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Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Ollie Taylor Battled All the Giants at Just 6-2

Ollie Taylor rode the bench in high school before jumping center against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in college and playing against Julius Erving and Rick Barry in the ABA. Along the way, he set numerous National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) records while leading San Jacinto to the 1968 national title. Taylor followed that up by lifting Houston to a Sweet 16 appearance in 1970. Owner of a 46 inch vertical leap, Taylor dazzled fans from Rucker Park to the ABA with his spectacular dunks. You can read all about Taylor's career in my HoopsHype.com article about him (10/12/15 edit: the link to HoopsHype.com no longer works, so I have posted the original article below):

Anyone who saw Ollie Taylor play swears that he could fly but when he talks about himself he is, pardon the pun, very down to earth. "I didn't start and I only scored six points in my entire career," Taylor says of his high school basketball days in New York. "I came out of DeWitt Clinton High School. We had seven guys off of that high school team who were drafted." One of those seven, Nate Archibald, is a Hall of Famer and one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history.

Taylor did not resent that his playing time was limited. "We had a great high school team," he says simply. "I have no problem with my school. I went to an all-boys high school. We had 10,000 boys in that high school, so you (the basketball coaches) could pretty much pick and choose." DeWitt Clinton once scrimmaged against Ben Franklin High School, which played in a different division. Ben Franklin's star player was none other than Earl Manigault, the streetball legend who was famously profiled by Pete Axthelm in the book The City Game.

Asked what he recalls about playing against "The Goat," Taylor candidly replies: "It was a short experience. Like I said, at that time I was not playing that much. I didn't really get to play against him but I saw him play. They had a talented team and we had a talented team. Some of his exploits that people talk about I never got to see him do. I remember more about stories. I never got to see any of the stories (in person)."

"He was not a devastating shooter; he was not someone who you had to go guard (on the perimeter)," Taylor adds. "His damage was done around the basket, dunking." Are the stories about Manigault jumping up and taking a quarter off the top of the backboard really true? "Well, there are stories about me taking quarters off the top of the backboard," Taylor answers. The next question is obvious: "Are those true stories?"

"No," Taylor responds without hesitation. "You might make them think so, if you jump high enough."

He says that the closest he ever got to touching the top of the backboard was about eight inches. Taylor played a lot at Rucker Park but he never saw anyone touch the top of the backboard (Wilt Chamberlain and Jackie Jackson are two other players who have been rumored to have done this) and he doubts that anyone ever has. He believes that such stories get started because "guys can get close enough. If you can get eight or 10 inches from there then people think that maybe you can."

Taylor used his vertical leap, which he says "was in the 46-inch range," not just to dunk on people but also to grab rebounds. "The thing that made me different from a lot of other guys who could jump was that I was physically strong," Taylor explains. "When you rebound, you have to be strong...you have to be able to jump in a crowd. If you can't move people off of you it doesn't matter how high you can jump. You have to be able to elevate with a body on you. I loved to rebound."

When Taylor was young, he modeled his game after Elgin Baylor. "Elgin was fluid," Taylor says. "Elgin was in the army (during the 1961-62 season). I saw him play when he got out on weekends and I saw him play when he got a special pass to play in the Finals and things like that. I said, 'Man!' I wore #22, like he did. I wore #22 all through my career to emulate Elgin. He was a little bigger than I am but I did a lot of things that he could do--hanging in the air and floating and stuff like that. What became even more amazing to me is that he played several years without kneecaps. I followed all of that. He was the man who I emulated."

Although Taylor mainly sat on the bench during the high school basketball season, when spring rolled around he excelled as a shortstop. "I was actually better at baseball than anything else," Taylor says. He never stopped working on his basketball game, though. "I wore a weighted vest and ankle weights," Taylor remembers. "Whether that contributed to my ability to jump or not, I can't really say. I know that it did contribute to my physical strength. I jumped center every year that I was in college. I jumped center against Jabbar and had jump balls against Artis Gilmore. I probably won about 95 percent of my jump balls."

