pistol pete vs st johns

[beast of the east]

Watched Pistol from the time he was at LSU. Actually still have his rookie card. No doubt one of the most unique(possibly the most unique) talents to ever play the game, but IMO no way was he even close to one of the 10 best players of all time. I'd question whether he deserves to even be on the top 50 list. During the time he played, I would have taken West, Clyde(granted he was a point guard) and a number of other guards over Pistol. In 10 seasons as a pro, I think Pete only played on one team with a winning record. No doubt a tremendously talented entertainer, but Pete came 1st and the team a distant 2nd.

Thanks for the correction on his age at his death. 40! Damn.

I would agree with your assessment as a pro, but he did play on a lot of bad teams until he went to the Celtics as a spare part, much like Walton late in his career. Auerbach had a knack for acquiring older players (like Charlie Scott and Paul Silas) who had some of their finest moments as part of great Celtic teams.

I always felt that had he not played for his father Press at LSU, he wouldn't have been permitted to hoist so many shots.

Your assessment compared to other NBA greats is very fair. West, Frazier, Oscar Robertson, Monroe were all in a different class.

Still, there was never a player who could do so much with a ball in their hands. Then or now. HORSE anyone?

 

[SJU65]

Two stories I remember. One about Pistol Pete and I've heard this a few times. Louie told his team not to guard Pete and it worked for the first half as he was a little confused by the "defense" and only scored 15 pts in the half. The second half it wore off and he scored a ton of points.
The second was about Lou Alcindor. The word was that he was all set to sign with St. John's and a press conference had been scheduled, but the university forced Coach Lapchick to retire and Alcindor decided to go to UCLA.
Can anyone confirm either of those two stories?

 

[dee]

Two stories I remember. One about Pistol Pete and I've heard this a few times. Louie told his team not to guard Pete and it worked for the first half as he was a little confused by the "defense" and only scored 15 pts in the half. The second half it wore off and he scored a ton of points.
The second was about Lou Alcindor. The word was that he was all set to sign with St. John's and a press conference had been scheduled, but the university forced Coach Lapchick to retire and Alcindor decided to go to UCLA.
Can anyone confirm either of those two stories?

From everything I know these stories are true

 

[McGarry2]

Pistol Pete have no idea.


As regards Alcindor pure bs. Alcindor published an autobiography in the 1970s ,Seem that Wilt took him to get his greens while he was still in high school and that was the end of any consideration of a Cathollc College.

It been a long time and I'm not sure if it's a auto or just a biography. but I remember it was an interesting read.

 

[redken]

Pistol Pete have no idea.


As regards Alcindor pure bs. Alcindor published an autobiography in the 1970s ,Seem that Wilt took him to get his greens while he was still in high school and that was the end of any consideration of a Cathollc College.

It been a long time and I'm not sure if it's a auto or just a biography. but I remember it was an interesting read.

From what I've read and heard, Lew's (Kareem's) decision to go to UCLA had a lot more to do than just Coach Lapchick's retirement. It was the revolutionary '60s, and at the time St.John's was deeply rooted in the '50s. (Remember the academic strike in the 1964-65 school year that turned out to be a huge embarrassment to our university? I do; I lost two of the best professors I ever had.) Once he visited UCLA, don't think we ever had a chance with landing him.

 

[Class of 72]

Pistol Pete have no idea.


As regards Alcindor pure bs. Alcindor published an autobiography in the 1970s ,Seem that Wilt took him to get his greens while he was still in high school and that was the end of any consideration of a Cathollc College.

It been a long time and I'm not sure if it's a auto or just a biography. but I remember it was an interesting read.

