There is a scenario that everyone at Davidson College is thinking about, but no one wants to talk about. Stephen Curry is projected to be as high as a top-ten pick in the NBA Draft, and if he were to declare for the draft and forgo his senior season, the entire school would be devastated. But would anyone suggest that Curry does not deserve to have his number retired?
The late Mike Maloy’s statistics make it clear that he is one of Davidson’s all-time greats. He is still Davidson’s all-time leading rebounder and sixth all-time in scoring, and tallied three All-American selections, despite the fact that players were not allowed on the varsity until their sophomore seasons. He led Davidson within a game of the Final Four twice. As the first African-American student athlete to come to Davidson, his contributions extended into a political realm well beyond statistics. The story of how basketball superstar Charlie Scott choose UNC over Davidson after being denied service at a local restaurant is still known on campus. But if Maloy had not become the first African-American to play basketball at Davidson, that story could have had a much larger impact on both the basketball program and the town of Davidson.
And it seems as if anyone who came into contact with him will tell you exactly how warm and engaging he was. However, none of this matters, since Davidson College has a rule that refuses players who do not graduate the honor of entering the Hall of Fame or having their jersey retired. While the idea behind this rule (to show students the importance of finishing school) is a good one, Maloy’s situation clearly shows that it is better in theory than in practice.
Maloy left school shortly after his senior basketball season was over, after he was drafted by the Boston Celtics. It is hard to believe this sets some sort of poor example for other students. People can only play basketball for a living for so long before their bodies break down. The decision to leave school and begin working on a basketball career is a personal one, and after being such an excellent ambassador for Davidson throughout his time as a player, Maloy deserved the chance to make that decision. Not even the most impressionable people could see Maloy’s jersey in the rafters of Belk Arena and think that it somehow condoned dropping out of school. His situation was a unique predicament that, has not been a factor in the vast majority of Davidson basketball careers.
Davidson is an institution that should realize how many different ways there are to succeed in life, but cannot seem to accept that the decision not to graduate was Maloy’s to choose. Why can’t the powers that be in terms of choosing whose numbers are retired accept that students here can be prepared for their futures even if they do not graduate? Anyone who watches Coach McKillop mold basketball boys into men knows that being on the team at all surely prepared Maloy for later life, and gave him the skills he needed.
Almost every basketball fan in the state of North Carolina, if not the entire United States, can remember how Davidson’s run to the doorstep of the Final Four felt. If Stephen Curry decided to capitalize on his exceptional skill and enter the NBA draft, and we saw another player wearing his 30 during the next college basketball season, the public outcry could be heard from space. Mike Maloy gave Davidson fans that same elation of Elite Eight appearances twice, and his jersey should hang from the rafters. Unfortunately, he passed on without ever getting to see his number honored.
Showing posts with label r.i.p.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label r.i.p.. Show all posts
3.26.2009
The Maloy question
Students Graham Younger and John Rogers in this week’s Davidsonian:
3.14.2009
Hang his jersey
A letter to the editor, in the Davidsonian last month, written by William E. Jackson ’57, a former political science professor who still lives in Davidson:
(Hat tip: Rob Hooker.)
On Feb. 5, The Charlotte Observer proclaimed in a front-page story in the sports section: “Davidson Great Dies.” It referred to the death in Austria last week of three-time basketball All-American Mike Maloy-heralded by Coach Lefty Driesell as “the best player [Davidson College] ever had.” He “was the most consistent player I ever had. He never had a bad game.”
Maloy led the Wildcats to back-to-back NCAA regional tournament finals in 1968 and 1969. He remains the school’s all-time leading rebounder; and seventh leading scorer (1661 points) with a 19 points per game average.
But today’s students would never know who Lefty was talking about if they looked for his retired jersey (# 15) hanging above Belk Arena, or checked the list of athletes in the college’s Hall of Fame. Mike Maloy was a sharp and joyful student from Bryant High School in Long Island City (Queens). Coach Terry Holland accurately remembered him as “one of the most enjoyable human beings that I have ever been around.”
