The Xavier McDaniel Interview
By:
Michael D. McClellan
|
Thursday, May 5th, 2005
Let's talk college. What led you to choose Wichita State?
I
signed a letter of intent to play at Wichita State, and I stayed there for four
years. I was almost set to sign with South Carolina, and one day I opened up
the paper, and I saw where USC had signed six guys. They didn’t have anymore
scholarships. At that time, I had struggled through two years of high school.
I didn’t struggle because I didn’t know the material, I struggled because I
didn’t do the work. Half of the time I didn’t go to class, and half of the time
I didn’t do the work that was required. Like I said, my high school coach
benched me during my junior year, and during the last half of my junior year I
started to turn things around. By the end of my senior year I had pulled my GPA
up to a 2.4, but USC used the excuse that I wasn’t getting my work done, and
that if I went straight there I would probably flunk out. That’s when they
started talking about prep school. And I was like, ‘Well, if you wanted me to
go to prep school, then why didn’t you say that from day one? You knew my
situation.’ Entering my senior year I had a 1.9 GPA, and the coaches at USC
knew that. And if they didn’t want me to go to prep school then, why did they
want me to go after I’d worked hard, done the work, and brought my GPA up to a
respectable number? Just shoot straight with me. Once the school did that, I
decided to go in another direction. My high school coach told me that I should
have gone on some recruiting trips, because I had only take one recruiting trip,
and that was to Ole Miss. I did not like Ole Miss, so I didn’t take any other
trips. I was planning on going to USC.
Well, I went on some recruiting trips after I saw those signings in the paper. I went to Clemson on a recruiting trip, I went to Memphis State, and I went to Wichita State. This was in April of 1981. And when I went out Wichita, the coach asked me if I liked to dunk. I told him I loved to dunk. He asked if I could handle the ball. I told him I loved to dribble, but that my high school coach didn’t like me to dribble the ball a lot. And then he said that he liked a five-man fast break, and that if his big men could handle the rock they could keep it. And then he started showing me ally-oops, and I was just blown away. Wichita State just looked like a fun place to play.
I didn’t sign immediately. I went to Memphis State and did some illegal stuff from a recruiting standpoint – I’m sure it was a recruiting violation, but I didn’t have anything to do, and the guys took me to the gym and I played in a pickup game with the team. I didn’t know it then, but I wasn’t supposed to do that. The guys went back and told Dana Kirk, ‘ Man, this cat can play.’ Dana Kirk ask me if I was going to South Carolina. I told him that I hadn’t made up my mind. So they pursued me. For the most part, it all came down to my comfort level. Wichita State ran the ball. Memphis State ran the ball. I knew that South Carolina was out of the picture. And then rumors got out that I was going to Clemson, and then USC turned around at the last minute and tried to offer me a scholarship. It was tempting, because I’m a very big South Carolina fan – football and basketball.
It just got to the point where I had to make the decision. I didn’t settle on a school until a couple of days before my birthday, in June. Memphis State felt like a good fit. Wichita State was the same. And then one night I told my brother that I was going to Kansas. He asked if I was sure I wanted to go all of the way out there. The next day it was Memphis State. It just kept going back and forth, and then one day I just stuck with it. I told him that I was going to Wichita State. The next day I signed.
You were
a consensus All-America at Wichita State. You were the first player in NCAA
history to lead the nation in both scoring and rebounding in the same
season. You led the nation in rebounding twice. Of all these collegiate
accomplishments, which means the most to you, and why?
When
I tell you this, you probably won’t believe it. I know I made history with
the scoring and rebounding titles, but it never really meant a lot to me
because I didn’t win the NCAA championship. I believe that, one of these
days, what I did in college is probably going to get me into the
hall-of-fame. At least that’s what I think. I was one of 46 players to
score 2,000 points in a collegiate career. I had over 1,000 rebounds. I
don’t know where I rank now, but at one time I was the second all-time
leading rebounder in college basketball history. I was second only to Wes
Unseld. He had over 1,500 and I had 1,359. So I feel that what I did in
college will probably get me into the hall-of-fame. But I didn’t win a
championship. I won a Missouri Valley Conference championship, and a
conference tournament championship, but I wasn’t able win the big one.