From what I've read and heard, Lew's (Kareem's) decision to go to UCLA had a lot more to do than just Coach Lapchick's retirement. It was the revolutionary '60s, and at the time St.John's was deeply rooted in the '50s. (Remember the academic strike in the 1964-65 school year that turned out to be a huge embarrassment to our university? I do; I lost two of the best professors I ever had.) Once he visited UCLA, don't think we ever had a chance with landing him.

redken, Lew was a senior at Power in 1964 and graduated in 1965. Woodstock was 3 years later and even then, Lew had been grounded in Jazz by his dad Ferdinand and was not into the new music and emerging youth culture. He was a quiet, introverted kid and not a free spirit like Bill Walton who followed him at UCLA. He grew up Roman Catholic and did not convert to the Muslim faith until 1968, his junior season at UCLA.
His parents were eager to send him to a Catholic college and wanted to watch him play just a few miles from their St. Albans home in Queens. Lew had a very long commute to Harlem to play at Power and playing for coach Lapchick at Alumni Hall would have been a home coming of sorts.
UCLA had nowhere the tradition or history St. John's had in the early 60's and Lew was St. John's to lose and he did not want to play for an inexperienced assistant named Lou Carnesecca.
BTW, as a teen Lew used to jog miles along the Queens portion of the Belt Parkway during the summer months. He and his father loved the idea of playing for Joe and at the time the huge Alumni Hall just 15 minutes from home. I know this from an old friend who grew up near the Alcindors.

P.S. Coach Lapchick, although forced to retire, was in failing health when Lew was a senior at Power and it is unlikely he would have coached much longer even if SJ waived the mandatory retirement age. Age discrimination was alive and well in the 60's.

 

[redken]

Pistol Pete have no idea.


As regards Alcindor pure bs. Alcindor published an autobiography in the 1970s ,Seem that Wilt took him to get his greens while he was still in high school and that was the end of any consideration of a Cathollc College.

It been a long time and I'm not sure if it's a auto or just a biography. but I remember it was an interesting read.

From what I've read and heard, Lew's (Kareem's) decision to go to UCLA had a lot more to do than just Coach Lapchick's retirement. It was the revolutionary '60s, and at the time St.John's was deeply rooted in the '50s. (Remember the academic strike in the 1964-65 school year that turned out to be a huge embarrassment to our university? I do; I lost two of the best professors I ever had.) Once he visited UCLA, don't think we ever had a chance with landing him.

redken, Lew was a senior at Power in 1964 and graduated in 1965. Woodstock was 3 years later and even then, Lew had been grounded in Jazz by his dad Ferdinand and was not into the new music and emerging youth culture. He was a quiet, introverted kid and not a free spirit like Bill Walton who followed him at UCLA. He grew up Roman Catholic and did not convert to the Muslim faith until 1968, his junior season at UCLA.
His parents were eager to send him to a Catholic college and wanted to watch him play just a few miles from their St. Albans home in Queens. Lew had a very long commute to Harlem to play at Power and playing for coach Lapchick at Alumni Hall would have been a home coming of sorts.
UCLA had nowhere the tradition or history St. John's had in the early 60's and Lew was St. John's to lose and he did not want to play for an inexperienced assistant named Lou Carnesecca.
BTW, as a teen Lew used to jog miles along the Queens portion of the Belt Parkway during the summer months. He and his father loved the idea of playing for Joe and at the time the huge Alumni Hall just 15 minutes from home. I know this from an old friend who grew up near the Alcindors.

P.S. Coach Lapchick, although forced to retire, was in failing health when Lew was a senior at Power and it is unlikely he would have coached much longer even if SJ waived the mandatory retirement age. Age discrimination was alive and well in the 60's.

For starters, I'm well aware of Lew's history at Power Memorial; I attended Mount St. Michael and watched him crush us in his soph and junior years. But by the time it came for Lew to make his choice between St. John's and UCLA (when I was an SJU frosh), the '60s "revolution" was well into play and coupled with Coach Lapchick's forced retirement coming to pass, Lew's choice to opt for UCLA was easier to make: the super-conservative Catholic university (because that's what it was) with the inexperienced new head coach vs. the free-spirited, Wooden-coached UCLA. Lew may well have liked jogging along the Belt Parkway, but I don't think that entered his mind when making a decision about where he would spend his college years (would you?). Bottom line: it's water under the bridge, spilled milk, etc. ... another one -- albeit the biggest one -- that got away.

