Al Attles
Alvin Austin Attles Jr. is an American retired professional basketball player and coach best known for his longtime association with the Golden State Warriors. He is a graduate of Weequahic High School in Newark, New Jersey and North Carolina A&T State University, he has a bachelor's degree in Physical Education and History along with a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction. He intended to return to Newark and coach at his local junior high school when he was drafted by the Warriors, he declined before accepting and going to training camp. Attles joined the then-Philadelphia Warriors in 1960. On March 2, 1962, he was the team's second-leading scorer with 17 points on the night Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points. There is a apocryphal story to the effect that one of the sportswriters covering the game began his filing with the lede "HERSHEY, Pa. -- Wilt Chamberlain and Al Attles combined for 117 points last night as the Philadelphia Warriors defeated the New York Knicks 169-147." Attles moved with the team to the Bay Area at the end of the 1962 season, playing until 1971.
Attles was known as "The Destroyer" due to his defensive specialities along with once punching a player in the jaw. He was a role player on the 1964 Warriors team that made the NBA Finals and lost the championship series to the Boston Celtics, four games to one. Attles played on the Warriors' 1967 team that lost to Chamberlain's 68-13 Philadelphia 76ers in an evenly matched, six-game championship series. Attles became one of the first African-American coaches in the NBA when he was named player-coach of the Warriors midway through the 1969–70 season, succeeding George Lee. Attles guided the Rick Barry-led Warriors to the 1975 NBA championship over the favored Washington Bullets, making him the second African American coach to win an NBA title. Attles' team tried to repeat the following season, but they lost to the Phoenix Suns in the Conference Finals in seven games; the team would make the playoffs only once more for the remainder of his tenure as coach. Attles was replaced by Johnny Bach for the last 21 games of the 1979–80 NBA season, though he returned for the next season.
Attles coached the Warriors until 1983, compiling a 557-518 regular season record with six playoff appearances in 14 seasons. During the 1983–84 season, Attles worked as the Warriors' general manager, he is the longest-serving coach in Warriors history. In 2014 Attles was the recipient of the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award—an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to an individual who has contributed to the sport of basketball, the award is the highest and the most prestigious honor presented by the Basketball Hall of Fame other than enshrinement. Attles's number 16 is retired by the Warriors and he attends every Warriors home game, he serves as a team ambassador. On February 7, 2015, Attles' #22 was retired by North Carolina A&T, the first retired by the team, he was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1993. Attles has been on the Warriors' payroll in one capacity or another for 58 years, the longest uninterrupted streak of any person for one team.
Attles and his wife Wilhelmina have two adult children. Basketball-Reference.com: Al Attles Basketball-Reference.com: Al Attles
Bob Lanier (basketball)
Robert Jerry Lanier, Jr. is an American retired professional basketball player who played for the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association. Lanier was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992. In his 14 NBA seasons, Lanier averaged 20.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.1 steals while shooting 51.4 percent from the field. He played in eight NBA All-Star Games, was named Most Valuable Player of the 1974 game, he has had his #16 jersey retired by both the Pistons and the Bucks and his #31 jersey retired by St. Bonaventure University. Lanier is an NBA ambassador. Robert Jerry Lanier Jr. was born on September 10, 1948, in Buffalo, New York, the son of Robert Sr. and Nannette Lanier. Growing up in Buffalo, Lanier was rejected in his basketball efforts. Trying out for his grammar school team, Lanier was told by a coach that his feet were too large for him to be a successful athlete. Although he was 6-foot-5 by age 16, Lanier was cut from the varsity basketball squad in his sophomore year at Bennett High by coach Nick Mogavero because he was too clumsy.