Mike was in my course on "Southern Politics” -- that’s right -- at a time when the student body was overwhelmingly white males from southeastern states.
Despite the fact that he did not graduate from Davidson College, Lefty is absolutely right when he makes the case that Mike should be in the college’s Hall of Fame. It gives me “the blues” to read about Mike’s passing.
(Hat tip: Rob Hooker.)
3.13.2009
Words from Vienna
From the AD at the American International School:
Also this:
I would to express my personal thanks to the hundreds of people who have contacted me over the last month with stories, photos, music and above all; moral support. It was a truly amazing experience and one that has changed my life forever.
Mike’s JVB team ended their season at the weekend. Mike would have been very proud of them.
We host the ISST Division 1 European Girls Basketball Championships starting tomorrow and we have dedicated this event to Mike’s memory. Below you can see the page we have in the program.
We will close the Mike Maloy Fund this Friday March 13th. As of today the fund stands at Euro 13.810,99.
Also this:
Mike Maloy, since the 1970’s our dear friend, colleague coach and musical inspiration, passed away suddenly on February 2nd.
Drafted by the Boston Celtics in 1970, Mike instead played in the ABA league before joining USBC Wien in 1976, the first American to play basketball professionally in Austria. USBC dominated the Austrian league in the 70’s and also played in the European Championships. Mike went on to play or coach with Klosterneuburg, Graz, Mattersburg, OTB Favoriten, WAT Donaustadt and BBC Tulln. AIS students would attend the Saturday games and cheer with the crowds when Mike dunked the ball; “Jaaaa, unser American Import hat es wieder geschafft.”
The crowds were always still, however, when Mike, with his Boring Blues Band took the stage to sing. Today we are silent again.
Mike’s Funeral was an exceptional event that was attended by more than 500 people from around the world. Tributes from the Boring Blues Band, the American International School and basketball friends were warmly received, as was the moving performance of his band.
2.10.2009
Another Maloy story
The late Emil Parker wrote this in the Summer 1998 Track of the Cat. Last week I e-mailed sports information director Marc Gignac and asked if he could find it and he did with the help of college archivist Jan Blodgett. Here it is:
“Where in the world is Mike Maloy?”
“Whatever happened to Mike Maloy?”
“Does anybody ever hear from Mike Maloy?”
The questions never stopped coming, even after Mike Maloy ’70 played his last college basketball game for Davidson in 1970 and his last professional game for the Virginia Squires three years later. At last, there are some answers for the frequent questions.
Maloy’s contact with former friends and family in the U.S. has been minimal for the last 15 years -- a long time on anybody’s calendar. He’s been playing and coaching basketball in Austria. Maloy has also taught at the American School in Vienna and currently coaches club basketball teams.
Don’t overlook the Boring Blues Band, although the name is changing to BBB! Mike sings with the BBB when he’s not coaching basketball. Besides being a great basketball player, Mike was a party animal, too.
We caught up with Mike through one of his former teammates, Ralph Wimmer, who inquired by e-mail about Maloy. He was curious about how good his former teammate was.
The answer, Ralph, was “damn good.” In fact, he was better than that.
Maloy was on several first team All-American selections and led Davidson to three 20-win seasons, three top 20 finishes. With Maloy at center form 1968 to 1970, twice the Wildcats were whisker close to reaching the NCAA Final Four.
Now, Mike is on the telephone from Vienna. Maloy’s charm, one of his many talents, comes through despite the miles. He’s anxious to hear about Davidson team and coaches. Last March, he watched the Wildcats’ NCAA game against Michigan on television.
Now 50 and an Austrian citizen, he played professional basketball until four years ago, but the sport remains an integral part of his life. “I’m coaching a club team with players aged 14-17. It’s really neat,” Maloy said. “We’re at the second level, but I hope to move it up to the top level. That will take a lot of hard work to get the necessary sponsorship.”
