TBT Preview: HoopsHD interviews former Citadel player Lew Stallworth

Posted on June 18, 2020 by Jon Teitel

We have been missing college basketball since March and will not be seeing any NBA basketball until July 31st at the very earliest. The good news is that we can celebrate America’s birthday on the 4th of July with some on-court fireworks courtesy of The Basketball Tournament. The TBT returns next month with a 24-team single-elimination bracket that will be played over the course of 10 days in Columbus, OH with a winner-take-all prize of $1 million. We commence our preview coverage with Lew Stallworth, who played at UTEP/UTRGV before having an amazing grad transfer season at the Citadel. He will be playing for Power of the Paw along with several former Clemson stars including Donte Grantham/Terrell McIntyre/Elijah Thomas. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Lew about being a great PG and playing for $1 million next month.

You were born/raised in California: what made you choose UTEP to start your college career? Being from California, all I knew was California. I was attending high school outside of LA and wanted to see something different. I wanted to experience a different state with new ways of living/new traditions. UTEP has a rich history for basketball and sports in general. When I was recruited Tim Floyd was the coach and he had NBA ties so I wanted to learn from the best.

How did you like playing at UTRGV, and what made you choose The Citadel for your final year of college basketball? UTRGV was very different than UTEP because it was in south Texas right by Mexico so the area was rich in Mexican/Latino culture. I really enjoyed learning new traditions and loved the Valley: my time is Edinburg was great. I learned how to play a different style of basketball under Coach Lew Hill, who had just come off a Final 4 run as an assistant with Oklahoma in 2016. The Citadel attracted me because I was looking for a place where I could really thrive and become the main playmaker. Their up-tempo style really fit my abilities and they allowed me to be myself.

In February of 2019 you scored a career-high 37 PTS in a loss at Western Carolina (which is tied for the 10th best scoring performance in Bulldog history): was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? That game was really odd in a few different ways. Our 2 best shooters were hurt and our big man Zane Najdawi fouled out so nobody was scoring at all during that game. I just got into a different mode to try to keep my team in the game: I did not want to lose without putting up a fight.

You had the highest scoring increase of any grad transfer in the nation as you improved from 5.9 PPG through your 1st 3 seasons to 20.2 PPG in Charleston: how were you able to become such an incredible scorer in just 1 year? I always had the ability to score but did not have the opportunity to showcase that ability. The summer going into my senior year I got into the gym a lot with my trainer Daytwan Mayfield and really changed my game to become a complete scorer. I wanted to play as if I was in high school again. Once I got onto campus I was able to spend countless hours in the gym with my grad assistant Brad Mason who helped take my game to the next level.

You also ranked top-20 in the nation with 6.2 APG: how do you balance your scoring with your passing? Coach Duggar Baucom and the entire staff did a tremendous job of surrounding me with guys who were high-level shooters. My job was just to make the right play whether it was shooting the ball myself or passing to someone else. The game was easy because there was so much spacing on the floor and it made basketball fun. If there was a hot hand then I would feed him until he ran out, or if I was going then I would keep it going.

Last year you played pro basketball in the Ukraine: how did it go, and what is the biggest difference between basketball in the US vs. basketball overseas? My first year playing overseas was definitely a struggle. It was hard being so far away from home but it taught me a lot about my mental strength. I learned how to be mentally strong and keep my emotions in check. It was a great experience: I played high-level competition and got to play a lot of minutes. I learned about another culture on another continent and am ready for the next season.

The NCAA tourney was canceled last March: what was your reaction when you heard about it, and what impact has the coronavirus had on you either on or off the court since then? I felt really bad for the seniors who could not compete for a championship: that was the worst part of all of this. Personally, it helped me reconnect with my family as I got the chance to spend a lot of time with them. It has also rekindled the love of basketball for me because I have missed it so much. COVID also helped me find my current girlfriend so I am pretty happy about that!

Next month you will be playing for Power of the Paw in the TBT: why did you decide to participate, and how is the team looking at the moment? I got the chance to win a game in the TBT last year so I am really excited to get back to it. I want to play against the best of the best while showcasing my talent/ability. The team looks really good and I am very excited to get to it next week.

What will your share of the $1 million prize be if your team wins it all, and what will you do with the money? My winning share is $100,000. If I win the money I will invest most of it, save part of it, and spend a little of it.

