At first, the fact North Carolina’s Brendan Haywood managed a basketball triple-double Monday night against Miami didn’t seem too rafter-rattling.
Yet it marked the first time in Carolina history, 2,384 games in all, that any Tar Heel had accomplished such a feat . . . not Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, absolutely nobody. Thus it was quite noteworthy that Haywood had 18 points, 14 boards and 10 blocks.
Officially, no Kansas player, at a school with more victories than any college except Kentucky and Carolina, has ever posted a triple-double. But that Jayhawk statistic is flawed; I’d bet a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts the late Wilt Chamberlain did it more than once in his two seasons here.
Trouble was, shot blocks (as well as assists) were not formally tabulated in 1957 and 1958. What a disservice to the Big Dipper! His double-figure scoring and rebounding feats are legendary. So was his shot-blocking, particularly early in his sophomore season (1956-57) when unsuspecting opponents saw one shot after another swatted away. There was that massive hand on a long arm that functioned better than any cow’s tail ever flicked pesky flies. Add The Dipper’s awesome vertical leap and agility and you almost felt sorry for the other guys.
Have teammate Maurice King regale you some time about his fast-break baskets after Wilt had splatted an enemy shot in a direction opposite from what a shooter intended.
“What a shame they didn’t keep shot-blocks!” laments King. “Wilt might still own the college record. I remember games I got three or four layups off his blocks. I’d see a guy go to the hole and I’d automatically run the other way for the ball after Wilt smacked it. Nobody could shoot over him; he often sent it back like a rocket.”
Storied Kansas has had a number of stars get close to triple-doubles, but no cigars.
The most recent near-miss was in 1996 when whirling dervish Jerod Haase, a 6-3 guard, had 16 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists against Arizona. Danny Manning came close with 12-11-8 against Wichita State in the national championship season of 1988. Remember Dave Magley? He scored 24 points, nabbed 11 boards and dished 8 assists against Oklahoma in 1982. Near, but not quite.
My heart goes out to Darnell Valentine, who was 25-7-10 against Oklahoma in 1978 and in the same year was 20-10-7 against Iowa State. Mike Maddox was 15-9-8 at Oklahoma in 1991 and Mark Randall had 21 points, 11 boards and 7 steals against SMU in 1989, Roy Williams’s first season here.
Two guys, one twice, were in the triple-double hunt with points, rebounds and blocked shots. Greg Ostertag had nine points, 11 boards and eight blocks against Oklahoma State in ’94 and 23 points, 11 points and six blocks against Fort Hays State also in ’94.
Against Jackson State in 1997, Scot Pollard scored 19 points, nailed 12 rebounds and swatted six shots.
Only one Kansas opponent, Earvin “Magic” Johnson of Michigan State, has registered a triple-double against the Jayhawks. Magic had 12 points, 10 boards and 11 assists in 1979, the year he and M-State beat Larry Bird and Indiana State for the national title.
But impressive as all this might be, nothing comes close to what Oscar Robertson did with the pro Cincinnati Royals.
For the entire 1961-62 season, The Big O averaged 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists. That’s the same year that KU’s Chamberlain averaged 50.4 points and 25.7 rebounds for the whole season and just happened to pitch in 100 points in one game.
Gotta believe I’ll never live long enough to see Oscar’s triple-double season, Wilt’s 50.4-25.7 point-board average and Chamberlain’s 100-point game even seriously threatened. You might not be around that long, either.
But there’s even more to prove why Hall of Famer Jerry West calls Oscar Robertson the best basketeer he ever played against. For his first five seasons in the NBA, The O averaged a triple-double because his figures were consistently so high in one category or another. A triple-doubler only one full season but good enough to average it out over five years.
Along with his battle to win in the NBA in Cincinnati with marginal support, Robertson had to deal with the same demons that gnawed at baseball icon Jackie Robinson. Basketball was only beginning to adjust to the emergence of black stars.
Oscar recalls road trips in college at Cincinnati when hotels wouldn’t let him stay with the team.
He blames the school, coach George Smith and the city for not standing up for him; you understand his resentment.
Then there was the time he found a black cat hanging in his locker prior to a game. We can’t begin to know what he had to conquer to become the incredible star he was.
He’s still around and making peace in Cincinnati, but he’s one kidney lighter.
Oscar had a daughter in need so he donated one of his, quietly pointing out it’s what any father would do.
So the master of the triple-double has only a singleton in one vital category except that it means more to his family than any court fandangoes he ever danced.