Considering the limited run that he received in high school, it is not surprising that Taylor did not get any scholarship offers to play basketball. He began his college career at San Jacinto Junior College, where he set National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) records for points in a season (1409 in 1967-68; 30.7 ppg) and a career (2456; 26.2 ppg). He led San Jacinto to a 44-2 record and a national title in 1967-68, setting the school's single game scoring record that season with a 53 point outburst. Taylor was inducted in the NJCAA Hall of Fame in 1994 (other members include Bob McAdoo, Spencer Haywood, Artis Gilmore, Larry Johnson and Shawn Marion).

Taylor spent the last two seasons of his college career at the University of Houston. In 1969-70, his senior season, Taylor averaged 24.4 ppg and 11.5 ppg as the Cougars went 25-5 and made it to the Sweet 16. He was selected as a Helms Foundation All-American. Overall, Taylor averaged 22.0 ppg and 10.3 rpg in 56 games at Houston.

Coach Guy Lewis later told the Sporting News, "Ollie Taylor out-jumped Alcindor (UCLA's Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) at the start of the game. He was 6-2 and played the post for me. One of the best post players I ever had." That is high praise when one considers that Lewis coached Hall of Famers Elvin Hayes, Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler (a college forward who shifted to guard in the NBA). Taylor was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers but elected to sign with his hometown New York Nets of the ABA.

Taylor averaged 8.7 ppg and 3.8 rpg as a rookie in 1970-71. He posted similar numbers in his second season (8.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg) and increased his production in that year's playoffs (11.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg) as the Nets made it all the way to the ABA Finals before losing to the Indiana Pacers in six games.

Taylor was traded to the San Diego Conquistadors and he had the best season of his ABA career in 1972-73, averaging 13.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 4.0 apg. It seemed like his career was on the upswing but the next season turned out to be his last as he was only able to play in 31 games for two different teams; the downside of constantly battling in the paint against bigger players is the toll that this exacts on one's body.

Taylor is proud of the time that he spent in the ABA; the memories of his experiences will last a lifetime. "The biggest thing for me is that I played against so many guys who became megastars," he says. "I played with some of them--I played with Rick Barry, I played with Billy Cunningham, I played with Julius (Erving)--so those are the memories I have. I played with and against them, so I saw both sides of the fence. That was a major thing for me personally. Rick was a terrific shooter. Billy Cunningham was probably a little past his prime when I played with him but he was a complete player. Of course, Julius had all of those qualities. He played above the rim, which was something that the NBA did not have at that time. He was one of the guys who initiated that. I played with him and against him, so it became a real point of pride for me to say that I did that."

In addition to starring in college and playing several years of pro ball, Taylor also played in the Rucker League in its heyday, when NBA and ABA All-Stars came to Rucker Park in the summer to compete with and against top streetball players.

One year, Taylor was on a team with fellow pros Julius Erving, Bob Love, Charlie Scott, Billy Paultz, Manny Leaks, and Joe DePre. They beat a team led by Nate Archibald to win the championship but along the way they faced a team that had streetball legends Joe Hammond and Pee Wee Kirkland.

"What I remember most about it was the matchup of Charlie Scott and Pee Wee Kirkland, who I think at that time was the second leading scorer at an NCAA (lower division) school," Taylor says. "He (Kirkland) had quite a reputation. He was only about 6-feet tall and Charlie was about 6-6. They got into it and they started playing one on one in a full court game. We kind of stood to the side and let them go one on one. Charlie was as quick as any six footer, so it wasn't much fun for Pee Wee. It was kind of funny."

Of course, those great Rucker League showdowns only exist now in the memories of those who played in or witnessed them. Sadly, much of the ABA's history also lacks video documentation but Taylor believes that it is important for people to understand how much the upstart league shaped basketball history.