In his junior year, he was encouraged to try out again by new coach Fred Schwepker, who had Lanier in Biology class, Lanier tried out again. Lanier was named to the All-City team as a junior. In his senior year, he averaged 25.0 points and he earned All-Western New York State honors. Both years he led Bennett to Buffalo city titles. After his successes under coach Szwejbka, Lanier graduated in 1966. Lanier was rejected by his first college choice, because of his grades. But, he was recruited by more than 100 other schools and selected St. Bonaventure University, in Allegany, New York, with Coach Larry Weise.“There was recruiting competition, but the advantage I had, what I sold was that his parents could come watch him play,’’ Said Coach Weise. “He picked St. Bonaventure, his parents were at every game.’’ Lanier was a three-time Converse All-America selection, playing for coach Weise at St. Bonaventure. In 1970, he led the St. Bonaventure to the NCAA Final Four, he injured his knee near the end of the regional championship game in a collision with Villanova's Chris Ford and did not participate in St. Bonaventure's National Semifinal loss to Jacksonville University with center Artis Gilmore.
That year he was named Coach and Athlete Magazine player of the year, the ECAC Player of the Year. As a 6 ft 11 in sophomore in the 1967–68 season, after having played on the freshman team the previous year per NCAA rules at the time, Lanier made an immediate national impact, as he led the St. Bonaventure to an undefeated regular season and a no. 3 final poll ranking. Lanier averaged 15.6 rebounds. Against [, Lanier had 27 rebounds, leading St. Bonaventure to 94–78 victory. In the 23-team 1968 NCAA Tournament, Lanier led St. Bonaventure to a 102–93 victory over Boston College and coach Bob Cousy; the Bonies were defeated 91–72 by North Carolina and coach Dean Smith in the East Regional Semifinal, ending their undefeated season. Lanier had 32 points and 15 rebounds in the victory over Boston College and 23 points with 9 rebounds in the North Carolina loss. Lanier fouled out, scoring 18 points with 13 rebounds in the third-place East Region game, a 92–75 loss to Columbia. Lanier was named second-team All-American, behind Lew Alcindor at center.
In the 1968–69 season, St. Bonaventure finished 17–7 without any postseason invitations, after starting the season 3–5. Against Seton Hall, Lanier scored the single-game scoring record for St. Bonaventure. Lanier, averaged 15.6 rebounds in 24 games. Lanier was again named second-team All-American, behind Lew Alcindor at center. During his junior year, Lanier was approached by representatives of the American Basketball Association's New York Nets, who offered him $1.2 million to leave school early and join the ABA. However, following his father's advice, Lanier chose to remain in school. Lanier averaged 29.2 points and 16.0 rebounds as St. Bonaventure finished the 1969–70 regular season 25–1 and a no. 3 national ranking. In the 25-team 1970 NCAA Tournament, Lanier led St. Bonaventure to a 80–72 victory over Davidson College with 28 points and 15 rebounds. However, Lanier injured his knee near the end of the regional championship game in a collision with Villanova's Chris Ford, it was severe enough that he could not play in the Final Four and required surgery, the first of eight surgeries on Lanier's knees.
In the Final Four, the Bonnies lost to [NC State Wolfpack men's basketball with future Hall of Fame center Artis Gilmore. St. Bonaventure was whistled for 32 personal fouls and outscored 37–15 at the free throw line, in the 91–83 loss. In the third-place game, the Bonnies lost to NM State to finish the season 25–3."Every year at this time you start thinking about it and my players start thinking about it," reflected Coach Larry Weise at age 81. "We have a reunion every three, four years and it’s the same with them. It was a magical moment in no question. In our hearts, we knew we were good enough to win the championship.""I think I appreciate it more than my teammates," Lanier reflected on the Final Four in 1985, "because I had a basis for comparison. It wasn't the money, or who got the'numbers' like in the NBA. We weren't any big stars, it was a couple of guys from Buffalo and
Jerry West
Jerry Alan West is an American basketball executive and former player who played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. His nicknames included Mr. Clutch, for his ability to make a big play in a clutch situation, such as his famous buzzer-beating 60-foot shot that tied Game 3 of the 1970 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks. West played the small forward position early in his career, he was a standout at East Bank High School and at West Virginia University, where he led the Mountaineers to the 1959 NCAA championship game, he earned the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player honor despite the loss. He embarked on a 14-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, was the co-captain of the 1960 U. S. Olympic gold medal team, a squad, inducted as a unit into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. West's NBA career was successful. Playing the guard position, he was voted 12 times into the All-NBA First and Second Teams, was elected into the NBA All-Star Team 14 times, was chosen as the All-Star MVP in 1972, the same year that he won the only title of his career.
West holds the NBA record for the highest points per game average in a playoff series with 46.3. He was a member of the first five NBA All-Defensive Teams, which were introduced when he was 32 years old. Having played in nine NBA Finals, he is the only player in NBA history to be named Finals MVP despite being on the losing team. West was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980 and voted as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history in 1996. After his playing career ended, West took over as head coach of the Lakers for three years, he earned a Western Conference Finals berth once. Working as a player-scout for three years, West was named general manager of the Lakers prior to the 1982–83 NBA season. Under his reign, Los Angeles won six championship rings. In 2002, West became general manager of the Memphis Grizzlies and helped the franchise win their first-ever playoff berths. For his contributions, West won the NBA Executive of the Year Award twice, once as a Lakers manager and as a Grizzlies manager.
West's son, played college basketball for West Virginia. Jerome Alan West was born into a poor household in West Virginia, he was the fifth of six children of Cecil Sue West, a housewife, Howard Stewart West, a coal mine electrician. West was an aggressive child in his youth, until his brother's death in the Korean War aged 21 turned him into a shy and introverted boy when Jerry was 12/13, he was so small and weak that he needed lots of vitamin injections from his doctor and was kept apart from children's sports, to prevent him from getting injured. Growing up, West spent his days hunting and fishing, but his main activity was shooting at a basketball hoop that a neighbor had nailed to his storage shed. West spent days shooting baskets from every possible angle, ignoring mud and snow in the backyard, as well as his mother's whippings when he came home hours late for dinner. West attended East Bank High School in East Bank, West Virginia from 1952 to 1956. During his first year, he was benched by his coach Duke Shaver due to his lack of height.
Shaver emphasized the importance of conditioning and defense, which were lessons that the teenager appreciated. West soon became the captain of the freshman team, during the summer of 1953 he grew to 6 ft 0 in. West became the team's starting small forward, he established himself as one of the finest West Virginia high school players of his generation, he was named All-State from 1953–56 All-American in 1956 when he was West Virginia Player of the Year, becoming the state's first high-school player to score more than 900 points in a season, with an average of 32.2 points per game. West's mid-range jump shot became his trademark and he used it to score while under pressure from opposing defenses. West led East Bank to a state championship on March 24 that year, prompting East Bank High School to change its name to "West Bank High School" every year on March 24 in honor of their basketball prodigy; this practice remained in effect until the school closed in 1999. West graduated from East Bank High School in 1956, more than 60 universities showed interest in him.
He chose to stay in his home state and attend West Virginia University, located in Morgantown. In his freshman year, West was a member of the WVU freshman squad that achieved a perfect record of 17 wins without a loss over the course of the season. In his first varsity year under head coach Fred Schaus, West scored 17.8 points per game and averaged 11.1 rebounds. These performances earned him a multitude of honors, among them an All-American Third Team call-up; the Mountaineers went 26–2 that year, ending the season with a loss to Manhattan College in post-season tournament play. During his junior year, West scored 26.6 points per game
Julius Erving
Julius Winfield Erving II known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American retired basketball player who helped popularize a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and playing above the rim. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association and was the best-known player in that league when it merged with the National Basketball Association after the 1975–76 season. Erving won three championships, four Most Valuable Player Awards, three scoring titles with the ABA's Virginia Squires and New York Nets and the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers, he is the eighth-highest scorer in ABA/NBA history with 30,026 points. He was well known for slam dunking from the free throw line in slam dunk contests and was the only player voted Most Valuable Player in both the ABA and the NBA. Erving was inducted in 1993 into the Basketball Hall of Fame and was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time team. In 1994, Erving was named by Sports Illustrated as one of the 40 most important athletes of all time. In 2004, he was inducted into the Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame.