At 6’7”, Maloy didn’t appear on paper to be a threat to taller centers in college basketball. But, with perhaps the quickest first step in college basketball, he would catch the ball down low as one of Davidson’s two post players. His long arms and huge hands made the catching part easy.
Few opponents could stop what happened next. With exceptional quickness, Maloy whirled around taller defenders to render them ineffective. When defenders backed off, he pulled up for medium range jumpers. He possessed one of the highest vertical leaps in college basketball, making him a devastating rebounder, as well as a great shot blocker and defender.
From Bryant High School in New York City, Maloy was among the first blacks (the term “African American” hadn’t been invented yet) to play for a predominantly white team in the south -- the star on a deeply talented Davidson team. With an engaging smile and charming personality on top of exceptional basketball talent, he was a media and fan favorite -- before Michael Jordan, Mike had a jump shot.
Combining talent with finesse, he became one of college basketball’s best inside player. In 1969, he was one of the ten best players in the game, good enough to earn a spot on several major first team All-America teams and a second team consensus All-American.
With Maloy setting the tone, flanked by Doug Cook ’70 and Jerry Kroll ’70, Davidson was 27-3 in 1969 and finished third in the final United Press poll. Except for a last second shot by North Carolina’s Charlie Scott, who had originally committed to Davidson, the Wildcats would have been in the Final Four. In December of ’68, he and Scott, along with Kentucky’s Mike Casey, were on the cover of Sports Illustrated, hailed as threats to UCLA.
After leading Davidson to three Southern Conference championships and NCAA bids, Maloy was a first round pick of the Pittsburgh Pipers, an American Basketball Association team in the middle of a bidding war with the NBA. The American part of his professional career ended after three seasons.
Maloy got to Vienna in what was for him typical fashion -- whim and opportunity. He was on a club team in Dallas in 1975, when a friend asked if Maloy would be interested in playing for a “pretty good team” in Austria. “It was Monday and I had to be there on Thursday,” Maloy said.
“My wife and I were separating. There were a bunch of things on my mind. Austria sounded interesting, so I went. I was there for one year. Then another. And then another. Europe, especially Austria, suits my mentality.”
The pace in Vienna, Mike says, is like New York or Paris minus the “hustle and bustle.” He hasn’t driven a car since he got to Europe. “The transportation system here will get you anywhere.”
Basketball was different, too. After playing center for three years in college, he was a power forward or small forward in Europe and had a long, satisfying career with USBC-Vienna, the best team in Austria. He also played for teams in Mattersburg, Klostennurburg, Gra ABC, Munich-Graz, and two other teams in Vienna. He played for another in Paris, but can’t remember the name of the team.
“I played until about four years ago,” Maloy said. “I knew it was time to quit when I started playing against the sons of some players I had faced when I first came to Europe.”
Maloy has not remarried but has lived “for quite a long time” with an Austrian woman. Their 10-year-old son Ryan, is beginning to develop sports interests, including basketball, karate, swimming, and music.
Maloy left Davidson before graduating. Only a term short of his degree, he might be interested in finishing the requirements for his diploma. He could be eligible for an NCAA program that encourages and offers financial support to former athletes who didn’t graduate but desire to finish.
“The days at Davidson were some of the best of my life,” he said. “It’s amazing when you think about how good we were. We only lost three games my junior year. One of those losses was to St. John’s in overtime and another was to North Carolina on a last second shot.”
Although basketball has been -- and still is -- a major part of his life in Vienna, Maloy has other strong interests. In addition to English, Maloy is fluent in German and speaks “adequate” French. He has taught English, German and history at the American School in Vienna.
The club basketball teams and the BBB -- a.k.a. the Boring Blues Band -- are his primary focus now. His club team is at the second level in Austria and has developed a plan to attract the sponsors that would make the jump possible.
Maloy is the group’s lead singer, which plays clubs around Vienna. The group has an agent and has recorded a CD. “We do a lot of rhythm and blues and a little rock and roll -- some Sinatra and 30’s to 60’s kind of music,” Maloy said. “It started about seven years ago. I had a friend who played piano and another who played guitar. Another had a small band. One day we decided to form our own band. Somebody asked us to play and we did one show. Then somebody else asked us to play. Now we’ve done quite a number of shows.”