What is it like to be an African-American man in 2020, and are there any thoughts you would like to share about George Floyd/protests/police/etc.? 2020 has been a really wild ride thus far. Being Black right now is very controversial. I fear driving past police officers and fear getting caught running in the wrong neighborhood: I just do not feel safe. I want my kids to be able to feel free but I feel like a prisoner because we are looked at as less than White people in this country. I support the protest movement and have protested myself because I want my people to have equal rights. Injustice and inequality must stop. God loves all humans and created all humans so how can we say that we love God and are God-fearing but do not believe that we are all equal? It makes no sense. I stand with my brothers/sisters as we fight the good fight, the necessary fight.

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , , | Comments Off on TBT Preview: HoopsHD interviews former Citadel player Lew Stallworth

The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews 1956 Olympic gold medalist Ron Tomsic

Posted on June 18, 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 Ron Tomsic about winning a gold medal in 1956.

You were born in Oakland: what made you choose Stanford? Because I could get in! I had some other offers that were more lucrative but Stanford is a very prestigious school and I had a counselor in high school who went there. He said that if I could get in then I should go.

You were a 5’11” guard: did you see your size as an advantage or disadvantage on the court? Both. Basketball players are typically taller so I was usually the shortest guy on every team I played on, which means I was at a huge disadvantage when it came to rebounding. However, I was very fast and felt that I could start/stop quicker than anyone else, which was a distinct advantage.

In 1955 you scored a career-high 40 PTS in a game vs. USC, which remains 1 of the highest scoring performances in school history: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? That particular day: yes. I only missed a couple of shots from the field. I had 3-4 such performances during my career, including 39 PTS vs. La Salle at the Cow Palace and 38 PTS vs. USC. When you are in a zone you just have at it. What made it a little better than you might think is that there was no 3-PT line back then, nor a shot-clock. Usually the final 5 minutes of a game just involved the team in the lead holding the ball and getting fouled. Had there been a 3-PT line back then I might have scored 50 PTS. During high school there were sportswriters who would come from all over to watch the crazy guy who jumped off both feet before he actually shot…and that was me! They would ask me why I did that and I said that if you looked at my height then you could see it was the only way that I could get a shot off. I could shoot over taller guards due to my quickness.

You were a 3-time all-conference player and at the time of your graduation your 1416 career PTS was the most in school history: what is the secret to being a great scorer? Never up/never in! We did not have a lot of great scorers and I got to play on the varsity as a freshman due to an exception during the Korean Conflict. I played with 4 seniors and after they all graduated the coach told me to take whatever I felt was a good shot.

In the spring of 1955 you were drafted by Syracuse but instead of going pro you played AAU basketball for the San Francisco Olympic Club (where you became a 3-time All-American and won an AAU national title): why did you choose AAU over the NBA, and what did it mean to you to win a title? I am a West Coast guy so after they flew me back to Syracuse there was a huge snowstorm and I wondered why they did not just fly me back West. The NBA was not paying players that much in those days, which was not great for a newly married guy like myself, so I opted not to move to Syracuse. I stayed out West and some of the AAU teams were as good if not better than the pro teams. The AAU teams would give their players a meaningful job so that they would have something lined up for them after their playing days. My future Olympic teammates Gib Ford/Dick Boushka ended up with pretty neat high-ranking jobs. When we won the national title it was very thrilling and 1 of the highlights of my career.

You made the 1956 Olympic team as 1 of 3 players who had served in the Air Force: what impact did your service have on you either on or off the court? I was in ROTC at Stanford but was never going to be a career service guy. I did 2 years in the Air Force but I am unsure whether it really had any impact: it was just an obligation I had to fulfill. It was fun to watch how it worked but I could not wait to get back to civilian life. A few decades later I was a Commissioner for the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee that organized/operated the 1984 Olympic Games and was 1 of hundreds of people that ran with the Olympic Torch on its journey to Los Angeles!

2 other members of the team were San Francisco teammates KC Jones/Russell, who are among a handful of players to have won NCAA/NBA/Olympic titles: what was it like to play with a pair of future Hall of Famers who each won 8+ NBA titles with the Celtics? If we had Russell/you/me/2 other guys we could have won! I actually played against Russell during high school: he was 1 year behind me and was close to me in height until he grew 7” before his sophomore year. He was not a great shooter but he had a great attitude/desire to play defense, which changed the professional game. He anticipated people coming into the lane better than anybody else that I have ever seen. I was guarding a guy in the Olympics who went up for a jump shot and I tried to tick his elbow and they called a foul on me. Bill said if that guy wanted to come down the middle I should just let him go. The next time I did and Bill waited until the last second and blocked the shot out to mid-court and I ended up making a layup in transition. KC is solid as a rock. He was also not a great shooter but his defense was amazing. In the 1955 title game vs. La Salle he scored 24 PTS and held Tom Gola to only 16 PTS/6-15 FG when Gola was the best player in the country.

