The KC Jones Interview
By:
Michael D. McClellan
|
Sunday, August 4th, 2002
But not
without a scare. USF was up by eight points with
less than two minutes to go in the game, but with 13
seconds remaining the score had been cut to 57-55.
At this point you were involved in a controversial play
that could have cost USF the game and turned you into a
scapegoat. Could you describe what happened during
that timeout, and also how you responded to the
adversity?
I was called for a technical foul. The
foul was called during a timeout, while I was running
onto the court. The referee said that I shoved an
Oregon State player, when all I was just trying to do
was get him out of the way [laughs]. Since the
foul occurred during a timeout, the referee assessed it
as a technical, which meant one shot and possession of
the ball. There were a number of questionable
calls in that game – did I mention that the game was
being played on Oregon State’s home court?
[Laughs.]
The technical foul gave
Oregon State a foul shot and possession of the
basketball. They make the shot. When play
resumes, Ron Robins misses a corner shot and Halbrook
rebounds the miss. You strip Halbrook from behind
with seven seconds left, but the theft is ruled a jump
ball. You have to jump against the 7’-3”
center on Oregon State’s end of the court. How
did those final few seconds play out?
It was a very rough game, rough from the start.
Robins missed the corner shot and then the next thing
you know it was a jump ball. I had to jump
against Halbrook in the free throw circle nearest the
Oregon State basket. I jumped as high as I could
and deflected the ball as Halbrook tipped it. The
ball flew into the Hal Perry’s hands. Hal got
bumped and knocked around a lot during those final
seconds, but he held onto the ball and we won the game.
The NCAA Final against
La Salle was billed as “Gola the Great” against
“Russell the Remarkable”. You were huge in
that game, playing bedrock defense against a taller Tom
Gola, and holding the star marksman to 9 points in the
first half and 7 in the second. You also scored 24
points to lead all scorers. Was that the most
complete collegiate game you’d ever played?
I had a touch of panic before that game, but once the
game started I didn’t hear much of anything.
Everything just seemed to go away. Phil didn’t
want Russell guarding Gola, because he was a smaller man
than Bill, and also more of a perimeter player. It
wouldn’t have been a smart move, and Phil recognized
that it was better to have Russell blocking shots under
the basket.
In our pre-game meeting Phil told me that I was
getting the Gola assignment, even though Gola was a much
taller player. I was focused on playing solid
defense, and was able to slow Gola down. It was
also one of those games where I clicked offensively.
USF repeated as national
champions the following year, but you knew going into
the season that you couldn’t participate in the
tournament. Why weren’t you eligible, and how
hard was it to watch your teammates win a second title
without you?
It goes back to what happened with my appendix.
The NCAA ruled that I could play the regular season in
’55-’56, but that I wouldn’t be eligible for the
tournament. Still, it wasn’t hard at all.
I was able to contribute throughout the season, and I
had a great deal of confidence that the team could
repeat. I was able to go to the tournament games
even though I was ineligible to play, so I still felt
like a part of the team.
What did
it feel like to be selected to represent the US in the
Olympics? What did it feel like to win the gold
medal and hear the national anthem played in your honor?
I learned that I’d been selected after the
college all-star game. It was a great honor to be
selected. Playing for your country is bigger than
playing for your college or for your pro team in the
NBA. It was the most important title that I’ve
ever won.
