Back in the day the NIT was considered as more prestigious than the NCAA's, but that was a LONG time ago. CCNY actually won both in the same year, but that is no longer possible. They were only 8 teams in each tournament then. I remember having to listen to the 1963 NCAA championship game on the radio even though I lived in Chicago and Loyola of Chicago won it. IIRC it was played at Freedom Hall in Louisville. Things have really changed.
Cool fact about CCNY, didn't know that, gonna challenge my son on that one, he is a Walking, Talking sports trivia machine! Thanks
CCNY beat Kentucky in the NIT that year. Legend has it that CCNY’s coach, the great Nat Holman, told his starters to shake hands with the Kentucky starters prior to the center jump. The Kentucky players refused to shake hands with the black and Jewish players. The enraged CCNY players went on to beat Kentucky by 39 points.
I attended many NIT Finals in the early 70s, including the 1971 final where NC beat Georgia Tech. In those days, the NCAA was a 16 team affair and limited leagues to just their champion, which could have been a tournament. They were also placed in a regional close to home, which gave UCLA a big advantage all those years, since the bulk of the great leagues were concentrated in the east, mideast and midwest. The NIT at least that year, was 16 teams all played at MSG. I believe UNC got upset in the ACC tournament and was talented enough to at least compete with UCLA that year NIT History: 1971 Part Two – North Carolina is Victorious
UNC’s center was Rusty Clark. I played against him in the Gainesville city league. Our law school team beat his med school team even though the med school team had Rusty and Ron Harris from the FSU Cowens team that played for the national title.
Wasn’t that when there were huge gambling/point shaving scandals that included both CCNY and Kentucky as well as other schools?
Unfortunately, that happened the following year, and it originated in my neck of the worlds in the Catskills where the fixers got their hooks into some of the kids playing summer basketball.
I think Clark graduated a year earlier. The most prominent name on the roster was long time coach, George Karl. The star was Bill Chamberlain. You also may remember Dave Chadwick, who was in Gainesville as a graduate assistant with John Lotz Franklin "Rusty" Clark Named ACC Legend - University of North Carolina Athletics North Carolina Tar Heels 1970-71 Basketball Roster - Tar Heel Times
Agree with you on Lane and Reeves. Lane is way undervalued. Great defender, plays bigger than 6”5, and Play athletic enough to get rebounds and slash to the hoop and score. I’d give Kennedy time at the point too. I hear Jones and Appleby may be coming back. Gonna have to shoot it better.
Dave and I were on the same team in the Gainesville city league. I thought that he was the best player in Gainesville, including the players on the Gator team at that time. I cannot recall why he was on the law school team, but he was. My biggest problem playing with Dave was that I had guilt feelings shooting the ball instead of passing it to Dave. His field goal percentage was probably around 80%.
Honestly, CC benefits a great deal by coming back. He’s a guy I think the world of but not getting drafted.
He may not get drafted, but he will be playing basketball somewhere next year and getting paid for it.
Your correct, just depends on his situation. Comes back and puts up 19-10 on a good team while showing the ability ( biggest lingering factor) to hit the 12-15 footer he may may get drafted. As I mentioned I completely agree with you he’ll be playing somewhere next year if he does not come back… But there is a big difference in playing 3300 miles from home and making 1/4 of what he might make should he get drafted. Like I said, if his financial situation allows him to come back it would make a lot of sense
Dave “Big Red” Cowens, oh the tape on this 6’8” From Ohio. His FSU team where he didn’t fit in when he got there. He got into a number of fights with his teammates. Welcome to the south. He survived and thrived. Was part of the Celtics greatest run in their history!
He was another guy who played at Kutsher’s during the summer on the Catskills (a couple of miles from my home). His summer coach at Kutsher’s was Red Auerbach.
I don't see him being a Jokic type of player, but I could see him being a valuable player off the bench if he can get a decent jumpshot.