What did it mean to you to represent your country, and what did it mean to you to win a gold medal? Talk about the highlight of my career! I remember 3 specific moments. We played in the Olympic Trials: I was on the all-Armed Forces team and played about 28 games in an attempt to get selected, Bill/KC were on the college All-Star team, and there were 2 AAU teams. We stayed up at night while the committee went upstairs to decide: when they came down and announced that I had made it I felt very excited. We lined up before our 1st game and KC said that this was big time: it was not like Stanford playing USF. Of course the greatest moment of all is when they hand you the medal and play the national anthem: it gave me chills and brought tears to my eyes.

You were later inducted into the Helms Amateur Basketball Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? I am in about 5-6 Halls of Fame: I was actually elected twice to the Helms Hall of Fame for some reason! The Stanford Hall of Fame was a big 1, as were the San Francisco Olympic Club/Pac-12/US Olympic Halls of Fame: they were all very exciting. When I got back from the Olympics the LA Times had a big banquet for players from all different sports. They named Russell as the pro basketball player of the year and me as the amateur basketball player of the year, which was also pretty exciting.

When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? I would like to be remembered as a good solid basketball player who consistently rose to the level of competition that I was facing.

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , | Comments Off on The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews 1956 Olympic gold medalist Ron Tomsic

A Couple of Crusaders: HoopsHD interviews Bob Cousy about Dr. Anthony Fauci

Posted on June 17, 2020 by Jon Teitel

A brief glance at their remarkable resumes would not make you think that they have anything in common.
Bob Cousy: Hall of Famer, won 6 NBA titles during a 7-year stretch from 1957-1963, 1957 NBA MVP, made 13 All-Star games in a row from 1951-1963, led the NBA in AST for 8 straight years from 1953-1960, and a member of the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.
Dr. Anthony Fauci: director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, 1 of the lead members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, 1 of the world’s leading experts on infectious diseases, and an advisor to every US president since Ronald Reagan.
However, if you dig a little deeper you will see several similarities: both men were born/raised in New York City, went to college at Holy Cross, and have been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Dr. Fauci is a little busy at the moment saving the world yet again but HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to talk to Mr. Cousy about all the amazing accomplishments of his fellow Crusader.

You are 1 of 3 Holy Cross graduates who have been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom along with Dr. Fauci and James Burke (former CEO of Johnson & Johnson): how proud are you of all the amazing alumni who have come out of Worcester? The President himself called me last year to tell me about this award, which was impressive. I have been invited to the White House by 7 sitting presidents but this was the 1st time that I received such an acknowledgment for playing a child’s game. My son-in-law Randy is computer-literate so I asked him to see if there were any other Holy Cross alumni who have received the award. It is a special award that the country gives out and it was very meaningful to me. At the end of the day I also had Senator Joe Manchin in my corner so I am what you would call a “political appointee”! James stepped in during the Tylenol panic in 1982 and recalled every single box that was on a shelf anywhere in the world. He took a big hit at the time because he did not run it by his board but it was the right thing to do. That made me even prouder to be the 3rd person on the list due to the company that I was in: it is a pretty elite club although none of us enjoy the spotlight! I retired 60 years ago so there are not too many people beating down my door. I became the Howard Hughes of the sports world about 12 years ago because I wanted to become a private person after doing decades of PR work for the Celtics. It is probably the most meaningful award that I have received in my 91 years.

