photo: orangehoops.org
The Dish aka The Assist. It’s my favorite part of the game because it’s the most philanthropic. While most casual observers appreciate the dudes that can get buckets, my informal education as a New York City playground point guard stipulated that I acknowledge, comprehend and cherish the brilliance of the pass that led to the basket, as well as players with an innate ability to make others better.
And very few players mastered the dish like the 6′1″ Sherman Douglas, who will go down in history as one of the best Alley-Oop practicioners the game has ever seen.
A product of the Washington, D.C. playgrounds, Sherm did work at Springarn High School. But because of his supposed lack of height and speed, few D-I coaches were interested in his services. The only school to offer him a scholarship was Syracuse.
During his freshman year, he sat and watched Brooklyn’s incomparable Pearl Washington work his unique brand of point guard magic. When Pearl dipped to the pros after his junior year, Douglas inherited the starting job. Many, early on, felt that he’d be overmatched and that the Orangemen’s drop-off at the point guard position would be precipitous.
But practicing against Pearl proved invaluable during Sherm’s apprentice freshman year. As a sophomore in ‘85-’86, Douglas proved that he was not only a competent passer and floor general, but that he could also get buckets. Straight out the box, he led the team in scoring as they surprised everyone by winning the Big East regular season title.
Sherm really proved his worth during the Big East tourney in Madison Square Garden. Against Pitt in the semi’s, he scorched for 35 to go with his 11 dimes. In the final, a loss to Georgetown, Sherm blazed for another 20 points and 8 assists.
But he wasn’t done yet. Under the bright lights of March Madness, people couldn’t help but get caught up in the fact that had Syracuse not offered him a scholarship, Sherm would probably still be in D.C. flipping hamburgers. He led the ‘Cuse to the championship game, where Keith Smart’s last second shot robbed the Orangemen of their Cinderella slipper.
Sherm proved that not only was he a good half-court point guard, but that he was one of the college game’s best ever running the fastbreak. He made the alley-oop lob his own personal trademark, hitting off Derrick Coleman, Rony Seikaly and the skywalker Stevie Thompson (still one of my all-time favorite college players) with his largesse.
By his junior season, ‘Cuse was one the country’s top ranked teams. As a senior, he became Syracuse’s all-time leading scorer in addition to the NCAA’s all-time leading assist man. Sherm was also a First Team, All Big East performer during all three of the years that he started.
Even after his remarkable college exploits, Sherm was still slept on. Many felt that his greatest weapon, the floater and alley-oop, would be neutralized in the pros against bigger, swifter athletes. He was drafted in the second round by the expansion Miami Heat in ‘89 and started as a rookie, putting up 14 points and 8 assists a night. In his second pro season, he averaged 19 points and 9 assists.
photo: hoopedia.nba.com
“The General” played 12 years in the NBA, feeding great players like Glen Rice, Terry Cummings, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. His scoring numbers were never astronomical because he understood his job, which was to get his teammates off. But when he had to – like the night in ‘91 when he gave the Denver Nuggets and their wildfire backcourt of Mahmoud Abdul Rauf, the artist formerly known as Chris Jackson, and Michael Adams 42 points in 34 minutes – Sherm could fill it up.
Over the years, Sherm would also step into the arena known as the Barry Farms Coliseum to test his game against the asphalt legends in D.C.’s venerable George Goodman League.
People forget Sherm’s magnificence as a passer and how nice he was on the court. I just wanted to offer up a quick reminder.
October 14th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
ali says:
when people talk about some of the best big east players ever, it frustrates me when they leave sherm off the list.
October 14th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
illest says:
great court presence in the east and a decent pro. i forgot he averaged 19 a game since he couldnt shoot at all.
October 14th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
ali says:
he might not have been a great shooter illest, but he could be a scorer whenever he wanted. folks forget that sherm could get buckets w/ that herky-jerk style.
October 14th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
ali says:
and one of the college game’s best. EVER! people forget that when sherm left syracuse, he was the ALL-TIME ncaa assist leader. and he really only played three years.
October 14th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
illest says:
the general is a great name for him.
October 14th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
trayBAGZ!! says:
sherm was the absolute truth!!! had me wanting to go cuse and rzn why i wore #20!!!
October 14th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
Ronald M. says:
Growing up in Syracuse during the Sherman Douglas era, I had the opportunity to watch his entire college career. I remember the excitement in the dome when “The General” would through up an alley oop to Derrick Colemen. Priceless!!!
October 14th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
ali says:
wish i could have experienced the dome during those years ronald m. i might be wrong, but i think that was the most successfull three year run the orangemen had. and i was a huge pearl fan, which turned me into a syracuse fan as well. that ‘88-’89 team w/ sherm, billy owens, stevie thompson and derrick coleman was bananas.
