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Remembering
Eighteen years ago today I walked into my mother's house to grab
some dinner. I'd just froze my arse off for fifteen races at
Freehold Raceway and was getting ready to spend the night
betting Harness races at the Meadowlands. As I checked my mail,
I heard my mother yell from the kitchen, "You better turn on the
TV, that basketball guy is dead!"
"That basketball guy is dead? What basketball guy?", I said.
I walked over to the TV and turned it on. We always watched the
ABC affiliate in New York and the evening drive sports
commentator was Warner Wolf. Within seconds, "We've just
confirmed that former NBA great Pete Maravich collapsed during a
pickup game in Los Angeles, was rushed to an area hospital where
he was pronounced dead. Maravich was 40. Details are unclear at
the moment but we'll have a full report on Live at Five."
I sat down stunned.
For those of you too young to remember, Pete Maravich WAS
Showtime 20 years before there was a Showtime. Unquestionably
the greatest ball handler and arguably the best "pure" shooter
in NBA history, Maravich was undeniably the most creative
offensive basketball player ever! Behind-the-back no look passes
were common place and Maravich could throw a length of the court
one-bounce bounce pass to a wingman on the fly of a fast break
and put it in a tea cup. Thirty-five (yes 35) foot pull up
jumpers with two guys all over him were generally nothing but
net.
The quintessential gym rat as a kid, the 6'5" 200lb Maravich
burst on the scene with his mop of hair and baggy grey sweat
socks in 1966 when he enrolled at LSU to play for his father, a
former pro and long time collegiate coach, Press Maravich. The
NCAA at the time did not permit first year students to play
varsity ball so Maravich promptly began his career by averaging
43.6 ppg for the Tiger freshman team.
His next three years at LSU are legend and his scoring records
will never be broken. In his three years as a Bayou Bengal,
Maravich scored 3,667 points -- 1,138 points in 1968, 1,148
points in 1969 and 1,381 points in 1970 -- while averaging 43.8,
44.2 and 44.5 points per game. In his collegiate career, "Pistol
Pete" averaged an incredible 44.2 ppg in 83 contests and led the
NCAA in scoring three times. He also set an NCAA record by
scoring more than 50 points 28 times, and was named a three-time
All-American.
Maravich holds nearly every major NCAA scoring record, including
most career points, highest career scoring average, most field
goals attempted and made, and most 50-point games. The three
point basket wasn't introduced until the 86-87 season or
Maravich would have easily averaged in the 50 ppg - FOR HIS
CAREER!
Maravich was drafted third overall (behind Bob Lanier and
Rudy
Tomjanovich) in the 1970 draft by the Atlanta Hawks. He quickly
alienated himself with his veteran teammates with his play and
1.9 million dollar rookie contract, far and away the largest of
it's time. Maravich still averaged 23.2 ppg and was named NBA
Rookie of the Year. After four tenuous years with the Hawks he
was traded to the expansion New Orleans Jazz for Dean "The
Dream" Memminger and draft picks.
Maravich played five years for New Orleans/Utah before being
released in 1980 and finishing his career as a bench player for
the Celtics. Maravich was first team all- NBA in 1976 and 1977,
leading the league in scoring in '77 with a 31.1 ppg average. I
watched him drop his career high 68 points on the Knicks while
being guarded by one of the five best defensive guards of all
time in Walt "Clyde" Frazier. The "Pistol" was a five-time all
star, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987, and named to NBA
all-time Top 50 in 1996.
As it turned out, Maravich was born with a congenital heart
anomaly and had only one coronary artery. Normally, people have
three making his career all the more remarkable.
Like most other unique talents, Maravich was dogged throughout
his life for not having won. LSU was 49-35 during his career,
20-8 as a senior and finishing third in the NIT. The Hawks had
only one winning season during his stay and NO/Utah was an
expansion franchise. In his final season with the Celtics,
Maravich averaged 6.0 ppg on a team that lost to the Lakers in
the NBA final.
Maravich, who had suffered with knee problems throughout the
second half of his career, was invited to the Celtic camp the
following year and had made the team but retired after scoring
24 points in just 16 minutes of Boston's final exhibition game.
Maravich and Dick Butkus were my only two sports idols growing
up so his premature death was especially disturbing to me.
Besides the sox and hair (who can forget those Vitalis Dry
Control commercials), my personal rememberances of the Pistol
were a shootout with Notre Dame's Austin Carr, the 68 point game
against the Knicks, and the Horse and One-on-One haftime
competitions that were shown at halftimes of the games of the
week.
The Pistol had numerous off the court difficulties following
retirement until finding peace with the church. He had several
ministries and ran Christian Youth Camps right up until the time
of his death.
Eighteen years, wow! Seems like yesterday. I didn't eat or go to
the races that night. Rest In Peace Pete Maravich.
About the author:
Dennis Macklin is a documented member of the Professional
Handicappers League. Read all of his articles at www.procapper
s.com/Dennis_Macklin.htm
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