Caitlin Clark’s scoring chase reminds us how great the man she’s chasing really was
On behalf of the most entertaining basketball player far too many people have forgotten, I’d like to thank Caitlin Clark. Her pursuit of the NCAA’s career scoring record has recast a light on the current record holder, Pete Maravich.
You may know the name. But unless you saw Pistol Pete in action, you cannot appreciate why he should be considered a basketball deity.
And too few people actually witnessed the magic of Maravich, who arrived at LSU in the basketball dark ages of the 1960s. I dug up old stories of his games in Alligator Alley. A few thousand fans saw Maravich score 47 points as a sophomore in LSU’s 93-92 win in 1968.
If they’re still alive, they undoubtedly remember Maravich scooping the ball behind his back and flipping a no-look bounce pass between his legs to a teammate for a bucket.
He had a torn knee ligament the next year but still scored 50. Maravich scored 52 points in 1970, and the crowd applauded as he clowned around with referee Lou Bello.
That was Pete. Good enough to pump in 52 while joking around.
“He’s just the greatest,” UF forward Andy Owens said.
Caitlin’s likely to break Maravich’s record of 3,667 points in the next week. Her ascension has sparked a debate over just who is the greatest.
That’s silly. They’re both phenomenal, but there are too many apples-and-oranges to compare them.
It must be pointed out, however, that Maravich racked up his points in only three seasons, since freshmen weren’t eligible. And there was no 3-point shot back then, which would have added hundreds of points.
As it was, Maravich averaged 44.2 points a game. But it was more how he went about it that made him a legend. Nobody was more entertaining with basketball in his hands.
Maravich died of heart congestion in a pickup game in 1988. He was only 40, which lends to the mythical quality of his tale.
Kudos to Clark for bringing Maravich back into the national conversation. But nobody can compare to Pistol Pete. …
Shifting leagues: Why is this Florida Gators athletic program joining the Big 12 next season?
High praise: Rick Pitino praises Florida basketball guard Walter Clayton Jr. in postgame interview
Dud of the Week: Wake Forest’s security plan. It supposedly had one, but you'd never know it based on how fans stampeded the court after the Deacons beat Duke and someone plowed into the leg of Blue Devils center Kyle Filipowski.
Dud II: The elevator at Long Island University’s gym. A bunch of Fairleigh Dickinson players got stuck on it before last week’s game. The start was delayed 17 minutes as firemen worked to rescue the players from the darkened elevator.
Dud III: The bathroom door at Texas A&M’s baseball park. The sixth inning of Saturday’s game against Wagner was delayed when a Wagner outfielder got locked in and couldn’t get out.
Honorable mention Stud of the Week: All the elevators and bathroom doors at UF sports facilities, which apparently worked properly all weekend.
Speaking of working properly, Florida’s men’s and women’s swimming teams swept the SEC Championship meet in Auburn. Just wondering - Has a crowd ever rushed the pool after the home team won a big meet?
Non-Sports Story of the Week: To commemorate the Chinese Lunar New Year, Starbucks rolled out a pork-flavored latte in China. It’s infused with “Dongo pork sauce” and has a slice of skewered pork on top of the mug.
I think it’s all a CIA plot to make the People’s Liberation Army too ill to invade Taiwan. …
The NFL announced next season’s salary cap will be $255.4 million. That’s a $30.4 million increase from last season and $231 million more than the first capped season in 1994.
At this rate, the cap will be $486 million in 2054, and the Cowboys still will not have won a championship. ...
Shaquille O’Neal said on his podcast last week that Dennis Rodman rarely showered after games, but women still flocked to him after games.
“He smelled like garbage truck water,” Shaq said. “And he got models on him at the club.”
In related news, Starbucks announced it will roll out “Rodman’s Garbage Water Latte” in selected Chinese outlets. …
In a new tell-all book, Phil Jackson says the Lakers lost to the Spurs in the 1999 playoffs because the team got stuck in an elevator with Dennis Rodman before Game 1. …
The Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat said the country’s soccer federation is investigating an “immoral move” by Cristiano Ronaldo. He simulated a self-gratifying sexual act toward rival fans after a game last week.
It’s the third such incident this season for Ronaldo. If there’s any justice in this world, Wake Forest will be in charge of Ronaldo’s security at the next game. …
Salary Cap Redux: The Office of Management and Budget estimates that by 2054, $486 million will buy you a good used tight end or a week’s worth of groceries at Publix. …
That’s about all the space we have for this week’s Whitley’s Believe It or Not. Till next time, if you go to a Beijing Starbucks and find yourself hankering for a pork latte, my advice is to lock yourself in the bathroom until the urge passes
David Whitley is The Gainesville Sun's sports columnist. Contact him at dwhitley@gannett.com. Follow him on X @DavidEWhitley
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Caitlin Clark and Pete Maravich are both incomparable