Most of the questions have been answered, but we’ve got one more. What’s next, Mike?
“Where in the world is Mike Maloy?”
“Whatever happened to Mike Maloy?”
“Does anybody ever hear from Mike Maloy?”
The questions never stopped coming, even after Mike Maloy ’70 played his last college basketball game for Davidson in 1970 and his last professional game for the Virginia Squires three years later. At last, there are some answers for the frequent questions.
Maloy’s contact with former friends and family in the U.S. has been minimal for the last 15 years -- a long time on anybody’s calendar. He’s been playing and coaching basketball in Austria. Maloy has also taught at the American School in Vienna and currently coaches club basketball teams.
Don’t overlook the Boring Blues Band, although the name is changing to BBB! Mike sings with the BBB when he’s not coaching basketball. Besides being a great basketball player, Mike was a party animal, too.
We caught up with Mike through one of his former teammates, Ralph Wimmer, who inquired by e-mail about Maloy. He was curious about how good his former teammate was.
The answer, Ralph, was “damn good.” In fact, he was better than that.
Maloy was on several first team All-American selections and led Davidson to three 20-win seasons, three top 20 finishes. With Maloy at center form 1968 to 1970, twice the Wildcats were whisker close to reaching the NCAA Final Four.
Now, Mike is on the telephone from Vienna. Maloy’s charm, one of his many talents, comes through despite the miles. He’s anxious to hear about Davidson team and coaches. Last March, he watched the Wildcats’ NCAA game against Michigan on television.
Now 50 and an Austrian citizen, he played professional basketball until four years ago, but the sport remains an integral part of his life. “I’m coaching a club team with players aged 14-17. It’s really neat,” Maloy said. “We’re at the second level, but I hope to move it up to the top level. That will take a lot of hard work to get the necessary sponsorship.”
At 6’7”, Maloy didn’t appear on paper to be a threat to taller centers in college basketball. But, with perhaps the quickest first step in college basketball, he would catch the ball down low as one of Davidson’s two post players. His long arms and huge hands made the catching part easy.
Few opponents could stop what happened next. With exceptional quickness, Maloy whirled around taller defenders to render them ineffective. When defenders backed off, he pulled up for medium range jumpers. He possessed one of the highest vertical leaps in college basketball, making him a devastating rebounder, as well as a great shot blocker and defender.
From Bryant High School in New York City, Maloy was among the first blacks (the term “African American” hadn’t been invented yet) to play for a predominantly white team in the south -- the star on a deeply talented Davidson team. With an engaging smile and charming personality on top of exceptional basketball talent, he was a media and fan favorite -- before Michael Jordan, Mike had a jump shot.
Combining talent with finesse, he became one of college basketball’s best inside player. In 1969, he was one of the ten best players in the game, good enough to earn a spot on several major first team All-America teams and a second team consensus All-American.
With Maloy setting the tone, flanked by Doug Cook ’70 and Jerry Kroll ’70, Davidson was 27-3 in 1969 and finished third in the final United Press poll. Except for a last second shot by North Carolina’s Charlie Scott, who had originally committed to Davidson, the Wildcats would have been in the Final Four. In December of ’68, he and Scott, along with Kentucky’s Mike Casey, were on the cover of Sports Illustrated, hailed as threats to UCLA.
After leading Davidson to three Southern Conference championships and NCAA bids, Maloy was a first round pick of the Pittsburgh Pipers, an American Basketball Association team in the middle of a bidding war with the NBA. The American part of his professional career ended after three seasons.
Maloy got to Vienna in what was for him typical fashion -- whim and opportunity. He was on a club team in Dallas in 1975, when a friend asked if Maloy would be interested in playing for a “pretty good team” in Austria. “It was Monday and I had to be there on Thursday,” Maloy said.
