Going for the gold: HoopsHD interviews U18 basketball player Markelle Fultz

Posted on July 13, 2016 by Jon Teitel

We are only in the middle of summer but Markelle Fultz has already had a year to remember. In February he was named 1st-team All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference at DeMatha High School. In March he scored 10 PTS in the McDonald’s All-American Game and in April he set a Nike Hoop Summit record with 5 STL in a win over the World Select team. Earlier this week he was 1 of 12 players named to the final roster for team USA in preparation for the FIBA Americas U18 championship, and next week he travels to Chile to try to win a gold medal. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Markelle before he heads abroad, and this fall you can see him try to help the Washington Huskies get back to the NCAA tourney for the 1st time since 2011.

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After playing on the JV team as a sophomore at DeMatha Catholic High School you grew 3” and became 1 of the top players in class of 2016: was the growth spurt the key or has your all-around game just improved a ton over the past 2 years? It was more of a confidence thing and I made my game more versatile.

Your team was loaded: how did you like playing with guys like DJ Harvey (the 1st freshman since Adrian Dantley in 1969 to start for DeMatha’s varsity team from day 1)? I knew that if I passed it to somebody they would make a shot or get to the rim.

After getting scholarship offers from several great programs (Arizona/Louisville/Maryland/Georgetown) you committed last August to play at Washington and said, “The main reason I am going to Washington is my connection with Coach Romar”: how long have you known him, and what kind of connection do you 2 have? I have known him since I started playing JV. He is like a father figure who looks after me and hopes for the best for me.

In the 2016 McDonald’s All American Game you had 10 PTS/6 AST for the East in a 7-PT loss to the West: which of your teammates impressed you the most? I was cool with everybody out there on both teams: I got along with everyone.

At the 2016 Nike Hoop Summit you set a record with 5 STL in 18 minutes in a 101-67 win over the World Select team: how did you like playing with 4 guys who are going to Duke (Marques Bolden/Harry Giles/Frank Jackson/Jayson Tatum) and how good are the Blue Devils going to be next season? They are very talented players and it was fun to play with them. We got along very well and they will be very good if they play together and do what Coach K tells them to do.

Last year Coach Romar’s recruiting class was ranked among the best in the nation but 2 of his freshmen were picked in the 1st round of last month’s NBA draft (Marquese Chriss/Dejounte Murray): are you entering college with an idea about how long you want to stay or are there certain factors along the way that will affect that decision? My goal is just to help the Huskies get back to the NCAA tourney. I am not worried about the NBA right now and will just take it day by day: if I feel like I am ready after 1 year then I will look at my options.

You are 6’5” and have a 6’9” wingspan: which position did you play in high school and which position will you feel most comfortable at in college? I played the 1 in high school and think I will play the 1 in college, but I feel comfortable at any position.

You have given a lot of credit to your trainer Keith Williams, whom you have worked with for more than half of your life: what aspect of your game has he helped you with the most, and are you worried about flying 3000 miles away from him? Keith helped me with my entire game and taught me everything that I know, but I am confident enough to be on my own because he trained me so well and still sends me videos so that I can keep improving.

Next week you will play for team USA at the FIBA Americas U18 championship in Chile: how do you like playing for Coach Shaka Smart and what did it mean to you to make the final cut earlier this week? It is always an honor to represent your country. Shaka gets everyone involved and is very enthusiastic so we will just try to go down there and win a gold medal.

You previously said that you want to be an accountant: is it just so that you can count your own money if you make the NBA or have you always been into numbers or what?! I have always been good at math and if I make it to the NBA I want to be able to look after my money myself.  If I do not end up playing pro basketball then I can still use my degree to have a good job.