"The real history of the ABA starts with Spencer Haywood," Taylor declares. "The ABA existed before Spencer Haywood, but the storyline really begins with him because he was the first one to challenge the undergraduate rule, paving the way for all these guys who are high school players or undergraduates to come into the NBA and make the kind of money that they are making. Spencer went through a lot of stuff that people don't realize--being escorted off of the court, being locked out of the arenas and stuff like that (while his case was making its way through the courts and various injunctions restricted him from playing). Spencer was only 19-20 years old and going through a real trauma in his life and questioning whether or not he should continue to battle. He's not a guy who's going to toot his own horn but, when you see the story of 'Glory Road,' that's one story but there is another story and it is a very important story because eventually the ABA became the cornerstone for the NBA. The dominant players after the merger were ABA players--George Gervin, Dr. J, Artis Gilmore, Moses Malone. Those guys became the cornerstone of the NBA. There is a real, untold story there and I don't think that many people realize that."

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posted by David Friedman @ 5:11 PM

35 comments

35 Comments:

At Wednesday, October 10, 2007 8:24:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great article, David. All I knew about Ollie Taylor was from the writeups in the old Pro Basketball Handbooks. Thanks for another insight into a lesser known ABA player.

 
At Friday, January 25, 2008 6:39:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks a million for your article, David. I grew up on LI and was thrilled to have seen Ollie Taylor in action at the Commack arena and on WPIX-telivised games with Marty Glickman doing the play-by-play.
It was an amazing era and my brother and I always thought very highly of Ollie. In addition, during the summer, various Nets players performed a PR role for the club, going to local parks on Long Island to conduct clinics for interested kids, and we were very fortunate to get two up-close looks at our 6'2" hero, who amazed us with some of his awesome dunks.
My brother was also able to play in a 2 on 2 pickup game with a college star against Ollie and a friend he brought out from the Bronx one night at a park "under the lights" and I can still remember how Ollie ultimately took things under control to win the game.
I also remember seeing Ollie fly in on a fast break and slam right over Artis Gilmore in a WPIX-televised game one evening. He just blew right over Artis, exploded - one of the best dunks I ever saw in my life!
I'd just like to thank you again for the article and say that I was so glad to hear about N°22. I hope things are going well for Ollie and would like to thank him for being such a great guy. Thanks for the memories, Ollie!

 
At Friday, January 23, 2009 1:07:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was a HUGE Ollie Taylor fan as a kid. I used to go see him play quite often back in th early 70's. As a 9 year old I was floored by some of his dunks....I copied them with my nerf ball in the basement. My father was good friends with Pete Vescey the Daily News Sportswriter so he used to hook us up with game tickets all the time. During Ollie's final season with the NETS he got me into the locker room to meet him....it was a dream come true. It was a moment that I always remember and mention to my kids from time to time. As I walked out of the locker after meeting Ollie and the rest of the team(Rick Barry, Billy Paultz,Trooper Washington, Gene Moore, Jim Ard, john Baum, Bill Melchioni & John Roche) we ran into a newcomer in the hallway from the Virginia Squires....Pete yells out "Hey Julius, I'd like you to say hello to a friend of mine". Those ABA days were GREAT MEMORIES!!! I wish we still had basketball like that on Long Island,

 
At Sunday, February 20, 2011 1:03:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ollie used to come to CT with Calvin Murphy (hometown is Norwalk) to play exhibition games. Ollie's pre-game dunks were some of the most amazing athletics I've ever seen. Rob mentions his dunk over Artis Gilmore - still the greatest dunk I've ever seen - 6-2 flying power jam straight over 7-2 - talk about shock value. I think of Ollie every time the All-Star dunk contest comes up. No one ever comes close - a sort of mix of Spud Webb (short) and Blake Griffin (power). The greatest.

 
At Tuesday, January 10, 2012 10:55:00 AM, Blogger Clarence Gaines said...

