life but still could not beat him: we were no match for him. I remember Coach Bill Self calling him once to talk to him.

He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012: where did those rank among the highlights of his career? He really liked the recognition and enjoyed going to Springfield: I would often get the call to join him on trips there. I went with him in 1988 and went another time with my son who drove all night from Norfolk, VA, to join us. He was just “dad” to me: I never realized how famous he was when I was a kid. 1 year I booked a flight for me and my oldest son to go to Lawrence and surprise my dad: he was there to receive an honor from Sigma Chi and was also introduced at halftime of a Jayhawk basketball game. I found out where he was staying and we ended up staying in the room right next to him at the Holiday Inn. We checked in, got settled in our room, and eventually heard my dad coming down the hallway. We popped out of our room to surprise him and he was so stunned. I got to meet a lot of his teammates and their wives and had a great conversation with all of them. When he walked onto the court I have never heard a roar like that. Both my dad and I were crying: that was my epiphany when I learned how famous he truly was. I brought my kids to the Hall of Fame once: 1 of them walked around with my dad and another just hung out and talked to Dean Smith the entire time!

He passed away in 2016: when people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? He was the 1st to win titles in the NCAA/NBA/Olympics: there are not too many others who have done that so his record stands on its own. He loved playing basketball and was amazed that people would pay him to do what he loved. He tried to pass along his expertise to others and liked to give back. He never stopped thinking and liked to keep busy so he did so many things after retiring from basketball: he did not want to just sit around in a rocking chair. He would watch every sport known to man on TV: I did not appreciate golf until watching it with my dad.

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The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews Jerry Shipp’s family about their 1964 Olympic gold medalist

Posted on July 13, 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 Jerry Shipp’s wife Novaline Shipp and daughters Shannon Cooper/Sherra Aguilar about Jerry winning a gold medal in 1964.

Jerry was born prematurely to a hitchhiking mom suffering from tuberculosis in Louisiana and later spent 11 years in an orphanage in Oklahoma: how rough was his childhood, and how did Ed/Ozella Shipp change his life by adopting him at age 16? His birth family lived in Fort Worth, TX: his father was a traveling musician who moved around a lot with his mother, who gave birth to Jerry when she was 18. His mother had an older friend who took care of her and she instructed him to call a preacher to take him to the Tipton Home Orphanage after she died so he could have an education. The preacher was a lifelong friend of the Shipps who lived in Arkansas but would come by to visit. This was during the Depression so she was worried about him not going to school if he had remained with his relatives. They went to the orphanage around Christmas to meet him and decided to adopt him. He had 1 old man watch him play basketball all the time who was very special to him. He asked the old man if he should go live with the Shipps and the man advised him to do so. He had a little tin suitcase but no clothes: he was worried about Ozella making fun of him but she never did because she was such a good woman. He was born prematurely in a ditch and they wrapped him in whatever they had. His 1st bed was a shoebox and his family did not expect him to make it through the 1st night. The Shipps supported the orphanage and adopted him at age 16. Ozella was a 1st grade teacher for 50 years who did not have any kids of her own. Jerry was making F’s at 1st but eventually made A’s and B’s after he focused on his education. He was actually a better baseball player and even got drafted by the Yankees as a pitcher who threw 98 MPH! He asked the Shipps what to do and they suggested he get his college degree. Getting adopted definitely changed his life: he was going down the wrong road but it all changed for the better.

His graduating class at Blue High School was comprised of 13 students: what made him choose Southeastern Oklahoma State? The Shipps wanted him to stay nearby. Coach Bloomer Sullivan was an icon who became a father-figure to him.

As a member of the Savage Storm he led the conference in scoring twice and set a conference record by scoring 54 PTS in a game vs. Phillips University in 1957: what was his secret to being a great scorer? When he was little all of the kids in the orphanage were placed in a room to have a snack. He would draw an imaginary circle on the ceiling, roll some biscuits up into little balls, and then throw them at the circle. As a high school freshman he had a basketball that was flat but would stuff it with rags, crawl through the window of the gym, and practice shooting for 2-3 hours at night. That scoring record still stands today even after the implementation of the 3-PT line. Dennis Rodman almost broke the record 1 night but fell 1 PT short. He said that if you were a true shooter then you could shoot with any kind of ball.

He also set a conference record by making 19-19 FTs in a game vs. East Central in 1958: what made him such a great FT shooter? 1 year he played in Egypt with his AAU team and they brought out a heavier soccer ball but he was always able to shoot once he got used to it due to his rotation/follow-through. I have worked with shooters all of my life as a coach and some people are just born with it. I have been told by many people who watched him that he was the best shooter they had ever seen.