Dr. Fauci has become even more well-known this year during his press conferences as a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force: what is it about him that causes the country to trust him? He gets offstage as quickly as possible, which is an attribute I admire greatly. I am not trying to share his spotlight but over the past few decades when someone asked who my heroes were I would say Dr. Tony Fauci. Lately I have added Bryan Stevenson to the list after reading his book “Just Mercy” about 5 years ago. 1 of the items on my list of things to do before I die was to write a mea culpa to my friend/teammate Bill Russell because I felt guilty that I had not done more for him in the past. It was like going to confession for me and 1 of my dearest regrets was not feeling his pain more. I sent him a pair of books along with my note: “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates and “Just Mercy”. I have talked to Bryan on the phone a couple of times and my daughter went to his new museum (the Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice) after it opened last spring in Montgomery, AL. I had hoped to visit the museum myself but my mobility has been negatively affected during the past year. I modestly helped Bryan do some fundraising in the past but now that he has Oprah in his corner he does not need my help as much! He did a pair of interviews with her on “60 Minutes” and explained the symbolism of the plaques at his museum (on behalf of the 4400 Black people in the United States who were lynched between 1877 and 1950). I think that Bryan could become the next Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: he is a Black lawyer who graduated from Harvard with honors but instead of going to Wall Street and becoming a zillionaire he moved to Montgomery and opened up a non-profit firm to help the local prison population that is mostly African-American.

You have met Dr. Fauci a few times: what is he like in person? I 1st met him a long time ago after he gave a speech to a dental association in Arlington, VA. My dear mentor Fr. John Brooks (former president of Holy Cross) invited Tony to speak at Holy Cross a couple of times and I got to attend some of those alumni functions where I got to briefly chat with Tony.

As a kid he played CYO basketball and was captain of his high school basketball team in Brooklyn: do you think that he might have been able to play for the Crusaders if he was a little taller?! I read 2 books/week and watch all of the TV press conferences that Tony does. I remember Trump needling Tony on stage earlier this year that he was not a basketball player because he was 4’8” and afterward I learned that he was team captain at Regis High School. He is 5’6” but even in 1962 that was a little short. Now we are down at the bottom of the barrel in basketball (Holy Cross was 3-29 last season) but back when Tony was there we were coming off some of our best years featuring All-Americans like Jack Foley/Tom Heinsohn.

You have remained indoors for most of this year and wear a mask/gloves when going out to get groceries: how is your health doing at the moment and do you feel that Dr. Fauci’s advice has helped save lives? I am ahead of the game and the luckiest SOB on the planet in terms of my career/health but it is catching up to me. My legs are gone so it feels like they are wrapped in plaster: you should say a silent prayer that you do not get some of the other things I have! I was a high-energy guy all of my life but have felt some fatigue recently so I am starting a sugar-free diet. Tony was the main man who has helped save millions of lives. He worked on the HIV crisis and told the world not to panic, then several years later he again jumped in for 3 days of TV press conferences to deal with Ebola.

You were quoted as saying he could win the presidential election this November: is that true? No: I was being facetious but politics is about exposure and for a period of time this spring there was nobody on the planet who was referenced more on TV by anchors on the left and right. He has become THE authority on the coronavirus and I cannot think of anyone whose name is better known. I am sure that he does not have any political ambitions but he has been on every single TV show. He handled himself beautifully on stage and he and the rest of his colleagues were all very articulate/well-informed.

You watch a lot of TV news and have had weekly dinners with friends in West Palm Beach/Worcester where you discuss the ills of the world and how to cure them: are you still doing the dinners, and are they any good cures that your group has come up with recently? I have been out of action for the past 3 months due to quarantine but we are just starting them back up. I went to 8AM mass for the past 80 years to say a prayer for you heathens(!) so I have missed being unable to go to that as well. I am a creature of habit even though I do not like getting up at 7AM on a Sunday but at 91 I would be rolling the dice so I do not know if I can turn myself over to the good Lord without putting a protective cover over myself. John Havlicek/Richie Guerin used to join us for dinners in Florida: that is the 1 thing in my life that I have missed the most. For a while I was the youngest member of the group but now I am the 2nd oldest member at age 91. We do not talk about sex but we do solve the problems of the world in our own way. We just started back at the club last Thursday and had the required 6 bodies because that is all that we are allowed. We were outside under the tent in Worcester because we are not allowed inside the club but we did our thing. I hope it continues and that we do not have a 2nd terrible wave of the pandemic in the future. I have not minded the quarantine because that has basically been the past 12 years of my life.