“My wife and I were separating. There were a bunch of things on my mind. Austria sounded interesting, so I went. I was there for one year. Then another. And then another. Europe, especially Austria, suits my mentality.”
The pace in Vienna, Mike says, is like New York or Paris minus the “hustle and bustle.” He hasn’t driven a car since he got to Europe. “The transportation system here will get you anywhere.”
Basketball was different, too. After playing center for three years in college, he was a power forward or small forward in Europe and had a long, satisfying career with USBC-Vienna, the best team in Austria. He also played for teams in Mattersburg, Klostennurburg, Gra ABC, Munich-Graz, and two other teams in Vienna. He played for another in Paris, but can’t remember the name of the team.
“I played until about four years ago,” Maloy said. “I knew it was time to quit when I started playing against the sons of some players I had faced when I first came to Europe.”
Maloy has not remarried but has lived “for quite a long time” with an Austrian woman. Their 10-year-old son Ryan, is beginning to develop sports interests, including basketball, karate, swimming, and music.
Maloy left Davidson before graduating. Only a term short of his degree, he might be interested in finishing the requirements for his diploma. He could be eligible for an NCAA program that encourages and offers financial support to former athletes who didn’t graduate but desire to finish.
“The days at Davidson were some of the best of my life,” he said. “It’s amazing when you think about how good we were. We only lost three games my junior year. One of those losses was to St. John’s in overtime and another was to North Carolina on a last second shot.”
Although basketball has been -- and still is -- a major part of his life in Vienna, Maloy has other strong interests. In addition to English, Maloy is fluent in German and speaks “adequate” French. He has taught English, German and history at the American School in Vienna.
The club basketball teams and the BBB -- a.k.a. the Boring Blues Band -- are his primary focus now. His club team is at the second level in Austria and has developed a plan to attract the sponsors that would make the jump possible.
Maloy is the group’s lead singer, which plays clubs around Vienna. The group has an agent and has recorded a CD. “We do a lot of rhythm and blues and a little rock and roll -- some Sinatra and 30’s to 60’s kind of music,” Maloy said. “It started about seven years ago. I had a friend who played piano and another who played guitar. Another had a small band. One day we decided to form our own band. Somebody asked us to play and we did one show. Then somebody else asked us to play. Now we’ve done quite a number of shows.”
Most of the questions have been answered, but we’ve got one more. What’s next, Mike?
2.06.2009
From Vienna
From the athletics director at the American International School:
Dear Friends,
It has been a difficult week for all of us. Thank you for your best wishes. We met as a school this morning. We listened to some of Mike’s music, looked at some photos and listened to a message from his JV Boys team. It was perfect.
We have set up a web page in honor of Mike. The page also launches the MIKE MALOY FUND. Should you wish to make a donation simply follow the instructions.
Many thanks
Andy
2.05.2009
Gerdy on Maloy
Via the Robertson brothers and DavidsonCats.com:
The most fundamental principle of Davidson basketball … what sets it apart from just about all other Division I programs … is that you are a student who happens to play basketball. It’s about education first, basketball second. It’s what makes us unique. If you play basketball at Davidson and don't graduate, then, what’s the point?
That is why, despite the fact that he was the greatest basketball player in Davidson history, Mike Maloy’s jersey should not be in the rafters.
There are two distinct categories when considering Davidson’s greatest. The first is the greatest basketball players to play at Davidson (Maloy, Adrian, Snyder, Hetzel). And the second is Greatest Davidson Basketball Players (Snyder, Hetzel. Rucker). There is a difference.
Maloy’s accomplishments and the trials he endured in an unjust world of which Davidson was a part were unsurpassed. But if Davidson compromises this, the most fundamental principle of the Davidson basketball ideal, we will lose the very thing that makes us unique and so proud of what we have accomplished.
It’s going to be interesting … with Mike’s passing and if Steph leaves before finishing his degree … whether that dual set of pressures will lead to the policy being changed. I hope not. In short, it’s important that educational institutions make it clear, though their words, but more importantly, though their actions, that educational achievement is more important than athletic accomplishments.
