Wilt

8,048 Views | 74 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by bearister
SFCityBear
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to helltopay1 • 1:46p, 12/12/20
helltopay1 said:
I'm trying to remember if I ever lost a single game of HORSE.

Re: KC Jones & Bill Russell

I'm familiar with many guys who played with and against Jones & Russell when they played for USF

KC???Sweetest guy on earth

Russell??Next question...
I'd second this, especially as regards KC Jones. I have told the story before, but as a not-so-brash and not so good a player who had just graduated high school. I got into a pickup game at St Agnes' gym on Page st. on a team with Tom Meschery and Gary Lewis, former 49er fullback, against a team with LaRoy Doss of St Marys, Hal Perry of USF's NCAA champs, and KC Jones who had recently won the starting point guard spot on the Celtics. They needed a 10th player, and there was no one else in the gym, so I got picked. I guarded Perry, who was in law school and was a little rusty, so I could almost stay with him. On one early play, I had to switch and guard Jones, who was the quickest I had ever seen in everything he did. He gave me a fake, caught me flat-footed, and threw a bounce pass between my legs, feeding Perry perfectly for a layup. The rest of the game, whnever I had to guard him, he never made me look bad, which he could have done easily, but he was content to just pass the ball to others and let them make their own plays. He shook my hand when we were done, and treated me just like the other players. He was a prince.

After his NBA career as a player and a coach, he had a coaching stint with a women's pro team. The interviewer asked him what was different about coaching the women? Was there anything he was not prepared for? He answered, "Yes. The tears. The crying in the locker room after a loss. I was not prepared for that."
Reply Quote
bearister
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to SFCityBear • 1:56p, 12/12/20
Cancel my subscription to the Resurrection
Send my credentials to the House of Detention
I got some friends inside
Reply Quote
dimitrig
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to SFCityBear • 10:58p, 12/12/20
SFCityBear said:

Thanks,and you're welcome. Here is one of my favorite clips of Wilt, winning a $5 bet by swishing 4 straight hook shots from the corner, now known as 3-point land. 4 straight, and nothing but net.


Nice video, but I don't think those were from the corner - or, rather, from enough in the corner to be behind the line.



Reply Quote
1 edit
SFCityBear
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to dimitrig • 5:37p, 12/13/20
dimitrig said:
SFCityBear said:

Thanks,and you're welcome. Here is one of my favorite clips of Wilt, winning a $5 bet by swishing 4 straight hook shots from the corner, now known as 3-point land. 4 straight, and nothing but net.


Nice video, but I don't think those were from the corner - or, rather, from enough in the corner to be behind the line.



Sour grapes. There is no evidence of exactly where the line was, because there was no such thing as a 3-point line when Wilt played. And if you are implying that he couldn't make them from behind the line, well, he was a former Globetrotter, for goodness sakes. Of course he could make them, just like Meadowlark Lemon and Showboat Hall used to make 50 foot hook shots from beyond the half-court line. I saw them make one of those 50-footers in a game at the Oakland Auditorium in the early 1960s. Anyway, the point was that Jabbar's hook did not have the range of Wilt's hook, that's all.
Reply Quote
HearstMining
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to SFCityBear • 8:39a, 12/15/20
SFCityBear said:
dimitrig said:
SFCityBear said:

Thanks,and you're welcome. Here is one of my favorite clips of Wilt, winning a $5 bet by swishing 4 straight hook shots from the corner, now known as 3-point land. 4 straight, and nothing but net.


Nice video, but I don't think those were from the corner - or, rather, from enough in the corner to be behind the line.



Sour grapes. There is no evidence of exactly where the line was, because there was no such thing as a 3-point line when Wilt played. And if you are implying that he couldn't make them from behind the line, well, he was a former Globetrotter, for goodness sakes. Of course he could make them, just like Meadowlark Lemon and Showboat Hall used to make 50 foot hook shots from beyond the half-court line. I saw them make one of those 50-footers in a game at the Oakland Auditorium in the early 1960s. Anyway, the point was that Jabbar's hook did not have the range of Wilt's hook, that's all.
Wilt was quite possibly the greatest center ever, but you can't compare his hook shots taken in a casual setting to win a bet against the thousands of sky-hooks that Kareem took in a game setting. In fact, the sky-hook is a completely different shot as he holds the ball close to his body and extends his arm straight up as he jumps releasing the ball with a snap of the wrist. It's a thing of beauty and apparently extremely difficult to master as I don't recall another player who used it, although Magic's "baby hook" was an attempt, but really more like the traditional hook shot.
Reply Quote
1 edit
SFCityBear
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to HearstMining • 4:20p, 12/15/20
HearstMining said:
SFCityBear said:
dimitrig said:
SFCityBear said:

Thanks,and you're welcome. Here is one of my favorite clips of Wilt, winning a $5 bet by swishing 4 straight hook shots from the corner, now known as 3-point land. 4 straight, and nothing but net.


Nice video, but I don't think those were from the corner - or, rather, from enough in the corner to be behind the line.



Sour grapes. There is no evidence of exactly where the line was, because there was no such thing as a 3-point line when Wilt played. And if you are implying that he couldn't make them from behind the line, well, he was a former Globetrotter, for goodness sakes. Of course he could make them, just like Meadowlark Lemon and Showboat Hall used to make 50 foot hook shots from beyond the half-court line. I saw them make one of those 50-footers in a game at the Oakland Auditorium in the early 1960s. Anyway, the point was that Jabbar's hook did not have the range of Wilt's hook, that's all.
Wilt was quite possibly the greatest center ever, but you can't compare his hook shots taken in a casual setting to win a bet against the thousands of sky-hooks that Kareem took in a game setting. In fact, the sky-hook is a completely different shot as he holds the ball close to his body and extends his arm straight up as he jumps releasing the ball with a snap of the wrist. It's a thing of beauty and apparently extremely difficult to master as I don't recall another player who used it, although Magic's "baby hook" was an attempt, but really more like the traditional hook shot.
You are right, and I'm only comparing the range of the two shots, nothing more. Perhaps there is video somewhere of Kareem making 25 foot sky hooks, either in a game or alone in a gym. But Kareem would not likely have tried to shoot from far, because there was no reason to do so -- no one could stop his sky hook from anywhere within 12 -15 feet on in. The same was true of Wilt. And my guess is that Wilt first started practicing that shot to win a playground bet or a bet in a gym somewhere, which is the reason he was good at it. My impression of Kareem is that he was more of a private introspective person, and may not have participated much if at all in the bravado games of the playground. In my opinion, Russell was the greatest center ever, and he couldn't shoot as well as either Wilt or Kareem. Your are also right that Magic's hook was a standard hook, not a sky hook or a jump hook. What a game that was. Lakers against Philly in the NBA playoffs, wasn't it? Kareem is hurt and can't play. So Magic plays center, and throws down 42 points or something like that, with many of them being hook shots, and LA wins the game. My favorite hook shot was that of Cal's Bob McKeen. Also that hook of former Warrior Jerry Lucas, who would catch a pass on the baseline, and drive through the paint away from the basket, and shoot a hook fading away when he reached the free throw line. Unstoppable.
Reply Quote
1 edit
bearister
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to SFCityBear • 5:25p, 12/15/20
In the next post I post a video that purports to show Wilt blocking Kareem's skyhook twice in one possession. I am unclear on the first alleged block. It looks like Wilt knocks it against the backboard. The second alleged block is a clear goal tend...which tends to confirm what I had always understood: that you could not block the skyhook after release because the ball's apex was in Kareem's hand, and once released it was heading down.


