Legendedubasket

7 avril 2009


Legendedubasket ets encore en deuil.
Après la disparition tragique de Howard Porter, Norm Van Lier et  Johnny 'Red) Kerr, tous joueurs aux mythiques Chicago Bulls, c'est un autre joueur emblèmatique des 70's de nous quitter.
Marvin Webster, un des meilleurs "slrpping" pivotmen, vient de nous quitter à l'age  de 56 ans.
Marvin Wrbster fait partie de cete génération de frands pvots (^lus de 7 pieds), soit plus de 2.13m, qui ont connu l'époque bénie de l'euphorie de la fin des années 70's.
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Une vie et une carrière mouvementée.


Webster starred at Edmondson High after growing up in Baltimore, and he played from 1972 to 1975 at Morgan, where he was renowned for his shot-blocking. In the 1974 championship season, he averaged 21 points, 22.4 rebounds and eight blocked shots.

His career totals of 1,990 points and 2,267 rebounds are still school records.

"He controlled games," said Nat Frazier, Webster's coach. "One of my colleagues once said if he had Marvin, he would score 40 points a game. Marvin could've scored 40 points a game for us, but he was a tremendous team player. He averaged 20 [points] and 20 [rebounds]. He incorporated his game into the team game.

"I was a very fortunate coach to have him."

Jethro Crum played small forward on that team and last saw Webster at the team's 25-year reunion in 1999. He still remembers going to Bible study with Webster at Morgan.

"He was a humble, down-to-earth guy," Crum said. "Very approachable. When he came back from playing in Denver [as a member of the Nuggets], he took me to dinner. He took everybody from the team to dinner."

Webster was a first-round pick in 1975 by both the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association; he joined the NBA when the Nuggets were absorbed into the league in 1976. He took the Seattle SuperSonics to the NBA finals in 1978.

From there, he signed a five-year, multi-million-dollar contract with the New York Knicks. Even in New York, he didn't forget his Morgan friends. He gave Ivan Young, another former teammate, four tickets behind the Knicks' bench at Madison Square Garden when Young worked for a brokerage firm in Manhattan.

"He was a true professional who worked hard at his job and was good with his teammates and peers," said Hubie Brown, Webster's coach on the Knicks from 1982 to 1984. "And he had a good family, too. You never had to worry about anything with Marvin."

Except for his fight with hepatitis.

Webster, who contracted hepatitis after Morgan's championship season and played his senior year at a bloated 280 pounds, required medication for the disease. He would grow to resent taking the medicine once he was forced to retire after the 1985 season.

He attempted a comeback with the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1986-87 season but soon abandoned the game.

His first wife, Mederia Webster, died of a ruptured aneurysm in 1992 after their divorce. Five years later, his 6-foot-11 son, Marvin Jr., died of cardiomyopathy as a sophomore at Temple University.

"I couldn't imagine walking in his shoes, to bury your wife and then bury your son," said Bobby Newton, one of Webster's closest friends from Morgan. "That's enough to take even the strongest person over the edge.

"Once he was ill, that contributed to his mind-set."

Webster made enough money in the NBA to retire to a life of leisure. He lived out of hotels in various cities when he wasn't spending time with his parents. At the upscale Hotel Ambassador in Tulsa, where he died, he was friendly with the staff but kept to himself, said Michael Frimel, managing director of the hotel.

He held occasional jobs -- as a used-car and clothing salesman -- but primarily traveled the country.

Bennett, an Albuquerque, N.M., accountant who worked as Webster's financial adviser after the NBA, said the family sometimes forced Webster into hospitals to take his medication.

"The way hepatitis affected him, it caused him to appear to have mental problems," Bennett said. "I spent a great deal of time with Marvin, except the last two years, when he really went into a shell. I think it was the fact he wasn't taking his medication regularly."

A month ago, after traveling to Tulsa, Webster went into a hospital for a short stay. In late February, his father, Edward Leo Webster, a minister, died.

Bennett said he believes that, at the end, Webster was dealing with depression as well as his liver condition.

"The illness really had Marvin," he said. "When he wasn't on his meds, he spent a lot of time in his room."

Baltimore Sun reporters Robert Little and Mike Klingaman contributed to this article

"He controlled games," said Nat Frazier, Webster's coach. "One of my colleagues once said if he had Marvin, he would score 40 points a game. Marvin could've scored 40 points a game for us, but he was a tremendous team player. He averaged 20 [points] and 20 [rebounds]. He incorporated his game into the team game.

"I was a very fortunate coach to have him."

