YouTube Gold: The Great George Gervin

LANDOVER, MD - CIRCA 1978: George Gervin #44 of the San Antonio Spurs shoots a free throw against the Washington Bullets during an NBA basketball game circa 1978 at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. Gervin played for the Spurs from 1974-85.When George “Ice Man” Gervin came to his first ABA camp with the Virgina Squires, he was not well known. He had been recruited to Long Beach State by Jerry Tarkanian but was homesick and transferred back home, attending Eastern Michigan. He racked up some big numbers there before being suspended and basically kicked off the team. Keep in mind that this was in the early 1970’s and scouting, by today’s standards, was both arduous and unsophisticated. Despite averaging nearly 30 ppg and having an invitation to try out for the Olympic team, very few people had seen him play. One wonders what impact he might have had on that 1972 team that lost to the USSR in a controversial finish for the ages.

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