*" In basketball, goaltending is the violation of interfering with the ball while it is on its way to the basket and it is (a) in a downward flight (b) above the basket ring and within the imaginary cylinder and (c) not touching the rim." Wikipedia
Cancel my subscription to the Resurrection
Send my credentials to the House of Detention
I got some friends inside
Reply Quote
1
1 edit
bearister
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
5:25p, 12/15/20
Cancel my subscription to the Resurrection
Send my credentials to the House of Detention
I got some friends inside
Reply Quote
helltopay1
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
6:03p, 12/15/20
bob Mckeen was NEVER the same after Russell blocked many of his hook shots when Cal played USF at Kezar Pavilion. USF won 51-33.
Reply Quote
SFCityBear
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to helltopay1 • 6:22p, 12/15/20
helltopay1 said:
bob Mckeen was NEVER the same after Russell blocked many of his hook shots when Cal played USF at Kezar Pavilion. USF won 51-33.
I can believe it. I think Russell was only a sophomore. That was a pretty good Cal team too, with Tamberg, Albo, and the two Lowell guys, Bob Matheny and Frank Hess in the backcourt. The next year, Newell came to Cal, and McKeen had a good individual year averaging 19.8 per game, but the team was Newell's worst at Cal, going 1-11 in conference, and Cal lost again to Russell and the Dons 84-62.
Reply Quote
SFCityBear
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to bearister • 6:27p, 12/15/20
bearister said:
In the next post I post a video that purports to show Wilt blocking Kareem's skyhook twice in one possession. I am unclear on the first alleged block. It looks like Wilt knocks it against the backboard. The second alleged block is a clear goal tend...which tends to confirm what I had always understood: that you could not block the skyhook after release because the ball's apex was in Kareem's hand, and once released it was heading down.


*" In basketball, goaltending is the violation of interfering with the ball while it is on its way to the basket and it is (a) in a downward flight (b) above the basket ring and within the imaginary cylinder and (c) not touching the rim." Wikipedia
I was listening to a Kareem interview the other day where he said that Chamberlain never blocked his sky hook. I looked for it, but now I can't find it. I think I also remember Kareem saying that Nate Thurmond was the toughest or one of the toughest defenders he ever faced. I wonder if Thurmond ever blocked one of Kareem's sky hooks?
Reply Quote
bearister
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to SFCityBear • 6:54p, 12/15/20
"I don't recall it ever being blocked by somebody who was guarding me," Abdul-Jabbar said. "Maybe a few people got to it, coming to help where I couldn't see them, but if I knew where someone was, that person was not going to block that shot, because I always got my body in between them and the ball before I released the ball, and it's impossible to get to it.

Manute Bol was [five] inches taller than me and I shot a number of them on him and made them without him blocking it.

"Nobody really presented a challenge to me getting it off. Wilt [Chamberlain] was pretty good, too. Wilt tried to time it and he could really leap, but he just couldn't get there in time."

ESPN - Secrets of the Skyhook


http://www.espn.com/nba/features/kareem


" Recently on Twitter, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was asked who was the greatest defender he ever faced. Kareem, who played from 1970 to 1989, didn't respond with Wilt Chamberlain, Hakeem Olajuwon or Robert Parish. His answer was Nate Thurmond, a player that seems to be lost in modern NBA discussion, his legacy overshadowed by Wilt, Russell and Kareem. So who exactly was this man that defended the all-time leading scorer better than anyone else, and what made him special?

Nate Thurmond's work ethic was tremendous. He never wanted to be outworked by his opponent.

"When I score on Nate, I know I've done something. He sweats and he wants you to sweat, too," said Kareem in an interview with Sport."

Beats, Dimes & Drives: Kareem Calls Nate Thurmond Best Defender He Ever Faced


http://beatsdimesanddrives.blogspot.com/2013/03/kareem-calls-nate-thurmond-best.html
Cancel my subscription to the Resurrection
Send my credentials to the House of Detention
I got some friends inside
Reply Quote
1 edit
bearister
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
7:42a, 12/16/20
Well, this is an NBA thread:

How Giannis Antetokounmpo's megadeal stacks up with other top contracts - Axios


https://www.axios.com/giannas-antetokounmpo-contract-comparison-646ad8b1-94c8-45a6-a245-34094a2d7196.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiossports&stream=top
Cancel my subscription to the Resurrection
Send my credentials to the House of Detention
I got some friends inside
Reply Quote
82gradDLSdad
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to bearister • 8:05a, 12/16/20
bearister said:
"I don't recall it ever being blocked by somebody who was guarding me," Abdul-Jabbar said. "Maybe a few people got to it, coming to help where I couldn't see them, but if I knew where someone was, that person was not going to block that shot, because I always got my body in between them and the ball before I released the ball, and it's impossible to get to it.

Manute Bol was [five] inches taller than me and I shot a number of them on him and made them without him blocking it.