Many consider him one of the most talented players in the history of the NBA. While Connie Hawkins, "Jumping" Johnny Green, Elgin Baylor, Jim Pollard and Gus Johnson performed spectacular dunks before Erving's time, Erving brought the practice into the mainstream, his signature dunk was the "slam" dunk, since incorporated into the vernacular and basic skill set of the game in the same manner as the "crossover" dribble and the "no look" pass. Before Erving, dunking was a practice most used by the big men to show their brutal strength, seen as style over substance unsportsmanlike, by many purists of the game. However, the way Erving utilized the dunk more as a high-percentage shot made at the end of maneuvers starting well away from the basket and not a "show of force" helped to make the shot an acceptable strategy in trying to avoid a blocked shot. Although the slam dunk is still used as a show of power, a method of intimidation and a way to fire up a team, Erving demonstrated that there can be great artistry and balletic style to slamming the ball into the hoop after a launch several feet from that target.
Erving was born in East Meadow, New York, raised from the age of 13 in Roosevelt, New York. Prior to that, he lived in nearby Hempstead, he played for Roosevelt High School and received the nickname "Doctor" or "Dr. J" from a high school friend named Leon Saunders, he explains, I have a buddy—his name is Leon Saunders—and he lives in Atlanta, I started calling him "the professor", he started calling me "the doctor". So it was just between us...we were buddies, we had our nicknames and we would roll with the nicknames. Lo and behold we graduate from high school together, we both go to U-Mass, we separated for many years'cause he went over to Africa and did some stuff, I went my way, but now he's my golf buddy in Atlanta...and I love him. He's just like a little brother to me though, you know, there's only months between us, but he's the professor and he was the first one to call me "the doctor". And that's. Erving recalled, "ater on, in the Rucker Park league in Harlem, when people started calling me'Black Moses' and'Houdini', I told them if they wanted to call me anything, call me'Doctor,'" Over time, the nickname evolved into "Dr. Julius," and "Dr. J." Erving enrolled at the University of Massachusetts in 1968.
In two varsity college basketball seasons, he averaged 26.3 points and 20.2 rebounds per game, becoming one of only six players to average more than 20 points and 20 rebounds per game in NCAA Men's Basketball. Having left college early to pursue a professional career, Erving earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst through the University Without Walls program in creative leadership and administration in 1986, fulfilling a promise he had made to his mother. Erving holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Massachusetts Amherst Although NBA rules at the time did not allow teams to draft players who were less than four years removed from high school, the ABA instituted a “hardship” rule that would allow players to leave college early. Erving took advantage of the rule change and left Massachusetts after his junior year to sign a four-year contract worth $500,000 spread over seven years with the Virginia Squires. Erving established himself as a force and gained a reputation for hard and ruthless dunking.
He scored 27.3 points per game as a rookie, was selected to the All-ABA Second Team, made the ABA All-Rookie Team, led the ABA in offensive rebounds, finished second to Artis Gilmore for the ABA Rookie of the Year Award. He led the Squires into the Eastern Division Finals, where they lost to the Rick Barry-led New York Nets in seven games; the Nets would go to the finals, losing to the star-studded Indiana Pacers team. Under NBA rules, he became eligible for the 1972 NBA draft and the Milwaukee Bucks picked him in the first round; this move would have brought him together with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. However prior to the draft, he signed a contract with the Atlanta Hawks worth more than $1 million with a $250,000 bonus; the signing with the Hawks came after a dispute with the Squires where he demanded a renegotiation of the terms. He discovered that his agent at the time, Steve Arnold, was employed by the Squires and convinced him to sign a below-market contract; this created a dispute between three teams in two leagues.
The Bucks asserted their rights to Erving vi
Basketball positions
The five basketball positions employed by organized basketball teams are the point guard, the shooting guard, the small forward, the power forward, the center. The point guard is the leader of the team on the court; this position requires substantial ball handling skills and the ability to facilitate the team during a play. The shooting guard, as the name implies, is the best shooter; as well as being capable of shooting from longer distances, this position tends to be the best defender on the team. The small forward has an aggressive approach to the basket when handling the ball; the small forward is known to make cuts to the basket in efforts to get open for shots. The power forward and the center are called the "frontcourt" acting as their team's primary rebounders or shot blockers, or receiving passes to take inside shots; the center is the larger of the two. Only three positions were recognized based on where they played on the court: Guards played outside and away from the hoop and forwards played outside and near the baseline, with the center positioned in the key.