Great Story - Never heard of Ollie until today. Your HoopsHype story brought him to life for me. What he had to say about Spencer Haywood is very special.

 
At Tuesday, January 10, 2012 2:22:00 PM, Blogger David Friedman said...

Clarence:

Thank you and welcome to 20 Second Timeout.

I think that you will be interested in an article that I wrote at my other website:

"Black Magic": Must-See TV

 
At Friday, July 12, 2013 3:02:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

The story of Ollie Taylor dunk only tells half the story.... Ollie had taken a shot, Gilmore rejected it and it bounced out of bounds at half court.... while the TV announcer was talking about what an incredible block it was, Ollie raced to the baseline at half court... asked for the inbound..took the ball... raced down the middle of the lane , strait at Gilmore.......and then finished with that dunk!!!!!! It is the mist fantastic play ever......period.. if you showed it today.....they would give Ollie the all time small man dunks on big man award .... someone shouldnaskmgilmore about it, ... the news probably has an archive photo of it, but the whole sequence, blocked shot, inbound, drive, dunk......awesome..

 
At Friday, July 12, 2013 5:35:00 PM, Blogger David Friedman said...

Anonymous:

Thank you for sharing more details about that spectacular play!

 
At Sunday, July 14, 2013 12:26:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow..you answered, my detailed comments on Ollie Taylor dunk, now if we could convince the nets to find that footage, photos, or sports stories about it.....we can just call it " the dunk"....just like the catch etc......interview the announcer, Gilmore, it must have been either Roche or melhionni that inbounded it....the nets should get behind it too. Cm on man, this can continue to build your career....

 
At Monday, July 15, 2013 4:23:00 PM, Blogger David Friedman said...

Anonymous:

I have some other projects that I am working on at the moment but the Taylor dunk would be an interesting story to pursue at some point. Unfortunately, I strongly suspect that footage either never existed or has long since been destroyed.

 
At Thursday, April 24, 2014 12:30:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I had the honor and privilege of attending U of H during the same time with Ollie Taylor. To say he was a great Bball player doesn't come close to describing just how great he really was. U of H was strong in sports; Guy Lewis couched basketball and Bill Yeoman couched football. I never missed a home game of either sport. But Ollie Taylor was the one guy everyone wanted to see play. I may be wrong, but as I remember, the Cougars were undefeated in Hofheinz Pavilion the two years Ollie played there. His athletic ability was dominant over any rival player he met on the court. His true abilities were held in check as "dunking' was not allowed during that time at the college level or we would have witnessed an even higher level of his ability. I remember pregame worm-ups when Ollie would dribble two balls at the same time at a full run from mid court and stuff both of them in a single jump from high above the rim. But never a show off.
When I would see him at the UC lower level playing ping pong I was always amazed at what he could do on the court and only be 2 inches taller than me. Always said 'Hi' when I spoke to him. I'll never forget his performance on the court. Hope he is doing well where ever he is today.

 
At Thursday, April 24, 2014 3:17:00 AM, Blogger David Friedman said...

Anonymous:

Thank you for sharing those memories. Ollie Taylor had special talent and I am glad that I had the privilege to interview him and tell his story.

 
At Sunday, July 06, 2014 8:49:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dewitt Clinton rocks...
In the 60's Clinton was the NYC power house... except for the year
Jabar was at Old Power Memorial ...
Who would not rid the bench...
In 65 you had Nate , Mike Switzer, Luuther Green, and the list goes on.... You had Rick Sobers who did not want to play, Leon Howard, Ray hodge, Carson, Robinson, Ronald Bahegan ... and more start came after.... until Clinton became CO-ED ......Knowles

 
At Tuesday, October 07, 2014 8:17:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

After calling the guy who told me about him a liar, we drove 250 miles to see him play. He did not
disappoint-he scored 46 points in beating our team. In warm-ups, he dunked two basketballs on the same run two the basket with ease; had to bend his neck to keep from hitting his head while spinning around in the air and dunking backwards. He didn't look like a basketball player either, carrying 190-200 lbs od solid muscle. VERY strong young man for a Bball player.

