Cleo Hill had certain remarkable talents as a player. He had fast hands, a wonderful asset for a basketball player. He was quick. But his quickness and his hand speed were wasted when they weren’t harnessed with the team effort of everybody else. It is something a man might learn in a minor league but has to be taken for granted in the majors.
Tag Archives: 1960s NBA
Oscar Robertson: Picture of Consistency
It is true. Robertson is a perfectionist. Whenever the subject is basketball, the Big O wants to be the best, the absolute best.
Sam Jones: Cha-Ching, 1966
Sam is 32 years old now, but there was no indication last year that his speed was diminishing, while his skills and confidence rose to new heights.
Elgin Baylor: How Serious Is His Leg Trouble? 1965
Baylor feels he’ll be back in stride again now. Although he’s never won the President’s Cup as the NBA Most Valuable Player as voted by the athletes, Baylor has always been a top contender. He could capture the coveted prize this year if he regains as much bounce as the Lakers hope and expect.
Jerry West: The Making of a Superstar, 1966
No one has shown, each year, the distinct improvement that West continues to show. There’s no telling where he’ll stop—and that, come to think of it, is a characteristic of explosive forces, isn’t it?
Gus Johnson: ‘I Sometimes Amaze Me,’ 1966
Triggered by the magic words, all pro, his voice grows stronger and his words come faster, and suddenly there seems no chance that in the interest of safety, he will abandon the style that made him Gus the Great. ”You don’t see Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain gliding through the air and shoving it in there like I do,” Gus says firmly.
Oscar Robertson: As Bob Cousy Sees Him, 1965
“Oscar is the greatest,” Cousy states. “There are none better.” That’s the word from the man who wrote the book on the position that both play so well.
I Was Wrong About Jerry West, 1966
He grinned his crooked, slightly gap-toothed grin, and the grin revealed gold bridgework. He’s left teeth on the floors of basketball arenas.
Don Ohl: For Ohl Lang Syne, 1962
Now, Don’s confidence has returned. Understandably cautious early in the 1964-65 season, his first in Baltimore, he finished with a rush and was named the Bullets’ most valuable player.
Guy Rodgers: ‘He’ll Get the Ball to You Somehow,’ 1965
To his teammates and NBA opponents, Rodgers ranks right up at the top of the list with Cousy and Robertson when it comes to passing and dribbling ability.
From Way Downtown 