Tom Brennan was a 6'3 guard/forward 1968 - 1971. Tom couldn't jump, was kinda slow and we didn't call him birdie for his massive physique. However, he is one of the best passers I've ever played with through my years as a player. He could score as well. He averaged 22 ppg on the 1967-68 frosh team. Of course that was only good for 3rd place on that team. Lanny Taylor avgd. 31 ppg, and Barry Cohen 25 ppg. I can't remember what they averaged as a team that year, but it was just below the average of my 1966-67 frosh team that averaged 99.9 ppg. They were kinda obsessed to break our record, but alas it was not to be. We would have averaged 100 ppg, but when we played UF frosh in the last game of the season they knew we were right on the edge of averaging 100 ppg as there were articles in the papers about it. So they froze the ball and played four corners. FYI. Our competition back then consisted of other sec frosh teams and really good JC teams. Many of them were ranked nationally. And they had two year players.
Tom and I had a running competition for the three years we were at UGA as to who could acquire more assists, but more importantly, who could throw the best pass. Many times, at practice it infuriated Coach Rosemond as Tom and I went back and forth trying to outdo the other. Once Tommy threw a gorgeous behind the back pass for a bucket. I hollered "great pass". Rosemond blew his whistle and said " why was that a great pass, because it was behind the back?" I didn't say anything, but wanted to say yeah, because it was behind the back, but also cause it got a bucket.
Anyway, we're playing the gators in Athens the next to last game of the season. We're kicking their butts, as we did twice that year. Their were 8,000 to 9,000 fans there. We averaged about 8,200 folks per game. That was the most up until then and for many years after. At one point in the second half Tom and I got out on a two man break. I rebounded and passed to Tom before halfcourt. I sprinted up the sideline and Tommy hit me with a pass just after I crossed halfcourt. Game on! I passed back to him without a dribble several steps into our frontcourt. He did the same as we reached the top of the key. We converged a bit in the classic two man break. I hit him again as he passed the foul line. Instead of taking a dribble for a layup he passed it back. I was a step from the bucket and I just thought "**** it". I kept the ball and went under the basket. Tom kept coming as well. (Back in '70 after you left the court on the stage end there was about 30 yards of open concrete before the stage". I passed again as kept going on the cement. Some of the crowd began to understand what they were seeing and there was a loud murmuring. He passed it back and that may have been it. Anyway one of us tossed the ball to the ref, who was wearing out his whistle. The gator guy just looked at us incredulously with a bit of a smile. The crowd was cheering loudly now. Fun!
This next bit will be like a sweet invitation to Card and some others here. And is apropos due to our low assist production this year. That memory got me thinking about assists, that redheaded stepchild of stats. Assists, unlike virtually any other statistical category, relies on subjective criteria. It is either an assist or not, based on some person's preference. The only other similar thing in sport is the error in baseball. Of course one could say fouls are a subjective stat but that opens another can.
The original definition of an assist was, paraphrasing now, "any pass that leads directly to a basket". The original interpretation being the recipient of the pass cannot dribble before scoring. This thinking ensued from the early 1950s for a couple decades or so . Sometime during the early seventies things began to change. It became common practice to award an assist even if the player took a dribble, or sometimes two, like on a breakaway.
The NBA, historically, has for the most part, been more liberal in awarding assists. It influenced the college game as it often does. And the 1980s and 90's produced an era of very liberal assist standards. Guys like Stockton, Nash, Westbrook and others recorded record numbers. Of course the modern game with it's spread offenses and better shooting has facilitated even higher assist numbers.
Personal note: don't continue if my personal experience offends you.
I averaged 4.5 assists at UGA in 1970. I know what I saw during my games. Based on today's game, and really for forty years, I believe you could add 3-4 apg per game to the totals of guys like, Cousy, Robertson, Wilkens, Rogers, West, Pistol, Bing, Frazier et al. Hell, Wilt led the league in assist one year at 10 pg or so.
I've always appreciated, and recruited for, the guy who facilitated the assist. In other words, made the pass that led to an assist. It requires great court vision and anticipation. Most fans never are aware of it.
Tom and I had a running competition for the three years we were at UGA as to who could acquire more assists, but more importantly, who could throw the best pass. Many times, at practice it infuriated Coach Rosemond as Tom and I went back and forth trying to outdo the other. Once Tommy threw a gorgeous behind the back pass for a bucket. I hollered "great pass". Rosemond blew his whistle and said " why was that a great pass, because it was behind the back?" I didn't say anything, but wanted to say yeah, because it was behind the back, but also cause it got a bucket.
Anyway, we're playing the gators in Athens the next to last game of the season. We're kicking their butts, as we did twice that year. Their were 8,000 to 9,000 fans there. We averaged about 8,200 folks per game. That was the most up until then and for many years after. At one point in the second half Tom and I got out on a two man break. I rebounded and passed to Tom before halfcourt. I sprinted up the sideline and Tommy hit me with a pass just after I crossed halfcourt. Game on! I passed back to him without a dribble several steps into our frontcourt. He did the same as we reached the top of the key. We converged a bit in the classic two man break. I hit him again as he passed the foul line. Instead of taking a dribble for a layup he passed it back. I was a step from the bucket and I just thought "**** it". I kept the ball and went under the basket. Tom kept coming as well. (Back in '70 after you left the court on the stage end there was about 30 yards of open concrete before the stage". I passed again as kept going on the cement. Some of the crowd began to understand what they were seeing and there was a loud murmuring. He passed it back and that may have been it. Anyway one of us tossed the ball to the ref, who was wearing out his whistle. The gator guy just looked at us incredulously with a bit of a smile. The crowd was cheering loudly now. Fun!
This next bit will be like a sweet invitation to Card and some others here. And is apropos due to our low assist production this year. That memory got me thinking about assists, that redheaded stepchild of stats. Assists, unlike virtually any other statistical category, relies on subjective criteria. It is either an assist or not, based on some person's preference. The only other similar thing in sport is the error in baseball. Of course one could say fouls are a subjective stat but that opens another can.
The original definition of an assist was, paraphrasing now, "any pass that leads directly to a basket". The original interpretation being the recipient of the pass cannot dribble before scoring. This thinking ensued from the early 1950s for a couple decades or so . Sometime during the early seventies things began to change. It became common practice to award an assist even if the player took a dribble, or sometimes two, like on a breakaway.
The NBA, historically, has for the most part, been more liberal in awarding assists. It influenced the college game as it often does. And the 1980s and 90's produced an era of very liberal assist standards. Guys like Stockton, Nash, Westbrook and others recorded record numbers. Of course the modern game with it's spread offenses and better shooting has facilitated even higher assist numbers.
Personal note: don't continue if my personal experience offends you.
I averaged 4.5 assists at UGA in 1970. I know what I saw during my games. Based on today's game, and really for forty years, I believe you could add 3-4 apg per game to the totals of guys like, Cousy, Robertson, Wilkens, Rogers, West, Pistol, Bing, Frazier et al. Hell, Wilt led the league in assist one year at 10 pg or so.
I've always appreciated, and recruited for, the guy who facilitated the assist. In other words, made the pass that led to an assist. It requires great court vision and anticipation. Most fans never are aware of it.
Last edited:
