The Glenn McDonald Interview
By:
Michael D. McClellan
|
Monday, March 20th,
2006
Lute Olson replaced Tarkanian prior to your senior season, and Long Beach State
didn’t miss a beat. The team was 24-2, and ranked #2 in the nation at one
time. Please tell me a little about playing for Mr. Olson.
We
always tease Lute about that situation. We had a young man come into the
program named Clifton Pondexter – his brother, Roscoe, was already playing at
Long Beach – and he was just a monster. He was 6’9”, very strong, could score
around the basket, and could jump out of the gym. We didn’t pick up very many
more people. Lute brought in a couple of his kids from Long Beach City College,
but they didn’t play a lot. So we tease Lute to this day, and tell him that
even if our mothers had coached that team we would have been 24-2 [laughs]. We
felt that we were that talented. It was sad that we ended up going on probation
over some things that had happened in previous years, but the fact was that we
were a very good team. It was just unfortunate that we weren’t able to prove it
by going to the NCAA Tournament.
Lute was quite different than Tark. He didn’t like to joke around a lot. One of the big things may have been that it was his first year there, and he had to come in and set the tone right away. He probably felt like he had to make the statement that said, ‘I am in charge.’ So, he really didn’t get along with a lot of the players. I was basically the mediator on the team. When things would happen on the team between Coach and the players, I would always step in and let them know the deal. Guys would say, ‘I didn’t come here to play for Lute, I came to play for Tark.’ And I would say, ‘Well, Tark’s not here. He had to leave. So you have a new coach, and you need to give this man the respect that he deserves.’ And we overcame the transition. We all clicked together as a team and had a tremendous year.
Lute was another great teacher of the fundamentals. He was a very disciplined coach. The thing that he did do was give people a little freer reign as far as scoring. Tark had a set group of players that he wanted to do the scoring. Lute’s approach was, ‘If you know you can score, and you’re in a range where you know you can score, then go ahead and look for your shot. I’m not going to stop you from looking for your shot. Just understand your limitations, and don’t try to exceed your limitations.’ For me, I went from averaging 3 points-per-game to averaging 16 points-per-game.
So, like I said, they were just two totally different types of people – but very much alike at the same time. Lute didn’t joke around with the players like Tark did, but they were both disciplined in their own ways. If someone was doing wrong, they would sit that person on the bench. They didn’t play favorites. If the best player on the team did something wrong, both coaches would let that player know it. That’s what I respect the most about both of them.
From
1971-74, Long Beach State’s record was an incredible 75-9, and you were a
huge part of that success. You gained a reputation for your defensive
prowess, as well as for your clutch shooting. What memories stand out from
this period after all of these years?
The
biggest thing that stands out now is how dominating we were on our home
court. That’s one of the things that’s always been important to me –
winning at home. The other thing is just the fact that we were such a
close-knit team. We really and truly got along. We did things together.
To this day we stay in touch with one another. For me, the way I am as a
person, that was one of the most enjoyable times in my life. Being around
my teammates like that – we really did look at each other as family. Of
course you are going to have a little resentment here-or-there, but it never
held over. We might get upset with each other over something at practice,
and then we’d be right back together that evening, eating dinner together or
going to a movie together. So I just think that the camaraderie that we had
as a team was very special. I don’t think a lot of teams understand how
important chemistry is, both on and off of the court.
In 1988,
you were inducted into the Long Beach State athletic hall of fame. What
does this honor mean to you?
To
me it shows that people really appreciated me as both a person and a
basketball player. The people that vote for you look at a lot of different
things when they decide to present your with that award. They look at
whether you graduated from college, and how you performed as a player. They
look at your character – not only during your days as an athlete at Long
Beach, but also during the years since leaving school. So that award just
shows me that people have a lot of respect for me. I was very, very honored
to have been inducted. It’s one of the biggest events that they have at
Long Beach, and to be inducted so soon was just a huge honor. It showed me
that people looked at me in a different light, and not just as a basketball
player.
You were
selected by the Boston Celtics with the 17th overall pick in the 1974 NBA
Draft. How has the draft changed over the years, and what was it like to be
drafted by the world champion Boston Celtics?
There
are so many more teams in the NBA today – that’s one difference. And now
they have the NBA Draft Lottery, and the Green Room where all of the top
picks gather. It’s a huge event now. The cash rewards for being drafted in
the first round are mind boggling when compared to what we were signing for
back then. During my days, a player had to negotiate a contract. Now, you
really don’t have to negotiate. There are already set amounts in place for
each draft position in the first round, so you already have an idea of what
you’re going to make based upon where you end up in the first round of the
draft. So it’s just totally different in that aspect. And like I said,
today players sit in the Green Room and wait to see if they’re going to be a
lottery pick. I can imagine that the wait must be incredibly stressful.
During my time, you were basically waiting for a phone call. That was my
case.
I had a feeling that I was going to get drafted. I didn’t know how high or how low, or anything like that, but I knew that there were teams interested in me. I knew that the Milwaukee Bucks were definitely interested, and of course they had the ABA at that time as well. My coach called me with the news, which was kind of funny because of who drafted me. I was never a Celtic fan, and I wasn’t a Laker fan because I didn’t like the Lakers, either. I was always pulling for the underdog. So one of the things I said was, ‘I hope that I don’t get drafted by the Celtics, because they win all of the time and I want to be able to beat the Celtics.’ That was my thing. And then, all of a sudden Coach calls me up that day. I was in the middle of moving, and he says, ‘Glenn, I’ve got some news for you.’ And I said, ‘What’s up, Coach?’ And he says, ‘You were just drafted in the first round by the Boston Celtics’. I said, ‘Oh, okay…good. But let me call you back a little later because I’m moving right now.’ And he says, ‘Don’t you understand what I just told you? You were drafted in the first round by one of the greatest NBA franchises ever.’ I said, ‘I know, but I’m moving my furniture right now. Let me call you back’. That’s just how I am. I just don’t get real excited about a lot of things. And even though I might be excited, a lot of times I just don’t show it outwardly. So I called him back later, and Coach was still taken aback by my attitude. I just said, ‘ Look, I’m sorry but I was moving!’ [Laughs.]
After the news hit me, I was like, ‘Man, the Celtics – now I’ve got to move from one coast to the other coast. I’m thinking of all this kind of stuff. And then I went out there and met Red, and had a chance to tour the Boston Garden – and as raggedy as that place was, it still made me have chill bumps. I was so excited when I got there. I saw the banners, and at that time I just felt so proud to be involved with that organization. And to this day I’m still proud to have been a Boston Celtic. They still keep in contact with me. It’s just a different situation, it really is. They preach family, and they truly are a family. They try very hard to keep former players informed as to what’s going on, and I just really appreciate that so much.