When people look back on Dr. Fauci’s career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? He listened to our good Jesuit mentors at Holy Cross decades ago. I spent my 1st 17 years in the ghetto in New York so I was just focused on survival/self-interest. I referenced Holy Cross when I was at the White House for my ceremony: the mentors told us to maximize our God-given skills and work as hard as we could for 4 years and then go out into the community and help everyone who has less than you as much as you can. In the 1950s we did not have a lot of money but I wish that I could have followed in Jack Nicklaus’ footsteps by donating money to build hospital wings for children. Tony spent his career at NIH simply helping people with his intellect/knowledge/desire. I think that he is the most unassuming superstar and just wants to help the world. I would like to think that he was engendered with that philosophy by the Jesuits.

In the early 1950s the NBA had no health benefits/pension plan so you organized the National Basketball Players Association (the 1st trade union among the 4 major pro sports leagues) and served as its 1st president for several years: what advice would you give to today’s players as they prepare to step back onto the court this summer for the 1st time in many months? I spoke to Commissioner Adam Silver/NBPA senior counsel Ron Klempner a few days ago. I am so proud of the Players Association that we started back in the 1950s. The current question in the sports world is when do they go back to work. Baseball has seemed a little selfish but basketball is doing much better. In my era the NBA could not give its teams away but a few years ago Steve Ballmer bought the Clippers for more than $2 billion! By creating this wealth/worth the NBA has become the best in terms of return on investment to the owners. When they divvy up their marketing dollars at the end of the day it is not just millions of dollars but billions of dollars because the NBA Finals are televised in more than 200 countries. Basketball has become the 2nd-most played sport in the world and might even overtake soccer 1 day because it just fits economically. I told Adam that he he has my respect for the way that he has handled everything. Internally when I meditate every day and think about the positive things I have done in my life I am very proud of having started the Players Association. Not a lot happened at 1st because we did not have a lot of clout but after hiring Larry Fleisher in the 1960s we finally got a pension plan. They have worked pretty harmoniously together to produce the best product out there.

You grew up playing stickball in New York City with African-Americans/Jews/other ethnic minorities and after a 1950 game in the then-segregated city of Charlotte you insisted on taking an uncomfortable overnight train with teammate Chuck Cooper after learning that he would not be allowed to stay in a local hotel: how would your senior thesis on the persecution faced by minorities change if you had to rewrite it 70 years later in today’s era of racial inequality? It would definitely include an emphasis on African-Americans. I was fabricated in France and born in Manhattan in the heart of the depression right on the East River: I thought that the whole world lived in ghettos with rats/cockroaches. Manhattan was a complete menage of ethnicity with almost every type of human being ever created…but I never saw a Black person until Vic Hanson of Long Island City during my final year of high school. I beat him out on the last day of the season for the New York City scoring championship. Most African-Americans were still living in the South back then so my thesis focused on anti-Semitism. You will have to go read Gary Pomerantz’s book about me and Russell called “The Last Pass” (www.amazon.com/Last-Pass-Russell-Celtics-Matters/dp/0735223610). My mom would kill you with kindness but she hated with a passion the Germans who disliked her French accent. However, I did not think that Germans were bad because I did not understand prejudice. I graduated in 1950 and was drafted in the 1st round by the Celtics: in the 2nd round they drafted the 1st Black player in NBA history in Chuck Cooper and we became roommates. I naively never saw him as a Black man but simply a 6’7” basketball player who just happened to have a different color skin than I did. We both had a weird sense of humor and would go watch Black entertainers at a club across from our team hotel called Storyville. We did not do any drugs but would drink a lot of beer until 2AM watching piano players who were great at playing soft jazz. They later named the gym at Duquesne in Chuck’s honor and his son Chuck III is working on a documentary about him. His son remembers Chuck telling him that I was the only color-blind person he ever knew. I think that the human animal needs a lot of help and I am hopeful that as bad as our republic is (by literally destroying itself with the pandemic and other problems) we can create some meaningful policy reforms and get rid of the hatred in our hearts as we tried to do back in the 1960s. George Floyd has had an even stronger impact and this time it is worldwide. If we are to advance human relations it has to be done with participation from both the Black and White communities. We need to make progress and end racism in police departments but it all starts in the family household with strong father figures. This is the 1st meaningful opportunity that we have had in a long time to make some progress in race relations but we need help from both sides of the fence with everyone pitching in. People in positions of power can affect things but must also realize that the world is watching and having demonstrations. Most of Europe thinks that we are savages so I was very glad when we elected President Obama in 2008: that must have surprised the s— out of them! I voted for Obama but wished that he had done even more as a “uniter” although he did provide progress. Dr. King/Robert Kennedy were good men who helped create change and even though I have 1 foot in the grave I hope that I get to see some more meaningful change before I put my other foot in the grave.