 
At Friday, March 25, 2016 2:57:00 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

I remember Ollie lived in Freeport LI when he played for the Nets. He had a Dodge Daytona and use to play ball with us at Centennial Park which was in my hometown of Roosevelt which was the next town over. At the time Pablo and Walt Robinson and Tiny Archibald moved to Roosevelt. And of course Julius Erving was from Roosevelt. I'll never forget when Ollie and Doc went at it at Centennial Park one summer when Doc was on the Squires...Man you had to be there!

 
At Tuesday, July 05, 2016 1:35:00 PM, Blogger NETSKNICKSFAN said...

I LOVE the ABA.Also like ROB above , I remember Ollie Taylor's dunk on Artis Gilmore. It was the most incredible dunk I have ever seen. The REST of the story ( as I remember it) was that Gilmore had just rejected Ollie's shot and sent it to halfcourt. Ollie called for the inbounder to give him the ball and hurry up. once he got the ball, he drove straight in to the basket and Dunked Over Artis Gilmore... HARD, In his face etc. I JUMPED off the couch and screamed at the TV.
This was why the term FACIAL was invented!.... PLEASE find footage of Ollie and post it on YouTube.. especially this Dunk. .. Treat yourself to it.

The Brooklyn Nets would be smart to embrace the history of Brooklyn sports ( Dodgers, High Schoolers who became pros) and also the ABA NETS as well as the ABA. ( First Commissioner Dave Debuschere!)....

 
At Tuesday, July 05, 2016 1:42:00 PM, Blogger NETSKNICKSFAN said...

HEY... Time to dig into the archives and do a story about " THE DUNK"..

greatest dunk by a 6'2 player against a 7 footer..by the greatest LEAPER/REBOUNDER for his size. .include some background on DeWitt Clinton. NETS should help pay for the story..OLLIE TAYLOR NIGHT ( When they play Houston since he went to college there). NETS need to embrace their role in ABA, as well as Brooklyn Sports ( Dodgers and High Schools ). ... Get SPike Lee ( or Mars Blackmon) to tell the story!

 
At Sunday, August 13, 2017 9:12:00 PM, Anonymous robert danow said...

I have an off-beat comment about Ollie. I was at UH from 65 through 1970, where I was in the Honors Program and co-founded & QB-ed our HP intramural football team. One year we were in the playoffs and matched up against the PE Majors. Now, that's kinda funny, don't you think: the Honors Program vs. the PE Majors in (IM) football? What's worse, the PE's included Ollie Taylor. I was told that varsity athletes were eligible for IMs, except in their varsity sport.

We played them a pretty good game, losing only 6-0, but we couldn't defend against the lobs they were throwing to Ollie. How do you defend against a guy who who can jump nearly 4 feet? Perhaps you can stomp on his feet or pull down his gym shorts. The refs would probably object.

After the game, Mr. Dickerson, the head of the PE dept. crossed the field to complement me on my passing and to commiserate regarding our awful receivers, who couldn't even catch a cold that day. But perhaps Mr. D. was mostly amused at the idea of PE vs. HP in football.

 
At Friday, January 18, 2019 10:10:00 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

I'm from Freeport ,and I saw the game where Ollie dunked on Artis Gilmore ,He called it a double dueberry with a cherry on top , Ollie took of from the free throw line , after the game Rick Barry was 🔥 up

 
At Monday, April 15, 2019 6:10:00 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

I played against Ollie well past his prime nearing his forties in the Houston leagues. I was in my mid 30s.

