PonyFans.com

Great story for a great player. I was there for the falling out of bounds shot that beat Arkansas. He went 3 rows up into the stands backwards in the corner. I believe that if we had 3 pointers in those days, he woud have an unreachable scoring record.

I love those jerseys

mrydel wrote:Great story for a great player. I was there for the falling out of bounds shot that beat Arkansas. He went 3 rows up into the stands backwards in the corner. I believe that if we had 3 pointers in those days, he woud have an unreachable scoring record.

Mrydel, we share something else in common.

BTW, I would have retired Gene Phillips' jersey before Koncack's.

Gene and I became close friends when he was coaching at Wills Point. We were the only two SMU grads around and gravitated to each other.My oldest son had the opprotunity to play for him at that time. Gene and I went to the state tournament together each year (took our wives one year but they didn't enjoy the atmosphere as much.) He was not only a great player, but he is a wonderful person. I will definitely be there when his jersey is retired. And yes, it should have been done already.

Phillips number should have been retired long ago. I loved watching him play. Gene Phillips and Clayton Korver on the same team. WOW. I saw Clayton play in a rec game in Irving. He came in and immediately dunked. I was in awe of him and Gene. I think I only spoke to Gene once but he was very nice to me. Seeing those two were such fun times at Moody. It takes me back to a simpler time. I did see Gene coach in HS but didn't even know it until I read it in the paper the next day. Just some rambles. Glad to hear Gene is doing fine.

I have trouble seeing Korvar and Phillips in the same paragraph. Phillips was old school basketball,and Korvar was old school football. It is just that Korvar played his football on the basketball court. Korvar was a true enforcer and could be put in at a time SMU was struggling and immediately turn the game around with big rebounds and swinging elbows. But yes, if only one jersey was all that was ever to be retired it would have been Krebs. If only 2, Krebs and Phillips.

3 Time SWC Player of The Year says it all. I don't understand how he hasn't been honored yet.

I think Clayton's brother played DT for Oakland. I remember seeing Clayton walk around campus with this huge brown poncho on. "The Animal" ( I never liked that nickname for him) was different. He definitely was the enforcer. I wonder what he is up to.

Gene's other teammates were no slouches either. David Miller could hold his own in the middle, and once again, if the 3 point shot had been in effect, and if they could have played 4 years, both Bobby Rollings and Larry Delzell would probably get notice on the all time scoring lists somewhere. They were both great outside shooters. Something I have not seen at SMU for quite a few years. I think it was Larry (but maybe Bobby) that was banned from shooting free throws at the State Fair with the dead swish rims, because he could not miss and was winning too many prizes.

At the end of his senior season, I remember cheerleaders before a game in the concourse at Moody asking for donations for a farewell gift to Gene Phillips.

I was with 3 other kids, we were all about 11 years old. All four of us gave them our ‘snack money’. When they presented Gene his gift they commented about these 4 kids who gave all their money for Gene.

Well, I was one of those kids.

Cool.

(Couldn't do that today, could we? )

SoCal_Pony wrote:At the end of his senior season, I remember cheerleaders before a game in the concourse at Moody asking for donations for a farewell gift to Gene Phillips.

I was with 3 other kids, we were all about 11 years old. All four of us gave them our ‘snack money’. When they presented Gene his gift they commented about these 4 kids who gave all their money for Gene.

Well, I was one of those kids.

Actually, a few of we footballers would get the cheerleaders to get little kids to give them money so we could all go out and drink after the games. Sorry.

My understanding from what I was told was that Koncak was picked because he was a consensus All-American, like Krebs. Not sure if GPhillips was......but his time is coming.

I started working at SMU in 68 - so got to see both Lynn & Gene Phillips
play. That team was special - I also was part of the events staff for the
Chapparells so got to see Gene play there also. The article says he was only 6'4" yet in my memory he is much bigger because he was such a scorer. He didn't weigh much either but he was wirey tough.

I too was at the game where he hit the corner shot that beat Arkansas while falling out of bounds. He may have been the best pure shooter I ever say - he didn't look much like an athelete - but just looking at his point production you have to know he had great hand-eye coordination and body control to do what he did. Other writers on this thread are also
very correct in praising Dalzell, Rollins, & Miller - they were all consistent scorers and ultimate team players - in the clutch they didn't miss many free throws. Korver was a wild man who would come in a fly after loose balls and knock people around - he could have been a great player if someone could have controlled him and smoothed the rough edges.

Ah - those were the days. Bob Prewitt seemed to be able to take a handful of players and through teamwork get the most out of them. He
was and is a class act. Glad Miller and others saw to it that his name is on the new practice facility.