Individual goals and accomplishments are okay, but they will probably mean
more to my kids than they will ever mean to me.
I was
talking to a friend the other day, and I realized that I’ve been out of
basketball for eight years. Eight years! It also reminded me that I didn’t
win a championship at the college and pro level. I’m happy with the way my
career went – I put up some MVP numbers in NBA, even though I didn’t win an
MVP award – but at the same time I’m sad because I didn’t win a
championship. It doesn’t belittle what type of player I was, it’s just that
I don’t have that ring to show that I was a part of championship team. I’ve
got trophies from my time in the NBA – I was the league’s Player of the
Month twice. I’ve got a lot of those types of things. I’ve got awards for
my involvement in the community. And like I said, those things will
probably mean more to my children. But for me, I will always choose team
goals over individual goals. Those are more important to me.
The NBA
instituted the Draft Lottery in 1985.You were the fourth overall selection
in that draft, by the Seattle Supersonics. How has the draft changed since
'85, and what were your thoughts about being drafted by the Sonics?
I
was just happy, man. Patrick was sitting there – the chairs were in line,
right there in Madison Square Garden, and Patrick’s name was called first.
Wayman Tisdale’s name was called second. Benoit Benjamin was third, and I
was sitting right there next to Benoit Benjamin. I was like, ‘Oh please
call my name – please call my name.’ Because I didn’t want to be sitting
there all alone. We all went in order. When David Stern called my name I
was just thankful. I was thankful that I was able to do something for my
family, and I’m not talking about me personally. People who know me, they
know that I’ll come to the gym with some jeans and sneakers on. Nothing
fancy. But it meant a lot to take care of my family, and to be able to do
something that I loved. If my back and knees didn’t always hurt, I’d
probably be doing it for free right now [laughs]. Playing NBA basketball
was something that I would have done for free anyhow.
Still,
basketball wasn’t always my first love. Baseball was my first love.
Football was my second love, as far as actually playing, but it was probably
my first love as far as watching. You know how they say, ‘I don’t like this
record, but it grew on me.’ That’s how basketball was for me, because I was
more of a football player, or a baseball player. If you would go to my
neighborhood and talk to some of the people there, they would tell you that
they thought I was going to be a baseball player. I was pitcher. I was a
catcher. I played first base. I could play all of the positions, and I hit
for power and average. But I ended up growing tall. So basketball kind of
grew on me, and it grew on me to a point that I started loving it. Now I
think it’s the best game. But as a kid it was just something to do. Down
here, you had to play football. I promise you. There is no father who
doesn’t have his son on the football field [laughs]. They play on Sunday,
and the stands are packed – it looks like there’s an NFL game going on
[laughs]. Football is loved down here. South Carolina went 0-11 in Lou
Holtz’s first year down here, and there would be 83,000 people at the game.
Every game.
You were
an instant success, averaging 17.1 points and 8.0 rebounds as a starter
during his rookie season. You were also named first-team All-Rookie, while
Basketball Digest magazine named you co-Rookie of the Year. What are some
of the things that stand out in your mind about your first season in the
NBA?
I
won the Basketball Digest co-Rookie of the Year with Karl Malone, and I won
the Seagram’s NBA Rookie of the Year Award outright – I have a silver plate
for winning that. And Patrick won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. I tell
Patrick all the time to give me my damn trophy back [laughs]. He only
played 50 games that year, and I played the whole season. Patrick and I are
very good friends – we talk about once or twice a month – and when we talk I
always tease him about winning that award. He’ll laugh and say, ‘Well, I
put up numbers.’ And I’ll say, ‘Yeah, but you only did it for 50 games – I
did it for 82 games, and that means I had 32 more chances to mess up.’ We
joke a lot about that, but Patrick was a big superstar. He deserved the
award, but I tell him that one of these days I’m gonna steal that trophy
from him [laughs].
