GOOGLE JABBAR OPEN LETTER TO PIPPEN FROM EARLIER THIS WEEK....
KAREEM WHO HATED WILT CALLS CHAMBERLAIN THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME!!
Quote: "You obviously never saw Wilt Chamberlain play who undoubtedly was the greatest scorer this game has ever known. When did MJ ever average 50.4 points per game plus 25.7 rebounds? "
"...Simply put the number of players that could have stopped Wilt Chamberlain in his prime has not increased."
Even after Wilt left, the Overbrook team continued to dominate. They won three consecutive Philadelphia City Championships from 1957 through 1959. The 1958 team went 22-0, with players that included future pro's Wayne Hightower (Kansas), Walt Hazzard (UCLA), and Wally Jones (Villanova), who played with Wilt on the 76ers.
There was an article by the great Philly sports writer, Ted Silary, written in 1991 when Wilt returned to Overbrook. In the article, Ted writes that Cecil pulled Wilt aside and had a chance to talk to him for the first time since the 1976 Olympics, and they hadn't spoken much over the 30+ years since Wilt had graduated. "It was important that we spoke," said an obviously emotional Mosenson, ''and cleared the air about some misunderstandings that had occurred years ago, when Wilt was in college
The athletic director who was a track coach said that he does not stop his sprinters from breaking records. Therefore, Wilt was entitled to break the record.
Cecil mentions (at 3;23) that Wilt holds the record for missing consecutive field goals without a miss. He puts the record at 18. This is true for a single game. Wilt did this against the Bullets on 2/24/67. But, even more impressively, Wilt holds the record for most consecutive field goals (spanning multiple games) with 35 ! This streak was across 4 games in Feb 1967 and included the game against the Bullets.
I am going to buy the book.. seems like a great read.
I am not so sure Jordan is the best player ever.. I still think Wilt most likely was because of how he single handily forced the NBA rules to change because of his dominance.
westy: The difficulty with deciding who was the greatest is caused by no agreed-upon criteria. If it's the greatest stats, then clearly Wilt has no rival. If its leading the team to the championships, then it goes to Russell. But if it includes a combination of the two, then it goes to Jordan.
I first read about Cecil in that great book by Robert Cherry "Wilt Larger than Life". Cecil became the coach at Overbrook during Wilt's junior year. I know, again from Cherry's book, that Overbrook was coached by Sam Cozen, but Cozen left Overbrook to coach Drexel in 1952. Was there an interim coach between Cozen and Cecil, in the 1952-53 season, when Wilt was a soph? If so, why did he leave?
Actually, I just found a website that solves the mystery for me. Apparently, Cozen's Drexel career overlapped for two years with his 1947-54 run at Overbrook High School. So, he simultaneously coached a high school and college basketball team !
Some interesting H/S numbers for Wilt : against Roxborough on 2/17/55, Overbrook wins 123-21 and Wilt shoots 36 of 41 FGs, and 18 of 26 free throws. A month earlier, playing against the same hapless team, Wilt scores 74 as Overbrook wins 127-59. 36 FGs, 2 FTs, as Wilt plays less than 25 minutes. A year earlier, in the game that Cecil refers to (1:18), Wilt scores 71 against poor Roxborough. Cecil: Was Wilt as bad a free throw shooter in HS as he was in the pro's?
Cecil: Wilt scored 90 points against Roxborough. Maybe the game was different back then, but it would be considered unsportsmanlike to run up the score against an opponent when the outcome was no longer in question. On the other hand, Wilt was a national phenomena in H/S, so there must have been some pressure to leave him in the game so that he could accomplish the great numbers.
Thanks for posting. I must say that on the book cover Cecil looks older than his 22 years, but looks great today. At 3:34, when Wilt's career accomplishments are shown, it should be noted that the 2252 points refers to his HS total. This was a Philly HS record until recently when it was broken by a 6' guard named Maureece Rice, who finished with 2681. I've seen Wilt credited with a career HS total of 2206. Wilt accomplished his total in 3 varsity seasons, whereas Rice played 4 years.
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GOOGLE JABBAR OPEN LETTER TO PIPPEN FROM EARLIER THIS WEEK....
KAREEM WHO HATED WILT CALLS CHAMBERLAIN THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME!!
