Uncategorized – Page 51 – From Way Downtown

John Brisker: The Cream Always Rises to the Top, 1971

For a man who wasn’t even allowed to start for a college coach, John Brisker has come a long way.

Lamar Green: I’ll Be There, 1970

Lamar Green remembered: “In came this little kid, and he had his fingers all taped up and his wrist taped. I wasn’t going to say anything, but the other kids started laughing at him, saying who did he think he was, the Hawk or somebody?”

David Brent: Strawberry Fields For Never, 1973

David Brent was not the first St. Louisan to sign a professional basketball contract. It is doubtful, though, that any other St. Louis athlete ever encountered the incredulous twists and turns that the David Brent story has taken.

Johnny Green: Basketball’s Talented Antique, 1972

When Johnny Green was a first-round draft choice, he received $2,000 as a bonus. Rookies now are getting more than an entire team’s payroll used to be.

The Book on NBA Players, 1970

There it is. A scouting report on the NBA entering the 1969-70 season.

Which Game is Better: College or Pro? 1990

No one is about to argue the relative abilities of college and NBA players. Still, there is a certain unpredictability to the college game that the NBA, in the end, can never seem to generate.

Cedric Maxwell: A Late-Bloomer Who Made Good, 1981

Much has gone into the making of Cedric Maxwell, the very efficient power forward for the Celtics who emerged as one of the NBA’s superstars with his brilliance in the playoffs.

Don Nelson: Respect, 1991

Nelson’s mind, always active, always involved, sometimes moves in surprising directions.

Earl Strom: NBA’s Oldest Referee Does It His Way, 1982

Earl Strom officiates with his whistle in his hand. His partner, Joe Gushue, wore his on a lanyard. Strom suggested that Gushue remove the lanyard before they reach the exit, so that fans couldn’t get such an easy hold of him.

Bill Willoughby: Playing One-on-None, 1990

Trouble with agents, trouble with coaches, trouble with people to whom he gave his trust has accompanied Willoughby throughout his basketball career like a persistent little sister.