 

[monte]

Watched Pistol from the time he was at LSU. Actually still have his rookie card. No doubt one of the most unique(possibly the most unique) talents to ever play the game, but IMO no way was he even close to one of the 10 best players of all time. I'd question whether he deserves to even be on the top 50 list. During the time he played, I would have taken West, Clyde(granted he was a point guard) and a number of other guards over Pistol. In 10 seasons as a pro, I think Pete only played on one team with a winning record. No doubt a tremendously talented entertainer, but Pete came 1st and the team a distant 2nd.

Thanks for the correction on his age at his death. 40! Damn.

I would agree with your assessment as a pro, but he did play on a lot of bad teams until he went to the Celtics as a spare part, much like Walton late in his career. Auerbach had a knack for acquiring older players (like Charlie Scott and Paul Silas) who had some of their finest moments as part of great Celtic teams.

I always felt that had he not played for his father Press at LSU, he wouldn't have been permitted to hoist so many shots.

Your assessment compared to other NBA greats is very fair. West, Frazier, Oscar Robertson, Monroe were all in a different class.

Still, there was never a player who could do so much with a ball in their hands. Then or now. HORSE anyone?

I used the word "unique", but the word "innovative" is probably a little more apropos. After some thought, I'd have to consider Dr. J the most innovative player I've ever seen, although I admit to being partial(Dr. J was and still is my favorite player of all time). When I first saw him playing for the Squires against the Nets, I was in complete awe of the things he was capable of doing with a ball in his hands. Different skill set then Pistol, of course. Later my dream came true when he was traded to the Nets. Magic Johnson is another one of the more innovative players I've ever seen.

 

[beast of the east]

Watched Pistol from the time he was at LSU. Actually still have his rookie card. No doubt one of the most unique(possibly the most unique) talents to ever play the game, but IMO no way was he even close to one of the 10 best players of all time. I'd question whether he deserves to even be on the top 50 list. During the time he played, I would have taken West, Clyde(granted he was a point guard) and a number of other guards over Pistol. In 10 seasons as a pro, I think Pete only played on one team with a winning record. No doubt a tremendously talented entertainer, but Pete came 1st and the team a distant 2nd.

Thanks for the correction on his age at his death. 40! Damn.

I would agree with your assessment as a pro, but he did play on a lot of bad teams until he went to the Celtics as a spare part, much like Walton late in his career. Auerbach had a knack for acquiring older players (like Charlie Scott and Paul Silas) who had some of their finest moments as part of great Celtic teams.

I always felt that had he not played for his father Press at LSU, he wouldn't have been permitted to hoist so many shots.

Your assessment compared to other NBA greats is very fair. West, Frazier, Oscar Robertson, Monroe were all in a different class.

Still, there was never a player who could do so much with a ball in their hands. Then or now. HORSE anyone?

I used the word "unique", but the word "innovative" is probably a little more apropos. After some thought, I'd have to consider Dr. J the most innovative player I've ever seen, although I admit to being partial(Dr. J was and still is my favorite player of all time). When I first saw him playing for the Squires against the Nets, I was in complete awe of the things he was capable of doing with a ball in his hands. Different skill set then Pistol, of course. Later my dream came true when he was traded to the Nets. Magic Johnson is another one of the more innovative players I've ever seen.

For a long time, I thought Erving at his prime was better than Jordan. Of course, in the final analysis, it's a ludicrous assertion. However, Erving did things with a ball that hadn't been done before simply because no one could. Things like holding the ball single handed like a grapfruit as he gracefully soared to the hoop. Or, possessing such incredible hang time that he appeared to still be in the air when he took off first, and his defenders had halready descended to the hardwood. Amazing talent, and watching him in his prime was a thing of beauty.

