Pistol Pete Maravich - The Best I Ever Saw

[Chuckinden]

For those of you younguns that never got a chance to see the Pistol play, you missed out on seeing the best college basketball player in history. He could do it all and was a truly a magician on the court.

http://www.slamonline.com/college-hs/pete-maravich-scoring-record/#YqI8vV6TRorGRcVi.97

 

[moe#8]

I totally agree, think about him often, the very best ever.

 

[westerncat]

I agree also. Best player I have seen.

 

[sluggercatfan]

I agree also. Best player I have seen.

Agree...WAY ahead of his time...died way too early

 

[1war]

What did he win?

 

[UK3K]

That was an enjoyable article. At some point I'm going to have to try to find a game or three of his to watch online

 

[UK90]

BY FAR most overrated player in basketball history.

 

[Louis_Skunt]

He's a skinny white guy, how good could he have been..

 

[W2R]

He never won much as a team accomplishment but someone today would have to AVERAGE fifteen 3 pointers A GAME just to beat his record. Ain't gonna happen.

Rupp always let him score and shut everyone else down.

 

[anon_9qtxg60vqzy0y]

BY FAR most overrated player in basketball history.

Overrated? I've seen some dumb statements on this board, yours ranks among the top. Congrats

 

[Bigblueforever]

I have a tie between Pistol Pete Maravich & Jerry West for the best I ever seen.

 

[chevyman 50]

Just thank if there had been a 3 pt line in that day..

 

[etowncatfan]

I don't like to say BEST EVER about anything, but Pistol Pete may have been just that in College Basketball.

 

[uky8unc5]

I love Pete...saw him live 3 times. He absolutely changed the game, and became the most imitated player in history. Forget his scoring. His handle and passing reminded me of the Harlem Globetrotters.

 

[uky8unc5]

I don't like to say BEST EVER about anything, but Pistol Pete may have been just that in College Basketball.

Well said. College basketball. That's the key to this thread. Pete was Steph Curry to College basketball. One-of-a-kind who changed the game.

 

[GLR5555]

I made the same declaration in a thread on this board over a year ago and was ridiculed for it. By far, the best I ever witnessed. The younger guys cant imagine how great he was.

 

[DeerTurkHunter1]

Well said. College basketball. That's the key to this thread. Pete was Steph Curry to College basketball. One-of-a-kind who changed the game.

I'm not sure what Steph Curry is to the NBA to compare Pete. What is Steph?

 

[Calsarmy]

Totally the best "basketball player" I ever saw. I have been lucky enough to have seen almost every great player from 1960 to today. Wilt was the most dominant player, MJ did what many players before him had already done. Curry is an unbelievable shooter. Pistol was a scorer, but it was the other things he did. Pistol did things no one had ever seen. He invented moves. Few if any players can say that. IMO Pistol was not a shooter but a scorer. There is a difference. If there had been a 3 point line when Pistol played I'm not sure what he would have averaged, but it would be much larger than the averages he ended up with. I've heard others ask what did he win? Well he played on a terrible team that his father coached at LSU. No players around him and he carried the entire load. No question in my mind that Pistol Pete Maravich was the best player I have ever seen in basketball.

 

[ArkansasCatsFan]

I love Pete...saw him live 3 times. He absolutely changed the game, and became the most imitated player in history. Forget his scoring. His handle and passing reminded me of the Harlem Globetrotters.

I watched Pete play (not live unfortunately) but the few that were televised back then. The 3 point line would have vaulted him to a scoring record that would be ridiculous to imagine, but his dribbling and passing were special. I agree about being reminded about the Globetrotters. Glad I got to watch him.

 

[2Adulterers]

at the half of his last game in Memorial Coliseum..UK was comfortably ahead..Coach Hall gave the halftime talk..Coach Rupp asked "who's guarding Marrrivichh? "..Terry Mills stood up..Rupp asked "Manager how many points does he have?"..I answered 37 Coach...Rupp replied.."Hell of a job Mills..can you grab his jock as he runs by you..or break his leg" Terry shook his head and sat down..Pete had 27 the second half total of 64..UK won easily..LSU locker room was almost empty when I took towels in for their shower..Pete was sitting on the bench distraught..and head in hands.He said "I don't care about points..I just want to beat Kentucky" He
never did..The greatest player ever hands down...No 3 pointer and 44.5 per game average..