October 14th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
uh huh says:
Sherman Douglas. Yes sir. His herk a jerk was crazy. Very unorthodox and hard 2 guard. His floater was stupid to. Ali scores again. LOL. They’re go them DC boys.
October 14th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
ali says:
they thought his herky jerk, floater and lob game wouldn’t work in the pros uh huh. sherm wound up cashing those nba checks for 12 years. and you know those unorthodox dudes are the hardest to guard. there’s no frame of reference to prepare for what you have to face.
October 14th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Blk Caesar says:
Good piece.. You always seem to write a piece on a player that I am thinking about at the time or have recently.. I was watching NBA TV a while ago and they were showing Iverson’s first game and it was against the Bucks. At that time Sherm was the point on the Bucks and as I was watching him get Iverson in foul trouble (although Iverson got his points wise) I thought about how ill “the general” was at Cuse’ specifically that 88-89′ team with Owens and Coleman…
October 14th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
kenny Patt says:
He would have been even more celebrated then if he didn’t follow Pearl. That was a tought act to follow.
October 14th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
kenny Patt says:
He would have been even more celebrated then if he didn’t follow Pearl. That was a tough act to follow.
October 15th, 2009 at 8:36 am
illest says:
sherm was very celebrated anyway. when you watched those cuse teams you didnt think about pearl. and thats no disrespect to pearl. thats just how ill those cuse teams were. douglas was a conductor out there with that team.
October 15th, 2009 at 9:50 am
ali says:
i actually think that following pearl helped sherm. the glare of the national media was already centered on that syracuse point guard position. people were wondering how they were going to replace the magnificent pearl washington. and in steps this kid from DC who took them to the national championship game his first year as a starter.
but i also feel you’re point kenny. sherm’s accolades, early on, were always in comparison to what pearl did. it wasn’t until he ran that team through the ncaa’s that he separated himself as his own unique entity.
October 16th, 2009 at 8:30 am
illest says:
speaking about the big east…..peep vecseys article in the post today. hes talking about walter berry and how he helped shaq out when he was in high school.
October 16th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
ali says:
that’s dope illest. walter berry was a lot of people’s hero back in the day. trust that bounce mag will have the definitive Walter “The Truth” Berry montage coming soon.
October 16th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
illest says:
ali….the original truth was so smooth it was crazy. easily could drop 20 to 25. definitely time for the montage very soon. i miss the new york player in the NBA. i need a gus williams playground brought us….
October 16th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
ali says:
working on it illest. i remember being a kid having a park bench playground debate and one of my neighbors – a 6′4″ shooter who could have played for any school in the country but decided to forge his street legend robbing drug dealers, a la omar on the wire – going on and on about walter berry. this was around the time he was at ben franklin high. i couldn’t wait to see “The Truth” with my own two eyes. man, to look at his tenure at st. john’s and to see where the program is now saddens me.
and w/ the passage of time, i’m not sure if the next generation really understands the unique beauty of Walter Berry’s game. around the country, people automatically think of Paul Pierce when they hear that nickname. but in NYC, “The Truth” is and always will be Walter Berry.
October 16th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
funkalot says:
Ali,
Without doubt Sherm the “germ” had an infectious game. He brought the funk with flair. Besides he was one of the funniest dudes of all-time. He hung out in the Bean, while playing with the Celtics and was hilarious to be around and when you threw X- Xavier McDaniel and Alaa Abdelnaby in the mix it was mayhem, better than crunches.
Speaking of Syracuse, what up with the D-Coleman piece? It should be basting by now.
Illest, yo we have some telepathy because Gus Williams was my dude. I dug him for eva! He was the smoothest cat in the jungle, on and off the court; he used to come to Boston with the Eisenhower Mink and other pimped out accessories.
Keep ‘em coming Ali.
October 17th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
ali says:
no doubt funk. i’m on the grind as we speak to get at DC personally. it’s in the works. stay tuned. did you get your mags yet w/ the 76′er piece?
October 19th, 2009 at 6:51 am
funkalot says:
Ali,
Thanks for your help, as I finally received those back issues and the recent one featuring the Bean’s Ramone Gibbons. He, his peeps and the rest of us are all appreciative of the shine.
I will be trekking with my crew to watch the Jim Couch Freshman games at Baruch on Sunday. If you or Bob are around, let’s kick it.
October 19th, 2009 at 8:14 am
illest says:
funk….definitely gus and ray too. but gus with the ill tying the laces behind on his blazers and air force ones is straight playground ny funk.
October 19th, 2009 at 9:28 am
funkalot says:
Illest,
What about that circa (1971-1973) of Mt. Vernon B-ball, it was crazy, not only did you have Gus and Ray, but smooth Earl Tatum and Rudy Hackett- he late of USC coaching staff and father of Daniel Hackett; who all played together in HS and made it to the pros.
October 19th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
illest says:
funk….vernon definitely had that funk before pete rock.