Anthony Roberts: 1977

[titansforever]

You can move this to another page if needed. I wasn't sure if it should go here or under Free for All.

Roberts' legendary postseason performance

BILL CONNORS

Editor's note: This is a column by former Tulsa World Sports Editor Bill Connors. This spring and summer, we are reprinting memorable columns from Connors from the Tulsa World Archive. This column originally published March 11, 1977. Anthony Roberts' 65 points scored for Oral Roberts in an NIT first-round game on March 9, 1977, at Mabee Center, remains a record for a major college men's postseason basketball game. Twenty years later, on April 4, 1997, after Roberts' funeral a day earlier, Connors still called it "the most remarkable individual achievement," he had seen at the World. Roberts' feat occurred before there were 3-point baskets in college basketball.

Cecil Hankins, shortly after eligibility expired on his remarkable athletic career at Oklahoma State, was in Gallagher Hall as a spectator the night Bob Kurland scored 58 points against St. Louis in 1946.

Hankins was also in Mabee Center Wednesday night. So was Kurland.

They agreed Thursday that Anthony Roberts' 65-point explosion against Oregon was the most impressive of what undoubtedly rank as the two most distinguished achievements by a college basketball player in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma.

"What Roberts did was the most fantastic exhibition I've ever seen in athletics," said Hankins, who played professionally and coached at Sand Springs before becoming an automobile dealer. Hankins is not easily impressed. But Roberts' performance impressed him.

"Roberts really had to work because Oregon is such a good defensive team," Hankins said. "Kurland had quite a height advantage in those days and scored quite a bit close in. This thing last night by Roberts was tougher. They were all over him. He had to battle them to get his shots, and he made some shots I didn't think could be made. And Oregon goaltended two of his shots the officials didn't call."

Kurland, the game's first seven-footer who went on to AAU and Olympic fame before becoming an executive with Phillips Petroleum and is now back at the company's Bartlesville headquarters, scored 58 points when team scores were usually in the 30's.

The St. Louis center who was assigned to guard Kurland was Easy Ed Macauley, then a freshman and four inches shorter than the OSU senior. During a subsequent all-star career in college and the NBA, Macauley kept a clipping of the box score in his wallet "to keep me humble."

Though Roberts scored 66 points last month against North Carolina A&T and ORU's first super scorer, Richard Fuqua, scored 60 against University of the South in 1971, the nature of the competition made Kurland's the non-pareil of state performances.

Until Wednesday night. "I've never seen anyone,

anywhere produce with that kind of output the way Roberts did," Kurland said. "It was a thrill to be there and see something like that.

"I became a fan of Roberts when I saw him play so hard on one leg against North Texas. It was obvious Wednesday night the game meant a lot to him. He really played hard. He had to do it under difficult circumstances. I don't think you could even compare my game to his.

"Mine was just one of those things that happens. Things were going awfully well for us that year and that night it seemed like everything I put up went in. Usually, I scored inside. But that night I hit a high percentage from all over the floor."

OSU's records do not show how many field goals Kurland attempted. He hit 25, and made 8-of-11 free throws.

"I got a bigger kick out of seeing Roberts," Kurland said. "I thought he was out of gas when he got hit and had to leave the game. I figured he would be out a while and might not do much when he returned. But he was out less than a minute and just kept pouring them in. I am glad I was there. That's what everybody is talking about today."

And so it went. Wherever basketball coaches gathered on Thursday you can bet they talked about Anthony Roberts.

It was one thing that he scored more points than any player has ever scored in a postseason tournament. It was another thing that he hit 68% of his shots (25-of-37, and 15-of-16 free throws) without getting greedy.

Also, he did it in an important and passionately contested game which his team lost (8990). He did it with his supporting cast in foul trouble and shackled, thus allowing a tough defensively proud opponent to concentrate everything on him.

Beyond Belief

But what made it an earthshaker for coaches was it came against a team and a coach who are acknowledged to be college basketball's defensive masters.

The Ducks were not unaware of Roberts. He scored 18 against them two years ago (in the NIT), and they saw him score 46-48 and 43 in consecutive games against the likes of North Carolina and Oregon State in the Far West Classic in December.

Roberts scored six more points than Oregon's team average on defense. Gene Ranson of California scored 35 points on Oregon this year in five overtimes. Coach Dick Harter was "ashamed of that," even though all his regulars fouled out and Ranson had an extra 25 minutes to do his damage. "What Roberts did was beyond belief," Harter said.

It might be likened to a batter hitting five home runs in the same game off Sandy Koufax, or a running back rushing for 400 yards against the Steelers.

Personally, this is the 25th season to cover basketball for this newspaper. The privileged opportunities included seeing:

— Oscar Robertson's (then) NCAA record 56 points vs Arkansas — against a zone, to the disbelief of coach Glen Rose in the 1958 Midwest regional;

— Elvin Hayes, in the 1968 NCAA semifinals when he demoralized and then destroyed tall, highly-favored Kansas State in what the much-traveled Jack Gardner then called the 'best basketball performance I've ever seen;"

— Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) at his MVP best in three national championships.

No equal

Plus many other memorable performances. Robertson was seen nine times as a collegian and once as a professional. Every time was a thrill. He was the Sinatra of baskets. Perfection.

But for one game, start to finish, there is no recollection of anything to equal Roberts' offensive performance Wednesday night. It was as though he had been sent down from a higher league. At times, Oregon must have wondered if he might be enchanted.

Considering Roberts' competitive capacity there was reason to think he would have a big night. But against Oregon 20 points is a big night. He could not be expected to reach his No. 2 national average of 32.

He had 30 at halftime. Could anyone imagine that would be his worst half?

It became electrifying, as he reached 40, then 50. By then you knew you were witnessing a rare happening. Amazingly, some spectators in the crowd of 9,286 left as he was closing in on 60. Oregon desperately tried to wear him down by alternating fresh defenders.

But it was the defenders who wore out. At the finish, Roberts looked as though he could go for 100.

"The remarkable thing," Kurland said, "is that he didn't take bad shots. He wasn't gunning." Hankins said, "he only hurried one or two shots."

For sure, it was a performance to remember. It was Roberts' valedictory as a Titan at Mabee Center, but not his last there. He will be back for the East-West game next month. Oregon's Greg Ballard hoped, with justification, his 43-point performance would earn him a bid to the East-West game. Those two on the same team?

Equal to oral

If Ballard returns, he might make teammate Ernie Kent's year by getting Oral Roberts' autograph.

After the famed evangelist and president of ORU visited with Harter and departed Oregon's dressing room, Kent expressed disappointment "that I missed getting to meet him. One of the things I was looking forward to on this trip was meeting Oral Roberts."

But Kent, who had to guard Roberts much of the night, added, "I got to meet Anthony Roberts. That dude does his thing as well as Oral Roberts does his."

[Old Titan]

 

 

[titansforever]

Watching this never gets old! 

[theeagleman5]

TheEagleman will never get tired of chatting about Anthony/Tony/Woosie Roberts.....not only a great all round basketball player and scorer but was a really nice quiet kid while at ORU.....I really liked him and his wife was a sweetheart.....it's a shame how it ended up....but in 1974, 75, 76 and 77 the guy was just amazing...best player at ORU all time probably any sport but understood that could be debated......RIP Woosie!!!  

[dbl78]

That was some game.  We were amazed at Woosie's performance, but dejected that we got beat.  

[Titan Brent]

6 hours ago, Old Titan said:

 

 

Love this!