re: Pete Maravich

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cause that's exactly what I've said on this thread

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Hey Pete was great but honestly was never much of a winner. He brought new tools and skills to the game. I loved to watch him play, we all wore the floppy socks back then!

As a complete basketball player though there were many better. At LSU he took almost all the shots thus his big numbers. He was a career 43% shooter and not much (44%) better in the pros.

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As a complete basketball player though there were many better.

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In terms of college basketball, we'll just have to agree to disagree. I think he's up there with a select 2 or 3.

He was the most entertaining collegiate basketball player I've ever seen(going back to the 50's) and IMO the best ever. At the professional level he was not blessed to be with good teams and at times you could see his frustration. Had he gone to a solid franchise like the Lakers,Celtics or Knicks of his day his status would be even more exalted. As it is, even with an injury-shortened career he's chosen as one of the 50 greatest to play the game. A magician with the ball, there were many times I watched him and paid no attention to whether his team was winning or losing. And in the end, Pete was an even better person than he was a player.

I saw him play with the N.O. Jazz on several occasions. Watched him drop 69 on the Knicks one night in the Dome. Even got his autograph after one game, which was rare because he usually ducked out the back way but this particular night he came right out where the fans were. A simply incredible basketball player. Will likely never be another like. The comparisons with Jordan are not quite fair. They were different kinds of ball players with different skill sets. As far as ball handling, passing and pure shooting goes- no one rivals the Pistol.

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I, of course, had no idea who he was and had to break the date because I was sick.

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What a night to get sick huh?

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What a night to get sick huh?

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Really! And my family is from PA so we would have ha a lot in common.

That was 44 points per game and no 3 point line... can you image what his average would have been if they had the 3 point shot back in his college days ????

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you're having some issues with past and present tense today, aren't you?

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Maravich’s Records and Highlights:

* All-Time NCAA Career Scoring Leader with 3,667 points, an average of 44.2 points for 83 games.
* Ranks first, fourth and fifth for most points in a single season in NCAA history. Averaged 44.5 points in 1970, 44.2 points in 1969 and 43.8 points in 1968.
* Scored 69 points vs. Alabama, Feb. 7, 1970.
* Led LSU to the NIT Final Four in 1970, its first postseason appearance in 16 years.
* Unanimous first-team All-American in 1968, 1969, 1970.
* Naismith Award winner in 1970.
* Member of the National Basketball Association Hall of Fame after 10-year career with Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans and Utah Jazz and Boston Celtics.
* Named one of the NBA’s 50 greatest players in 1997.

LSU Career Highlights:
Three-year letter winner (1967-70)
The Sporting News College Player of the Year (1970)
Naismith Award Winner (1970)
The Sporting News All-America First Team (1968, 1969, 1970)
Three-time AP and UPI First-Team All-America (1968, 1969, 1970)
Holds NCAA career record for most points (3,667, 44.2 ppg, three-year career) in 83 games
Holds NCAA career record for highest points per game average (44.2 ppg)
Holds NCAA record for most field goals made (1,387) and attempted (3,166)
Holds NCAA record for most free throws made (893) and attempted (1,152)
Holds NCAA record for most games scoring at least 50 points (28)
Holds NCAA single-season record for most points (1,381) and highest per game average (44.5 ppg) in 1970
Ranks 1st, 4th and 5th for most points in a single season in NCAA history, averaging 44.5 points in 1970, 44.2 points in 1969 and 43.8 points in 1968.
Holds NCAA single-season record for most field goals made (522) and attempted (1,168) in 1970
Holds NCAA single-season record for most games scoring at least 50 points (10) in 1970
Holds NCAA single-game record for most free throws made (30 of 31) against Oregon State on Dec. 22, 1969
Led the NCAA Division I in scoring with 43.8 ppg (1968); 44.2 (1969) and 44.5 ppg (1970)
The 44.5 ppg average ranks best in NCAA history; 44.2 ppg (fourth); 43.8 ppg (fifth)
Averaged 43.6 ppg on the LSU freshman team (1967)
Scored a career-high 69 points vs. Alabama (Feb. 7, 1970); 66 vs. Tulane (Feb. 10, 1969); 64 vs. Kentucky (Feb. 21, 1970); 61 vs. Vanderbilt (Dec. 11, 1969);
Holds LSU records for most field goals in a game (26) against Vanderbilt on Jan. 29, 1969 and attempted (57) against Vanderbilt
All-Southeastern Conference (1968, 1969, 1970)
Led LSU to the NIT Final Four in 1970, its first post-season appearance in 16 years
In 1988, Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer signed legislation changing the official name of LSU's home court to the Maravich Assembly Center
In 1970, Maravich led LSU to a 20-8 record and a third place finish in the NIT

MARAVICH'S LSU CAREER STATISTICS

Year . G FG . FGA . PCT. FT . FTA PCT. REB AVG.
68-70 83 1387 3166 .438 893 1152 .775 528 6.4

PF-D AST. AVE PTS-AVG.
251-7 425 5.1 3667-44.2
Source

The career FG% of 43.8% is remarkable considering he was taking what today would be 30 3-pt shots per game. His 6.4 rebounds per game is exceptional for a guard. The 5.1 assists per game does not describe the jaw dropping nature of his assists. His ball handling skills were peerless; he would spend hours on a drill dribbling the ball blindfolded. No college player in history was better at drawing fouls.

Alcinder was a consummate rebounder and could not be stopped when he had the ball 5 feet from the rim. Those two skills pale beside the all-around game of Pete Maravich. Larry Bird may have been a more pure shooter, but his ball handling was only adequate and his game lacked quickness and grace.

Maravich was a wizard, creative and the first collegiate showman and the best. He was a decade ahead of his time. Magic Johnson prolly comes closest to Pistol, but his ball handling was not as good and Pete was the better showman IMHO.

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hat's pretty amazing since even if everyone one of his shots were a field goal from 3pt land his scoring would have been no more than 66 ppg.

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Maybe he would have been fouled more if there was a 3 point line,

Or maybe the team would have been giving him the ball even more if there was a 3 point line, since he had such a hot hand...2 ways he could have gotten to 70, who knows what the "analysts" were considering!