photo: nytimes.com

Wayman Lawrence Tisdale was drawn to basketball by watching his older brother Weldon. Initially, the sport was not welcomed in the Tisdale household as his father, the accomplished Reverand L.L. Tisdale, preferred football. But Wayman’s mother Deborah would not allow her sons to strap on helmets and shoulder pads, regardless of the fanaticism surrounding the game in their home state of Oklahoma.

Wayman, and his older brother William, began playing in their backyard, using a garbage can as their first hoop. Eventually, they outgrew tossing a ball into the trash can, migrating a few blocks away to the asphalt courts at the Immaculate Conception Church schoolyard.

“I remember when Wayman made his first dunk, in seventh grade,” his brother Weldon – who played college ball at Yale – told Sports Illustrated’s Alexander Wolff. “He ran all the way home to tell William and me. It turned out he’d dunked a stick.”

Throughout a 24-inch growth spurt in junior high school, Wayman honed his skills on the playground. But ball was not his only passion. On Sundays, he played the bass at his father’s church, Friendship Baptist in Tulsa.

When he was nine years old, his father had given him a guitar. As a youngster, he could not take his eyes off of the the bass players in the church band.

“I thought they were the coolest cats,” Wayman told Ebony Magazine in 2007. “They got to stand and do their thing in the back. I’d watch their fingering and how they played.”

Tisdale never took lessons and taught himself how to play. And yet he mastered the instrument without ever learning to read sheet music.

photos: nba.com

By the time he made his varsity debut as a sophomore at Tulsa’s Booker T. Washington High School, where he averaged 15 points and 12 rebounds per game, word had already begun spreading throughout the state. In 1981, his junior year, Wayman and his brother William captured the Class 5-A state crown as he pumped in 19 points while snatching 14 boards per game.

By the time he reached his full height of 6′9″, there were more than 150 colleges in hot pursuit of his signature on a letter-of-intent. As a senior, the McDonald’s All-American tossed in 24 ppg and again snatched double digit boards, yet his talent was much bigger than those excellent numbers suggest.

The sudden burst on his high parabola, turnaround, left handed jimmy was a thing of beauty as the rock often tapped gently off the backboard before splashing through the net. At his height, combined with a muscular 260-some-odd pounds, he was more than just a wide load to handle on the blocks.

photo: associated press

Wayman possessed a smooth, silky, contortionists capacity for avoiding shot blockers and unleashing his quick shot. To make matters worse, he played with strength down low, had a voracious appetite for rebounds and could elevate with stealth.

Tisdale chose the football obsessed University of Oklahoma over Georgetown, so he could play with his brother William. But imagine, for just a moment, Wayman and Patrick Ewing wearing the same college uniform. It’s pretty safe to say that they would have been one of, if not THE most dominant frontcourt tandems in NCAA history.

Wayman singlehandedly embedded the Oklahoma Sooners’ basketball program in the national consciousness during one of the most remarkable freshman campaigns of all time. He scored 51 points while hitting 22 out of 27 attempts against Abiline Christian in one early season contest, setting the NCAA freshman record.

photo: windmilltilting.com

Although the Sooners only finished third at the Rainbow Classic in Hawaii, Tisdale strong-armed the MVP trophy while averaging 34 points per game in the tournament. By his 17th game, he’d already established a new school record by scoring 30-plus points in seven games.

And yet, the extraordinary football tailback Marcus DuPree was the campus’ most celebrated freshman. It was a matter of fact that at Oklahoma, football was the undisputed king.

Oklahoma coach Billy Tubbs, whose offensive philosophy was to shoot, shoot, then shoot some more, dialed back his frenetic attack to take advantage of Wayman’s back-to-the-basket skills.

He was the first freshman named to the All-American team since the 1971-72 season, when freshmen were allowed to compete on the varsity. He went on to become a three-time All-American. Wayman and Patrick Ewing were the last college basketball players to accomplish that rare feat.

No matter how accomplished he became on the hardwood, one of the best college ballers of all-time could still be found at his father’s church on Sunday mornings, accompanying the choir with a bass guitar.

During the summers, Wayman would take his delectable game back to the grassroots Tulsa scene, running in the Pig’s Pop Off Tournament against guys like Anthony Bowie and John Starks, who was still in the formative stage of transitioning from a playground legend into one of the most beloved New York Knicks ever.

photo: basketballhistorian.com

Wayman’s 61 point outburst against Texas-San Antonio as a sophomore broke Wilt Chamberlain’s Big 8, single-game scoring record. During his three seasons in Norman, the Sooners were one of the most entertaining teams in the NCAA. Their fast break style, coupled with Tisdale’s brilliance, made people realize that football was not the only game in town.

When he declared for the NBA draft after his junior season, Tisdale was only 1,007 points shy of surpassing Pistol Pete Maravich’s college scoring record.

He averaged a double-double of 26 points and 10 boards during his college career, earning the distinction as the Big Eight Conference’s Player of the Year every year he played.

