Sammy Hervey in today's DMN

[LA_Mustang]

Very interesting story in today's DMN about this former Pony. I would love to hear more about him from those of you who saw him play.

Ex-SMU player had star quality but never made it farther

08:23 PM CST on Saturday, January 7, 2006

Over the years when he'd see him at games, J.D. Mayo occasionally introduced his Skyline basketball team to the stepfather of one of his players from the late '80s.

And here's what he'd tell them about Sammy Hervey: "This is one of the greatest Dallas ISD players who ever played."

Long before Larry Johnson or Chris Bosh, Hervey was a schoolboy legend at Booker T. Washington and Crozier Tech in the late '60s and early '70s, a 6-7, 220-pounder who could handle the ball and shoot it and wasn't shy about either.

"His points came any way he wanted 'em," Ira Terrell said.

Averaged 41 points his junior year in high school and 37 as a senior. Terrell, a star in his own right, says Hervey could have averaged 50 if they'd allowed dunks and 3-pointers.

Slim, they called him. "And everybody wanted to be like Slim," Terrell said.

How much did Terrell want it? One reason he went to SMU out of Roosevelt was to team with Hervey, whose numbers had been so outlandish that the ABA drafted him out of Kilgore College.

He might go off for 63 at Kilgore. At SMU he teamed with Terrell to form one of the most potent combinations in school history.

Said Terrell: "I knew we could do something."

In the '72-73 season, they averaged 41 points a game between them and made first-team All-SWC. Hervey also averaged nine rebounds, tied for sixth in SMU history.

But Hervey's star faded quickly. Out of shape, grades poor, he played only part of his senior season, though enough that the Atlanta Hawks drafted him in the sixth round.

He came home after three days. Loved to fish and cook. Cooked up a storm at Sammy's Barbeque downtown.

The closest he'd come to basketball was watching his stepson, Willie Arnold, at Skyline.

And his past? "He talked about it all the time," Arnold said. "Booker T., Kilgore, SMU. He had some regrets about it, but not a lot. Money wasn't a big deal to him.

"He had a happy life. Always kept a smile on his face. You couldn't tell he was supposed to be an NBA star."

Later in life he developed hypertension and high blood pressure. On his last check-up, the doctor told him he'd have to go to the hospital or he'd suffer a heart attack or stroke.

His response: "I gotta get out of here."

He died Nov. 19, two days after his 54th birthday. No one was really surprised. Arnold said he never got over the death of his wife (two years ago).

Not that you could tell. Mayo, who saw Hervey play in high school and college, said he was as smooth off the floor as he was on it.

In fact, the only time he'd see Hervey ruffled was when the Skyline coach introduced him to the latest round of Dallas basketball prodigies.

"He'd get a little embarrassed," Mayo said. "He was just a real humble, happy guy."

E-mail [email protected]

[HixsontoLeVias]

Hervey LOVED playing against the froggies. The two biggest scoring games of his short SMU career came v. tcu, 35 points in both games, in 1973.

[Charleston Pony]

he was one of the original "combo" guys...could play the small forward or 3rd guard, because he could handle the ball. Made things look too easy at times. Oscar Roan (football scholarship TE) played on that same team. Had some pretty good athletes on campus in those days. These guys all followed Ruben Triplett, who may have been the 1st black bball player signed by SMU? Triplett was out of some Illinois JC as I recall. My junior year, we had I.T., Triplett and Hervey in the frontcourt and my class mates Zach Thiel and Rick Billik at guard (both Illinois guys)

For the younger guys on the board, there was a recent thread about Tubbs establishing a dynasty. Well, Doc Hayes establised the 1st SMU dynasty winning 8 SWC Championships in his time at SMU and when he retired, he turned the reins over to his longtime [deleted]'t Bob Prewitt. During Prewitt's 5 yrs, we managed one SWC Co-Championship. Lost a heartbreaker playoff game to Texas in Waco that year.

Anyways, the interesting part of this article was that I.T. "followed" Hervey to SMU. I read where Dez Willingham was attracted to SMU to play with BHop. I had really hoped signing BHop would have an effect on local recruiting, but it doesn't seem to have had much impact. Wonder who the next "Pied Piper" at SMU will be?

[HixsontoLeVias]

Some decent bball success during your SMU days, huh CP? I assume you were a frosh in 70-71, and graduated in 1974? SWC crown in 71-72 was special, considering Coach Prewitt was at the helm...he was a nice guy. That playoff game in Waco v. ut sounds like it was an exciting match...were you there? Small NCAA fields back in those days. I remember as a ninth grader in St. Louis, seeing the Ponies play SoCal in some now defunct CCA Tourney, 1974...some wierd post season gathering. Indiana beat USC for the title. Team was hot late in '74, but could not pass ut. even though we beat them late sesason in Austin. Those were good, fun days in SMU bball times....SWC crowds usually were decent, 6500 - 7000...Moody used to really rock / support some fairly mediocre, yet exciting teams...oh, how times have changed. Sorry to "look back"....let's now talk about lord j. Long Live Ira Terrell.

