Pass the ‘Pistol’
If I were to ask you to name some of the greatest college basketball players of all time, who would come to mind? The younger generation may mention names such as, Michael Jordan from the University of North Carolina, or maybe Larry Bird from his time at Indiana State or how about Erving "Magic" Johnson from Michigan State? These are some very well known players who had prolific college careers and went on to have Hall of Fame careers in the National Basketball League. Now, if you were to ask someone who is from an older generation the same question, Jordan, Bird and Johnson would more than likely still get a mention, but the list will more than likely be a lot different. Our parents and grandparents were spoiled to be able to watch some of the greatest play the game, including Oscar Robertson out of the University of Cincinnati, as well as Lew Alcindor from UCLA, more famously known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
What if none of those players that were mentioned above sit at the top of that list? The greatest college basketball player is not Michael Jordan. Its not Magic Johnson. Its not even Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. No, the best college basketball player may be a person who very well could not even be on the younger generations' radar. Peter Maravich, known by his nickname "Pistol", was an American professional basketball player during the 1970s to early 1980s. Pistol Pete is widely considered as one of the greatest players in basketball history. Maravich played basketball collegiately at Louisiana State University from 1968-1970, where his father was the head coach. Maravich is the all-time leading NCAA Division I scorer, with 3,667 points where he averaged over 44 points per game. Keep in mind, all these record breaking numbers were achieved before the three-point line and shot clock were invented, but nonetheless they are impressive. To make it even more interesting, Maravich was not able to play on the varsity team his freshman year, so he was able to achieve these numbers in only 3 seasons of college instead of all 4 years. Can you imagine if he was able to play all 4 years at LSU, what kind of numbers he could have achieved? Maravich did play for three different NBA teams during his 10 year career, including the Atlanta Hawks (1970-1974), the New Orleans/Utah Jazz (1974-1980), and the Boston Celtics, but injuries forced him into an early retirement later that year.
Pistol Pete was able to garner many awards throughout his illustrious career including being selected as a 5x NBA All Star, winning the NBA scoring title in 1977, as well as being the NCAA scoring leader from 1968-1970, which was the entirety of his college career. Pete Maravich was also selected to be on the NBA's 50th All Time Anniversary Team, and finally, Pistol Pete was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. Hall of Famer player John Havlicek claims that Maravich is "the best ball-handler of all time." Unfortunately, in 1988 Maravich suddenly passed away due to heart failure at the young age of 40.
So how did Maravich get his nickname Pistol? Maravich throughout his career showed tremendous showmanship and style. He was known for having a habit of shooting the ball from his side, giving off the vibe almost as if he was holding a pistol. This guy could pass the ball like nobody else we have ever seen. He was even compared to the likes of a Harlem Globetrotter because of the way he could handle and pass the basketball around the court. Pete Maravich goes down as the greatest college basketball player of all time and still holds records today that may never be broken.
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