During the 1980s, as team strategy evolved. More specialized roles developed. Team strategy and available personnel, still dictate the positions used by a particular team. For example, the dribble-drive motion offense and the Princeton offense use four interchangeable guards and one center; this set is known as a "four-in and one-out" play scheme. Other combinations are prevalent. Besides the five basic positions, some teams use non-standard or hybrid positions, such as the point forward, a hybrid small forward/point guard; the point guard known as the one, is the team's best ball handler and passer. Therefore, they lead their team in assists and are able to create shots for themselves and their teammates, they are quick and are able to hit shots either outside the three-point line or "in the paint" depending on the player's skill level. Point guards are looked upon as the "floor general" or the "coach on the floor", they should study the game and game film to be able to recognize the weaknesses of the defense, the strengths of their own offense.
They are responsible for directing plays, making the position equivalent to that of quarterback in American football, playmaker in association football, center in ice hockey, or setter in volleyball. Good point guards increase team efficiency and have a high number of assists, they are referred to as dribblers or play-makers. In the NBA, point guards are the shortest players on the team and are 6 feet 4 inches or shorter; the shooting guard is known as the two or the off guard. Along with the small forward, a shooting guard is referred to as a wing because of its use in common positioning tactics; as the name suggests, most shooting guards are prolific from the three-point range. Besides being able to shoot the ball, shooting guards tend to be the best defender on the team, as well as being able to move without the ball to create open looks for themselves; some shooting guards have good ball handling skills creating their own shots off the dribble. A versatile shooting guard will have good passing skills, allowing them to assume point guard responsibilities known as combo guards.
Bigger shooting guards tend to play as small forwards. In the NBA, shooting guards range from 6 feet 4 inches to 6 feet 8 inches; the small forward known as the three, is considered to be the most versatile of the main five basketball positions. Versatility is key for small forwards because of the nature of their role, which resembles that of a shooting guard more than that of a power forward; this is why the small forward and shooting guard positions are interchangeable and referred to as wings. Small forwards have a variety such as quickness and strength inside. One common thread among all kinds of small forwards is an ability to "get to the line" and draw fouls by aggressively attempting plays, lay-ups, or slam dunks; as such, accurate foul shooting is a common skill for small forwards, many of whom record a large portion of their points from the foul line. Besides being able to drive to the basket, they are good shooters from long range; some small forwards have good passing skills, allowing them to assume point guard responsibilities as point forwards.
Small forwards should be able to do a little bit of everything on the court playing roles such as swingmen and defensive specialists. In the NBA, small forwards range from 6 feet 6 inches to 6 feet 9 inches; the power forward known as the four plays a role similar to that of the center, down in the "post" or "low blocks". The power forward is the team's most versatile scorer, being able to score close to the basket while being able to shoot mid-range jump shots from 12 to 18 feet from the basket; some power forwards have become known as stretch fours, since extending their shooting range to three-pointers. On defense, they are required to have the strength to guard bigger players close to the basket and to have the athleticism to guard quick players away from the basket. Most power forwards tend to be more versatile than centers since they can be part of plays and are not always in the low block. In the
John Havlicek
John Joseph "Hondo" Havlicek is an American retired professional basketball player who competed for 16 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA championships, four of them coming in his first four seasons. In the National Basketball Association, only teammates Bill Russell and Sam Jones won more championships during their playing careers, Havlicek is one of three NBA players with an unsurpassed 8–0 record in NBA Finals series outcomes. Havlicek is considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the game and was inducted as a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984, he was a three-sport athlete at Bridgeport High School in Ohio. Havlicek played college basketball with Jerry Lucas, his roommate, at Ohio State University; that team, which had future coaching legend Bobby Knight as a reserve, won the 1960 NCAA title. He was named as an alternate to the 1960 Olympic Games United States Team. Havlicek was drafted by both the Celtics and the NFL's Cleveland Browns in 1962.