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Countdown to Rio: HoopsHD interviews 1972 Olympic assistant coach Johnny Bach

Posted on July 10, 2016 by Jon Teitel

Next up on our list of Olympic memories is Johnny Bach, who led a very full life before he passed away last January at age 91.  After playing for the Celtics he became head coach at his alma mater of Fordham for 18 years before spending another decade as head coach at Penn State.  In the summer of 1972 he was named an assistant under Hank Iba for team USA and made it all the way to the gold medal game before losing 1 of the most controversial games in the history of the sport.  He later joined the Chicago Bulls as an assistant coach in 1986 and was on the sideline for 3 straight titles from 1991-1993.  Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Bach a few years ago about all of his amazing accomplishments and presents the previously unpublished interview below for the very 1st time.  We send our condolences to all of Johnny’s family/friends on their loss, and if you would like to learn more about the 1972 Olympic team we recommend the book “Stolen Glory” by Mike Brewster and Donald “Taps” Gallagher: www.amazon.com/Stolen-Glory-Soviet-Olympic-Basketball-ebook/dp/B008P0IROI

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In 1948 you were selected by Boston in the BAA draft and played 24 games for them: what is your favorite memory from your time with the Celtics? Just getting together with some old pros like Mel Riebe who are long forgotten but were a big part of the NBA. We had an energetic college coach (Hall of Famer Doggie Julian) and like many people he had some good moments and bad moments. He was succeeded by Red Auerbach. It was a new experience for me after serving in the Navy. There were only 8 teams back then and we mostly took the train/bus: we only flew once.

In 1950 you became 1 of the nation’s youngest head coaches when you got hired by Fordham: what was it like to compete against John Wooden in an effort to recruit high school star Lew Alcindor? We had no chance! I later talked to Kareem and realized that he had a number of offers and had made his decision much earlier than I thought. I asked him why he chose UCLA: he said that it was because 1 of his heroes (Jackie Robinson) went there. His family guarded him really well.

What are your memories of the 1954 NCAA tourney (future Hall of Famer Tom Gola scored 28 PTS in a 2-PT OT win by eventual champion La Salle)? I will never forget that game. We played them as well as anyone that year. I remember saying how we wanted to keep everyone in front of us but we got beat on a backdoor play after we had the game won. It was a bitter blow and a huge disappointment but we resolved to never get beat on backdoor plays again.

In the 1968 NIT you had a 1-PT loss to eventual champion Dayton after Frank McLaughlin missed a 25-footer at the buzzer: did you think the shot was going in? We played a very fine game at Madison Square Garden. I watched Frank play for 4 years at Fordham Prep: he was a good student and all-city shooter. He just missed the shot: it was not as painful as some of our earlier losses.

In 1969 you left Fordham to become coach at Penn State, joining your fellow Brown alum Joe Paterno: what made Paterno such a great coach, and what made him such a good friend? Joe and I both played for Coach Rip Engle: I played basketball while Joe played football. Rip was 1 of my idols as a coach and I loved playing for him. He had a great heart and was so happy when we won. Money was tight at Fordham, especially for the athletic program.

You served as an assistant coach under Hank Iba for team USA at the 1972 Olympics in Munich: how devastating was the infamous 1-PT loss to the USSR in the gold medal game, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterward? Don Haskins had already been selected as 1 assistant but Coach Iba insisted to the selection committee that I be his 2nd assistant. I had done a little scouting of the USSR. I was lucky to learn from coaching legends such as Joe Lapchick/Pete Newell. The loss is still burned into my heart and the agony is still there. We all met up for the 40th anniversary a few summers ago and we still felt like we were robbed. I delivered the message from FIBA Secretary General Dr. Jones at the scorer’s table that we had been asked to either put our team back on the floor or forfeit the gold medal: Iba said that we would not lose the gold while sitting on our asses! Haskins was vehement that we should walk away and go back to the locker room. It is my most bitter memory in basketball: the game was won and then they got another chance…and then another chance.

In 1986 you joined the Chicago Bulls as an assistant and ended up winning 3 straight titles under Phil Jackson from 1991-1993: what made Jackson such a great coach, and what was the most important thing you ever learned from him? He was a different animal who approached coaching in a far different way. He had good coaching mentors in Bill Fitch/Red Holzman. He saw a lot but would not react to it. For example, I would tell him to call a timeout if the other team made a nice run but he would say that our team would be unable to learn how to deal with the situation if we did that. He would bring in the most celebrated people to talk to us like Jerry Garcia/Bill Bradley. He was unique, which is why they kept offering him millions to come back!

