"pistol pete" maravich
Thursday, December 18

many in our generation have no idea who he was. some ppl might know him as an answer to the trivia question: "who was the greatest scoring champion in the history of college basketball?" not jordan. not jabbar. not wilt.

maravich.

pistol pete AVERAGED 44+ points per season.

being a basketball nut, i've heard a little of pistol pete, but never really knew much about him, other than that he was one of those skinny,white guys who played way before my time (before showtime), and was supposedly pretty good.

today, there was a special on pistol pete on sportscentury. his story is one of the most amazing stories i've ever heard.

the beginning

maravich's bond with basketball began with his father, "press" maravich, who was a basketball nut. press played for several years in the pro, then began to coach basketball.

from the very beginning, press felt that his son pete was made for basketball. but he wouldn't let pete play as a kid. told pete that he was too small. in this way, he was dangling basketball in front of pete's face. one day, though he wasn't allowed to play, pete was found outside shooting hoops.

in similar ways, his dad kept baiting, training, and pushing his son. and pete idolized his father. and press loved his son, dreaming of the day that he would be able to coach his son in organized ball.

pete played hs varsity ball from junior high, continuing his spectacular play in hs. while pete was starring in hs, his father was a successful coach at nc state. unfortunately, pete didn't do so well academically, and couldn't get into nc state. so press quit his job at nc state, and offered a package deal to colleges. himself as coach, pete as player. louisiana state univeristy jumped at the offer.

the perfect collegiate player (no, it's not christian laettner)

pete was the complete scorer, as everyone acknowledges. but he was known for more than scoring. his ball handling skills were legendary (some of the tricks we see on the and1 mix tape originates from pistol pete), and more importantly, he was a SHOWMAN. he played to the crowd.

he set many records in college, and even knocked off oscar robertson's scoring record. he was set for the nba. this is the pistol pete that most people are somewhat aware of. the pete that WE never hear about is the pete maravich that had a drinking problem. while press and pete were obsessed with bball, pete's mom became increasingly isolated, and found solace in alcohol. in college, pete also started to show signs of alcoholism.

a hope never realized

playing in the nba for the atlanta hawks, he was labeled as the "great white hope," the one white kid paid many times over the salaries of his black teammates. naturally, he grew apart from his teammates, never bonding with him. he was spectacular, but he was spectacular by himself. ex-teammates confessed that there was a not so subtle keep-the-ball-away from maravich often going on. he continued to be a loner, with alcohol his close companion.

after some years, he was traded to the new orleans jazz, where he was again amazing. but on one fateful day, he threw a pass between his legs for a perfect layup, but landed awkwardly. a crack was reportedly heard by everyone. maravich needed surgery.

after the surgery, he was never the same (still averaged 23 pts!), and was traded to the larry bird's boston celtics. despite his incredible talent and shooting ability, he was the 3rd guard off the bench.

at 33, when nba players are usually at the peak of their careers, pete maravich retired.

the lowest of the low

he spent 2 years in depression and isolation, and then had a life-changing experience.

(this is the part that i've never EVER heard of. the part that made me really pay attn)

a new creation

pete maravich said that he was in the lowest point of his life when one day, he heard THE AUDIBLE VOICE of GOD. not something within himself, not in his head, but the audible voice of God. he became a christian, and subsequently a zealous evangelizer, preaching the gospel for christ. he preached to anyone and everyone around him, including his beloved father, who also became a christian.

several years later, his father was diagnosed with cancer.

pete spent every waking moment with his ill father until press' death.

always amazing

9 months later, pete was playing a pickup basketball game with dr. james dobson (focus on the family!), and another pastor in a church gym in pasadena, CA (whoo hoo!). they were chatting happily and playing. after a game, pete spoke of how how he wanted to get back into the game of basketball. at some point, dobson asked pete, "how are you feeling?" answered pete, "great. i feel GREAT."

dobson was walking away and turned to look back. in just enough time to see maravich crumble and fall, face bouncing off the floor.

9 months after his father's death, pistol pete was dead.

pistol pete was amazing even in death: the autopsy revealed that pistol pete had endured the rigors of nba basketball with ONE coronary artery. combined with the effects of alcoholism, his heart had failed.





yakob at 9:39 PM

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