 

[2Adulterers]

I watched Pete play (not live unfortunately) but the few that were televised back then. The 3 point line would have vaulted him to a scoring record that would be ridiculous to imagine, but his dribbling and passing were special. I agree about being reminded about the Globetrotters. Glad I got to watch him.

with the 3 pointer..almost 60 per game average is what computers have estimated..

 

[2Adulterers]

Totally the best "basketball player" I ever saw. I have been lucky enough to have seen almost every great player from 1960 to today. Wilt was the most dominant player, MJ did what many players before him had already done. Curry is an unbelievable shooter. Pistol was a scorer, but it was the other things he did. Pistol did things no one had ever seen. He invented moves. Few if any players can say that. IMO Pistol was not a shooter but a scorer. There is a difference. If there had been a 3 point line when Pistol played I'm not sure what he would have averaged, but it would be much larger than the averages he ended up with. I've heard others ask what did he win? Well he played on a terrible team that his father coached at LSU. No players around him and he carried the entire load. No question in my mind that Pistol Pete Maravich was the best player I have ever seen in basketball.

His supporting cast Bill "FIG"Newton and Al "Apple" Sanders were marginal..Pete was the show..and he came to play every night..

 

[K_TIME]

Pistol was no doubt a great player...but "best there ever was"?

1. He was a career 41% FG shooter over 10 seasons. So he shot alot and missed alot as well comparitively.
2. He had a career 5.4 assists vs. 3.7 TOs...so not even a 2 to 1 ass/to ratio
3. His teams never won much at all in college or pros (Never played in NCAA tourney...I think his team made NBA playoffs only once)

His play was revolutionary at that time, new moves, etc.. but given that he was a very inefficient player and his teams never won much...I'd almost compare to him a modern day version of Allen Iverson. Tremendous player, even though Iverson 76ers won way more than Maravich ever did, but both were primary scorers who shot a ton to score. Pistol was never known as a lockdown defender either.

I'm all for old-time great players getting some recognition but to fathom catapulting Pistol over Jordan is just silly IMO. Not to mention Magic, Karem, Duncan, Bird, Shaq, Lebron, Olajuwan, Russell, etc.. are all head and shoulders better players.

 

[Johnfarrel]

Pete was the best and I go back to the 1940's.

 

[2Adulterers]

May be the greatest college player ever the NBA another issue..He never played in NCAA because you had to win your conference to get a bid..UK dominated the SEC..LSU never won the title..

 

[UK_Is_Good]

with the 3 pointer..almost 60 per game average is what computers have estimated..

That can't be right. His best scoring average was 44.5 and his average field goals made per game that year was 16.8. That would mean he'd have to average 15.5 made 3s per game to get to 60 (or about 92% of his made FGs coming from behind the arc).

 

[blubo]

I happened to see pete about six months before his death while vacationing in pigeon forge tenn. we were staying in a little motel on a hot sunday afternoon and were all out by the pool. i had to go to the desk for change for the ice machine and the clerk, eyeing my uk tee, asked "do you know who pete maravich is?" of course i said i did. he said pete and his family just checked in about an hour ago.
I watched for him around the motel the rest of that evening but no sighting.
The next morning we walked to a little restaurant right next door for breakfast, and as i walked in, sitting at the first table, was this long lanky guy in a sweatsuit holding a newspaper open in front of him. it was pete and wife with two kids.
As near as i could tell i was the only person in the place who knew who he was. my wife tried to get me to ask him for an autograph but i wouldn't intrude on him and his family, as i have never been interested in autographs anyway, except on checks written to me.
That was mid-late summer, and as i remember he collapsed and died while playing in some sort of instructional setting later that fall.
I enjoyed watching him more than any player i have ever seen.

 

[uky8unc5]

I'm not sure what Steph Curry is to the NBA to compare Pete. What is Steph?

Steph has redefined his position and captured the attention of every 10 year old boy in 15 minutes. Pete had that kind of impact.

 

[UKnCincy]

with the 3 pointer..almost 60 per game average is what computers have estimated..

Actually I believe it was Dale Brown, not computers. Story is that Brown went back and charted every shot Maravich took while at LSU to determine how many would've been threes.

After doing so, he determined that he would have averaged 57 per game over his three years. Whether Brown actually did that or embellished things a bit, who knows? However, it doesn't seem to be a stretch to believe that this was the case.