Quote: "You obviously never saw Wilt Chamberlain play who undoubtedly was the greatest scorer this game has ever known. When did MJ ever average 50.4 points per game plus 25.7 rebounds? "
"...Simply put the number of players that could have stopped Wilt Chamberlain in his prime has not increased."
musikaNeues 8 months ago
Even after Wilt left, the Overbrook team continued to dominate. They won three consecutive Philadelphia City Championships from 1957 through 1959. The 1958 team went 22-0, with players that included future pro's Wayne Hightower (Kansas), Walt Hazzard (UCLA), and Wally Jones (Villanova), who played with Wilt on the 76ers.
ddenuci 3 years ago
There was an article by the great Philly sports writer, Ted Silary, written in 1991 when Wilt returned to Overbrook. In the article, Ted writes that Cecil pulled Wilt aside and had a chance to talk to him for the first time since the 1976 Olympics, and they hadn't spoken much over the 30+ years since Wilt had graduated. "It was important that we spoke," said an obviously emotional Mosenson, ''and cleared the air about some misunderstandings that had occurred years ago, when Wilt was in college
ddenuci 3 years ago
The athletic director who was a track coach said that he does not stop his sprinters from breaking records. Therefore, Wilt was entitled to break the record.
cmosenson 3 years ago
Cecil mentions (at 3;23) that Wilt holds the record for missing consecutive field goals without a miss. He puts the record at 18. This is true for a single game. Wilt did this against the Bullets on 2/24/67. But, even more impressively, Wilt holds the record for most consecutive field goals (spanning multiple games) with 35 ! This streak was across 4 games in Feb 1967 and included the game against the Bullets.
ddenuci 3 years ago
First sentence should have been "...the record of MAKING consecutive..."
ddenuci 3 years ago
Thanks for the heads up on this... Great stuff..
I am going to buy the book.. seems like a great read.
I am not so sure Jordan is the best player ever.. I still think Wilt most likely was because of how he single handily forced the NBA rules to change because of his dominance.
westy40 3 years ago
westy: The difficulty with deciding who was the greatest is caused by no agreed-upon criteria. If it's the greatest stats, then clearly Wilt has no rival. If its leading the team to the championships, then it goes to Russell. But if it includes a combination of the two, then it goes to Jordan.
ddenuci 3 years ago
I first read about Cecil in that great book by Robert Cherry "Wilt Larger than Life". Cecil became the coach at Overbrook during Wilt's junior year. I know, again from Cherry's book, that Overbrook was coached by Sam Cozen, but Cozen left Overbrook to coach Drexel in 1952. Was there an interim coach between Cozen and Cecil, in the 1952-53 season, when Wilt was a soph? If so, why did he leave?
ddenuci 3 years ago
Actually, I just found a website that solves the mystery for me. Apparently, Cozen's Drexel career overlapped for two years with his 1947-54 run at Overbrook High School. So, he simultaneously coached a high school and college basketball team !
ddenuci 3 years ago
Some interesting H/S numbers for Wilt : against Roxborough on 2/17/55, Overbrook wins 123-21 and Wilt shoots 36 of 41 FGs, and 18 of 26 free throws. A month earlier, playing against the same hapless team, Wilt scores 74 as Overbrook wins 127-59. 36 FGs, 2 FTs, as Wilt plays less than 25 minutes. A year earlier, in the game that Cecil refers to (1:18), Wilt scores 71 against poor Roxborough. Cecil: Was Wilt as bad a free throw shooter in HS as he was in the pro's?
ddenuci 3 years ago
Cecil: Wilt scored 90 points against Roxborough. Maybe the game was different back then, but it would be considered unsportsmanlike to run up the score against an opponent when the outcome was no longer in question. On the other hand, Wilt was a national phenomena in H/S, so there must have been some pressure to leave him in the game so that he could accomplish the great numbers.
ddenuci 3 years ago
Thanks for posting. I must say that on the book cover Cecil looks older than his 22 years, but looks great today. At 3:34, when Wilt's career accomplishments are shown, it should be noted that the 2252 points refers to his HS total. This was a Philly HS record until recently when it was broken by a 6' guard named Maureece Rice, who finished with 2681. I've seen Wilt credited with a career HS total of 2206. Wilt accomplished his total in 3 varsity seasons, whereas Rice played 4 years.
ddenuci 3 years ago
its a great story
cecilmosenson 3 years ago