[Charleston Pony]

Some decent bball success during your SMU days, huh CP? I assume you were a frosh in 70-71, and graduated in 1974? SWC crown in 71-72 was special, considering Coach Prewitt was at the helm...he was a nice guy. That playoff game in Waco v. ut sounds like it was an exciting match...were you there?

Those were good, fun days in SMU bball times....SWC crowds usually were decent, 6500 - 7000...Moody used to really rock / support some fairly mediocre, yet exciting teams...oh, how times have changed. Sorry to "look back"....let's now talk about lord j. Long Live Ira Terrell.

I was at the game in Waco...on the floor giving Texas and their star Larry Robinson as much grief as we could. Great bus trip as I recall...getting primed for the game all the way to Waco. Despite the loss, a great party night. And yes, I was a frosh in 1970 and graduated 1974.

We had great fans in those days. I remember many a game where courtside bleachers at Moody were packed and you would stand for most of the game. Sit and rest at half. Nebraska game my Frosh year stands out. We beat 'em 80-75 and Clayton Korver had the crowd whipped into a frenzy with his "animal" antics, snatching boards and swinging elbows. I also remember playing TTech in Moody my junior year with I.T. vs Tech's big man Bullock. Packed house...over 10,000. Made the mistake of taking a date who made us late. Had to sit in the rafters because courtside was packed. Never took her out again. Mrs CP understands that men have died for lesser things.

I just hope future generation SMUers can enjoy that same game day atmosphere I did at Moody. TTech game in 2001 had potential but for the loss. We sure don't pack the house very often anymore. If we can get it together, future games with Memphis could rock.

[LA_Mustang]

Thanks, guys. Good stuff.

[EastStang]

After Hervey was ruled ineligible is when Roan joined the team, I think. We lost the first few conference games and Roan walked up to Prewitt and mentioned he had played basketball in college before transferring to SMU. Where was that? Prewitt asked, "Uh, UCLA". "Welcome to the team" was the response from Prewitt. At that time UCLA was the dynasty team under John Wooden. The following year Terrell had to sit out because of some illegal payment he received (I think SMU paid a traffic ticket or something small time like that) and then played his senior year and we competed for the title but were outmanned by Arkansas which he recently decided to try its hand at basketball and Sutton recruited a bunch of studs (who went on to the final four).

[Charleston Pony]

I.T.'s senior season was the 1st year for Sonny Allen and his "up tempo" style. We finished a disappointing 16-12 and lost to the famous Arkansas "Tripletts" (Moncrief, Delph & Brewer) in the 2nd round of the SWC Tourney. We had beaten those guys twice during the regular season but suddenly they grew up.

[HixsontoLeVias]

,,,now you are getting into my era, CP. I pledged ATO and half the bball team were 'Taus. Swanson, Somerville, Roy Streed, Mike Anderson, who later coached on Tubbs staff at OU, Jeff Ralph, Ronnie Thompson....we had to memorize all their "stuff" during.....ahem.. cough, "pledgeship". Let me tell 'ya, Jeff Swanson grilling you about his girlfriends name and favorite TV show could be a little intimidating! But I remember Allen having VERY competitive teams, FUN to watch, despite 10-18, 11-16, etc. records during my early days at SMU...."doughboy" Mark Davis...Phil Hale could shoot...Brad Branson, Reggie Franklin, and of course Billy Allen making the scene my Soph year...Jr. year, 1979-80, SMU started out like, 8-0. 10-0 or something..we are thinking "Final Four"...then reality kicked in, but Piehler showed up then with Ollie Hoops single handily beating KU....good times, good memories. Long Live Johnnie James.

[gostangs]

I loved Piehler and Ollie Hoops - which by the way is still the worlds best name for a basketball player.

And Brad Branson could scrap. Moody really rocked back then - but that was when students were on both sides. We need to figure out how to get the money of the season ticket holders but get the energy and some students back in there. I recommend we consolidate the blue seats into just the middle section and open up the left and right sides to students.

Long live Carl Wright.

[The Falcon]

Short note - During one of Ollie Hoops' first days on SMU campus - he
walked into my friend, Bob Condren's Office (Sports Information Dir.)
and asked Bob - Do you Know Who I Am? Bob said - No.

To that Ollie said - "You soon Will!!"

Ollie transferred here from ETSU as somewhat of a scoring phenom but
became A bust here at SMU.

[jtstang]

Does my memory fail me here or am I correct that at one time Ollie Hoops tried out for Ron Meyer at wideout?