After competing as a wide receiver in the Browns' training camp that year, he focused his energies on playing for the Celtics, with head coach Red Auerbach describing him as the "guts of the team." He was known for his stamina, with competitors saying that it was a challenge just to keep up with him. Nicknamed "Hondo", Havlicek revolutionized the "sixth man" role, has been immortalized for his clutch steal in the closing seconds of the 1965 Eastern Conference championship. In the seventh and final game, played at Boston Garden, the Celtics led the Philadelphia 76ers 110–109 with five seconds left, only needed to inbound the ball underneath their basket to secure the victory and advance to the NBA Finals. Hal Greer was set to throw the inbounds pass for the 76ers. Havlicek stood with his back to Greer, but as Greer's pass came inbounds, Havlicek spun and tipped the pass to Sam Jones. Veteran referee Earl Strom, who wrote about this in his memoir "Calling the Shots", called Havlicek's reaction one of the greatest plays he saw in his 32 years as a professional official.
Havlicek is the Celtics' all-time leader in points and games played, scoring 26,395 points, playing in 1,270 games. He became the first player to score 1,000 points in 16 consecutive seasons, with his best season coming during the 1970–71 NBA season when he averaged 28.9 points per game. Havlicek shares the NBA Finals single-game record for most points in an overtime period, was named that year's NBA Finals MVP. In the second overtime of Game Five of the 1976 NBA Finals, Havlicek made a leaning, running bank shot that appeared to be the game-winner, as fans spilled onto the floor, but Havlicek's shot went in with one second left and Phoenix was allowed one final shot, which Gar Heard scored to force the game's third overtime; the Celtics went on to win the game in triple overtime. Aside from being a great sixth man at the start of his career, Havlicek became known for his ability to play both forward and guard, his relentlessness and tenacity on both offense and defense, his outstanding skills in all facets of the game, his constant movement, his tireless ability to run up and down the court.
As a result of his endurance, he was a devastating fastbreak finisher, one who could score in bunches when his Celtics team would shut out the other team and grab defensive rebounds. Although he did not have a high field goal percentage, he was a clutch outside shooter with great range, he was the type of player who would do what it took to help his team score a victory, such as grab a crucial rebound, draw a charge, come up with a steal in a key defensive moment, or settle the team with a clutch basket or assist. In 1974, Russell summed up Havlicek's career by saying "He is the best all-around player I saw." A thirteen-time NBA All-Star, Havlicek retired in 1978 and his number 17 jersey was retired by the Celtics. At the time of his retirement, Havlicek was the NBA career leader in games played and third in points behind Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson. Havlicek retired as the career leader in field goal attempts and missed field goals. Havlicek is now 26th, 15th, 6th and 2nd in those stats.
In 1984 Havlicek became a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1997, he was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. Havlicek was ranked #17 on SLAM magazine's Top 50 NBA Players of all time in 2009 and once again at the same position in the magazine's Top 500 NBA Players of all time in 2011, he was named the 14th best player of all-time in Bill Simmons's Book of Basketball. The Bridgeport High School Gymnasium was renamed the "John J. Havlicek Gymnasium" in January 2007, he shares the honor with National High School Hall of Fame member Frank Baxter, a longtime coach at Bridgeport High School. The court is named after Baxter. Fellow Hall of Famer Chris Mullin wore number 17 as a tribute to Havlicek. Pony International still produces a model of athletic shoes named after the iconic basketballer called the "John Havlicek" bearing John's signature. Havlicek's son Chris played collegiate basketball f
Pete Maravich
Peter Press Maravich, known by his nickname Pistol Pete, was an American professional basketball player. Maravich was born in Aliquippa, part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, raised in the Carolinas. Maravich starred in college at Louisiana State University, he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He played for three NBA teams until injuries forced his retirement in 1980, he is the all-time leading NCAA Division I scorer with 3,667 points scored and an average of 44.2 points per game. All of his accomplishments were achieved before the adoption of the three point line and shot clock, despite being unable to play varsity as a freshman under then-NCAA rules. One of the youngest players inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Maravich was cited by the Hall as "perhaps the greatest creative offensive talent in history". In an April 2010 interview, Hall of Fame player John Havlicek said that "the best ball-handler of all time was Pete Maravich". Maravich's dedication to improving his game was like no other.