I grew up a new York City and played in some of the best games in men's leagues when I was still in my teens. Though I was only about half inch taller than Ollie, I considered myself an elite rebounder.
As I prepared on a number of occasions to box him out, one time he grabbed me with one arm, and turned me around facing away from the basket. He put me down so softly, and yet so firmly, I was mesmerized.
I eventually figured out not to let him know where the contact was coming, but that was after number of losses to his team.
As fate would have it, I was lucky enough to be invited to play with him instead of against him.
The irony of it was we lost to the team I temporarily vacated.
I also played in a 3 on 3 tournament. Though I didn't play against him, we took 5 th.
He took 1 st in a slam-bang final.
All that has been said and written about Ollie The Legend is all true. Trust me.

I would watch him on TV at night since we got the Nets games with Dr.J .
Most quiet assassin you'd ever meet, as well.
He just loved to play.
I thought I would share my two cents with the rest of your all.

 
At Saturday, February 29, 2020 11:01:00 AM, Blogger Unknown said...

A junior college friend told me about seeing "The Amazing O" playing against our own team, the Tyler Junior College Apaches-at that time not exactly a bunch of pushovers, a team built around another All American. As my friend described the game, I called him a lying ___, nobody could do that stuff at 6'-2". He said you got $10-we'll go to Houston and see him. At the time gas was about 30 cents a gallon. So we went. Ollie did not disappoint-he scored 46 points and ate our team alive. He seemed to be able to fly. In warm-ups I saw him dunk two basketballs off the same leap. I saw him take off from the top of the key, turn around in mid air and dunk backwards, ducking his head to keep from hitting the bottom of the backboard. The problem believing what he could do is one of ego. Myself, while not a basketball player, was an extremely well conditioned guy almost exactly the same size as Ollie and I could really jump-like two steps and clear the hood of my old '62 Chevy. I couldn't touch Ollie in jumping ability-that game I saw more than 80 years ago remains the most singly impressive athletic feat I've seen in my life and I'm 70+.

 
At Saturday, February 29, 2020 5:37:00 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

should be 50 years ago-typo

 
At Tuesday, December 22, 2020 11:47:00 AM, Blogger Unknown said...

I was a freshman at San Jac when Ollie was a sophomore and I had several classes with him. He was a class act and although he was the big man on campus he treated everyone like they were his best friend. I would love to find out where he is and how he is. Anyone know?

 
At Monday, April 05, 2021 12:18:00 AM, Blogger Unknown said...

We watched him die everything at San Jacinto Ravens games. 67-68 I think. He would put on a dunk show in preshow that was unbelievable. Hot Texas nights and ollie Starts with two ball dunks before the 3 ball finale. People are hanging out of the gym. That place rocked for ollie.
Roger Clemens is an alum.

 
At Saturday, November 05, 2022 6:13:00 PM, Blogger Steve Farrell said...

I remembered that when there was a jump ball against Artis Gilmore, it would be Ollie Taylor at 6'2" rather than Billy Paultz at 6'11". I also remember being at a game at the old Long Island Arena when Taylor dunks over Gilmore. What I saw was similar to how someone else described it, but I remember it a little differently. Gilmore blocks Taylor's shot, Taylor scrambles after the ball, takes it out to the top of the key, and then full charge ahead does a 2 handed dunk right over Gilmore, almost taking Gilmore's arms into the bucket with the ball. Amazing!

 
At Saturday, November 05, 2022 9:05:00 PM, Blogger David Friedman said...

Steve:

I am glad that my article still sparks memories of Ollie Taylor's great plays so many decades after he retired and 15 years after this article was published.

 
At Saturday, June 10, 2023 10:01:00 AM, Anonymous Steven Weiss, Bayside NY said...

We tried to arrive at games early for pre game dunk offs. Happened often enough. NBA pre game was lay up line, foul shooting, and field goal shooting. In othrr words, the basics. Pre game Nets with Ollie and the Dr. was electric!

 
At Sunday, June 11, 2023 8:59:00 AM, Blogger David Friedman said...

Steven:

That was a great time to be a basketball fan. I wish that I had been able to go to those games and see those pre-game dunk offs.

 
At Sunday, June 11, 2023 4:47:00 PM, Blogger Steve Farrell said...

