atter how hard he played or what he did, people did not understand this offensive genius; however, those who really know basketball understood him. “Easy” Ed Macauley, also one of the greatest players to play the game stated “ Pete does things that make you say to yourself, ‘Wait a minute, let me see you do that again…” I haven’t seen a ball handler like him since Bob Cousy and Dick McGuire were in their prime, Pete can rip a team in shreds with his passes.”(www.members.dencity.com) I agree with Al McGuire, because back then there was no shot clock so they could hold the ball as long as they wanted. It is not often that a player can shoot, play defense, get rebounds, and be a good assist man; however usually players are one or the other, very rarely they are an all around player. Today’s coaches, in my opinion, stress playing defense. Many coaches have their best shooters coming off the bench as three-point specialists and having their defenders playing most of the minutes.Peter Press Maravich was loved by many, yet understood by few. Maravich is a legend, one of the greatest basketball players who ever lived, and probably one of the most unique. He died on January 5, 1988 at the age of forty while playing in a three-on-three pick-up game in California. The news of his sudden death shocked everyone and brought back memories to his admirers. Few have inspired me as he did. Maravich had a commitment to excellence, even though he did not play much defense. Him being able to average, as many points as he did is unbelievable. Although the one thing that inspired me the most was that he was a born again Christian. Before his death, he told his former coach, Richie Guerin, that his desire was to be remembered as a good Christian, a good husband, and a good father. He spoke before 35,000 people at the Billy Graham Crusade in Columbia, South Carolina just a few months before his ...