Maravich would go to a dribble in the aisle as he watched the movie. Maravich struggled in his relationship with his father, his father was his demanding of his son. Maravich was said to have been worked hard by Press Maravich. Maravich died at age 40 during a pick up game in 1988 as a consequence of a undetected heart defect. Pete Maravich was born to Petar "Press" Maravich and Helen Gravor Maravich in Aliquippa, a steel town in Beaver County in western Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. Maravich amazed his family and friends with his basketball abilities from an early age, he enjoyed a close but demanding father-son relationship that motivated him toward achievement and fame in the sport. Maravich's father was the son of a former professional player-turned-coach, he showed him the fundamentals starting. Obsessively, Maravich spent hours practicing ball control tricks, head fakes, long-range shots. Maravich played high school varsity ball at Daniel High School in Central, South Carolina, a year before being old enough to attend the school.
While at Daniel from 1961 to 1963, Maravich participated in the school's first-ever game against a team from an all-black school. In 1963 his father departed from his position as head basketball coach at Clemson University and joined the coaching staff at North Carolina State University; the Maravich family's subsequent move to Raleigh, North Carolina, allowed Pete to attend Needham B. Broughton High School, his high school years saw the birth of his famous moniker. From his habit of shooting the ball from his side, as if he were holding a revolver, Maravich became known as "Pistol" Pete Maravich, he graduated from Needham B. Broughton High School in 1965 and attended Edwards Military Institute, where he averaged 33 points per game. Pete never did not like Edwards Military institute, it was known that Press Maravich was protective of Maravich and would guard against any issue that may come up during his adolescence. Press threatened to shoot Pete with a 45 caliber gun if he got into trouble. Maravich was 6 feet 4 inches in high school and was getting ready to play in college when his father took a coaching position at Louisiana State University.
At that time NCAA rules prohibited first-year students from playing at varsity level, which forced Maravich to play on the freshman team. In his first game, Maravich put up 50 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists against Southeastern Louisiana College. In only three years playing on the varsity team at LSU, Maravich scored 3,667 points—1,138 of those in 1967-68, 1,148 in 1968-69, 1,381 in 1969-70—while averaging 43.8, 44.2, 44.5 points per game. For his collegiate career, the 6'5" guard averaged 44.2 points per game in 83 contests and led the NCAA in scoring for each of his three seasons. Maravich's long-standing collegiate scoring record is notable when three factors are taken into account: First, because of the NCAA rules that prohibited him from taking part in varsity competition during his first year as a student, Maravich was prevented from adding to his career record for a full quarter of his time at LSU. During this first year, Maravich scored 741 points in freshman competition. Second, Maravich played before the advent of the three-point line.
This significant difference has raised speculation regarding just how much higher his records would be, given his long-range shooting ability and how such a component might have altered his play. Writing for ESPN.com, Bob Carter stated, "Though Maravich played before the 3-point shot was established, he loved gunning from long range." It has been reported that former LSU coach Dale Brown charted every shot Maravich scored and concluded that, if his shots from three-point range had been counted as three points, Maravich's average would have totaled 57 points per game. Third, the shot clock had not yet been instituted in NCAA play during Maravich's college career. More than 40 years however, many of his NCAA and LSU records still stand. Maravich was a three-time All-American. Though he never appeared in the NCAA tournament, Maravich played a key role in turning around a lackluster program that had posted a 3–20 record in the season prior to his arrival. Pete Maravich finished his college career in the 1970 National Invitation Tournament, where LSU finished fourth.
The Atlanta Hawks