Most innovative ever? To me, Earl monroe. No one had ever spun before Monroe did. Early in his pro career, he accelerated right, then halted and yanked the ball backwards, freezing a defender as he spun by him. The opposing coach screamed at the ref - "Call something!!" The ref responded, "I don't know what to call - i never saw it before." Thank goodness it was considered totally legal, and Monroe, never one of the fastest players in the league, was one of the quickest. His ability to shoot and make shots with a defender draped all over him caused Marv Alpert to invent the emphatic description "Facial!" to describe the embarrassment of not being able to stop Monroe with the Pearl shooting the ball right in your face.

Everyone in a schoolyard could try to imitate Monroe, down to his shuffling, sauntering gait, and almost all kids tried. Erving was inimitable, simply because the amazing things he did required abilities and anatomy no one possessed.

Still and all, at a time when few white players could provide razzle dazzle, Pistol Pete was a magician with the ball, and an example that white guards didn't all have to be cookie cutter, simply fundamentally sound players.

 

[fuchsia]

If not for his unjust banishment from the NBA which only ended after a law suit, Connie Hawkins would have shown us all much of Dr J's repertoire long before the good Dr. made it visible

 

[bobre45]

Watched Pistol from the time he was at LSU. Actually still have his rookie card. No doubt one of the most unique(possibly the most unique) talents to ever play the game, but IMO no way was he even close to one of the 10 best players of all time. I'd question whether he deserves to even be on the top 50 list. During the time he played, I would have taken West, Clyde(granted he was a point guard) and a number of other guards over Pistol. In 10 seasons as a pro, I think Pete only played on one team with a winning record. No doubt a tremendously talented entertainer, but Pete came 1st and the team a distant 2nd.

Thanks for the correction on his age at his death. 40! Damn.

I would agree with your assessment as a pro, but he did play on a lot of bad teams until he went to the Celtics as a spare part, much like Walton late in his career. Auerbach had a knack for acquiring older players (like Charlie Scott and Paul Silas) who had some of their finest moments as part of great Celtic teams.

I always felt that had he not played for his father Press at LSU, he wouldn't have been permitted to hoist so many shots.

Your assessment compared to other NBA greats is very fair. West, Frazier, Oscar Robertson, Monroe were all in a different class.

Still, there was never a player who could do so much with a ball in their hands. Then or now. HORSE anyone?

I used the word "unique", but the word "innovative" is probably a little more apropos. After some thought, I'd have to consider Dr. J the most innovative player I've ever seen, although I admit to being partial(Dr. J was and still is my favorite player of all time). When I first saw him playing for the Squires against the Nets, I was in complete awe of the things he was capable of doing with a ball in his hands. Different skill set then Pistol, of course. Later my dream came true when he was traded to the Nets. Magic Johnson is another one of the more innovative players I've ever seen.

Totally agree about Doc. He was the most fun to watch of them all. Until he came along Bob Pettit was my fave. Great stats etc. but not as spectacular as the Doc was.

 

[Class of 72]

Pistol Pete have no idea.


As regards Alcindor pure bs. Alcindor published an autobiography in the 1970s ,Seem that Wilt took him to get his greens while he was still in high school and that was the end of any consideration of a Cathollc College.

It been a long time and I'm not sure if it's a auto or just a biography. but I remember it was an interesting read.