In Game 3 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals Scottie Pippen refused to re-enter the game with 1.8 seconds left because Jackson would not run the final play for him, so rookie Toni Kukoc ended up making the game-winning 23-foot fade-away jumper at the buzzer: where does that rank among the most clutch shots that you ever saw, and did you feel that Pippen deserved to be forgiven? I felt we would be making a great mistake to say that Pippen was not fit to play for us. I was sent to tell him to go back onto the floor, but he told me to put someone else in. It was a terrible mistake on his part but I still talked to him more than almost any other player on that team.

Take me through a few of Michael Jordan’s best plays:
In Game 2 of the 1991 Finals Jordan famously switched hands in mid-air on a drive to the hoop: where did that rank among the most amazing plays that you have ever seen? From the time he arrived he would do that in practice. Nothing he did surprised me: he was the hardest worker I have ever seen and the meanest competitor even in practice. I recall many a time when I would tell him to lay off a rookie like Pete Myers and he would say, “I have to play tomorrow night and he doesn’t!” Phil was the master of motivation: he often had Michael practice with the 2nd team against the rest of the starters. Phil was able to reach Michael in a way most people could not have. The losing team in the scrimmage would have to run and Michael hated to do that.

In Game 1 of the 1992 Finals he scored 35 PTS in the 1st half (including a then-record six 3-PT shots): was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot he put up seemed to go in because he was “in the zone”? You can see the look in his eyes when he looked into the cameras, implying that he just could not miss. Phil would have us get rid of the money from the fines that had been collected by putting it on the ground and saying, “shoot for it”. Michael won the money a lot of times: that is just who he is. I was fortunate to be around him as a coach. I edited a lot of tape in my day and would occasionally add scenes from movies like “An Officer and a Gentleman”: Michael loved that.

He invited you to his Hall of Fame induction dinner in 2009 and then decided to pay for everything himself (airfare/hotel/etc.): what was Jordan like off the court, and what did that gesture mean to you? He did some of the kindest things I have ever seen, such as meeting with every terminally ill kid whose last wish was to meet Jordan. He would bring them into the locker room and have them sit with our team on the bench. He is an easily misunderstood guy who does a lot of things that people do not hear about. I could not afford to attend the dinner so he just sent me the tickets out of the blue.

After retiring in 2006 you became a volunteer assistant for the varsity team at Fenwick High School working with coach John Quinn (the brother of Illinois governor Pat Quinn): how do you like the gig, and what is the biggest difference between coaching high school kids vs. coaching NBA players? There is a huge talent difference and sometimes a huge attitude difference as well. When you have a kid taking 8 classes a day you really have to push them in order to have a do-or-die attitude in practice. I am always on them for not practicing hard enough and not studying hard enough for their exams: I enjoy yelling at them!

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Countdown to Rio: HoopsHD interviews former Western Carolina SID Steve White about US Olympic Basketball Committee member Jim Gudger

Posted on July 6, 2016 by Jon Teitel

Next up in our month-long series of Olympic memories is Jim Gudger, who is primarily known as a 3-sport athlete/coach at Western Carolina.  After being named an all-conference player in basketball/football/baseball, he later won more than 300 games as a basketball coach and led his team to the 1963 NAIA national championship game. He also won 3 conference titles as coach of the baseball team and was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame.  In addition to being devoted to his alma mater, he was a member of the US Olympic Basketball Committee.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with former Western Carolina SID Steve White about his do-it-all coach. 

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Gudger played 3 sports at Western Carolina (basketball/football/baseball) and was an All-Conference selection in all 3: which sport was he the best at, and which sport did he enjoy the most? I really think that baseball was his favorite: he even played pro baseball for a while after WWII.

He became head coach of the basketball/baseball teams in 1950 and was also assistant football coach: how was he able to balance so many different gigs at the same time? That tells you how times have changed. You just had to do it that way back then: almost every head coach we had was an assistant for another sport in the low-budget NAIA days. You had to be multifaceted just to keep your job.

