From the way Nolan Richardson tossed around the superlatives, one would think the coach of the NCAA champion Arkansas Razorbacks had just witnessed the college debut of another Isiah Thomas, Anfernee Hardaway or even a Michael Jordan. After Arkansas breezed past Georgetown 97-79 last Sunday, Richardson appraised the first college game played by Allen Iverson, the Hoyas' widely ballyhooed, remarkably swift 6-foot-1-inch, 175-pound freshman guard. Iverson scored 19 points. But he also committed eight turnovers, missed 13 of 18 shots and frequently was late getting back on defense. Those shortcoming didn't matter to Richardson. "I've seen three calf shows, nine horse ropings-I even saw Elvis once," he said. "But I've never seen a guard do what Iverson can do with a basketball. I saw him go through traps of ours nobody's ever gone through. He's awesome." Iverson's future performance may never live up to that rave. Yet his game is spectacular for a kid who did not play as a high school senior. As a junior at Bethel High in Hampton, Iverson was voted Virginia's Player of the Year in two sports. In football, he flashed dazzling speed as a quarterback, defensive back and kick returner. In basketball, he led his team to a state title by averaging 31.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 9.2 assists. Iverson did not play as a senior. Involved in a February, 1993 brawl in Hampton, he was accused of swinging a chair that hit a bowling alley employee and knocked out a woman who was in a group of <b>...</b>
Share on del.icio.us
Share on digg
Share on Technorati
Share on reddit
Share on Yahoo!
Share on Facebook