In the summer of 1959 he was drafted 64th overall by the Knicks: did he see that as a validation of his college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other? His lifelong dream was to go to the Olympics, even after not making the team in 1960 as the 1st alternate. He had to compete against great players in the 1964 Olympic Trials such as Rick Barry. Making the NBA was not his main goal. We had our 1st child in 1964 after the Olympics when he was around age 30 and he decided to stay with AAU basketball. He was very appreciative of being drafted but going to New York was not very appealing.

Instead of going pro he joined the Phillips 66ers where he was a 3-time AAU All-American and won a pair of national titles in 1962/1963: what did it mean to him to receive such outstanding honors, and what did it mean to him to win a pair of titles? The CEO of Phillips (Boots Adams) was close to him and wanted him to stay there for as long as possible. Every award meant a lot to him because he worked so hard for it. He told me that he got to see the world, drink tea with kings, and see the Pyramids in Egypt. He loved the camaraderie of the team and still remains friends with his teammates: they would have reunions every 5 years and were almost like brothers. He always knew that he would become a coach/educator someday so he could show kids that you did not need to come from a big city or have the best shoes to accomplish your goals. You can come from any background and end up doing anything.

He won a gold medal with team USA at the 1963 Pan American Games while leading the team with 15 PPG, then won another gold medal at the 1964 Olympics while again leading the team in scoring: what did it mean to him to represent his country, and what did it mean to him to win a pair of gold medals? Every time his Pam Am Games team would win the crowd in Brazil would get angry and throw stuff onto the court. 1 time he got hit in the mouth with a piece of metal right before halftime: they just sewed him up while he sat on the bench and he finished the game as the team’s leading scorer! Winning the Olympics was his main goal in life so when they put the medal around his neck he had tears in his eyes. He was captain of the team and he felt so humbled by it. He had a teacher as a child named Ms. Maynard: he was not a good student and she told him that he would never amount to a hill of beans. When he got his medal and bent down to accept it he was thinking to himself, “Ms. Maynard, I hope that you are watching!” The players voted him team captain despite the fact that there were guys from more established schools like Bill Bradley at Princeton. Winning a gold medal was his dream come true: even when he watches the Olympics today it still means a lot to him because he is so patriotic.

After retiring from basketball he spent many years working in business for Phillips: how did he enjoy the business world? He loved Phillips. In the early 1970s the US started integrating more schools and would start busing kids to schools. Phillips wanted him to move to Memphis but then his kids would have had to take a bus to school downtown so he decided to go into coaching/teaching instead.

His alma mater retired his #30 jersey: where does that rank among the highlights of his career? He was proud of the jersey retirement but even prouder to dedicate his gold medal to the university. They have it enclosed in bulletproof glass in a special case in their gymnasium so that everyone can see it and enjoy it. That shows you how much his school means to him: he loves Southeastern and was very active with the alumni association for a long time.

He was inducted into many Halls of Fame including the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame/Helms Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame/NAIA Hall of Fame: when people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? What meant the most to him was for kids to know that you do not need to have a fancy background to succeed. He wanted to give every kid a shot because even a barefoot player might be the best on the team! Bill Bradley was roommates with my dad and took some jabs at him about where he came from but his legacy is that you do not have to come from Princeton to make it: you just need to prove it on the court. He always said to never be in awe of anyone and was not scared of anyone: we are so proud of him. He was the best shooter that I have ever seen even though he was self-taught.

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The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews 2000 Olympic gold medalist Natalie Williams

Posted on July 12, 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 Natalie Williams about winning a gold medal in 2000. Today marks the 17th anniversary of her final WNBA All-Star Game appearance in 2003.

Your father Nate Williams played in the NBA: how much of an influence was he on your own decision to play basketball, and who is the best athlete in the family? I did not actually meet him until I was 16 but I knew that he was a great athlete. His decision to play basketball did not really have an impact on me but he was very encouraging/helpful. It was mostly just about me striving for greatness: I had a high work ethic and enjoyed it. I was more into volleyball in college: it was my 1st love/passion. I originally went to UCLA on a volleyball scholarship: I just played basketball for fun. I would say that I am the better athlete because I played 2 sports.

You won back-to-back NCAA volleyball titles at UCLA and were named 1992 national POY: what did it mean to you to win a pair of titles, and what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It means more now when I look back on it. I worked very hard but at the time you are just in the moment. I only played front row as a freshman but improved my defense during that year.

