When Chones Went Pro; Al>Krzyzewski

[bilsu]

Was chones drafted? Or signed as a free agent?

The Nets of the ABA had the first draft pick lock up. Back then both the NBA and ABA had their own drafts. So each team that drafted Chones would have fight against each other for him. The Nets offered an immediate contract with above market money, if Chones would sign early.

[Cheeks]

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

I was two years old living in Central America at the time, so I never got to experience him, but I spent two years as Executive Producer of Marquette Basketball TV network and Jim was our analyst for the broadcasts....Coach Al did a bunch of games, too.  Mr. Chones was great, I love his daughter Kareeda...classy family through and through.

As a kid I do remember him playing for the Lakers.

[Nukem2]

I was two years old living in Central America at the time, so I never got to experience him, but I spent two years as Executive Producer of Marquette Basketball TV network and Jim was our analyst for the broadcasts....Coach Al did a bunch of games, too.  Mr. Chones was great, I love his daughter Kareeda...classy family through and through.

As a kid I do remember him playing for the Lakers.

Thats nice, but what the heck does that have to do with what you responded to?

[4everwarriors]

Growing up in MKE, I knew of #22 throughout his high school career. But, got to meet him up close and personal during freshman orientation in August 1969 in the lobby of the Varsity Theater. I approached this tall, skinny kid, wearing a green Michigan State windbreaker, standing there alone. Later, he, I, Sugar, #45, John Cary, and Kurt Spychalla were all classmates in John Pick's English class together.

[Lennys Tap]

Thats nice, but what the heck does that have to do with what you responded to?

Nothing, but the Cheekmeister is a serial name dropper. No opening (however small or even imagined) is ignored.

[4everwarriors]

Gotta admit its kinda fun ta do dis name droppin' chit, hey? 

[Herman Cain]

Gotta admit its kinda fun ta do dis name droppin' chit, hey? 

Like Dizzy Dean said " It aint braggin if you can back it up"

[Cheeks]

Thats nice, but what the heck does that have to do with what you responded to?

Let’s see

1). Never got to see him play, but that UCLA vs MU matchup sounds like it would be great

2). Though I didn’t get to see him play, I did have the honor of working with him for two years....great dude....great family.


I didn’t realize that was hard....I see posts about people coaching their HS teams, etc, all seem to be ok even if occasionally they end up in a thread that doesn’t seem to have linkage....but here I spoke mostly about Chones.  Oh well.  Cheers

[Cheeks]

Growing up in MKE, I knew of #22 throughout his high school career. But, got to meet him up close and personal during freshman orientation in August 1969 in the lobby of the Varsity Theater. I approached this tall, skinny kid, wearing a green Michigan State windbreaker, standing there alone. Later, he, I, Sugar, #45, John Cary, and Kurt Spychalla were all classmates in John Pick's English class together.

Thanks for sharing, and I’m glad you did....some may question if your response was appropriate to the thread, but I found it to be nice and appreciated.  Gracias

[Cheeks]

Like Dizzy Dean said " It aint braggin if you can back it up"

Yup, some peeps don’t get that but tiz okie dokiez in myzz bookz

[rocket surgeon]

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?

 yes to this-i remember it seeming as though it was MU & al against everyone else.  the refs & the ncaa.  were we victims, hell no,  it played right into our push back and our resolve.  many examples showing this, but the most emblematic one was al showing the big middle finger to the ncaa in 1970, boycotting their tourney, opting for the nit and winning the mofo by destroying massachusetts, utah, lsu and st johnnies
    i forgot about this one-

  "# In March of 1968, McGuire refused to appear on Adolph Rupp's TV show before the NCAA Tournament, instigating a persistent feud with the bombastic Baron of the Bluegrass. McGuire thought was Rupp was too stubbornly Old South in ways that hindered social progress … racist, in other words. Playing on their home floor, Rupp's Kentucky Wildcats bombed Marquette out of the tournament, but the Warriors avenged the loss in Madison, Wis., one year later."

and this one-

   "   In 1971, one of the best teams in Marquette history went 26-0 in the regular season, only to lose to Ohio State in the regional semifinals in Athens, Ga. In his next-to-last game as a Warrior, All-America guard Dean Meminger fouled out for the only time in his college career. The Warriors put the game officials on their all-opponent team at the season-ending banquet."

and this one-

  "# In March of 1974, Marquette stormed through the NCAA tournament and reached the Final Four for the first time in school history. In the title game, an overheated McGuire drew two technical fouls from "television ref" Irv Brown as North Carolina State pulled away to a 12-point victory. He later blamed himself for losing the game."

    i've got this iconic picture hanging in my office-a black n white of al walking past rick and raymond with looks on their faces that told ya all ya needed to know

i just remember we always seemed to be pushing back.  we were an independent & catholic.  if al would have done today, what he did in 1968 with kentucky/adolff hitl...rupp, he would have been looked upon as the white mlk and rightly so.

al was his own man

[rocket surgeon]

Nothing, but the Cheekmeister is a serial name dropper. No opening (however small or even imagined) is ignored.

i sure am glad all of these threads are otherwise lock step and then someone comes in here and just ruins your guys day

little boxes on the hillside-little boxes all the same....

great stories 4ever and cheeks!  always good to hear that any one of us have had brushes with some of these stories that humanize them and bring 'em closer to reality

[Lennys Tap]

great stories 4ever and cheeks!  always good to hear that any one of us have had brushes with some of these stories that humanize them and bring 'em closer to reality

This was a thread about a defining moment in Marquette history. A poor black player was encouraged by his white coach to go pro during what was very possibly a championship season. 4ever's recollections of those times and some of the characters give added color to that moment. Chico using that moment to remind everyone for the umpteenth time that he knew and worked with Al (and Jim ) 25 years later is beside the point, A look at me moment, if you will.

[lawdog77]

This was a thread about a defining moment in Marquette history. A poor black player was encouraged by his white coach to go pro during what was very possibly a championship season. 4ever's recollections of those times and some of the characters give added color to that moment. Chico using that moment to remind everyone for the umpteenth time that he knew and worked with Al (and Jim ) 25 years later is beside the point, A look at me moment, if you will.

This reminds me of the time I met the Dalai Lama...well actually his brother, who  lived in Bloomington, IN (no joke).He told me to use the ignore function

[Goose]

I am with 4ever. I remember that day like it was yesterday. Truthfully, I had so much trust in Al that I fully supported it. Big time disappointing, but still feel a watershed moment in MU ball history.

[warriorjoe]

The full story of Jimmy leaving MU appears in Chapter 10 (Dunkirk) of the Centennial Edition of my book "You Can Call Me Al: The Colorful Journey of College Basketball's Original Flower Child, Al McGuire." For more information about that book and my second book "Goin' Uptown: Marquette's March to Madness and Return to the Final Four," check out my website (www.jdmpress.net). I will also be blogging on that site for the balance of the season and postseason.

Go Warriors!

[Cheeks]

The full story of Jimmy leaving MU appears in Chapter 10 (Dunkirk) of the Centennial Edition of my book "You Can Call Me Al: The Colorful Journey of College Basketball's Original Flower Child, Al McGuire." For more information about that book and my second book "Goin' Uptown: Marquette's March to Madness and Return to the Final Four," check out my website (www.jdmpress.net). I will also be blogging on that site for the balance of the season and postseason.

Go Warriors!

Read your book several times.  Strongly endorse the purchase

[Cheeks]

This was a thread about a defining moment in Marquette history. A poor black player was encouraged by his white coach to go pro during what was very possibly a championship season. 4ever's recollections of those times and some of the characters give added color to that moment. Chico using that moment to remind everyone for the umpteenth time that he knew and worked with Al (and Jim ) 25 years later is beside the point, A look at me moment, if you will.

Did you hear MU82 coaches a girl’s basketball team.....did you know that?  Some will say 2X umpteenth time....know what...who cares.  Good for him.  If it bothered me, I’d put him on ignore.

Actually I’m guessing 0% of people here had a chance to work with Jim for two years, so I thought I would share what a wonderful guy he was.  Didn’t realize that was so far off the beaten path, especially for the newbies here that didn’t know it.....we have guys in the last few days asking who George Thompson is for example.  Easiest solution Lenny is put me on ignore.  Super easy

[Warriors4ever]

I was a freshman, and actually wrote a very short letter to the Chicago Tribune sports section supporting Al - which they printed!
I did not keep a copy, though.

[Cheeks]

I was a freshman, and actually wrote a very short letter to the Chicago Tribune sports section supporting Al - which they printed!
I did not keep a copy, though.

You can buy old copies of newspapers if you know the date

[4everwarriors]

So, I had a couple of credits to blow my senior year at MU. Took Nader's "Individual and Dual Sports" class. It covered tennis, bowling, and golf. Several basketball players were enrolled as well. My 4 person bowling team consisted of both George "Sugar" Frazier and Maurice Lucas and we bowled twice weekly at the Y on 9th and Wis. Truth be told, Sugar sucked major ass bowling and didn't have a fookin' clue. Don't know if he ever scored 100. Luke, on the other hand, was a natural athlete. After rollin' somethin' like a 164, he told me that was first game of bowling he ever participated in. I think the pins just fell down from fear as he stared at them. Anyway, enjoyed getting to know both and we had a hoot doing it.

[rocket surgeon]

The full story of Jimmy leaving MU appears in Chapter 10 (Dunkirk) of the Centennial Edition of my book "You Can Call Me Al: The Colorful Journey of College Basketball's Original Flower Child, Al McGuire." For more information about that book and my second book "Goin' Uptown: Marquette's March to Madness and Return to the Final Four," check out my website (www.jdmpress.net). I will also be blogging on that site for the balance of the season and postseason.

Go Warriors!

i read, "you can call me al" a few times!  another great book!  thanks for alerting me of the other-can i get it on kindle or amazon read?  regardless, gonna go get it somehow!  thanks joe! can never get enough of these

  here we go again, another self-aggrandizing post changing the subject...

[Cheeks]

So, I had a couple of credits to blow my senior year at MU. Took Nader's "Individual and Dual Sports" class. It covered tennis, bowling, and golf. Several basketball players were enrolled as well. My 4 person bowling team consisted of both George "Sugar" Frazier and Maurice Lucas and we bowled twice weekly at the Y on 9th and Wis. Truth be told, Sugar sucked major ass bowling and didn't have a fookin' clue. Don't know if he ever scored 100. Luke, on the other hand, was a natural athlete. After rollin' somethin' like a 164, he told me that was first game of bowling he ever participated in. I think the pins just fell down from fear as he stared at them. Anyway, enjoyed getting to know both and we had a hoot doing it.

LOL.  That's awesome. 

Not bowling, but another sport related where MU players involved.  Trevor Powell and Charles Luter and I played volleyball freshman year on what now stands the AMU. Vack in the day they would have outdoor football and volleyball games that were semi organized early in the school year.  Tony Smith was a great vball player, but those two not so much.  That said, I would just keep setting them and their sure size pretty much scared the opposition even if they connected forcefully about 10% of the time.  All it took was one or two decent hits and the oppo wanted no part of the net. 

[avid1010]

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.

Situations are not the same.  I'm guessing it made more sense financially to hang around then than it does now.

That said...examples like this are why I love Al.  We don't know what Coach K has said to Zion...we do know what he said to guys that left early in the past.  He has obviously changed his tune, as it was best for him to do so, but he was a sh1t head about guys leaving early long after he saw Al handle it the right way.   

I asked Al if he thought players should be paid...his answer was predictable. 

[Cheeks]

Situations are not the same.  I'm guessing it made more sense financially to hang around then than it does now.

That said...examples like this are why I love Al.  We don't know what Coach K has said to Zion...we do know what he said to guys that left early in the past.  He has obviously changed his tune, as it was best for him to do so, but he was a sh1t head about guys leaving early long after he saw Al handle it the right way.   

I asked Al if he thought players should be paid...his answer was predictable.

Al was in a time mostly before Title IX, he came in at the very beginning of it....with that reality now fully in play it complicates things significantly.