I can't even fathom a player averaging nearly 60 a game. That would mean scoring only 35 was an off night. Unreal.

 

[maysvilleky]

FYI...Whitney Creech averaged over 50 ppg in KY girls H.S. ball this year. But she played on a very poor team. So I think similar circumstances. Great individual efforts because they had to play that way.

 

[UKnCincy]

That can't be right. His best scoring average was 44.5 and his average field goals made per game that year was 16.8. That would mean he'd have to average 15.5 made 3s per game to get to 60 (or about 92% of his made FGs coming from behind the arc).

That is an excellent catch. It would seem that the story I've often heard has grown a bit over the course of being retold.

 

[uky8unc5]

That was mid-late summer, and as i remember he collapsed and died while playing in some sort of instructional setting later that fall.
I enjoyed watching him more than any player i have ever seen.

Pete died playing pickup basketball with (Christian author/MD) Dr. James Dobson, who administered CPR. Pete had become a devoted Christian, which makes his life story have double meaning.

After 45 minutes of slow-paced scrimmaging, Dr. Dobson asked Pete: "How do you feel?" Pete said: "I feel great!" And then he dropped to floor dead, but alive in Jesus.

CORRECTION: Late in life (just weeks before he died) Mickey Mantle gave his heart to Jesus just weeks before he died. Mickey gave credit to a video testimony of Pete talking about his spiritual journey to Jesus. Bobby Richardson is the one who told this story.

 

[UKvisitor]

here is some of Pistol @ LSU :

 

[2Adulterers]

Actually I believe it was Dale Brown, not computers. Story is that Brown went back and charted every shot Maravich took while at LSU to determine how many would've been threes.

After doing so, he determined that he would have averaged 57 per game over his three years. Whether Brown actually did that or embellished things a bit, who knows? However, it doesn't seem to be a stretch to believe that this was the case.

I can't even fathom a player averaging nearly 60 a game. That would mean scoring only 35 was an off night. Unreal.

there you go as Dennis Weaver would say on Mc Cloud

 

[uky8unc5]

I'm all for old-time great players getting some recognition but to fathom catapulting Pistol over Jordan is just silly IMO. Not to mention Magic, Karem, Duncan, Bird, Shaq, Lebron, Olajuwan, Russell, etc.. are all head and shoulders better players.

The older we get, the greater the past becomes! In context of his time, Pete was best in our eyes.

I wish you could have seen him live. Like Joe Willy Namath, Pete was a revolutionary, non-conformist in a decade of Revolution. Floppy socks, long stringy hair, flair in every move he made. Pretty much invented no-look passes. Used the glass from 25 feet. Dribbled like the ball was on a string behind his back and between his legs.

He was not a Showboat....Pete was the SHOW!

 

[mdlUK.1]

I remember listening on AFR, to UK play LSU in the 69-70 season. It was so amazing to hear the play by play.

It was like, Pratt to Issel. Out to key. To Pratt. He passes to issel. Issel shoots. It's good.And as soon as he said it's good, it was followed by "theregoesMaravich.It'sgood" Sounded that fast.

 

[2Adulterers]

The older we get, the greater the past becomes! In context of his time, Pete was best in our eyes.

I wish you could have seen him live. Like Joe Willy Namath, Pete was a revolutionary, non-conformist in a decade of Revolution. Floppy socks, long stringy hair, flair in every move he made. Pretty much invented no-look passes. Used the glass from 25 feet. Dribbled like the ball was on a string behind his back and between his legs.

He was not a Showboat....Pete was the SHOW!

amen to that..

 

[Naitch86]

Pete died playing pickup basketball with (Christian author/MD) Dr. James Dobson, who administered CPR. Pete had become a devoted Christian, which makes his life story have double meaning.

After 45 minutes of slow-paced scrimmaging, Dr. Dobson asked Pete: "How do you feel?" Pete said: "I feel great!" And then he dropped to floor dead, but alive in Jesus.

Cool add-on: Pete and Mickey Mantle became friends; and late in his life, Pete led Mickey to the Lord...just days before Mickey died.

I think Mantle died a good while after Pete did.

 

[BlueBomb]

here is some of Pistol @ LSU :

View embedded media

That mixtape is unbelievable. I watched the entire thing, and he didn't miss a shot!!

 

[UKvisitor]

That mixtape is unbelievable. I watched the entire thing, and he didn't miss a shot!!

I appreciated his passing more than his shooting.