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , , | Comments Off on A Couple of Crusaders: HoopsHD interviews Bob Cousy about Dr. Anthony Fauci

The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews 1956 Olympic gold medalist Chuck Darling

Posted on June 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 Chuck Darling about becoming a Phi Beta Kappa and winning a gold medal in 1956.

In the fall of 1945 you were a 6’2” high school player but after growing 6” in 6 months you became a 6’8” all-state center: how much of an advantage was your size on the court? I had a great coach: I was 2nd-string as 6’2” but he adjusted the team as I grew. There was a narrow lane back then so he put me under the basket and my main thing was rebounding. I was very fortunate to not lose my coordination as I grew taller.

You went to high school in Montana/Colorado: what made you choose Iowa? I had many ties: I was born in Denison, IA, my dad went to graduate school there, and all of my mom’s relatives were from there. I was very impressed by the Big 10 as well.

As a junior you had 17.6 RPG, which remains a school record 70 years later: what is the key to being a great rebounder? Getting position: you also need an intuitive sense of where the ball will go. Jumping/timing is also critical.

You finished your career as a unanimous all-American, Big 10 MVP, and Phi Beta Kappa: how were you able to balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? I took some physics courses over the summer so that the labs would not interfere with basketball practice. I would study during road trips and enjoyed both school and basketball because they came fairly easily to me.

In the spring of 1952 you were drafted 8th overall by Rochester (1 spot ahead of Clyde Lovellette): why did you choose the AAU over the NBA, and do you have any regrets? I was not interested in playing pro basketball at the time and the salary was lower back then. I preferred to be a geologist and was impressed with the Phillips organization so I have no regrets at all.

You were a 3-time AAU All-American with the Phillips 66ers from 1954-1956 and a 2-time MVP of the National Industrial League: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? I was really pleased to be recognized for my contributions to the team. I did not go after individual honors and just tried to play the best that I could.

On April 4, 1956 in the final round of the Olympic tryouts in Kansas City you had 21 PTS/10 REB in a 4-PT win over the College All-Stars, who included your own college coach (Bucky O’Connor) and an All-American named Bill Russell (your future Olympic teammate had 19 PTS/7 REB): how were you able to outplay Russell, and what did Coach O’Connor say to you after the game? I did not really talk to Bucky after the game. I had the best half against Bill that I ever played. My assignment was to mainly keep him off the boards: he could out-jump me so I just focused on positioning. I scored 19 PTS in the 1st half even though it was not in the game plan but only 2 PTS in the 2nd half after they adjusted their defense.

You won a gold medal with team USA at the 1956 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 fantastic experience. I remember meeting a lot of other players at the opening ceremony, which was awe-inspiring. The games were easy because we were such a dominant team with a lot of talent: we could put any of our 5 on the court and play well. Winning a gold medal was 1 of the biggest thrills of my life.

After retiring from basketball you became a senior exploration geologist for a division of Phillips Petroleum: how did you get into the business, and how did you like it? I had wanted to be a geologist since I was in the Boy Scouts: I was fascinated with rocks and got a merit badge. I spent time in London and Egypt with Phillips.

You played sports well into your 80s, competing in the World Senior Games in discus/shot put/volleyball: which sport were you best at, and which sport did you enjoy the most? Basketball, by far. I liked baseball as a kid in Montana but my school did not have a team so I got into discus/shot put, which I also did in college. I enjoyed the camaraderie at the Senior Games an did it for about 15 years in Utah.

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , | Comments Off on The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews 1956 Olympic gold medalist Chuck Darling

The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews Joe Dalfonso about 1988 Olympic bronze medalist Hersey Hawkins

Posted on June 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 of 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 former Bradley SID Joe Dalfonso about Hersey Hawkins scoring 63 PTS in a game and winning a bronze medal in 1988. Today marks the 24th anniversary of Hersey scoring 4 PTS for Seattle in a loss to Chicago in Game 6 of the 1996 NBA Finals.

Hersey was born/raised in Chicago: what made him choose Bradley? The reason he came to Bradley was Coach Dick Versace, who had been here since 1978. He recruited Hersey because even though he was a center Dick was the only 1 who told him that he could play the 2-guard in college. I think it came down to us and Illinois State.