You were the 1st woman to be named an All-American in basketball and volleyball in the same year: how exhausted were you by the end of the year, and which sport did you enjoy the most? It was an unheard-of feat. I was tired: it is hard enough just to be a college athlete in 1 sport. The nice part of playing volleyball is that I got to miss most of the preseason basketball workouts! I wish that I would have played 1 season of softball: Hall of Fame coach Sue Enquist asked me to play but I was just so tired, although it would have been a fun experience to play 3 different sports. Volleyball was my favorite sport during college: we made the Final 4 during each of my 4 years so it was like a UConn basketball situation.

In the spring of 1998 the ABL’s Portland Power traded you to Long Beach, but after the Stingrays fold you were sent back to the Power: how weird was the whole situation, and how were you able to stay focused enough to be named ABL MVP? It was weird! I was willing to leave Portland because I was from Long Beach and thought that it would be nice to play at home. It was not a let-down to go back to Portland because I got to return to play for Coach Lin Dunn and see all of my old friends/teammates.

You were a 4-time WNBA All-Star and played for the winning West team in the 1st-ever WNBA All-Star Game in 1999: where does that West roster (including fellow Hall of Famers Michelle Timms/Cynthia Cooper/Lisa Leslie/Ruthie Bolton/Jennifer Gillom/Yolanda Griffith) rank among the best that you have ever been a part of? I would hope it goes down as 1 of the best: many of them were my Olympic teammates the following year. To play as well as we did made it hard for our opponents to compete.

In the 2000 Olympic gold medal basketball game you had 15 PTS/9 REB for team USA in a win over Australia: what did it mean to you to win a gold medal, and was it extra-gratifying after being 1 of the last players cut from the 1996 Olympic volleyball team? All things happen for a reason: being cut from the Olympic volleyball team after coming back from a devastating ACL injury during my senior year made me feel like I had let down my UCLA team. I moved to San Diego to train for the Olympic volleyball team where I lived by myself and practiced several hours/day. Making the basketball team showed me how important perseverance is and that good things will happen if you continue to work hard. My college coach got me a tryout for the Jones Cup team despite not having played for a couple of years: the coaches said that I was a little rusty but still a great rebounder. I was not a starter for team USA: I played behind Lisa/Yolanda/Teresa Edwards/Sheryl Swoopes/Nikki McCray. I was not leaving without a gold medal and it was great to feel super-human…if only for 1 game.

In 2005 you retired as the leading rebounder in US women’s basketball history: what is the secret to being a great rebounder? The 1st thing is desire: for whatever reason I just loved to rebound. I had a good vertical jump/timing, which I developed during my time playing volleyball. My strength to out-muscle people and hold my position also helped a lot. You have to know angles and how the ball will come off the rim depending on where it is shot from. Hopefully my own kids will have that trait, otherwise I will have to teach them. Some people do not care about rebounding but I tried to get my hands on every missed shot.

In 2006/2008 you won a pair of state titles as an assistant basketball coach at Skyline High School: how do you like being a coach, and what do you hope to do in the future? I have been coaching for almost 15 years now and I run my own club program with about 150 kids from 3rd grade through high school. I love it even though it is kind of backwards: I think that coaching is what I was meant to do and is a result of all my success as a player. Traveling with my team each summer is the best thing ever and I love seeing them excel/grow. My kids are good players and I enjoy watching them continue to improve and get some scholarship offers at age 7 (my daughter Nation)!

In 2016 you were inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and named to the Pac-12 All-Century Team: where do these rank among the highlights of your career? It would have to be right up there at the top, along with winning a gold medal. It is an incredible honor and a tribute to all of the hard work I put in during my career. It is hard to grasp and crazy to look back and try to realize what you have done.

You have a Basketball Academy (www.nataliewilliamsbasketballacademy.com) whose mission is “to empower young athletes of all ages through positive and fun training”: how is your academy different from other organizations, and what have you been able to accomplish so far? I do not know how different we are from other clubs but this is my passion. I love seeing the joy of the kids when they learn a skill or trick of the trade. I love teaching them the importance of respecting themselves, their opponents, the refs, the scorekeepers, etc. They need to be good teammates by encouraging their teammates. I have some of the best players in the state and it is fun to finally put Utah on the map as having great recruitable athletes with some of the best club kids in the country. It is also neat to befriend all of the college coaches who are recruiting my kids and then watch my kids end up at schools like Utah State/BYU/etc. My goal is to eventually get some kids into the Pac-12.

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