That said, Mike Maloy deserves something different. Something more significant than a jersey hanging from the rafters. Something that puts his life and times at Davidson into context. His is a story that deserves telling, not simply a quick visual of a jersey in the rafters. It’s history. And he, and Davidson, played a part in it.
Lefty on Maloy
This morning in the Observer’s story: “He would ruin practice, just blocking shots all over the place. And he was always smiling and laughing on the court. I said, ‘Mike, you got to get serious.’ He said, ‘Coach, I am serious.’”
The ’69-’70 media guide
Mike Maloy
Class: Senior
Major: Political Science
Hometown: New York, N.Y.
Ht.: 6-7
Wt.: 210
Age: 21
Maloy most likely will go down in Davidson basketball history as the school’s greatest player. He was named to the Look, Converse and Helms Foundation all-America teams last year and was second team according to the Associated Press … Coach Terry Holland is expecting the 6-7 senior to make everybody’s team this year … Davidson teams on which Maloy has played have recorded 67 wins and have lost only eight … The only undefeated basketball team in Davidson history came when Maloy was a freshman … Last year became the sixth player in school history to score more than 1,000 points in his varsity career … Twice has been all-Southern Conference, last year was most valuable player in the conference and was conference tournament most valuable player as a sophomore … Twice has been most valuable player in Charlotte Invitational tournament … Was voted team’s most valuable player last two years and top defender in 1968.
Coach Terry Holland says: “I think Maloy’s greatest ability is that second, third and fourth effort. That’s a habit he has developed and it is a good one. Many coaches will agree that inch-for-inch he is the best in the country.”
Class: Senior
Major: Political Science
Hometown: New York, N.Y.
Ht.: 6-7
Wt.: 210
Age: 21
Maloy most likely will go down in Davidson basketball history as the school’s greatest player. He was named to the Look, Converse and Helms Foundation all-America teams last year and was second team according to the Associated Press … Coach Terry Holland is expecting the 6-7 senior to make everybody’s team this year … Davidson teams on which Maloy has played have recorded 67 wins and have lost only eight … The only undefeated basketball team in Davidson history came when Maloy was a freshman … Last year became the sixth player in school history to score more than 1,000 points in his varsity career … Twice has been all-Southern Conference, last year was most valuable player in the conference and was conference tournament most valuable player as a sophomore … Twice has been most valuable player in Charlotte Invitational tournament … Was voted team’s most valuable player last two years and top defender in 1968.
Coach Terry Holland says: “I think Maloy’s greatest ability is that second, third and fourth effort. That’s a habit he has developed and it is a good one. Many coaches will agree that inch-for-inch he is the best in the country.”
2.04.2009
The ’68-’69 media guide
Mike Maloy
No.: 15
Ht.: 6-7
Wt.: 200
Age: 19
Reach: 8’9”
Class: Junior
Major: Psychology
Unless somebody has recruiting a mongoose, this guy’s going to score many points. He’s that quick. “I can’t think of words to tell how quick he is,” Coach Lefty Driesell says. “It’s amazing.” … At 6-7, he’s the equal of many 6-9 and 6-10 players because of exceptionally long arms … Can dunk two basketballs at one time although they won’t let him do it in a game … Has great leaping ability and precise timing … Defense is superb … May be best close-to-basket player Driesell has recruited … Has been named on several pre-season all-America teams … Driesell expects him to be on several actual all-America teams by the end of the 1968-69 season … Was first team all-Southern Conference in 1968 … On all-Charlotte Invitational, all-Southern Conference tournament and all-NCAA Eastern Regional first teams … Second team member of Converse Magazine’s all-America as sophomore … Most valuable player in Southern Conference tournament and Charlotte Invitational.
Driesell on Maloy: “Probably the most exciting player ever to wear a Davidson uniform. A great leaper, great defender and has speed, quickness and tremendous hands. A bona fide all-American.”
