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Guarding the Pistol – Remembering a legendary talent 25 years later

Behind his back. Between his legs. Between your legs.

If you were assigned to guard “Pistol” Pete Maravich, there was a lot to worry about. From the no-look passes he whipped around defenders to those unstoppable long-range bombs that seemed to defy physics and find a home at the bottom of the net.

A record-setting scoring machine and wizard on the court, Maravich thrilled fans, stunned defenders and inspired a generation of players like Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan to take the game to new creative heights.

Twenty-five years ago this month, Maravich collapsed while playing a pick-up game in Pasadena, Calif. The LSU legend and NBA all-star died of heart failure due to a previously undetected congenital defect.

He was 40 years old.

As a member of the Tulane Green Wave from 1966 to 1970, Dr. Edward Reese played against Maravich eight times. Reese even blocked his shot at the buzzer once to secure a double-overtime Tulane win.

Here, he tells 225 what guarding the “Pistol” was really like:

“Usually Coach put forwards on Maravich—guys taller than he was—to stop the jump shot. But our last game against LSU my senior year he turned to me and said, ‘You want him?’ Pete was a good three or four inches taller and had very long arms. I told Coach, ‘Are you kidding? I’ve been waiting for this.’?

“There was so much hype around Maravich, you had to be fearless to guard him. My strategy was to get physical and attack. Of course, he didn’t respond to me at all—never said a word. That’s how he played, just deadpan.

“At halftime I had 22 points, and Maravich had 20. Of course, I also had four fouls! In the third quarter I fouled out of the game before scoring another point, and he went on to get his average, 45 or something.

“To some, there was always an air of, ‘He’s not that good, just the coach’s son who shoots a lot,’ but anyone who actually played against Pete became a true believer. He would dribble halfway up the court between his legs the whole way. You’d see that and think, ‘What the hell?’ He did things with the ball I’d never seen or even dreamt of. Those innovations helped change the game.”

For more classic Maravich photos and anecdotes, consider Danny Brown’s Shooting the Pistol, available from LSU Press. lsupress.org.