In the 1963 NAIA national title game he lost to Texas-Pan American, who was led by MVP Lucious Jackson: did he consider that season to be a success (due to getting to the title game), or a failure (due to not winning it all), or something in between? We did not win the regular season title so we had to go through a process just to get into the NAIA tourney after stumbling toward the end of the season. If 1 of our opponents had made a FT then we would never have been there, so I think Coach felt very fortunate. The previous year the team won the conference title but voted not to go to the district playoffs so in 1963 they were excited to be there. The reason we did not win was Jackson: he was unbelievable and later had a great NBA career. By 10AM the auditorium was packed with 10,000 fans: it was a great atmosphere in Kansas City and they would play 8 games per day in the early rounds.

In 1964 he recruited Henry Logan to be the 1st African-American to accept a basketball scholarship at a predominantly white college in the Southeast: how big a deal was it at the time? It was sort of a secret thing that went on behind the curtain. He had to get permission from our school president and board of trustees just to RECRUIT Henry, but felt it was just a case of the perfect player at the perfect time. Henry was a local guy who people knew about and it created so much excitement. The White residents would go over to the Black high school just to watch him play, which had never happened before. It was quite a coup for us to get Henry but he was very apprehensive until Coach assured him that there would be no racial situation here. It opened the door for African-American football players to come here the following year.

In 1967 he left Earl Monroe off the team USA roster for the Pan Am Games because Monroe’s game was allegedly “too playground’’ for his taste: why was that such a sticking point despite Monroe’s 41.5 PPG while leading Winston Salem to the D-2 title? I was never privy to that decision making process but he was a coach who believed in a precision offense. He won games with defense: I heard that he did not think Earl would play defense but I do not know that for a fact.

In 1968 he became athletic director: how did he like being an administrator compared to being a coach? This was the sticking point about why he left the school. He wanted to continue to coach basketball but Dr. Alex Pow said that he could not be athletics director and head basketball coach at the same time. That caused a tremendous rift and was why Coach left for East Texas State in a huff. He wanted to call his own shots and he wanted to do both jobs simultaneously.

His 311 wins are the most in school history: what made him such a great coach, and do you think that anyone will ever break his record? He was a tremendous recruiter and salesman. He was a very colorful guy who could have sold horse manure for potato chips! He had a lot of success recruiting in the state of Indiana because he found guys who could fit his style of playing defense: a lot of other coaches back then did not emphasize defense.

He was a member of the US Olympic Basketball Committee: how did he like working with the national team? He really relished that role and would often use his position when recruiting to help lure players to Western Carolina. I think that he liked traveling around the world to teach basketball and spread the word: he was an extrovert all the way.

He wrote a book about the Swing-And-Cut Offense: what made it so effective? It was the forerunner of the Princeton-style offense. His teams would pass, pass, pass until they found the open man: they were very patient. We had 1 game that went 5 overtimes…and neither team scored 50 PTS! They would spend 5 minutes at practice and not take a single shot: the 10-foot jumper was his favorite thing.

When people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? To this day and throughout the state of North Carolina his name pops up as the face of Western Carolina basketball. He was such a great athlete, which has something to do with that, but the fact that he was a racial pioneer also has a lot to do with it. He did not set out to try to break the color line: he just wanted to get the best basketball player in the area to join his team. He was a character who would smoke cigars and always wear a red tie and socks just to get a little attention, and then all of his players were expected to do the same thing. I fashioned myself as a baseball player and after my freshman year he told me that I had a future in athletics…as a sports publicity guy!

