Fly 35
by Dave Link
The Govs worked for the last shot. Fly took a pass with 15 seconds left, made a move to the right baseline, and gave a head-fake on McAndrew, the Friars’ guard. There was contact between Fly and McAndrew, and the ball sailed out of bounds. The official on the baseline signaled that his view of the play was blocked, he couldn’t make the call, and he pointed to an official near mid-court. The official at mid-court pointed Providence’s way, showing the Friars had possession with six seconds left. Providence quickly took the ball under the Govs’ basket, with no timeout, fired a three-quarter-court inbound pass to the leaping Barnes near the free-throw line. Barnes shot and missed, but the Friars’ Rick Santos was there for the tip-in at the buzzer. The Friars won 94-92.
Fly and the Govs stood on the court, stunned, before slowly walking toward their bench. Most were soon shaking hands with the Friars, but Fly went to the bench for a few seconds and sat down and put a towel over his head. He soon was shaking hands and Barnes was last in line and he smiled when he shook hands with Fly.
“You a hell of a player, Fly,” Barnes said. “You can play. Maybe we’ll be on the same team someday.”
Fly nodded his head, and got a serious look. “That was our ball down there. Ball went off your dude, shoulda been our ball. I’d a scored down there. That official say he couldn’t see, he’s blind.”
Barnes laughed. “Probably is blind. You might a scored, we’ll never know. Still, hell of a game.”
“Hell of a game,” Fly said. “Good luck to ya.”
Barnes gave Fly another handshake. “You to, Fly. Hope to see ya again soon.”
Barnes finished with 52 points and 17 rebounds, and Fly had 40 points and eight rebounds. The two of them turned away from each other and walked off the court as the proud Friar fans filed out of the Civic Center with a 33-game winning streak intact.
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Previous Excerpt:
Austin
Peay opened the 1972-73 season with a 106-69 victory over
Howard Jackson scored 17 and grabbed 11 rebounds and Jerry Wanstrath, a 6-foot-6, 225-pound forward, had 17 points and 17 rebounds. It was a big game for Wanstrath, a team co-captain who many thought would struggle for minutes with a re-loaded roster.
Fly and Danny Odums calmly talked with Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle reporter Gene Washer in the locker room and described their first games in the Govs’ uniforms.
“Any pressure in your first game here?” Washer asked.
“Just like any other game,” Fly said.
Odums, standing nearby and sitting on a stool, looked up at Washer: “I think that’s about the way I normally play. I try not to get too emotional.”
Oddly, an exhibition game was sandwiched between the Govs’ season opener and their second game.
Two
days after the Western Carolina game, Eddie “Chili Dog” Childress, a
senior forward from
The crowd was estimated to be more than 2,100. Most had left when Washer caught Kelly outside his office for the post-game interview.
“What about it, coach?” Washer said.
Kelly looked at his shoes. His suit had wrinkled and his tie was loose.
“The second half it got real sloppy,” he said. “We can’t do that against the real tough competition.”
The interview continued for a few minutes. “Care if I talk with Childress?” Washer said.
“Sure, still in the locker room,” Kelly said, pointing down the hall.
Washer walked into the gym and into the locker room. Childress was dressed in slacks and a red-striped shirt and packing a gym bag. Their interview lasted for a minute or so.
“So, what’s it like to play with Fly and Howard?” Washer said.
“Fly and Jack, they’re better than any players in this league,” Childress said. “They’re the best I’ve played with or against. This weekend? Gonna be tough. What we’re gonna have to do is to get our minds into it.”
That
wasn’t easy on a wild Saturday night in the Little Red Barn. It was
another sellout crowd estimated at 3,000 for a game against Pan
American of