photo: jamd.com

He was diminutive, but so explosive and crafty. Playing with an understated yet pronounced ‘hood flair, the man possessed a point guard’s game that was subtley beautiful. He competed delightfully over every inch of the 94 feet that spans the court. He was a maestro, a true lead guard who made every one of his teammates better.

The handle was textbook tight and ghetto fabulous all in one package. The vision and precision of his assist game was simply striking. He could score, pass and steal with the very best. And he could make any defender feel lost and helpless, as if they were stranded on Gilligan’s Island without Ginger and Mary Ann.

David Lee Rivers grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey – a physically beaten up, shabby, downtrodden and struggling city that sits in the shadows of lower Manhattan. It’s not a pleasant place to live or come of age.

Rivers’ life began in a Jersey City housing project with the odds stacked against him. He was one of 14 children born to Willie and Mamie Rivers. His pops worked two jobs, as an exterminator and chandelier hanger while his mother cleaned hotel rooms. As a shorty, he mourned the killings of two older brothers. The fridge and cupboards at home were often under stocked.

Hard times were the norm rather than the exception. But the Rivers family not only made due just to get by, they also managed to laugh and enjoy themselves, nourishing each other in the warmth of a large familial bond.

“David had fewer conveniences than most people are used to, but he had more love than most people are used to,” his high school coach, Bob Hurley, Sr. told Sports Illustrated writer Douglass Looney in 1986.

He also had a love for basketball. On the Jersey City courts, the first things to blossom were his passing skills. While his small stature proved problematic in terms of scoring, he realized that distributing the rock helped his teams win games. With the little fella running the point, his teams stayed on the court. He also noticed that his assist game kept his teammates happy.

photo: jamd.com

While most other kids were “chuckwagons”, trying to score as many buckets as possible, little David was off to the side, working on ball handling. He dribbled constantly, at different speeds with both hands, behind his back, between his legs, running full speed or darting from side to side. He also practiced his free throws, incorporating that undervalued weapon into his arsenal of dimes and handles. Whenever he showed up at the playground, the old dudes always put him down for a run.

At St. Anthony’s High School, he was an All-State performer. Rivers was considered one of the finest players to come out of Jersey, EVER, during his college recruiting chase. He laid the foundation for the incredible success of St. Anthony’s hoops as players like Terry Dehere, Bobby Hurley, Rodrick Rhodes, Elijah Ingram, Anthony Perry, Kenny Wilson, Jerry Walker and recent stars like Mike Rosario and Dominic Cheek followed in his footsteps.

Notre Dame assistant coach Gary Brokaw, who’d played pro ball and been around some very talented players, was one of the recruiters praying to land the young fella.

“David Rivers was dominant, amazing,” Brokaw said in Michael Coffey’s book, Echoes on the Hardwood. “He was the best ballhandler I ever saw. The gym they practiced at in Jersey City was such a small place, and he was dominant there. He had the ability to make others better. And he was ahead of his time with some of the ballhandling things he was capable of doing at the speed he could do it.”

“I went to see him as a junior and followed him through the summer,” said Pete Gillen in Echoes. Gillen was another of head coach Digger Phelps’ assistants at Notre Dame. “It was a war to get him.”

photo: und.cstv.com

When Rivers suited up for the Fighting Irish as a freshman in ‘84-’85, the hype surrounding his arrival on campus was more than intense. (Little known fact: Drazen Petrovic, the great player from what was known at the time as Yugoslavia, also signed a letter of intent to play at Notre Dame in the same recruiting class. But Petro decided to stay and play pro ball in Europe. Can you imagine a college backcourt of David Rivers and Drazen Petrovic? BANANAS!!!)

Coming from his impoverished background, Rivers was as excited with receiving three meals a day on campus as he was showcasing his abundant skills to a national audience.

He came straight out the gate his freshman year and more than lived up to his top billing. He embarrased Steve Alford to the tune of 23 points. Against Marquette, he flew the length of the court in the closing seconds to knock down the game winning buzzer beater. Hall of Fame broadcaster and coaching legend Al McGuire shouted at the top of his lungs, “He’s a an Einstein! He’s a Michelangelo!”

“I always thought the way I played the game was artistic and entertaining,” Rivers says in Echoes on the Hardwood. “It wasn’t the first time I’d heard something like that, so I didn’t think a whole lot of it, even though it was coming from someone I thought was an icon in the world of collegiate sports. I considered it a great compliment, and I took it in stride because I wasn’t about to lose my focus.”

