BASKETBALL FROM A FANS PERSPECTIVE
A second honor
On Friday John McClendon was honored for the second time, in 1979 he’d been inducted in the Naismith Hall of Fame as a contributor to the game. The second time was for his legendary coaching career. McClendon was a 1936 graduate of Kansas University but couldn’t play because he was black.
That fact alone did not curtail his effort on the basketball courts of America.
He would go on to coach at a several historically black colleges. I didn’t think about this fact until the Kansas City Star pointed it out. McClendon’s Tennessee A&I team (now Tennessee State) won three consecutive NAIA Championships 1957-59.
This feat was accomplished years prior to John Wooden’s UCLA team duplicating the accomplishment. McClendon and not Bill Russell was the first black coach of white and black players. In 1961 George Steinbrenner (yes the Yankee Steinbrenner) owner of the Cleveland Pipers of the American Basketball League hired McClendon as head coach.
The ABL would close shop in less than two years but McClendon’s story doesn’t end there. He would become the first black coach in the American Basketball Association. This short column fails to provide all the evidence and contributions of John McClendon, look him up when you have an opportunity.
What happened to?
7-2 Frederic Weis of France may have never recovered; he was the 15th pick in the first round of the 1999 NBA Draft by the Knicks. Weis is best known for “The Dunk”, posterized might not have been in common usage at the time but that’s how the dunk is described now. During the 2000 Olympics France and the U.S. played one another. Carter stole the ball from a French player and raced down the court.
Only Weis stood in the way of a basket, Carter soared up and over Weis dunking the ball. In fairness to Weis the soaring Carter had to spread his legs to clear the 7-2 Weis. We are unsure if that might have been a contributing factor in his decision Weis never played in the NBA. You can locate the video on YouTube, check it out and see if it’s not one of the all-time most spectacular.
Number one
We covered DeAndre Ayton previously but just in case you missed it. He’s a 7 foot 250 pound power forward/center and is Rivals number one prospect in the Class of 2017. I had mentioned he might be the next player to emerge from The Bahamas the island nation off the east coast of Florida. Ayton’s family now lives in San Diego however he’s attending Hillcrest Academy in Phoenix.
His preferred list of schools only totals 10 but they are heavyweight. Arizona, Kentucky and Kansas rate high on his choices while Arizona State is number four. Duke, Michigan and North Carolina are on Ayton’s list although they are rated much lower on his prime choice list. In video action he appears smooth and gets up and down the court easily. The issue for me the video is AAU and as I’ve indicated AAU play is somewhat suspect for me. I’d love to see some high school game action. NOTE: Prior to publication Ayton made his commitment know--he’s headed to Arizona and will play for Sean Miller
I’m reminded
The enshrinement of Yao Ming into the Naismith Hall of Fame reminds me of a story. November 2002 the irrepressible Charles Barkley said; “It Yao Ming ever scores 19 points in the NBA I’ll kiss Kenny Smith’s ___ss.” Needless to say Barkley was forced to pay up on the bet. A donkey was brought into the TNT studio and Kenny placed a hamburger bun on the donkey’s rear end. Barkley paid off his bet with a quick smack most likely on the bun rather the butt portion of the donkey. The video is available on YouTube for you to check out.
The unknown 76er
Well that’s not quite true older 76er fans remember Andrew Toney. If you check out his stats they certainly are not eye-popping (15.9 ppg and 4.2 assists per game) however Toney could play. Toney was drafted out of Southwestern Louisiana (Louisiana-Lafayette now) with the 8th pick in the first round of the 1980 draft by the 76ers. His brilliant NBA career lasted a brief 8 years curtailed by chronic foot problems.
Between 1980 and 1988 he may have been the best shooting guard in the NBA, the team had Julius Erving, Bobby Jones, Moses Malone and Mike Bibby but it was sharp shooting Toney opposing teams feared. He was one of the keys to the 1983 NBA Championship won by the 76ers. Pat Williams in the front office of the 76ers at the time claims; “If not for injuries Toney would be in the Hall of Fame. The Chuckster Charles Barkley said; “Toney was the best player he ever played with.”