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Countdown to Rio: HoopsHD interviews the son of former US Olympic Basketball Committee chairman Ben Carnevale

Posted on July 3, 2016 by Jon Teitel

With the Rio Olympics a little more than 30 days away from lighting the flame, HoopsHD begins its month-long celebration of the Olympians who kept the fire burning over the past 80 years. Ben Carnevale played college basketball at NYU, where he won a national championship in 1935 and played in the 1st-ever NIT in 1938. His Hall of Fame coach at NYU was Howard Cann, who himself finished 8th in the shot put competition at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp. Instead of immediately continuing his basketball career, Carnevale joined the Navy during World War II and received a Purple Heart. After the war he took North Carolina to the 1946 NCAA title game as head coach, then spent 20 years as head coach at Navy. He also served as chairman of the United States Olympic Basketball Committee and team manager of the 1968 Olympic Men’s Basketball Team in Mexico City before being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1970. Carnevale passed away in 2008, but Jon Teitel got to chat with his son Dan about his famous father.

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In 1935 he won a national title as a player at NYU under Hall of Fame coach Howard Cann: what did it mean to him to win the title, and how much influence did Cann have on his own decision to go into coaching? Having gone to NYU and been an athlete, he spent his summer at sports camps in the Adirondacks. That is where he 1st developed his interest in sports. He even played for the New York Yankees in the Grapefruit League, but broke his ankle and never pursued baseball.

During WWII he served as a Navy officer and received a Purple Heart: what impact did the war have on him either on or off the court? Probably not a lot at 1st, but after the war he was in charge of the B-12 program at North Carolina, and he got guys who were coming out of the service (like Bones McKinney/John “Hook” Dillon) to come play for him at Chapel Hill.

Take me through the 1946 NCAA tourney as coach at UNC:
Dillon scored 15 PTS in an 8-PT win over NYU and then 16 PTS in a 3-PT OT win over Ohio State: did he just put the entire team on his back during the tourney? There are lots of stories about what went on there, but Dillon (6’6″, 250 pounds) was just bigger than most other big men at the time. Like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar he also had a hook shot that you could not block.

Future 7′ Hall of Fame center Bob Kurland scored 23 PTS in a 3-PT win by Oklahoma A&M in the title game: was Kurland just unstoppable? That is what I understand.

In 1947 he became coach at Navy and was named national COY after leading his team to a 16-1 regular season record (with only a 5-PT loss to GW preventing perfection): how was he able to come in and be so successful so quickly, and what did it mean to him to win such an outstanding honor? The ironic thing is that if you ask any sportswriter who was the 1 person who ever left UNC to take a better job, it was my dad! When he 1st went there he was still in the service but got out after that. When you go to a service academy during a war it is probably the best time to be there because you have a 4-year commitment when you would not have to go to war. All the military bases served as his recruiting ground.

Take me through the 1954 NCAA tourney:
John Clune scored career-high 42 PTS in a 5-PT win over UConn: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot he put up seemed to go in because he was “in the zone”? Clune was quite a player.

Tom Gola had 22 PTS/24 REB in a win by eventual champion La Salle: was it frustrating for your dad to keep running into the eventual champs every year? It is more of a compliment when you consider the height restrictions in the Navy at the time (no player could be taller than 6’5″). They were very disciplined like Pete Carril’s old teams at Princeton: they would just execute you to death. Tourney teams had bigger/more athletic players so he would reach a point where ability/skill might take over. He beat UNC in the regionals when they had Larry Brown/Doug Moe: Frank McGuire was a good friend of his so that was quite a feat.

He later became AD at NYU and William & Mary and helped organize the Colonial Athletic Association before becoming its commissioner: how did he like being an administrator compared to being a coach? It was a chance for advancement. He was an excellent businessman so that is why he was successful. William & Mary had a mandatory retirement age of 65 but he knew that he had a few more years left in him. The JMU president called him up and asked for some help creating a sports program, so my dad went to the state senate and got them to distribute some money for a variety of facilities. He actually worked for 6 different schools in Virginia after he retired: he was a very driven man.

He became chairman of the US Olympic Basketball Committee in 1964, and served as manager of the 1968 Olympic team that went 9-0 en route to winning gold medal: how did he like being chairman, and what did it mean to him to win a gold medal? He was actually chairman for about 16 years and always had Hank Iba as his coach. They did not always take the biggest stars (such as Calvin Murphy) because they felt they needed players who adhered to more of a team concept (such as Bill Bradley). The only black and blue mark was when they lost to Russia in 1972, which was a very unnerving time. He even spoke in front of Congress about that.