From what I've read and heard, Lew's (Kareem's) decision to go to UCLA had a lot more to do than just Coach Lapchick's retirement. It was the revolutionary '60s, and at the time St.John's was deeply rooted in the '50s. (Remember the academic strike in the 1964-65 school year that turned out to be a huge embarrassment to our university? I do; I lost two of the best professors I ever had.) Once he visited UCLA, don't think we ever had a chance with landing him.

redken, Lew was a senior at Power in 1964 and graduated in 1965. Woodstock was 3 years later and even then, Lew had been grounded in Jazz by his dad Ferdinand and was not into the new music and emerging youth culture. He was a quiet, introverted kid and not a free spirit like Bill Walton who followed him at UCLA. He grew up Roman Catholic and did not convert to the Muslim faith until 1968, his junior season at UCLA.
His parents were eager to send him to a Catholic college and wanted to watch him play just a few miles from their St. Albans home in Queens. Lew had a very long commute to Harlem to play at Power and playing for coach Lapchick at Alumni Hall would have been a home coming of sorts.
UCLA had nowhere the tradition or history St. John's had in the early 60's and Lew was St. John's to lose and he did not want to play for an inexperienced assistant named Lou Carnesecca.
BTW, as a teen Lew used to jog miles along the Queens portion of the Belt Parkway during the summer months. He and his father loved the idea of playing for Joe and at the time the huge Alumni Hall just 15 minutes from home. I know this from an old friend who grew up near the Alcindors.

P.S. Coach Lapchick, although forced to retire, was in failing health when Lew was a senior at Power and it is unlikely he would have coached much longer even if SJ waived the mandatory retirement age. Age discrimination was alive and well in the 60's.

For starters, I'm well aware of Lew's history at Power Memorial; I attended Mount St. Michael and watched him crush us in his soph and junior years. But by the time it came for Lew to make his choice between St. John's and UCLA (when I was an SJU frosh), the '60s "revolution" was well into play and coupled with Coach Lapchick's forced retirement coming to pass, Lew's choice to opt for UCLA was easier to make: the super-conservative Catholic university (because that's what it was) with the inexperienced new head coach vs. the free-spirited, Wooden-coached UCLA. Lew may well have liked jogging along the Belt Parkway, but I don't think that entered his mind when making a decision about where he would spend his college years (would you?). Bottom line: it's water under the bridge, spilled milk, etc. ... another one -- albeit the biggest one -- that got away.

Seems like only yesterday redken, doesn't it? LOL!
I remember 1964 as if it were yesterday. It was the British invasion, the Beatles, Dave Clark Five, Zombies, etc. The Beach Boys and Jan and Dean were the California L.A. Sound but the San Fransico bands were just taking off like the Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape and the Dead. Lew was not into any of the early 60's bubble gum scene. He was into JAZZ.
The early Wooden teams were anything but "free-spirited". Wooden was a strict disciplinarian back then and was the most gifted "teacher" the game has ever known.
Yes, St. John's was very conservative back then, but so was Notre Dame, Georgetown and Villanova. Lew's parents were conservative Catholics and wanted him to attend a Cathloic college. Like many kids that attended parochial schools back then I am sure Lew resented and pushed back. I cannot say it had anything to do with his decision.
I think the fact that UCLA had just won its 2nd NCAA Championship had much more to do with it. Prior to 1963, UCLA was a west-coast school with an average winning record playing in a gym no bigger than Alumnj Hall, Pauley was in the planning stages and all the press focused on the eastern schools. Even average St. John' s team's in the late 50's got more press than UCLA or any of the pre-PAC 10 schools.
Personally, I think the exposure to a "professor-like" coach that had just won his second national title and meeting Walt Hazzard, Gail Goodrich, etc. tipped his decision in UCLA's favor.
I recall my good friend telling me his dad was not happy about his decision but, in the end, it changed the course of college basketball history. One can only imagine what St. John's and NYC college basketball would have been like had his father over-ruled the decision.

 

[redken]

... Seems like only yesterday redken, doesn't it? LOL! I remember 1964 as if it were yesterday. It was the British invasion, the Beatles, Dave Clark Five, Zombies, etc. ...