Off topic from Ollie Taylor switching to Rick Barry and the first time I saw the 3 point play in action. Long Island Arena. Nets are down by 11 or 12 as the game is winding down. Barry starts shooting 3 pointers. 1, 2, 3. 4, 5 in a row or more. I don't remember. They were double and triple teaming him. Didn't miss once. Cuts the lead to 3. 7 seconds left, Nets inbound to Barry under the opposing teams basket, Barry races upcourt, gets tripped at midcourt with time running out. As he falls forward, somehow he gets off an underhand shot in the style he did his free throws, back spin and all, amazingly its straight on, looks like it will swish right through, falls barely short. I am an instant fan of the ABA, the 3 pointer and Rick Barry. I think the game was against the Miami Florida's, but can't be sure.

 
At Sunday, June 11, 2023 9:07:00 PM, Anonymous Ted Panken said...

I attended the aforementioned game at the Rucker, which happened in summer 1971. The team with Julius Erving, Charlie Scott, Ollie Taylor, The Whopper, Joe DuPre, et.al. (I don't remember Bob Love, but I do remember Mike Riordan was on it), was named the West Siders. Peter Vecsey was the coach and had the nerve to put himself on the court. Joe Hammond and Pee Wee Kirkland were on Milbank, along with Vincent White, a very good and agile big man, who played either on the Globetrotters or the Harlem Wizards. I recollect that the game went into overtime, when Charlie Scott took charge, and that Pee Wee Kirkland was up-and-down. However, Joe Hammond was spectacular. He arrived late in the first quarter or thereabouts, changed into uniform, and proceeded to take everyone into the post -- he was unstoppable. He disappeared for a while, Milbank fell behind; when he returned, Milbank made up the lead and forced the overtime. I didn't see them beat Tiny Archibald's team, but that summer I did see Tiny's team beat a pretty good team with the great Lonnie Robinson, who, believe it or not, stripped Tiny in the backcourt on two consecutive possessions. Tiny then did some astonishing things.

 
At Monday, June 12, 2023 12:35:00 PM, Blogger David Friedman said...

Steve Farrell:

I don't see a game in Basketball Reference's Game Logs that matches exactly what you described, but I have no doubt that Rick Barry put on a tremendous outside shooting display that clearly left an indelible impression on you.

Far too many people just look at the raw numbers and thus underestimate the shooting prowess of players such as Rick Barry, Jerry West, Pistol Pete Maravich, and others.

 
At Monday, June 12, 2023 12:42:00 PM, Blogger David Friedman said...

Ted Panken:

Vecsey has gotten a lot of mileage out of his experience coaching the Westsiders, and the legend of Hammond's performance has grown with time. Some claim (falsely) that Hammond only played one half and scored some outrageous point total with Erving guarding him, but Erving later pointed out that Hammond was a guard who was being checked by Scott. Erving speculated that after he became the most well known player from that game it was only natural for the narrative to shift from Hammond versus Scott to Hammond versus Erving. Erving also said that he is not too offended by being mentioned in the narrative because he feels like Hammond deserves some shine--but Erving has made it clear that Hammond did not score all of those points against him, and I also think (but am not positive without checking my records) that Erving's team won that game.

 
At Sunday, January 07, 2024 12:03:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Speaking of Ollies athletic prowess , I played softball in Houston with him in the late 1970s. We played for a team called Cinema West. He could hit a softball A MILE!

 
At Sunday, January 07, 2024 9:25:00 PM, Blogger Steve Farrell said...

I didn't know that about him. Thanks for sharing!

 
At Friday, February 09, 2024 11:41:00 AM, Blogger Tom Brennan said...

I saw Ollie Taylor once had a Nets v. Knicks preseason game. It was while the nets were still in the ABA. Ollie’s warm-up dunks were totally insane. Even by today’s standards. It is a darn shame that those weren’t on video.

 

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