"Nobody really presented a challenge to me getting it off. Wilt [Chamberlain] was pretty good, too. Wilt tried to time it and he could really leap, but he just couldn't get there in time."

ESPN - Secrets of the Skyhook


http://www.espn.com/nba/features/kareem


" Recently on Twitter, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was asked who was the greatest defender he ever faced. Kareem, who played from 1970 to 1989, didn't respond with Wilt Chamberlain, Hakeem Olajuwon or Robert Parish. His answer was Nate Thurmond, a player that seems to be lost in modern NBA discussion, his legacy overshadowed by Wilt, Russell and Kareem. So who exactly was this man that defended the all-time leading scorer better than anyone else, and what made him special?

Nate Thurmond's work ethic was tremendous. He never wanted to be outworked by his opponent.

"When I score on Nate, I know I've done something. He sweats and he wants you to sweat, too," said Kareem in an interview with Sport."

Beats, Dimes & Drives: Kareem Calls Nate Thurmond Best Defender He Ever Faced


http://beatsdimesanddrives.blogspot.com/2013/03/kareem-calls-nate-thurmond-best.html


Plus, Nate had a pretty sweet Rolls Royce that I got to drive (ok, park) a few times.
Reply Quote
2
HearstMining
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to bearister • 8:54a, 12/16/20
bearister said:
"I don't recall it ever being blocked by somebody who was guarding me," Abdul-Jabbar said. "Maybe a few people got to it, coming to help where I couldn't see them, but if I knew where someone was, that person was not going to block that shot, because I always got my body in between them and the ball before I released the ball, and it's impossible to get to it.

Manute Bol was [five] inches taller than me and I shot a number of them on him and made them without him blocking it.

"Nobody really presented a challenge to me getting it off. Wilt [Chamberlain] was pretty good, too. Wilt tried to time it and he could really leap, but he just couldn't get there in time."

ESPN - Secrets of the Skyhook


http://www.espn.com/nba/features/kareem


" Recently on Twitter, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was asked who was the greatest defender he ever faced. Kareem, who played from 1970 to 1989, didn't respond with Wilt Chamberlain, Hakeem Olajuwon or Robert Parish. His answer was Nate Thurmond, a player that seems to be lost in modern NBA discussion, his legacy overshadowed by Wilt, Russell and Kareem. So who exactly was this man that defended the all-time leading scorer better than anyone else, and what made him special?

Nate Thurmond's work ethic was tremendous. He never wanted to be outworked by his opponent.

"When I score on Nate, I know I've done something. He sweats and he wants you to sweat, too," said Kareem in an interview with Sport."

Beats, Dimes & Drives: Kareem Calls Nate Thurmond Best Defender He Ever Faced


http://beatsdimesanddrives.blogspot.com/2013/03/kareem-calls-nate-thurmond-best.html
I recall a classic poster of Kareem putting up a sky hook with his left forearm in Nate's throat/chest. It was a close-up and you can see the effort on Nate's face and the concentration on Kareem's. Nate really was underappreciated in his time. Drafted when Wilt was still The Man, largely in the shadow of Rick Barry and finally traded before the Warriors' champion season.
A great memorial column by Bruce Jenkins: https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/jenkins/article/Remembering-Nate-Thurmond-No-challenge-too-great-8382125.php?t=2f1da7bcdc
Reply Quote
1 edit
MSaviolives
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to HearstMining • 9:13a, 12/16/20
HearstMining said:
bearister said:
"I don't recall it ever being blocked by somebody who was guarding me," Abdul-Jabbar said. "Maybe a few people got to it, coming to help where I couldn't see them, but if I knew where someone was, that person was not going to block that shot, because I always got my body in between them and the ball before I released the ball, and it's impossible to get to it.

Manute Bol was [five] inches taller than me and I shot a number of them on him and made them without him blocking it.

"Nobody really presented a challenge to me getting it off. Wilt [Chamberlain] was pretty good, too. Wilt tried to time it and he could really leap, but he just couldn't get there in time."

ESPN - Secrets of the Skyhook


http://www.espn.com/nba/features/kareem


" Recently on Twitter, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was asked who was the greatest defender he ever faced. Kareem, who played from 1970 to 1989, didn't respond with Wilt Chamberlain, Hakeem Olajuwon or Robert Parish. His answer was Nate Thurmond, a player that seems to be lost in modern NBA discussion, his legacy overshadowed by Wilt, Russell and Kareem. So who exactly was this man that defended the all-time leading scorer better than anyone else, and what made him special?

Nate Thurmond's work ethic was tremendous. He never wanted to be outworked by his opponent.

"When I score on Nate, I know I've done something. He sweats and he wants you to sweat, too," said Kareem in an interview with Sport."

Beats, Dimes & Drives: Kareem Calls Nate Thurmond Best Defender He Ever Faced


http://beatsdimesanddrives.blogspot.com/2013/03/kareem-calls-nate-thurmond-best.html
I recall a classic poster of Kareem putting up a sky hook with his left forearm in Nate's throat/chest. It was a close-up and you can see the effort on Nate's face and the concentration on Kareem's. Nate really was underappreciated in his time. Drafted when Wilt was still The Man, largely in the shadow of Rick Barry and finally traded before the Warriors' champion season.
A great memorial column by Bruce Jenkins: https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/jenkins/article/Remembering-Nate-Thurmond-No-challenge-too-great-8382125.php?t=2f1da7bcdc
Nate's quadruple double was also a testament to the player he was
Reply Quote
Jeff82
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
11:43a, 12/16/20
Nate was actually asked about defending Kareem in real time, I believe in the SI article about the Warriors beating the Lakers behind a once-in-a-lifetime performance by Clyde Lee. Thurmond said his technique against the sky hook was to try and get his body against Kareem's as he was shooting, because that sometimes caused him to shorten the arc of his arm, making the shot go short. Nate said he figured out that tactic when working on his own hook shot.

Reply Quote
Jeff82
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
11:52a, 12/16/20
Found the article. They actually beat Kareem in the 1972-73 playoffs, when he was with Milwaukee. Thurmond said he would try and lean against Kareem's body and the non-shooting arm to shorten the arc of the shot. Warriors held Kareem to 23 a game in that series, seven below his season average.
Reply Quote
1 edit
SFCityBear
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to Jeff82 • 1:31p, 12/16/20
Jeff82 said:
Found the article. They actually beat Kareem in the 1972-73 playoffs, when he was with Milwaukee. Thurmond said he would try and lean against Kareem's body and the non-shooting arm to shorten the arc of the shot. Warriors held Kareem to 23 a game in that series, seven below his season average.
It must have been quite a battle, Kareem vs Nate. According to sports-reference.com., Kareem and the Bucks held Nate Thurmond to 13.5 points and 9.8 rebounds, below his season averages of 17 points and 17 rebounds.

The Bucks team that year had Oscar Robertson (nearing the end of his career), Bobby Dandridge, and Lucius Allen, Kareem's teammate from UCLA. The Warriors had a pretty good team with Jeff Mullins, Cazzie Russell, Jim Barnett, Clyde Lee, Walt Hazzard and Ron Williams. They also had local stars Charles Johnson of Cal and Redwood City, Joe Ellis of McClymonds, and Bob Portman of St Ignatius on the bench.
Reply Quote
SFCityBear
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
1:34p, 12/16/20
Many thanks to all who posted some love for Nate Thurmond. Because he played in an era of great centers, he may have been a little underappreciated, but he was well respected by all those great centers and all those who played with him and against him, I'm sure.
Reply Quote
SFCityBear
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to 82gradDLSdad • 1:53p, 12/16/20
82gradDLSdad said:
bearister said:
"I don't recall it ever being blocked by somebody who was guarding me," Abdul-Jabbar said. "Maybe a few people got to it, coming to help where I couldn't see them, but if I knew where someone was, that person was not going to block that shot, because I always got my body in between them and the ball before I released the ball, and it's impossible to get to it.

Manute Bol was [five] inches taller than me and I shot a number of them on him and made them without him blocking it.

"Nobody really presented a challenge to me getting it off. Wilt [Chamberlain] was pretty good, too. Wilt tried to time it and he could really leap, but he just couldn't get there in time."