He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970: how proud are you of all that he accomplished? He worked hard and was very intelligent so we are all very proud of him. Each of his players were considered to be 1 of “Ben’s Boys”, which was a great compliment.

Your brother Mark continued the family athletic tradition by joining the PGA Tour: how proud are you of Mark’s golf skills, and does he credit at least some of his success to genetics? It cannot be genetics because my own golf game is horrible! When he decided back in college to try to become a pro golfer he asked my dad for $10,000 to help him get started, but my dad said he would have to go out and earn the money himself. At my dad’s funeral Mark mentioned how much that motivated him and made it important for him to do it on his own, which he appreciated.

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The Definition of Nobility: HoopsHD interviews Hall of Famer Cindy Noble Hauserman

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Jon Teitel

The sports world is in a state of mourning today after learning of the passing of Hall of Fame Coach Pat Summitt.  Her career numbers are simply staggering: 1098 wins, 112 NCAA tourney wins, 38 consecutive postseason appearances, 16 SEC tourney titles, 8 NCAA titles, and a 1984 Olympic gold medal.  1 of the players who knew her the best was fellow Hall of Famer Cindy Noble Hauserman.  She played for Coach Summitt at Tennessee, made it to 2 straight AIAW tourney title games, and was named All-American in 1981.  3 years later she played for her college coach as a member of team USA as they both won Olympic gold medals.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Hauserman about her legendary coach, and we extend our condolences to the entire Tennessee women’s basketball family. 

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You won 2 state volleyball titles, 1 state basketball title, and 1 state track title at Adena High School: which sport were you best at, and which sport did you enjoy the most? We had a great group of athletes going through the high school during that time. Not only did we win those state tournaments but we also won the 1st-ever state track meet in 1975, the 1st-ever state volleyball tourney in the fall of 1975, and the 1st-ever state basketball tourney in the spring of 1976! 3 state titles in a 1-year period will probably never be repeated. I loved volleyball…but thanks to Title IX I was offered full scholarships in basketball and only partial scholarships in volleyball.

You attended Ohio State for 1 year before transferring to Tennessee: why did you decide to transfer, and what made you choose the Volunteers? I was heavily recruited by Coach Pat Summitt while in high school. The day I told her that I was staying close to home and going to OSU, I felt that I had made a mistake. I had a great freshman year (winning Big 10 ROY), but due to some circumstances I switched to UT the following summer. My career took off due to the intense training from the Tennessee staff.

In 1980 you shot a school-record 67.9 FG% while winning the 1st-ever SEC women’s tourney as a starter alongside Holly Warlick: what is the key to being a great shooter, and were you surprised that Holly later became a coach? My father was a huge credit to my shooting ability. Correct shooting form kind of came naturally to me, but my dad made me shoot hundreds of shots on our driveway court before doing anything else and it paid off. Holly was a great teammate: she was a leader both on and off the court and had a positive attitude all of the time. It did not surprise me at all when she was awarded the position at Tennessee: she is 1 of Knoxville’s finest.

That summer you made the US Olympic team: how did you feel about the boycott? It was very disheartening. We had won the pre-Olympic tournament held in Bulgaria and had a great team put together and coached by a great duo of head coach Sue Gunter and assistant coach Pat Summitt. Fortunately, I was one of the younger players on the team so my international career was not over. I had one more year of college and then played overseas in Italy for 1 year and in Japan for 1 year prior to the 1984 Olympic trials.

You made it to the AIAW tourney title game in 1980 and 1981 and lost both times (the 1st time to defending champ Old Dominion and the 2nd time to a Louisiana Tech team that finished 34-0): where do those rank among the most devastating losses of your career? We were at the top of the game. They were big losses but Pat turned the tables and had such a positive attitude towards us afterward the games that we all followed suit.

