Continuing the series of reflections by former Cardinals on the iconic Crawford Gym.
“I was on my way to visit him, but I had misremembered the exact location of his La-Z-Boy store on Hurstbourne Parkway,” I recalled. “I apologized upon arrival after he guided me in over my cellphone, saying, ‘just an old man with a bad memory and aches and pains.’”
“Tell me about it,” he replied, pointing to his legs, “I have to wear compression socks.”
“It’s the tenth anniversary of the summer they tore down Crawford,” I said, “just wondering what you remember about the practice and those summer nights.”
“There were no ticky-tack fouls,” he responded. “The games were very competitive. We all wanted to win. You were pushed if you wanted to keep playing and not sit out. Really quality players.”
He explained that growing up competing in the city—playing for the Trio Crusaders in the Bronx, the Riverside Church team, and the Rucker Summer League—helped shape his determination. “Those crowds in the summer mattered a lot. You were pushed to be better. It was a continuation of my New York experience.”
“Everybody who played did so to the max,” he said. “Some were more intense than others, but none matched Derek Smith.”
He recounted a tense moment when Derek confronted Charles, “Once he stood over Charles screaming. He called his mother, thinking he wouldn’t make it here.” He said the Crawford Gym experience forged steel in them all.
Playing against former players—Wes Cox, Rick Wilson, Phil Bond—Mohammed “Scooter” McCray learned what it takes to be a pro.
McCray never visited Crawford during his recruitment. “I was supposed to come in for a game at the same time as Wiley, but the game was cancelled. He came anyway and committed,” he said, adding, “I wasn’t quite ready.”
He was heavily recruited by Marquette, with his next-door neighbor being Earl Tatum. “Al McGuire was leaving, and I wasn’t sure about Hank Raymond,” he recalled. He also visited Kentucky, where Coach Joe B tried to persuade him to sign then, but the campus showcased horse farms instead of basketball courts.
His high school coach was heading to Wichita State. He finally visited during the postseason banquet, sitting next to Alice Houston, who helped close the deal. “How long are you going to keep chasing around the country?” she asked.
He also formed a friendship with Jerry Eaves after they played together in a high school All-American game. He cancelled visits to Larry Brown and UCLA.
When I asked what it was like for him, given his injury, to be around the ’80 title team, he reflected, “I realized what it meant when basketball is taken away. It changed my focus for the rest of my life.” He recovered enough to practice with the team but chose to redshirt that year.
On the ’83 team, I shared my opinion, “I’ve always believed that was U of L’s best team ever.” He agreed, noting, “We were really in sync. Mature.” He remembered Coach Crum’s hands-off approach that season, trusting the players.
Ever the competitor, he offered a perspective on the Houston loss in Albuquerque at altitude: “If the game was at sea level, we’d have won. They were just deeper than us.” Regarding the Knoxville game, he said, “It gave the fans a chance to brag. We were set to play them the year before in Nashville, but they lost to Middle Tennessee. We were not going to lose that game.”
When I asked who shot the basket in a particular play, he answered, “I did. Not Charles. Every once in a while he’ll say it was him. He knows better.” — c d kaplan