On February 22, 1988, he scored a career-high 63 PTS in a win at Detroit, which remains tied for the 10th-best scoring effort against a D-1 opponent in history: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot he put up seemed to go in because he was “in the zone”? The true story is that I was not there and that was the only game of his that I ever missed! It was a non-conference game at Detroit and we were hosting the MVC tourney that year so I was just swamped with tourney-prep work. I told my assistant to go to the game in my place…and then I listened on the radio as Hersey scored 63 PTS. He scored 40+ PTS a few times so I had seen other nights like that.

In the 1988 NCAA tourney he had 44 PTS/6-8 3PM/10 REB/6 AST/3 STL/2 BLK in a 4-PT loss to Auburn: where does that rank among the best all-around games of his career? That has to be right up in the top-3. When we arrived in Atlanta he was front-page center of the local newspaper with the headline “Top Gun”. He was the nation’s leading scorer so everyone knew about him and he had a tremendous game. We had the ball down by 2 PTS late before turning the ball over.

He led the nation with 36.3 PPG as a senior and his 3008 career PTS remains #10 in NCAA history: what was his secret for being a great scorer? When you looked at him during a game you could not tell if we were up 10 or down 10. He had the same demeanor and never got too excited: he was like an assassin and played way bigger than 6’3”. After Dick resigned our new coach Stan Albeck (a Bradley alum) had an offense that promoted scoring. Our president did not want to bring in a new coach during June so we gave Stan a 5-year contract and instituted an NBA offense that was built around Hawk. He made 55% of his shots so why would you not give him the ball?!

He finished that season by being named All-American/national POY: what did it mean to him to receive such outstanding honors? It is hard to speak for him but he was pretty low-key about everything: he just cared about what time practice was starting. He was interviewed just about every single day during the final month of his college career: he would come into my office at 2:30PM and I would dial up whoever was next on the list. It was just like having another class for him.

In the summer of 1988 he was drafted 6th overall by the Clippers (1 spot behind Mitch Richmond) and then traded to the 76ers: what did it mean to him to get drafted, and what did it mean to him to get traded? We were all anticipating him being drafted high but he did not care where he went: I had some ex-FBI guys show up in my office to see if there were any skeletons in his closet. He later came back here to play an exhibition game.

That September he played for team USA at the Olympics: what did it mean to him to represent his country, and do you think that the US would have won a gold medal had he not suffered an injury before a 6-PT loss to the Soviet Union in the semifinals? It is hypothetical but you always would like to have a healthy Hersey on his side. He always rose to the occasion and considered the Olympics just another tourney. That was the last of our Olympic teams with college players before the Dream Team came along in 1992. When he was in the NBA Finals with Seattle in 1996 he had some very good games against Michael Jordan and the Bulls.

In 1989 he averaged 15.1 PPG and was named to the All-Rookie 1st team: how was he able to make such a smooth transition from college to the pros? It was definitely due to the up-and-down system we ran under Stan. It was not run-and-gun but run-under-control as we averaged 92 PPG.

His career 87 FT% remains top-35 in NBA history and his 1622 career STL remains top-30 in NBA history: how did he balance his shooting with his defense? He was a terrific athlete who played baseball as a youth and could do just about anything on a basketball court. He led us in STL for 3 years but was also a great passer/rebounder.

He did not miss more than 3 games in a season during each of his 1st 11 years in the NBA: when people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? People have forgotten how good he really was and what he did. Some college teams these days struggle to score 60 PPG and he scored more than 36 PPG himself as a senior. I did not see Chet Walker play here but the 2 of them are the best in school history. He was a Hall of Famer in every category and is a great guy.

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews Joe Dalfonso about 1988 Olympic bronze medalist Hersey Hawkins

The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews Filip Bondy about 3-time Olympic medalist Larry Brown

Posted on June 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 former NBA beat writer Filip Bondy about Larry Brown winning a gold medal in 1964 as a player, a gold medal in 2000 as an assistant coach, and a bronze medal in 2004 as head coach. Today marks the 16th anniversary of Larry winning the 2004 NBA Finals as head coach of Detroit.

 (photo credit: nba.com)

Larry was born/raised in New York: what made him choose North Carolina, and how did he like playing for a pair of Hall of Fame coaches in Frank McGuire/Dean Smith? I do not know what specifically led him there but it was an attractive place for any ballplayer to go: great program, great campus, etc. That was the dream job that he never got: he wanted to succeed Dean Smith but the timing never worked out. He fell in love with the whole aura but never got that job.

