The Charlie Scott Interview
By:
Michael D. McClellan
|
Wednesday, May 11th, 2005
Following a stellar college career, you were selected by the Virginia Squires of
the ABA and the Boston Celtics of the NBA. What factors led you to sign with
the fledgling ABA?
At
that time I think it had to do with loyalty. That team was in Washington, and
was then known as the Washington Caps. The next season the team would move to
Norfolk, and become known as the Squires. One of the players on the team was
Larry Brown, who was the coach at North Carolina who recruited me. Basically,
it was another recruiting process. I had familiarity with Larry. And I was
drafted by the Boston Celtics only after I had signed to play basketball for the
Virginia Squires. I don’t think, if I had only intended to play ball in the
NBA, that I would have been drafted by the Boston Celtics. That was the same
year that they drafted Dave Cowens. The Celtics drafted me with the fourth pick
in the seventh round, which wouldn’t have been the case had there only been one
league. I would have gone much earlier, in the first round, and the Celtics
would probably have had to choose between Dave and myself. The team needed a
big man – Bill Russell had just retired, and Red Auerbach was in a rebuilding
mode. So I think the only way the Celtics would have had the chance to draft me
was by me signing with the Virginia Squires. It was good fortune all the way
around. I ended up in the ABA because of my familiarity with Larry Brown, and
the hope that the Squires would emerge very soon.
Your
agent was Al Ross, who also represented Spencer Haywood, John Brisker, and
Jim Mcdaniels. What led you to sign with Mr. Ross, how did he get the
nickname "The Pirate"?
I
don’t know how he got the nickname ‘The Pirate’, but it was a widely known
nickname. What led me to sign with him was that I had a clause in my
contract that called for a bonus from the Virginia Squires, and I hadn’t
gotten it. And frankly, I was ready to leave the ABA. Any faction that
could afford me that chance to leave, well, let’s just say that I was ready
to take that opportunity. That opportunity arose when the Squires didn’t
pay the bonus when it was due, basically breeching the contract. Al Ross
was known as a lawyer who could get you from one league to the other
league. My association with him grew out of that. He had the wherewithal
and the legal staff to make the transition happen. He had the relationships
with the NBA owners who could pass the league rules regarding player
movement. Al Ross was the one who got Spencer Haywood out of the ABA and
onto the roster in Seattle. Spencer was the first one that I knew, who had
Al Ross for that purpose. I followed suit. Brisker and Mcdaniels did the
same, ending up in Seattle with Spencer. I ended up in Phoenix.
You were
the co-ABA Rookie of the Year following the 1970-71 season. You were also a
two-time ABA All-Star, and led the league in scoring that second season.
Please tell me about your ABA experience.
My
ABA experience was a good one. At the time, the NBA was a more
sophisticated league. There was more structure. On the court, you had the
pick-and-roll. You had Oscar Robertson. You had Wilt Chamberlain. It was
more of a fundamental league. The ABA was more of a speed league, with a
lot of running. In fact, the ABA is what the NBA is today. It was really
ahead of its time. It had the open lane, the three-point shot, the open
court – things the NBA later incorporated into its rulebook. In the ABA,
you had basketball played without the big man. That was really the biggest
difference. You played a game that was not dominated by the big man. Since
the inception of the NBA, the league had been primarily dominated by the big
men in the post. You had George Mikan, Bill Russell, Wilt. The ABA, on the
other hand, was a league dominated by the swiftness of the guards and wing
players. That was the style that I played in the ABA, and later –
especially in the 1980s with those great Celtic and Laker teams – it was a
style adopted by the NBA.
Julius
Erving was your teammate that second season. Please tell me a little about
Dr. J.
The
first time I saw Julius play was when the team had rookie camp in Hampton,
Virginia. At that time you could tell that he was something special.
Julius had a ferocity for the game from the very beginning. His style was
one of grace and ferocity, and you could see that he was going to be a great
ballplayer. There was never any doubt. With guys like that, you can tell
just by the way they play. That first time I saw Julius there was no doubt
that he was a superstar. And he started out from Day One being one.