No.: 15
Ht.: 6-7
Wt.: 200
Age: 19
Reach: 8’9”
Class: Junior
Major: Psychology
Unless somebody has recruiting a mongoose, this guy’s going to score many points. He’s that quick. “I can’t think of words to tell how quick he is,” Coach Lefty Driesell says. “It’s amazing.” … At 6-7, he’s the equal of many 6-9 and 6-10 players because of exceptionally long arms … Can dunk two basketballs at one time although they won’t let him do it in a game … Has great leaping ability and precise timing … Defense is superb … May be best close-to-basket player Driesell has recruited … Has been named on several pre-season all-America teams … Driesell expects him to be on several actual all-America teams by the end of the 1968-69 season … Was first team all-Southern Conference in 1968 … On all-Charlotte Invitational, all-Southern Conference tournament and all-NCAA Eastern Regional first teams … Second team member of Converse Magazine’s all-America as sophomore … Most valuable player in Southern Conference tournament and Charlotte Invitational.
Driesell on Maloy: “Probably the most exciting player ever to wear a Davidson uniform. A great leaper, great defender and has speed, quickness and tremendous hands. A bona fide all-American.”
From the old book
Maloy, Cook and Kroll formed what was eventually dubbed the Holy Trinity of Davidson basketball -- a frontcourt that could match up with anybody in the country.
The 1966-67 freshman team remains the only undefeated basketball team in school history. The “Wildkittens” went 16-0. Under Terry Holland, still only two years removed from his playing days, the Davidson first-years that season beat seven ACC teams, averaging approximately 90 points and 50 rebounds a game.
In their debut, Maloy had 26 points and 21 rebounds, Cook had 23 points and 13 rebounds, and Jan Postma scored 24 points. Davidson’s rookies beat Wake Forest’s rookies 103-90. After beating Wake twice, South Carolina and Duke -- and many others -- the group closed its perfect season with an 88-80 victory against North Carolina State.
Maloy put up astounding numbers throughout his freshman season. He had 34 points and 25 rebounds Jan. 8 against The Citadel. After breaking his hand in a fall on campus, though, Maloy sat out the final five games.
But it hardly mattered.
Supporters of Davidson basketball had seen the future.
“I won’t say that this year’s team is the best I’ve ever had at Davidson,” Lefty told the Davidsonian in the fall of 1967. “But I will say it sure has the potential to be.”
Bob Dunham told a story decades later. During 1966 freshman orientation, he was in the same group with Maloy, and Chalmers Davidson, then the head of the library, made some reference to Chapel Hill, where they played, in his words, “real basketball.”
Maloy, Dunham said, just laughed.
“Mike knew what was coming.”
The 1966-67 freshman team remains the only undefeated basketball team in school history. The “Wildkittens” went 16-0. Under Terry Holland, still only two years removed from his playing days, the Davidson first-years that season beat seven ACC teams, averaging approximately 90 points and 50 rebounds a game.
In their debut, Maloy had 26 points and 21 rebounds, Cook had 23 points and 13 rebounds, and Jan Postma scored 24 points. Davidson’s rookies beat Wake Forest’s rookies 103-90. After beating Wake twice, South Carolina and Duke -- and many others -- the group closed its perfect season with an 88-80 victory against North Carolina State.
Maloy put up astounding numbers throughout his freshman season. He had 34 points and 25 rebounds Jan. 8 against The Citadel. After breaking his hand in a fall on campus, though, Maloy sat out the final five games.
But it hardly mattered.
Supporters of Davidson basketball had seen the future.
“I won’t say that this year’s team is the best I’ve ever had at Davidson,” Lefty told the Davidsonian in the fall of 1967. “But I will say it sure has the potential to be.”
Bob Dunham told a story decades later. During 1966 freshman orientation, he was in the same group with Maloy, and Chalmers Davidson, then the head of the library, made some reference to Chapel Hill, where they played, in his words, “real basketball.”
Maloy, Dunham said, just laughed.
“Mike knew what was coming.”
The ’67-’68 media guide
Mike Maloy
Queens, N.Y.