ESPN - Secrets of the Skyhook


http://www.espn.com/nba/features/kareem


" Recently on Twitter, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was asked who was the greatest defender he ever faced. Kareem, who played from 1970 to 1989, didn't respond with Wilt Chamberlain, Hakeem Olajuwon or Robert Parish. His answer was Nate Thurmond, a player that seems to be lost in modern NBA discussion, his legacy overshadowed by Wilt, Russell and Kareem. So who exactly was this man that defended the all-time leading scorer better than anyone else, and what made him special?

Nate Thurmond's work ethic was tremendous. He never wanted to be outworked by his opponent.

"When I score on Nate, I know I've done something. He sweats and he wants you to sweat, too," said Kareem in an interview with Sport."

Beats, Dimes & Drives: Kareem Calls Nate Thurmond Best Defender He Ever Faced


http://beatsdimesanddrives.blogspot.com/2013/03/kareem-calls-nate-thurmond-best.html


Plus, Nate had a pretty sweet Rolls Royce that I got to drive (ok, park) a few times.
I think a told this story before, but I first met Nate Thurmond in Henry Africa's club on Broadway. I was having a drink with my date, when in the door comes Nate Thurmond and his long-time girlfriend. They sat down at a table on the other side of the crowded nightclub. I called the waiter over, and told him to bring a round of drinks for Nate and his ladyfriend, but don't make a big deal out of it. If he asks, just tell him the drinks are from a fan. A few minutes later, the waiter returned, and told me, "Mr. Thurmond won't accept the drinks unless you come over and join them at his table." So we went over to Nate's table and joined them, We spent about 3 hours together telling stories, and had a wonderful time. My date didn't know a basketball from a tennis ball, but we all seemed to enjoy each other. We talked basket ball, but then they wanted to know what we did, and everything about us as well. At the end of the evening, Nate asked me, "What are you doing this weekend?" Nate then said, "Well, I've got to fly down to San Diego this weekend for a game with the Clippers, and I'd like you to come down with me. There is probably no one in San Diego who will buy me a drink."

Nate also opened a restaurant, selling mostly BBQ, using his mother's recipes. Best BBQ in SF. I used to stop by from time to time, and Nate and I always laughed about how we met. Before that time, I had felt that all the 7-footers were eccentric people, not particularly open, somehow a little uncomfortable in their tall frames, but I found Nate the Great to be a very regular guy, and I am very happy to have known him.

Reply Quote
4
bearister
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to HearstMining • 2:16p, 12/16/20
" I recall a classic poster of Kareem putting up a sky hook with his left forearm in Nate's throat/chest.."

I am familiar with that photo and I thought it was a cover of SI, which it may be, but I can't find it. Here are some photos of them:






Cancel my subscription to the Resurrection
Send my credentials to the House of Detention
I got some friends inside
Reply Quote
1
2 edits
SFCityBear
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to bearister • 2:30p, 12/16/20
bearister said:
" I recall a classic poster of Kareem putting up a sky hook with his left forearm in Nate's throat/chest.."

I am familiar with that photo and I thought it was a cover of SI, which it may be, but I can't find it. Here are some photos of them:






As to the last photo, I can't believe Nate didn't block that one.
Reply Quote
bearister
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to SFCityBear • 3:22p, 12/16/20
Kareem may still have been elevating...but I agree. Great Nate story.
Cancel my subscription to the Resurrection
Send my credentials to the House of Detention
I got some friends inside
Reply Quote
2 edits
SFCityBear
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to bearister • 4:15p, 12/16/20
bearister said:
Kareem may still have been elevating...but I agree. Great Nate story.
My favorite time watching Kareem was when he was a freshman at UCLA. I had just graduated from Cal, and tried for 6 months to find a job in the Bay Area, when some classmates of mine contacted me and said there were lots of engineering jobs in LA. I sent my application in to Douglas Aircraft, and got hired without any interview. When I got to LA my friends and I heard about the incoming freshman class and Lew Alcindor, later known as Kareem. They were phenomenal. That was back when freshmen were not eligible for the varsity, and all played for University freshmen teams. The UCLA frosh scored over 100 points a game, and easily defeated the UCLA Varsity (which had won the NCAA title the year before). Kareem was the smoothest big man I'd ever seen. Along with Lucius Allen, Lynn Shackelford, Mike Warren and Kenny Heitz, they were the best college 5 I had ever seen, playing for the second best college coach I had ever seen.
Reply Quote
helltopay1
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
5:00p, 12/16/20
indeed...kareem scored 56 points against the varsity when thge frosh played the UCLA varsity.
Reply Quote
helltopay1
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
5:01p, 12/16/20
herrerrias saw the game and reportedly threw up.
Reply Quote
SFCityBear
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to helltopay1 • 4:03p, 12/17/20
helltopay1 said:
herrerrias saw the game and reportedly threw up.
He had good reason. Here is how Cal fared vs Kareem and UCLA:

1966-67 Cal lost 96-78 in LA and 103-66 at Harmon with 6-7 Bruce Steckel manning the post.

1967-68 Cal lost 94-64 at Harmon and 115-71 in LA, with Bob Presley playing center.

1968-69 With Herrerias gone and new coach Jim Padgett, Cal lost 109-74 in LA and lost 84-77 in Overtime at Harmon, with Bob Presley playing center.
SFCityBear
Reply Quote
bearister
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to SFCityBear • 5:01p, 12/17/20
My sister graduated Santa Clara in 1968 (and my son in 2014). For that reason, I have interest in the following game, which I watched on TV (Jabbar/UCLA played Santa Clara in the NCCA Tourney in 1968):

UCLA vs. Santa Clara Box Score, March 16, 1968 | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com


https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/boxscores/1968-03-16-santa-clara.html

On the Santa Clara roster, Dennis Awtrey and Ralph Ogden were my counselors at the Santa Clara Coaching Camp in the summer of '67. Team member Kevin Donahue was a teacher at Bishop O' Dowd when I attended, and he later became the AD at Serra HS. Ralph and Bud Ogden and Dennis Awtrey all played in the NBA. Ralph and Bud's dad was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in connection with his service in WWII.


Dennis, Ralph and Bud in NBA
Cancel my subscription to the Resurrection
Send my credentials to the House of Detention
I got some friends inside
Reply Quote
3 edits
LudwigsFountain
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to SFCityBear • 5:14p, 12/17/20
SFCityBear said:
helltopay1 said:
herrerrias saw the game and reportedly threw up.


1968-69 With Herrerias gone and new coach Jim Padgett, Cal lost 109-74 in LA and lost 84-77 in Overtime at Harmon, with Bob Presley playing center.
That was such a great game. In addition to Presley, there was Jackie Ridge and one of my all time favorites -- Charlie Johnson. With all the talk of it being impossible to block Jabbar I also seem to remember Clarence "Tree" Johnson blocking one of his shots. Hope that isn't my memory failing me. Tree didn't have his size but he was either the NCAA high jump champion or close to it.

One of my close friends at Cal was also named Charles Johnson. There must have been at least three of them, because all of his records had the Roman numeral three appended to his name.
Reply Quote
1
concordtom
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to SFCityBear • 6:44p, 12/17/20
I have a hard time understanding guys that can't shoot free throws.
Reply Quote
bearister
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to concordtom • 8:05p, 12/17/20
If a coach let crappy FT shooting effect a player's PT, you would see immediate and dramatic improvement. No coach has the nuts to do it.
Cancel my subscription to the Resurrection
Send my credentials to the House of Detention
I got some friends inside
Reply Quote
dimitrig
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to bearister • 9:25p, 12/17/20
bearister said:
If a coach let crappy FT shooting effect a player's PT, you would see immediate and dramatic improvement. No coach has the nuts to do it.


Coaches who bench Shaq or Wilt don't last long.

Reply Quote
helltopay1
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
9:26p, 12/17/20
Almost went to Santa Clara..Many of my high school buddies from SI went there. Lots of booze and fights on theweekend..The dances were called RF'S. (Rat F****Some of my friends were life-long members of AA. some made it---some didn't. Drinking was a rite of passage in my day.
Reply Quote
helltopay1
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
9:29p, 12/17/20
Nothing to understand. You can either shoot or you can't..You also have to train yourself to eliminate the crowd presence.
Reply Quote
Page 2 of 3 ▼
 
×
subscribe Verify your student status
See Subscription Benefits
Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial.