When Chones Went Pro; Al>Krzyzewski

[Herman Cain]

Jim Chones went Pro in the middle of the season , February 1972.  We were undefeated, 21-0 at the time. MU had gone 49-1 with Chones.   What was even more remarkable was that Al unambiguously told him to go to the Nets.

Al > Krzyzewski

[Not A Serious Person]

+1!!!!

It is time Coach K show the same type of leadership.

Leaving 21-0 Warriors got his mom a house
May 5, 1992

https://journaltimes.com/news/local/leaving---warriors-got-his-mom-a-house/article_aa0f3f94-f232-5bd5-91cb-e55fff7114eb.html

t's almost commonplace now, but nearly two decades ago, Jim Chones did something almost unthinkable.

Chones, who was then attending Marquette University, decided to leave school and join the New York Nets of the American Basketball Association. He thus became one of the first players - Spencer Haywood of Detroit was the first - to pass up his remaining college eligibility for the pros.

Not only that, Chones did something that has never been done. He left before Marquette had completed its season.

Chones' decision was a controversial one to say the least. At the time, on Feb. 17, 1972, Marquette had a 21-0 record and was the second-ranked team in the country, only behind the Bill Walton-led UCLA Bruins.

Chones, then a junior and averaging 20.5 points, opted to turn pro for family and personal reasons.

...

It was an offer too good to refuse. It was an offer Marquette Coach Al McGuire encouraged Chones to accept. McGuire said he even tried to land Chones a pro contract sooner.

"I haven't told this story, but I started working on this after his sophomore season," McGuire said. "I knew the merger between the NBA and ABA was going to happen pretty soon and when it did, the (monetary) numbers would decrease.

[continue reading at the link above]

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Sorry, but I don't think the situations are the same. I also don't think anyone here knows what conversations have or haven't been had by Coach K and Zion.

[NorthernDancerColt]

Jim Chones went Pro in the middle of the season , February 1972.  We were undefeated, 21-0 at the time. MU had gone 49-1 with Chones.   What was even more remarkable was that Al unambiguously told him to go to the Nets.

Al > Krzyzewski

For a good guy like Al, it wasn’t that remarkable...Al looked in his icebox and it was full; he looked in Jim’s and it was empty.

[HouWarrior]

I did not remember the 49-1 record with Chones at MU. Thanks

...I do remember following Chones teams at Racine Saint Cates...senior year they had a great record 26-0 and during his entire HS tenure I think they only lost once or twice.....that works out to something like 120-3, for Jims Wisconsin combined HS and college career

Does Chones boast the best all time WI win % record for the teams he played on there?

Someone must know this trivia teaser. ie combine a players HS team record with his college team record ...

My guess is nationally, Lew Alcindor is no 1 here...79-2 at NY Power Memorial and 88-2 at UCLA .....167-4 combined total

[Slim]

I did not remember the 49-1 record with Chones at MU. Thanks

...I do remember following Chones teams at Racine Saint Cates...senior year they had a great record 26-0 and during his entire HS tenure I think they only lost once or twice.....that works out to something like 120-3, for Jims Wisconsin combined HS and college career

Does Chones boast the best all time WI win % record for the teams he played on there?

Someone must know this trivia teaser. ie combine a players HS team record with his college team record ...

My guess is nationally, Lew Alcindor is no 1 here...79-2 at NY Power Memorial and 88-2 at UCLA .....167-4 combined total

I know Joey isn’t 1st, but he’s gotta be way up there.

[HouWarrior]

Bobby Hurley ---115-5 Saint Anthony's HS NJ, 143-26 Duke
combined 258-31
Oscar Robertson 91-3 Crispus Attucks HS 79-9 Univ Cincinnati
combined 170-12

[wadesworld]

Lol

[4everwarriors]

Eye 'member it tadey like it wuz yesterdey. Right afta beetin' Jacksonville at da Mecca. Woke up ta Jim Irwin at 620 WTMJ bustin' da news on the mornin' sports report.
Any y'all 'member da NCAA declarin' Lackey ineligible for the Tourney? Sum weird chit happened only heer back in da dey, aina?

[Galway Eagle]

So you made a thread without actually knowing what K said to Zion? Let's say K is saying he could be costing himself millions and zions saying 'coach before I go pro I want to lead us to the Final four'.

[DoggyDaddy]

SI did a piece in the season preview that was titled The Big One who Stayed, or something like it. We knew tempting offers among ABA and NBA teams were out there. Many of us young pups who saw the 70-71 team  play knew that this one might be the best MU team ever with Chones in the middle, the Black Swan and new comer Larry McNeil on the wings. They played like champs too until...well you know what went down Feb 22. 
Chones was poor; Al knew from his modest roots what to do.
We all understood why but hated that the slimy ABA and rigid NCAA rules did not let him finish the season.
By the way, Maurice Lucas was a freshmen that year. NCAA rules back then banned freshmen from varsity play. If Luke had been available even after all this...the mind boggles.
But we all knew MU had arrived and the story was not over.       