... Personally, I think the exposure to a "professor-like" coach that had just won his second national title and meeting Walt Hazzard, Gail Goodrich, etc. tipped his decision in UCLA's favor.
I recall my good friend telling me his dad was not happy about his decision but, in the end, it changed the course of college basketball history. One can only imagine what St. John's and NYC college basketball would have been like had his father over-ruled the decision.

Sure does seem like only yesterday. (Ironically, last night I had dinner with a neighbor who's a musician, and the "British invasion" came up. A lot of familiar names, like the ones you cited -- and some not-so-familiar ones -- were tossed around.) Yes, sadly, we can only imagine the huge impact Lew Alcindor would have had on the course of St. John's basketball had he picked us over UCLA. One thing that hasn't changed: It's some 47 years later (is that possible?) and I'm still agonizing over the choices that our targeted recruits might be making.

P.S. 72, I was stating that, compared with St. John's, UCLA university had a free-spirited air about it, not that Coach Wooden was free-spirited; he was, as you noted, quite the contrary ... although he later admitted that he had turned a blind eye to Bill Walton's pot smoking.

 

[tom in salem]

Sam Gilbert.
His parents left Inwood the week he enrolled at UCLA.

 

[Class of 72]

Sam Gilbert.
His parents left Inwood the week he enrolled at UCLA.

1965? The Alcindors moved to Queens in Lew's senior year of high school (1964-65). "Home" meant Queens.....15 minutes from the Hillcrest campus.

Sam likely had Inwood confused with Westwood or Hollywood. Or, was Sam implying he "financed" the move to the NYC suburbs upon Lew's UCLA enrollment?
The bottom line is Lew came very close to staying home and going to SJ and with our usual luck, the stars were not aligned.

The NY Times official article on his college choice. Read the last para:

May 4, 1965 NEW YORK-Lew Alcindor, the nation's most sought-after high school basketball player, announced today his intention to attend the University of California, Los Angeles next fall. Poised and articulate during his first news conference, the 7-foot-3/4-inch, 18- year-old Power Memorial High senior said he chose the West Coast school "because it has the atmosphere I wanted and because the people out there were very nice to me."

Alcindor visited the U.C.L.A. campus a month ago, soon after the Bruin basketball team won its second straight National Collegiate championship. In Los Angeles today J.D. Morgan, the university's athletic director, said "we are tremendously pleased." He added: "Of course, this is the boy's announcement. By the rules of our conference we are not permitted to announce such enrollments."...................

Surrounded by cables and electronic equipment, Alcindor carefully explained that his decision had been delayed because he was "very confused" on whether he wanted to stay home or go out of town. He expects to take a liberal arts course. His particular interests are music, journalism, and television. A B student, Alcindor is sports editor of the school's newspaper. He never lost his composure, even when someone seriously asked him if there were any liabilities in being tall in basketball. "None that I can think of," said Alcindor.

 

[monte]

If not for his unjust banishment from the NBA which only ended after a law suit, Connie Hawkins would have shown us all much of Dr J's repertoire long before the good Dr. made it visible

While I've heard similar sentiments before, I have to respectfully disagree Fuchsia. While The Hawk was a great player in his own right in his injury shortened career, but he did not possess the aerodynamics(for lack of a better word) nor the all around game that Doc eventually developed.

 

[monte]

Watched Pistol from the time he was at LSU. Actually still have his rookie card. No doubt one of the most unique(possibly the most unique) talents to ever play the game, but IMO no way was he even close to one of the 10 best players of all time. I'd question whether he deserves to even be on the top 50 list. During the time he played, I would have taken West, Clyde(granted he was a point guard) and a number of other guards over Pistol. In 10 seasons as a pro, I think Pete only played on one team with a winning record. No doubt a tremendously talented entertainer, but Pete came 1st and the team a distant 2nd.

Thanks for the correction on his age at his death. 40! Damn.

