A Game Grows in Brooklyn / Peter Vecsey
- Thread starter jerseyshorejohnny
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There are probably more omissions that are worthy of mention in this article but , none more glaring than Tony Jackson . One I would include would be Sonny Dove . He was All American his Senior year at St John's . Also , I always found it interesting that Mark Jackson in HS and College took 3rd place behind Pearl and Kenny Smith . Who was Rookie of the year and enjoyed a far better NBA career than either of them .
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Agree with your comments as to omissions as to Tony Jackson and Sonny Dove. It seems the "author" of the list made being an NBA player as one of the criteria, which Sonny met, albeit cut short by injury. Tony, while drafted by Knicks, never played in the NBA. Other notables from Brooklyn missed included Roger Brown and Doug Moe. Tony, Roger and Doug, along with the Hawk were banned from the NBA because of relations with Jack Molinas, the basketball fixer. All four were allowed to play in the ABA (and Hawk got into NBA) Roger was very successful in ABA with the Pacers.SLYFOXX1968" post=415219 said:
beast of the east
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No ban was more egregious than Hawkins. He never even played a varsity game and there was no evidence whatsoever that he accepted payments to change the outcome of games.BrooklynRed" post=415239 said:
All four of those players were treated unfairly. Hawkins and Brown were banned , not because of what they did but because of what the NBA commissioner felt they would do when they played varsity college ball. Jackson and Moe were banned because they turned down an offer to shave points but did not report it to the authorities.
Hawkins was the only one to sue the NBA and he won his case. There was some talk at SJU that Jackson would sue but he never did.
Hawkins was the only one to sue the NBA and he won his case. There was some talk at SJU that Jackson would sue but he never did.
Great stuff. I followed Phil Sellers all through high school and, since many of the Rutgers games back then were broadcast on UHF Channel 50, had a chance to watch him a lot in college. He was a phenomenal high school and college player. IMO he didn't make it as a pro because he didn't really have a position. In college he played the 3, with Dabney and Jordan manning the back court. At 6'4" Sellers was not big enough to play the 3 in the pros, and was not a good enough outside shooter or ballhandler to play the 2. He was one of those great college players who's size, athletic abilities and skill sets just didn't translated to the pros. And who can tell me who was largely responsible for putting together that incredible Rutgers team who went undefeated till they got to the final 4?
jerseyshorejohnny
Well-known member
Monte" post=415259 said:
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Roger Brown was screwed big time--he got an NCAA ban (had a scholarship to Dayton) and the NBA because in High school he met Molinas with The Hawk. He was never accused of point shaving but was deemed guilty by association. seven years after HS, he got his chance with the ABA and was a star with the Pacers. Saw him play against the Nets back in the day and he was quite a player. He is now in the hall of fame.
jackfro and I remember Jim McMillan, he teamed with Heyward Dotson, and a big man Dave Newmark to be probably Columbia's best team ever. Dotson won an academic scholarship to Columbia out of Stuyvesant HS and went on to be a Rhodes scholar. McMIllan was the star of those teams, but Dotson from Staten Island was not far behind. In the NBA McMillan did well, Dotson never stuck. Their coach at Columbia was Jack Rohan.
Jack Rohan (when I was a freshman sitting next to Barry Kramer the one time I went to chemistry class) was freshman coach under Lou Rossini at NYU and played for Rossini at Columbia. The path from Coach Joe Lapchick at St. John's is not just one track to Lou Carnesecca. It goes to Rossini to the late Bobby Williams, to Satch, to JFK coach John Mathis, and on and on.BrookJersey Redmen" post=416105 said:
I believe Looie brought in Jack Rohan to instruct the team the techniques of shooting the basketball.
Rohan was also the color man(I think Steve Albert did play by play), for the broadcast on USA Network, one of our hugest wins in 85'. A come from behind OT W vs Cuse at MSG. I was at the game, and also recorded it on VCR. Here's the last few seconds of regulation. The Trurh ties it up:
Last few minutes of OT. Not great quality, but great memories:
Last few minutes of OT. Not great quality, but great memories:
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