15
Position: Center
Ht.: 6-7
Wt.: 200
Age: 18
Class: Soph.
“He’s so quick he’s unreal.” That’s one way that Coach Lefty Driesell describes Mike Maloy … Maloy has super leaping ability and uncanny timing … These two things should enable him to guard the Davidson basket with considerable pride this year … Name a move under the basket and Maloy will pull it off … He can dunk two basketballs at one time … He broke his hand last year and missed five freshman games but that injury is completely healed … He goes to the offensive board as hard as anyone Driesell has ever coached … And he has that quickness that Driesell was talking about earlier in this piece … No way to keep him out of the starting lineup.
Driesell on Maloy: “He could be great. That’s about all I need to say. He has every move in the book under the hoop. And he should be outstanding on defense.”
Queens, N.Y.
15
Position: Center
Ht.: 6-7
Wt.: 200
Age: 18
Class: Soph.
“He’s so quick he’s unreal.” That’s one way that Coach Lefty Driesell describes Mike Maloy … Maloy has super leaping ability and uncanny timing … These two things should enable him to guard the Davidson basket with considerable pride this year … Name a move under the basket and Maloy will pull it off … He can dunk two basketballs at one time … He broke his hand last year and missed five freshman games but that injury is completely healed … He goes to the offensive board as hard as anyone Driesell has ever coached … And he has that quickness that Driesell was talking about earlier in this piece … No way to keep him out of the starting lineup.
Driesell on Maloy: “He could be great. That’s about all I need to say. He has every move in the book under the hoop. And he should be outstanding on defense.”
His son
Michael A. Maloy last fall on GreensboroSports.com: “After all these years the fact that he’s left such an impression on people does make me puff out my chest a bit and go ‘That’s my pop.’”
Dickens on Maloy
Got this e-mail today from Mike Dickens ’69. It’s posted here with his permission:
We pledged Mike in the fall of his freshman year (1966) in the pledge class with among 20 others Fox Demoisey and Jerry Kroll. If memory serves in our region the Sigma Chis at Wake Forest and Duke supported us and the chapters at UNC, NC State and especially the University of South Carolina were not pleased. I believe the intemperate words by one Sigma Chi at USC was that they were going to come up to Davidson and burn down our fraternity house.
We never faced the issue of presenting Mike for membership in the National Fraternity because he never made his grades. I am not sure if that rule was a school rule or a fraternity rule. In any case in 1970 when the chapter voted to leave the National Fraternity and become the Macchis (our school nickname) it was largely because of the feeling that the national fraternity was racist generally as well as specifically in some of their dealings with our chapter. Jerry Kroll was our president (I think the Greek title was Consul) and he would know the story better than I.
Mike faced a racism both overt and subtle that we can only imagine. Remember he came to Davidson just two years after the Freedom Riders in Greensboro and one year after the passage of the Civil Rights Act. It’s is impossible to know what the pressures were like that forged the man he became. It is awfully sad however that someone who was such a good friend to a number of us could have disappeared so completely from our lives over the last almost 40 years.
The last time I saw Mike was in the fall of 1971. I was coming back from playing pro basketball in Belgium and he was playing with the Virginia Squires. I went by Norfolk and met him at his apartment. After getting into horrible shape the previous year playing for the Pittsburgh Condors he had completely turned himself around. He was 220 lbs and in the best shape of his life. He told me he was playing the best basketball he had ever played and he was the starter at small forward going into the season. But he said there is a rookie on the team that does things every day in practice that nobody has ever seen on the basketball court and I should remember his name. Well his name was Julius Erving and when the season started Mike was on the bench. He was making too much money to not start so the Squires traded him to Dallas after 7 games. With Charlie Scott averaging 34.6 ppg and Erving averaging 27.3 ppg and 15.7 rebounds a game the Squires finished 2nd in the ABA Eastern Division.
Mike played in 9 games at Dallas in the 1972-73 season but I think was in Austria well before the season ended. I talked to him in Dallas a couple of times but never saw him or talked to him after he went to Austria.
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