The attempt to dub the greatest player of all time in one particular sport is always difficult.
It is not hard to do in college basketball.
LSU guard Peter “Pistol Pete” Maravich dominated the game like no other.
Due to all of the madness during this March, it’s necessary to give tribute to arguably the greatest college basketball player of all time.
Maravich was ahead of his time. He was one of the first unstoppable forces in the sport. His combination of work ethic, dedication, creativity, skill and flare all contributed to his utter domination on the floor.
His offensive prowess set him apart.
Only few could find the hoop like he did. His repertoire of pump fakes, pass fakes and mid-air adjustments made him impossible to guard near the basket.
One may think of former Houston Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon or Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant when one thinks of the creativity of fakes and footwork. But Maravich was an avid user of these moves in the late ‘60s and ‘70s.
His dribbling skills set him apart.
Three years ago, Hall of Famer John Havilcek said Maravich was the best ball-handler of all time. This talent allowed him to split defenses with his dribble moves and fancy passes. Maravich was carving up defenses with his ball control long before former Los Angeles Lakers guard Magic Johnson or Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo.
He was called "Pistol Pete" for a reason.
His sharp shooting completed his offensive skillset. He shot the ball extremely well from the perimeter. It didn't matter if the shot was stand up jumper, fade-a-way or leaning in jumper.
When fans think of shooters today, they don’t necessarily think of heavy ball-handling players. Three point shooting specialists today, like Atlanta Hawks guard Kyle Korver or New York Knicks forward Steve Novak do not have to worry about dribbling.
Maravich, though, did it all.
The 6-foot 5-inch guard’s ability to excel in everything on the offensive end was put to great use.
Over his three years at LSU he averaged a ridiculous 44.4 points per game.
He holds the NCAA Division I record for most points scored in a career with 3,667 in only three years.
His freshmen year, when he averaged 43.6 per contest, didn’t count toward the record. Freshmen were not allowed to participate in varsity competition at that time.
Also, Maravich did not have the groundbreaking three-point line at his disposal. He would have scored even more points if it was implemented then.
Former LSU basketball coach Dale Brown supposedly charted every game of Maravich years later and came to the conclusion that if the 19-foot 9-inch three-point line was present, Maravich would’ve averaged a incredible 13 three-pointers per game. It would’ve increased his career average to 57 points per match.
He was a three-time All-American and put the LSU basketball program on the map. The season Maravich played for them, LSU was 3-23.
By his senior year, Maravich led LSU to a 22-10 record and its first NIT appearance, and it finished in the final four of the NIT.
In the next decade after Maravich’s time there, the Tigers went on to win an SEC championship and qualify for the NCAA tournament.
He was inducted into the LSU Hall of Fame in 1987.
The Atlanta Hawks picked Maravich third in the 1970 NBA Draft. Although he was a five-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA First Team selection and averaged over 25 points per game in five years, his 10-year career was derailed by knee injuries. He spent the last half of his career with the New Orleans Jazz.
The Hawks and Jazz have retired his jersey. In 1987, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
As dominant as the JJ Redick’s, Seth Curry’s and Jimmer Ferdette’s have seemed, there may not be anyone like Pistol Pete ever in college basketball again.Reach the columnist at gdemano@asu.edu