Jethro Crum played small forward on that team and last saw Webster at the team's 25-year reunion in 1999. He still remembers going to Bible study with Webster at Morgan.

"He was a humble, down-to-earth guy," Crum said. "Very approachable. When he came back from playing in Denver [as a member of the Nuggets], he took me to dinner. He took everybody from the team to dinner."

Webster was a first-round pick in 1975 by both the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association; he joined the NBA when the Nuggets were absorbed into the league in 1976. He took the Seattle SuperSonics to the NBA finals in 1978.

From there, he signed a five-year, multi-million-dollar contract with the New York Knicks. Even in New York, he didn't forget his Morgan friends. He gave Ivan Young, another former teammate, four tickets behind the Knicks' bench at Madison Square Garden when Young worked for a brokerage firm in Manhattan.

"He was a true professional who worked hard at his job and was good with his teammates and peers," said Hubie Brown, Webster's coach on the Knicks from 1982 to 1984. "And he had a good family, too. You never had to worry about anything with Marvin."

Except for his fight with hepatitis.

Webster, who contracted hepatitis after Morgan's championship season and played his senior year at a bloated 280 pounds, required medication for the disease. He would grow to resent taking the medicine once he was forced to retire after the 1985 season.

He attempted a comeback with the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1986-87 season but soon abandoned the game.

His first wife, Mederia Webster, died of a ruptured aneurysm in 1992 after their divorce. Five years later, his 6-foot-11 son, Marvin Jr., died of cardiomyopathy as a sophomore at Temple University.

"I couldn't imagine walking in his shoes, to bury your wife and then bury your son," said Bobby Newton, one of Webster's closest friends from Morgan. "That's enough to take even the strongest person over the edge.

"Once he was ill, that contributed to his mind-set."

Webster made enough money in the NBA to retire to a life of leisure. He lived out of hotels in various cities when he wasn't spending time with his parents. At the upscale Hotel Ambassador in Tulsa, where he died, he was friendly with the staff but kept to himself, said Michael Frimel, managing director of the hotel.

He held occasional jobs -- as a used-car and clothing salesman -- but primarily traveled the country.

Bennett, an Albuquerque, N.M., accountant who worked as Webster's financial adviser after the NBA, said the family sometimes forced Webster into hospitals to take his medication.

"The way hepatitis affected him, it caused him to appear to have mental problems," Bennett said. "I spent a great deal of time with Marvin, except the last two years, when he really went into a shell. I think it was the fact he wasn't taking his medication regularly."

A month ago, after traveling to Tulsa, Webster went into a hospital for a short stay. In late February, his father, Edward Leo Webster, a minister, died.

Bennett said he believes that, at the end, Webster was dealing with depression as well as his liver condition.

"The illness really had Marvin," he said. "When he wasn't on his meds, he spent a lot of time in his room."

Baltimore Sun reporters Robert Little and Mike Klingaman contributed to this article.

Le Basket à Harlem dec 06

Tires si tu veux survivre

Le basket-ball, sport de la ville a vu le jour aux Etats-Unis, à Springfield exactement, dans le vénéré état du Massachusetts. Depuis d’une campagne paisible et verdoyante c’est par la voie des grandes cités industrielles que ce sport de riches est devenu et en entré dans la famille deu peuple américain. Les pauvres issus des cités et banlieues (suburbs) des cœurs industriels des grandes villes américaines. Très rapidement s’est propagé l’amour de la Grosse Balle via les réseaux urbains de propagation des sports collectifs. Parmi ceux-ci les fameux playgrounds, terrains de jeux , qui fleurirent Outre-Atlantique;à la vitesse du développement de la misère, de l’ennui, et de la délinquance urbaine. Soupapes de sécurité ou canal d’expression direct des oubliés de la croissance, les bannis de l’American Dream , les ghettos sont le témoignage des traces de la volonté des gamins de d’élever par la forme d’activité quotidienne, celle ci s’écartant enfin de la délinquance, la drogue et tous les maux associés à cette mal-vie qui taraude la minorités urbaines.

C’est évidemment à Harlem, quartier typique de New York des 40’s que le basket-ball a trouvé son refuge spirituel, sportif, physique, moral, finalement institutionnel..

Ce sont des centres de réunion populaire où les activités artistiques libératrices (danse, football americain, soccer…) ont pu s’exprimer sous leur forme les plus pures, à l’abri des tentations de la Ville donc des frustrations en tous genres qui guettent tout gamin errant dans la Cité..