I would agree with your assessment as a pro, but he did play on a lot of bad teams until he went to the Celtics as a spare part, much like Walton late in his career. Auerbach had a knack for acquiring older players (like Charlie Scott and Paul Silas) who had some of their finest moments as part of great Celtic teams.

I always felt that had he not played for his father Press at LSU, he wouldn't have been permitted to hoist so many shots.

Your assessment compared to other NBA greats is very fair. West, Frazier, Oscar Robertson, Monroe were all in a different class.

Still, there was never a player who could do so much with a ball in their hands. Then or now. HORSE anyone?

I used the word "unique", but the word "innovative" is probably a little more apropos. After some thought, I'd have to consider Dr. J the most innovative player I've ever seen, although I admit to being partial(Dr. J was and still is my favorite player of all time). When I first saw him playing for the Squires against the Nets, I was in complete awe of the things he was capable of doing with a ball in his hands. Different skill set then Pistol, of course. Later my dream came true when he was traded to the Nets. Magic Johnson is another one of the more innovative players I've ever seen.

For a long time, I thought Erving at his prime was better than Jordan. Of course, in the final analysis, it's a ludicrous assertion. However, Erving did things with a ball that hadn't been done before simply because no one could. Things like holding the ball single handed like a grapfruit as he gracefully soared to the hoop. Or, possessing such incredible hang time that he appeared to still be in the air when he took off first, and his defenders had halready descended to the hardwood. Amazing talent, and watching him in his prime was a thing of beauty.

Most innovative ever? To me, Earl monroe. No one had ever spun before Monroe did. Early in his pro career, he accelerated right, then halted and yanked the ball backwards, freezing a defender as he spun by him. The opposing coach screamed at the ref - "Call something!!" The ref responded, "I don't know what to call - i never saw it before." Thank goodness it was considered totally legal, and Monroe, never one of the fastest players in the league, was one of the quickest. His ability to shoot and make shots with a defender draped all over him caused Marv Alpert to invent the emphatic description "Facial!" to describe the embarrassment of not being able to stop Monroe with the Pearl shooting the ball right in your face.

Everyone in a schoolyard could try to imitate Monroe, down to his shuffling, sauntering gait, and almost all kids tried. Erving was inimitable, simply because the amazing things he did required abilities and anatomy no one possessed.

Still and all, at a time when few white players could provide razzle dazzle, Pistol Pete was a magician with the ball, and an example that white guards didn't all have to be cookie cutter, simply fundamentally sound players.

Ludicrous is a bit severe (lol), but yes in the final analysis no one is better than Jordan. Pearl right up there with the most innovative ever. I remember my excitement when the Knicks traded for him. Then all the concerns about whether he and Clyde could co-exist in the same backcourt. To Pearl's credit, he modified his game and fit in very well with the Knicks.

 

[bamafan]

First thoughts on what would have happened if Lew Alcindor choose St. John's is that for one year we would have had the best JV team in the nation and then would have won 3 national championships. But then i remember Lou C was the coach and probably would have made Lew stickly a high post passer and we probably would have had the best JV team in the nation and then gone to 3 NITs.

 

[Class of 72]

First thoughts on what would have happened if Lew Alcindor choose St. John's is that for one year we would have had the best JV team in the nation and then would have won 3 national championships. But then i remember Lou C was the coach and probably would have made Lew stickly a high post passer and we probably would have had the best JV team in the nation and then gone to 3 NITs.

Alcindor's freshman team beat the varsity that had won the NCAA title minus Goodrich) by 15 points. He would have brought the best NYC players to St. John's with or without Lou. Per chance to dream, in retrospect!

 

[redken]

First thoughts on what would have happened if Lew Alcindor choose St. John's is that for one year we would have had the best JV team in the nation and then would have won 3 national championships. But then i remember Lou C was the coach and probably would have made Lew stickly a high post passer and we probably would have had the best JV team in the nation and then gone to 3 NITs.

In his first year, Alcindor would have played for the freshman team (as he did at UCLA).