His sophomore year, he dazzled again with his all around floor game. How nice was he? His floor generalship, unselfishness and ability to make average teammates look good translated into four Notre Dame players – guys named Ken Barlow, Tim Kempton, Joe Price and Jimmy Dolan – being drafted by NBA teams.

photo of the Joyce Center at Notre Dame: und.cstv.com

Rivers was one of college ball’s top point guards, a dazzling performer who made fans flock to their television screens whenever Notre Dame games were on. But in the summer before his junior year, he almost died in a horrific car accident in rural Indiana.

He was a passenger in a van that veered and rolled off the road, tossing him through the windshield. He layed in a ditch with a 15-inch laceration in his abdomen. He nearly bled to death while his intestines lay on the ground. Although he never lost consciousness, he couldn’t move or speak.

”I had lain there thinking that I was going to die,” Rivers recalled in a 1989 NY Times article. ”Fifteen minutes more out there, and I would have.”

He underwent surgery for seven hours. The prognosis was that he would not be able to play basketball during the ‘86-’87 season. He attacked his rehab with the same competitive fire that he attacked defenses. He spent hours swimming and running in the pool, listening to the theme from the ultimate underdog movie, Rocky.

A few months later, to the surprise of everyone who knew the severity of his injuries, he was back in a Fighting Irish uniform.

The 11-5 Irish took on the #1 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels on February 1st, 1987. Notre Dame trailed by 16 points, before David Rivers took over. He scored all of his 14 points in the second half, including a basket and two free throws in the final minute that sealed the 60-58 upset victory. Peep Rivers run the show in the first half, then take over in the second –

The team ultimately finished the season in the Sweet Sixteen with a 24-8 record, the program’s high water mark for the ’80s and ’90s.

Rivers led Notre Dame in scoring and assists for four straight years, averaging 17 points and 5 dimes for his college career. He was picked in the first round of the ‘88 NBA draft by the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.

But with Magic Johnson, Byron Scott and Michael Cooper in the backcourt, minutes were scarce. In the ‘89 Finals against the Pistons, with Magic and Scott hampered with hamstring injuries, Michael Cooper and Tony Campbell could not penetrate against the lightning quick Bad Boy backcourt of Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars and “The Microwave” Vinnie Johnson. The Lakers were clearly overmatched in the backcourt, and Rivers did get an opportunity to play more than he had in the regular season.

photo: jamd.com

During his rookie campaign, he was dealt another heart wrenching personal blow. His little brother, and best friend, Jermaine died of an inoperable brain tumor at the age of 17. While Madison Square Garden threw Kareem Abdul Jabbar a retirement party when the Lakers came to NY in late november of ‘88, Rivers was at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center tending to his brother for the last time, spooning food into his mouth, hugging him and squeezing his hand.

The two brothers could often be found playing one-on-one on the Jersey City asphalt. Some people said Jermaine, who stood 6′1″, would follow in big bro’s footsteps. Some thought he had a chance to shatter David’s records at St. Anthony’s. But Jermaine never played a varsity game. As a freshman, Jermaine suffered dizzy spells and was soon diagnosed with a tumor.

photo: jamd.com

“Some said he was going to be a better player than me,” Rivers told the NY Times in 1989. “I think they were right.”

Rivers played sparingly for two more NBA seasons with the LA Clippers, before winning a CBA championship with the LaCrosse (Wisconsin) Catbirds while playing with Kenny Battle and Derrick Gervin, “The Iceman” George Gervin’s lil’ brother. Then, Rivers decided to head overseas, where he completed a lenghty, legendary and financially rewarding career.

He captured a Euroleague champioship with the Greek Olympiacos franchise in ‘97, the first and only time the club won the prestigious title. From ‘93 to ‘01, Rivers solidified himself as an undeniable legend, a near mythical figure during his days playing in France, Greece, Italy and Turkey.

Some people wondered why he didn’t have the expected success in the NBA.

“If he wanted to, I think Rivers could’ve had a long career in the NBA,” said his CBA coach Flip Saunders in a 2005 Sports Illustrated piece. “But when he went to Europe, I think he decided that he could earn good money and live a more stable life there than trying to chase a spot in the NBA.”

Listen to the crowd passionately and adoringly chant his name –

In the mid to late ’80s. The streets of almost every major urban nerve center were on fire with the Georgetown Starter jackets. If you came anywhere near North Jersey, you would have seen nothing but Notre Dame joints.

They were paying homage to how much respect they had for Lil’ David Rivers and the power of the impact his pretty game had on many who watched him get busy.

photo of david rivers at notre dame’s Centennial Gala in 2005: und.cstv.com

He was one of the greatest. And he started his journey on the asphalt and outdoor courts of Jersey City, NJ, just a little dude with big dreams.

THE PLAYGROUND IS NOT THE PROBLEM. IT IS THE SOLUTION!