[Galway Eagle]

Would it have been better if Chones did what Howard Porter did? Yeah it would've been discovered and revoked but at least we'd have seen what the end result of that team would've been

[Herman Cain]

Would it have been better if Chones did what Howard Porter did? Yeah it would've been discovered and revoked but at least we'd have seen what the end result of that team would've been

The Geezer was one heck of a player.

[bilsu]

Had Chones stayed one more year, our frontline would of been Chones, McNeil & Lucas.

[Herman Cain]

Had Chones stayed one more year, our frontline would of been Chones, McNeil & Lucas.

No one would have touched us.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Was chones drafted? Or signed as a free agent?

[4everwarriors]

Was chones drafted? Or signed as a free agent?

C'mon man, no yo history. #22 was signed write afta the Warriors beet da Dolphins. Eye went ta bed, Chones wuz a Warrior. Woke up, he gone. No draft, just got signed out from under us during da season. Crazy chit, butt da ABA wuz in a desparate situation. Goin' forward da Cavs drafted him, fore witch he eventually played, hey?

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

He was drafted by the Nets, but the ABA drafts were kind of strange.  They were held in secret with the other clubs not even knowing who was drafted.  They also had a number of supplemental rounds.

[Marqevans]

Jim Chones went Pro in the middle of the season , February 1972.  We were undefeated, 21-0 at the time. MU had gone 49-1 with Chones.   What was even more remarkable was that Al unambiguously told him to go to the Nets.

Al > Krzyzewski

You brought back that sinking feeling! It was even worse when Lucas left!

[Herman Cain]

C'mon man, no yo history. #22 was signed write afta the Warriors beet da Dolphins. Eye went ta bed, Chones wuz a Warrior. Woke up, he gone. No draft, just got signed out from under us during da season. Crazy chit, butt da ABA wuz in a desparate situation. Goin' forward da Cavs drafted him, fore witch he eventually played, hey?

I got to know Roy Boe,the front man owner of the Nets at that time, later in his Life. I met Boe because he was trying to raise money for a couple of minor league hockey teams he owned.

Boe was a typical entrepreneur whose appetite for sports teams was bigger than his pocket book. He had control of the Islanders and Nets at the same time but couldn't afford both.  He truly was a desperate man.

He thought Chones would help the Nets franchise stay afloat long enough for them to merge with NBA.  I think Chones ended up getting the best of the deal , as he got his bonus money from Boe and, as pointed out above ,ended up in the NBA anyway.

Al did a great job for Chones.

[Jockey]

I did not remember the 49-1 record with Chones at MU. Thanks

...I do remember following Chones teams at Racine Saint Cates...senior year they had a great record 26-0 and during his entire HS tenure I think they only lost once or twice.....that works out to something like 120-3, for Jims Wisconsin combined HS and college career

Does Chones boast the best all time WI win % record for the teams he played on there?

Someone must know this trivia teaser. ie combine a players HS team record with his college team record ...

My guess is nationally, Lew Alcindor is no 1 here...79-2 at NY Power Memorial and 88-2 at UCLA .....167-4 combined total

Actually, Lew had a much better record than that.

Freshmen were not eligible to play varsity ball, and the UCLA freshman team was also undefeated - including a drubbing of the #1 team in the country, the Wooden coached UCLA varsity. Lew had 30+ points and 20+ rebounds in that game.

[Herman Cain]

Actually, Lew had a much better record than that.

Freshmen were not eligible to play varsity ball, and the UCLA freshman team was also undefeated - including a drubbing of the #1 team in the country, the Wooden coached UCLA varsity. Lew had 30+ points and 20+ rebounds in that game.

It would be interesting to see how Lew/Kareem would have done in this era. I think he still would be the greatest player.

[Cheeks]

Actually, Lew had a much better record than that.

Freshmen were not eligible to play varsity ball, and the UCLA freshman team was also undefeated - including a drubbing of the #1 team in the country, the Wooden coached UCLA varsity. Lew had 30+ points and 20+ rebounds in that game.

Nope, not at UCLA at least.

They were 88-2 with Alcindor, which on a pct basis is worse than 49-1

[Herman Cain]

Nope, not at UCLA at least.

They were 88-2 with Alcindor, which on a pct basis is worse than 49-1

If Chones would have stayed, there could have possibly been a Marquette UCLA final matching two undefeated teams.

[WarriorHal]

If Chones would have stayed, there could have possibly been a Marquette UCLA final matching two undefeated teams.

Yep.  Chones vs. Walton The dream college match-up that never happened.

"The 1972–73 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team won another National Championship for UCLA by beating the Memphis State Tigers, 87–66 in the Final Four and winning their seventh consecutive title. In the NCAA Championship Game, Bill Walton made 21 of 22 field goal attempts and scored 44 points."