He played for team USA in the 1964 Olympics, was an assistant coach in 2000, and was head coach in 2004: what did it mean to him to win a pair of gold medals, and what did it mean to him to win a bronze medal? I can only tell you how disappointing the bronze medal was. Team USA was expected to win everything and had only lost 2 games in Olympic history (both to Russia) before the 2004 Olympics…and then they lost 3 games in 2004! He did not get along with Stephon Marbury and the team did not play defense that well. Tim Duncan was the captain, Dwyane Wade was close to his peak, and they had a young LeBron James. It was more about losing the gold/silver than winning the bronze.

He was an All-Star each year from 1968-1970 (including MVP of the inaugural ABA All-Star Game in 1968) and his 6.7 career APG remains #1 in ABA history: how was he able to be so successful despite playing for 3 different teams in 3 years, and what made him such a great PG? He was the ultimate unselfish player but the ABA was a very volatile league. It was not unusual to be traded around like that: the Nets could not even hold onto Julius Erving! As a coach later on he expected his own PGs to be similarly unselfish.

In the 1980 NCAA tourney title game as coach at UCLA Rod Foster had 16 PTS/6 STL in a 5-PT loss to Louisville: how close did he come to winning a title in his very 1st year in Westwood while starting 2 freshmen, and where does that rank among the most devastating losses of his career? It hurt terribly, and he then proceeded to make a terrible career error by joining the New Jersey Nets. Part of it was his marriage and part of it was that he was going to make a lot more money. In retrospect I think that he regretted leaving UCLA and should have stuck around at least another year.

In the 1988 NCAA tourney as national COY at Kansas tourney MOP Danny Manning had 31 PTS/13-24 FG/18 REB/5 STL in a 4-PT upset of Oklahoma: did the Jayhawks have a home-court advantage in Kansas City, and what did it mean to him to win a title against a conference rival who had beaten him twice during the regular season? It did not matter who it was against: he hired Danny Manning’s father as his assistant coach and then he rode his franchise player to a title. That was Larry’s big moment, maybe even bigger than winning an NBA title with the Pistons. He loved his “kids”, as he always called them. He did not enjoy the recruiting part but I think that 1988 title was the highlight of his coaching career.

In the 2004 NBA Finals as coach of the Pistons he beat the Lakers to become the only coach to win an NCAA title and an NBA title: how on earth was he able to beat a team that featured Kobe Bryant/Karl Malone/Shaquille O’Neal/Gary Payton/Phil Jackson in his very 1st year in Detroit? Most people will tell you that 2004 was his greatest year of coaching. His team lacked marquee power but to his credit he brought them together and made them gel. He has achieved so much in his career despite making so many stupid moves: after that title he landed with the Knicks but he did not look closely enough at the mess that the franchise/ownership was. There was money involved and the chance to come home: not everyone from New York wants to live in Detroit.

In 2002 he was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame and in 2006 he was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame: where do those rank among the highlights of his career? They are up there but I have never talked to him specifically about it. I think it would be more of a snub if he was not inducted but I do not think that he ranks them up there with his on-court achievements. He was a guy who just could not stop coaching: he went everywhere to keep coaching despite many health problems that he was battling. He needed that adrenaline and needed to feel relevant by teaching kids how to play basketball.

He remains the only coach in NBA history to lead 8 different teams to the playoffs (Denver/New Jersey/San Antonio/LA Clippers/Indiana/Philly/Detroit/Charlotte): why did he keep changing teams, and how was he able to have so much success in so many different cities? When you are Larry Brown you get to pick and choose where you are going to some extent so you can select the best places but sometimes he overreached. The Knicks were a complete/utter failure for him as well as for many other coaches (Lenny Wilkes/Don Nelson/etc.). His reputation took a hit but he was usually smart enough to find up-and-coming teams with potential.

He has an amazing coaching tree that includes John Calipari/Billy Cunningham/Gregg Popovich/Doc Rivers/Bill Self: what made him such a great mentor, and what role does that play in his legacy? I think it is a pretty good coaching tree. He was good at building relationships but was a warmer person than someone like Hubie Brown. His assistants/players felt that for the most part and he was a father figure to them. The Calipari relationship did not end well but most of his others did.

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews Filip Bondy about 3-time Olympic medalist Larry Brown