In 1981 you were named All-American: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It was a huge honor to be named to a list of the top-12 players in the nation during my senior year. After not making it to the 1980 Olympics I wanted to continue to play somewhere, so it increased my chances of being picked up by a foreign team. I was picked up by a team in Italy and then a team in Japan the next year. The Japanese experience heightened my game due to the intense day-long training and length of the season, so I was on top of my game for the 1984 Olympic trials.

After graduating you played professionally in Italy and Japan: what is the biggest difference between college basketball and pro basketball? Both were really a business and both had high expectations for me. I loved every minute of both levels of play and would never trade those experiences for anything in the world…but I still keep up with Tennessee and many of their athletic programs: Go Vols!

You played for team USA at the 1984 Olympics: what was it like to play for your college coach, and what did it mean to you to win a gold medal? I remember watching Ann Meyers do her thing on the court in 1976, the 1st time that women’s basketball was part of the Olympics. She was accompanied by a hard-working farm girl who thrived on her defense, and that team won the silver medal in Montreal. I was a junior in high school: at that moment I wanted to work hard because I thought I had the tools to get to that level. Never did I dream that I would soon be getting drilled in practice by that defensive specialist from the 1976 team (Pat Summitt!) and that Ann would be my roommate in Squaw Valley a short time later representing team USA. Winning the gold was the icing on the cake of my career. I was so blessed to have somehow taken the road to success that I did. Don’t get me wrong: there were times that I stumbled…but I got up time and time again.

In 1985 you were named assistant coach at Kentucky: why did you take the job, and how seriously do Wildcats fans take their basketball? I returned to Japan for 1 last season after the 1984 Olympics. I had hit about every plateau that a player could reach and I was ready to hang up my shoes. I love the SEC and UK had an assistant position come open during the summer of 1985. I applied and was hired by Terry Hall, a long-time coach for the Lady Wildcats. I was honored to be a part of their program during the 4 years that I spent there.

In 2000 you were inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? It is a very special award. It was even greater that evening because the presenter for my induction was Coach Summitt. The Hall of Fame is located in downtown Knoxville, so my children/husband/father and some great friends were all there to help me celebrate.

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Nothing but Net-olicky: HoopsHD interviews Bob Netolicky

Posted on June 26, 2016 by Jon Teitel

Most players in last week’s NBA draft were just happy to get picked by a team, especially those in the 1st round who became instant millionaires.  However, a half-century ago some college graduates were so good that they had their choice of which league to play in.  Bob Netolicky finished his college career as an All-American at Drake, but after being drafted by the NBA’s San Diego Rockets he decided to join the ABA’s Indiana Pacers instead.  He made 4 straight All-Star teams and won 2 ABA titles before finishing his career as 1 of the top-5 rebounders in the history of the  league.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel recently got to chat with Bob about winning a pair of titles and playing for 2 teams in the same game.

neto

After being named an All-American at Drake you were drafted 18th overall by the San Diego Rockets in 1967 (1 spot behind Phil Jackson) but decided to join the Indiana Pacers: why did you choose the ABA over the NBA? There were only 8 NBA teams back then and they were even behind bowling in the TV ratings! Even in college nobody talked about joining the NBA. It was just about dollars: San Diego sent me a contract for $12,000…and then Indiana offered me $16,000 and a car. The only NBA players who made big money back then were Bill Russell/Wilt Chamberlain.

You were named an All-Star during each of your 1st 4 years from 1968-1971: how were you able to make such a smooth transition from college to the pros? Our coach Slick Leonard once told me that no matter how good you are you always have to keep improving. In high school you are at the bottom of a yardstick, and if you keep getting better then you might be able to reach the top of the yardstick. You always see some amazing college players who never make it: I was just lucky enough to keep improving exponentially because I had some undeveloped talent as a teenager. I did not play in high school but ended up growing about a foot. Art Heyman went to Duke and was 1 of the first big guards who would slash to the hoop, but he basically reached his peak in college (he was named ACC POY/NCAA tourney MOP in 1963).