In 1984, Tisdale was a member of the incredible Olympic team that won the Gold Medal in the Los Angeles games. They were the last USA team to win it all with college players. “Wonderful Wayman”, as he was referred to, led that phenomenal collection of talent – which included Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Alvin Robertson, Vern Fleming, Sam Perkins and Chris Mullin – in rebounding during the Olympic competition.

photo: usabasketball.com

“Of any of the kids I coached, he was one of the most enthusiastic for playing basketball and toward his teammates,” his Olympic coach, Bobby Knight, told the Associated Press. “He was a great player on that team because he wanted the best for everybody. The phrase team spirit cannot apply to anybody more than Wayman Tisdale. He was simply one of the most enjoyable kids I have ever had the opportunity coach.”

Selected behind the great Patrick Ewing with the #2 pick in the ‘85 NBA draft by the Indiana Pacers, Tisdale enjoyed a solid, 12-year pro career. His best pro season came in ‘89-’90, when he put up 22 points and snatched 8 boards per game with the Kings.

photo: jamd.com

Two years before retiring from the NBA in ‘97, Tisdale launched his career as a jazz musician with the album, Power Forward. He eventually released eight albums. His 2001 release, Face to Face reached the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s contemporary jazz chart. His last CD, Rebound, was written and released after he had been diagnosed with cancer two years ago.

Last summer, Wayman had part of his right leg amputated in hopes of eliminating the bone cancer from his body. Last Friday, on May 15th, he succumbed to the disease. Although he was here for a short period of time, his bright, energetic, warm smile will always be remembered and treasured.

Wayman Tisdale was one of the most incredible talents college basketball ever witnessed. He singlehandedly made an irrelevant program relevant, transforming and elevating the status of Oklahoma University hoops.

In ‘97, he became the first player in any sport to have his jersey number (#23) retired by the University of Oklahoma. Blake Griffin, this year’s consensus top dog, was granted permission to wear Tisdale’s number as a freshman last year after he reached out and received Tisdale’s blessing.

Wayman Tisdale was so much more than a great player and an accomplished musician. Apart from his tangible excellence with a basketball and guitar, he actually touched people and had the rare ability to make others feel good about being themselves:

“Wayman, through this fight of his, was the most courageous person that I’ve ever seen. He was so positive he almost made you feel he was okay when you knew he wasn’t. It’s a shock. I don’t know of any athlete at Oklahoma or any place else who was more loved by the fans who knew him than Wayman Tisdale. He was obviously, a great, great player, but Wayman as a person overshadowed that. He just lit up a room and was so positive. This is a really hard loss and makes any loss in basketball or any other sport insignificant. He was a great human being. I’ll miss everything about him.”
Billy Tubbs Former OU men’s basketball head coach

“Wayman’s one of the biggest reasons why I chose Oklahoma. I wanted to be part of something special and it made logical sense to go to OU because I wanted to pattern my game after him. I wanted to be like him. People used to talk about ‘Be like Mike [Michael Jordan],’ but I wanted to be like Wayman. We’ve lost a special person. I don’t think there will ever be another Wayman Tisdale.”
Stacey King -Oklahoma center (1986-89)

“He was my man. I played with him pretty much all my life, going back to AAU. He was the reason I wanted to go to OU. I wanted to play with one of the greatest players to ever come out of Oklahoma. He was a great person. He was always positive, he never let the negative bring us down as a unit. He always smiled and kept us together. I’ll miss him. He was one of my brothers.” Darryl “Choo” Kennedy – Oklahoma forward (1984-87)

“When I think of Wayman Tisdale I think of one the absolutely most delightful players that we’ve had in the 24 years I’ve been associated with this organization. He was certainly one of the most outstanding players and his stats would prove that. I’ll take it a step further; there was never a time when he wasn’t the most popular player in the locker room. He had no enemies. If he had a bad game, he would never point fingers at teammates and coaches. Wayman was always a stand-up guy. He was a person who knew what he wanted after his playing days were over, hence his preparation in his music career. He knew that being a jazz musician was the direction he wanted to go, and I’ve always admired that about him. He married his high school sweetheart. His family was great and Wayman always put them first. Again, he was a stand-up guy in every way, a delight to coach and honor to know.”
Jerry Reynolds, Sacramento Kings Director of Player Personnel

photo: soonersports.com

Last week, the world lost a great man. But his smile, spirit and essence will live on through the lives he touched with his b-ball exploits and music.

And for anyone who saw him play college basketball, we will always remember him as described by Sports Illustrated’s Jack McCallum. In the 1984 season preview, as Oklahoma was being touted as a legitimate Final Four contender, a lot was being made of the Sooners’ high-octane offense and the enjoyment coach Billy Tubbs’ derived from crushing opponenets.

McCallum wrote, “Most of the crushing, as usual, will be done by the splendiferous left hand of junior center Tisdale; it’s the one with which he releases his soft turnaround jump shot from the paint, which might be the prettiest sight in the college game.”

The splendiferous beauty of his game was honed on the playgrounds of Tulsa. And indeed, that soft lefty jimmy, coupled with his remarkable smile, was – to those who appreciated what Wayman Tisdale gave us – one of the game’s more beautiful gifts.

R.I.P. Wayman Lawrence Tisdale: June 9, 1964 – May 15, 2009

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