Pistol Pete

[Resica]

I hear a guy from Detroit Mercy may pass Pistol as the all time leading scorer in Div. 1 basketball. Place an asterick please. Pete averaged 44.2 per game in 3 years, couldn't play as a freshman. This guy is in his 5th year. Pistol is the man. My Great Uncle John(Whack) told me he was at Pres. Maravich's house one time while recruiting and this little kid came through the family room dribbling all over the place and up on the coffee table still dribbling.

 

[The Original Rooster]

I hear a guy from Detroit Mercy may pass Pistol as the all time leading scorer in Div. 1 basketball. Place an asterick please. Pete averaged 44.2 per game in 3 years, couldn't play as a freshman. This guy is in his 5th year. Pistol is the man. My Great Uncle John(Whack) told me he was at Pres. Marivich's house one time while recruiting and this little kid came through the family room dribbling all over the place and up on the coffee table still dribbling.

That's right, an asterisk is needed. These players today think they're as good as some of the players from the past in college and in the pros without recognizing:
1. College players in the past usually only started their junior and senior year. Freshman rarely played and a sophomore starting was rare. And, there were NO players in there for 5 years.
2. Pro players weren't allowed to start out of high school so didn't start in the pros at 18 with a few rare exceptions. Imagine Wilt Chamberlain's or Kareem Abdul Jabbar's point total if they had started in the pros at 18.

 

[Resica]

That's right, an asterisk is needed. These players today think they're as good as some of the players from the past in college and in the pros without recognizing:
1. College players in the past usually only started their junior and senior year. Freshman rarely played and a sophomore starting was rare. And, there were NO players in there for 5 years.
2. Pro players weren't allowed to start out of high school so didn't start in the pros at 18 with a few rare exceptions. Imagine Wilt Chamberlain's or Kareem Abdul Jabbar's point total if they had started in the pros at 18.

Freshman were not allowed to play on varsity when Pete played.

 

[The Original Rooster]

Freshman were not allowed to play on varsity when Pete played.

I know, not until 1972. That's my point. Both college and pro players have elevated stats compared to the past because they're allowed to play earlier and stay longer in college or start in the pros straight out of high school and gain 4 years of stats before players in the past could even get to the pros.
Even after that 1972, it was rare for a freshman to start or even play for that matter. And, there were no players who went straight to the pros from high school until Moses Malone in 1974.

 

[1eyefishing]

And there was no 3 point line.

 

[hawkeye123]

Saw Pistol play at the Omni for the Hawks when I was a kid. Amazing ball handler & shooter..would have avg. 50+ if they had a 3 pt line

 

[1eyefishing]

This was also an era where the dribbler's hand could not go on the bottom half of the ball. Unlike today where the ball is carried on every move.

 

[JustUs4All]

Times change. My father's High School Annual 1931 shows a basketball score of 2 to 7. Thinking that the players must have been very poor shooters, I asked dad why the scores were so low.

He answered that they played outside on dirt courts where the bounce of a dribbled ball was inconsistent and almost all shots taken were layups as defensive body checking was legal.