In Game 6 of the 1970 ABA Finals you had 14 PTS/13 REB in a 4-PT road win over Los Angeles to clinch the title (Roger Brown scored 45 PTS): what did it mean to you to win a title? The 1st 1 is always the best because you never expect to do it. It was a thrill because we had an unusually talented team. Roger was banned from the NBA, which was a real screw-job. I am writing a book with a couple of other guys to tell the real stories: if we had lost Game 7 of the 1969 Eastern Division Semifinals to Kentucky, then our team would have folded!

In Game 6 of the 1972 ABA Finals you scored 7 PTS in a 4-PT road win over New York: how did the 2nd time compare to the 1st time? We felt like we were the best team in the league.  We also felt that we should have beaten Utah in the 1971 Western Division Semifinals and would have won 4-5 titles in a row.

On November 14, 1973 you played for San Antonio in a home loss to Indiana on a last-second shot, but after the Spurs successfully protested the loss to the ABA Commissioner and the final 30 seconds of the game were ordered to be replayed immediately before the next Pacers-Spurs game on December 2, you had already been traded to Indiana so you played the final 30 seconds of regulation and OT for the Pacers: how weird was it to be 1 of the few pro basketball players to ever play for 2 teams in 1 game?! The funny part is that I never even realized that until 20 years later.

In the 1975 Finals you lost to Kentucky in 5 games: where does Artis Gilmore’s Game 3 performance (41 PTS/28 REB) rank among the greatest that you have ever seen? There is a big party weekend for ex-Colonels every year, and they love to invite me to remind them of their victory. 1 year I had breakfast with Artis and he reminded me that he beat me 1 time, so I think that series meant more to them than it did to us.

Your 5518 career REB is #5 all-time in ABA history: what is the secret to being a great rebounder? I could jump really high and I had good timing so rebounding was 1 of my strengths. We had 1 game where Mel Daniels had 27 REB…yet I was still able to get 16 of my own. I cannot figure out how some of the big centers in the NBA today can only get 8 RPG. Slick took me out of a game once in the 2nd quarter and was cussing me out at halftime. I had 13 REB in the 1st half and I asked him why he was mad: he said that I should have had 20!

You were known for living a mod lifestyle and having exotic pets: what did you do with a lion and an ocelot? That was back in my college days, which was a different era. My roommate was in Chicago at a pet shop and said we could buy a lion cub for $75.  He asked me if that was okay and I told him to go for it. She was like a big pet at our fraternity house.

You also owned a popular nightclub called “Neto’s in the Meadows”: did you do it as a good investment or to have a place to hang out after games or something else? I think I had it both ways. It never made me a ton of money but paid itself off. There were not a lot of bars in town so we leased/remodeled it and for 4 years it was incredible. Fans would actually leave our games at halftime to head over and get a seat at the bar. We had a $1 cover charge and would have a line around the corner. We always gave free drinks to our opponents the night before they played us in an attempt to get an edge on the court. It was a different world back then: if there had been cell phone cameras then we might all be in jail!

You have previously said that David Thompson “was probably as good as Michael Jordan” and that if Michael had tried to guard Roger Brown he “probably would have broken both his ankles”: how do you compare Hall of Famers from different eras? You just never saw anyone like these guys. Roger’s legs were shot by the time he made the pros but back in the day I saw him go head to head with future Hall of Famer Billy Cunningham: Billy scored 12 PTS and Roger had 47! Roger would come back to scrimmage against the current Pacer team when he was in his 40s: he would tell the guys what move he was going to do, then go out and do it and put the ball in the basket. David could jump through the roof but developed a bad drug habit (which hurt a lot of other players as well), and then he had some knee injuries.

You also previously said that you learned more about basketball from guarding Connie Hawkins in 1 game than from an entire season of playing college basketball: what made the “Hawk” such a great player, and what was it that you learned from him? I was blessed with really big hands, which Connie also had, so I watched the way he was able to play by palming/cupping the ball. Very few players can do that.

In 1997 you were named to the ABA All-Time Team: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? It was so much fun to be at the 30th anniversary reunion and was quite an honor. There are some pretty heavy hitters on that list like Julius Erving/George Gervin!

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