NBA :

Au début des années 60’s, le basket-ball américain commença de plus en plus à se noircir et la pratique de ce sport, peux coûteux à la différence du football, base-ball ou hockey sur glace qui nécessitent un équipement onéreux peu accessibles pour les classes populaires.

Les premiers grands joueurs du playgrounds d’Harlem ne furent pas des noirs mais des blancs, plus précisément des juifs et enfants d’immigrés italiens.

On se rappelle que Bob Cousy, un des meilleurs meneurs de balle des années 50’s tapait de la grosse balle du coré de Rockaway avant de devenir une star de NYCC, New York City College avec qui il gagne deux titres NCAA avant de rejoindre les inoubliables Boston Celtics et d’emporter plusieurs bagues de champion NBA.

Franck, Dick et Al Mc Guire devenu grands joueurs de play-ground réputés iront faire leurs gammes à la grande Université Saint-John’s de New-York. Les uns et les autres seront comblés par le destin puisqu’ils remporteront titres de champion universitaires avec North Carolina, Saint-John’s ou Marquette, cette université située dans la banlieue de Milwaukee et qui sera champion en 1977 sous la direction d’Al, le dur au mal.

Dolph Shayes ‘2,03m), devenu quelques années plus tard grand joueur des mythiques Syracuse National 3 fois champions NBA passa par NYCC avant d’entamer sa grande marche vers la gloire durant les années 50’s.Son fils Danny (2,08m) fera une belle carrière en NBA durant les années80’s

Noirs ;

Mais c’est par l’urbanisation croissante (bétonnisation) croissante de New-York que se fixa la première couche véritablement basketteuse de la communauté noire de New-York. Notamment après la seconde guerre mondiale, la misère qui à toujours poursuivi en premières les grandes métropoles américaines.

Sans leur lâcher les baskets.

Les matchs se succédaient à un rythme effréné et seuls les gagnants avaient le privilège de rester sur le terrain plus fait de briques que de braque..

Les témoignanges des rescapés du ghetto comme Jackie Jackson, Connie Hawkins, Herman «Helicopter » Knowings ou Earl Manigault, nous racontent que c’est jusqu’à épuisement que se disposaient ces matchs de 3 contre 3 qui avaient peut être pour objectif de davantage défendre l’honneur d’un quartier ou d’une race que celui d’un kid.

Aussi bon fusse-t-il.

Quant c’était le cas c’était dans le seul but de se faire remarquer par les recruteurs de clubs professionnels qui ne se situent pas uniquement et heureusement en NBA mais aussi dans les ligues dites mineures ;

Parmi ces clubs les Allentown Jets qui intégrèrent bien des stars des playgrounds des années 60’s comme Hartworne Wingo qui ira aux Knicks de New-York ensuite pour gagner le titre suprème en 1973…avec Dean Meminger, autre kid de New York, Walt Frazier, Bill Bradley, le fils à papa et autres Willis Reed..

Pivots

C’est sous les paniers de playgrounds de New York que de nombreux pivots titulaires en NBA des 70’s aimaient se faire les dents et les poings lors des dures batailles dans la raquette ; terrain et exercices d’entraînements recherchés quoique redoutés par les gros calibres de la NBA. Lew Alcindor, un new-yorkais d’Inwood et même sa Majesté Wilt Chamberlain appréciaient se mesurer aux « inconnus venus de la misère» qui leur remettaient les idées en place après les avoir contrés et donc montrés leur limites.

Durement.

Des bénévoles invétérés autant que fous de basket-ball consacrèrent leur vie à ces jeunes dont malheureusement la majorité continuaient leur chemin vers la prison, sorte de dernière case tragique d’un jeu de l’oie de la misère.

Earl Manigault finira à 54 ans sous les seringues, tout comme de nombreux autres inconnus qui cependant laissèrent d’inoubliables souvenirs à ceux qui eurent le privilège de les rencontrer.

Parmi ces Volontaires de légende qui oeuvrèrent pour la cause du basket, Holcombe Rucker qui quittera ce monde un peu trop to^t à 40 ans passés rongé par le cancer. Le fameux tournoi Rucker pro Tournament qui fit autorité pendant des décénies est l’un des derniers vestiges, chef-d’œuvres de Rucker qui fera d’exprimer de nombreux futurs grands joueurs d’Amérique e d’ailleurs.

Parmi eux Julius Erving, du quartier de Hempstead, Nate Bowman , pivot des Knicks, Franck Jackson des Harlem Globe Trotters, John Roche, Walt Sczerbiak (Real de Madrid), dont le fils Walli fera une belle carrière en NBA dans les 90’s.

Basket Magazine n°27 de décembre 1973