The Satch Sanders Interview
By:
Michael D. McClellan
|
Friday, August 23rd, 2002
Mr. Cann, like Red
Auerbach, is enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
How were these men alike, and how were they
different?
Howard and Red were very similar in their coaching
styles. This
may have had a great deal to do with the era that they
coached in, since other coaches – Adolph Rupp and
Henry Iba come to mind – possessed the same
dictatorial coaching style.
These men were great coaches and very vocal –
they were yellers, screamers, and very militaristic in
their approach to the game.
Your NYU squad edged the Jerry West-led WVU Mountaineers 82-81 in the 1960 NCAA East Regional. It was the first time that you’d squared off against Jerry in a meaningful basketball game but it certainly wouldn’t be the last. What do you remember most about that game?
I remember that we won the game, which was the most
important thing. I
also remember that a lot of people were disappointed
that we defeated West Virginia, because everyone wanted
to see the Mountaineers play the University of
Cincinnati. That would have been the match-up had West Virginia won the
game. The
West Virginia-Cincinnati attraction had everything to do
with Jerry West and Oscar Robertson, of course.
It was the marquee match-up because of those two
great players. It
was not to be, however, because we won the game.
The East Regional wasn’t the first time that we played the West Virginia that season. I also remember playing against Jerry West earlier in the year. We traveled to Morgantown and played the Mountaineers on their home court.
Who won?
West Virginia. Jerry
was Jerry that evening, and they defeated us in rather
convincing fashion.
As a player, you were
especially well-known for your defensive prowess. You were consistently asked to guard the opposition’s best
scorer. It
seems as if you relished the role of the defensive
stopper, that you took great pride in what you did.
Let me start by saying that ‘stopper’ is too strong
a word. I
worked hard on defense and welcomed the challenges that
came with my role on the team.
My job was to guard the opposition’s best
scorer at the forward position, such as an Elgin Baylor
or a Bob Pettit, and this was something from which I
derived a tremendous amount of satisfaction.
I would also like to say that we had a number of great defensive players on those Celtics teams, the first and foremost being Bill Russell. As a team, our defensive philosophy began with Bill. He set the tone on the defensive end of the court. KC Jones was also a tremendous defensive player in terms of what he brought to the game. He drew the tough assignments in the backcourt and applied great pressure defense.
You were a member of eight
NBA championship teams with the Boston Celtics. Is there one in particular that stands out from the rest?
If I had to select one, I would have to say that the
first championship stands out from the rest.
This was during the 1960-61 season, and we won
the championship 4-1 over the St. Louis Hawks.
In retrospect it’s easier for one to look back
on winning a number of championships, but it’s a much
different situation when you’re striving to achieve
that goal. Back
then, at any given point, it was always a matter of
“what-have-you-done-for-me-lately”, and by that I
-you-done-for-me-lately”, and by that I
mean we were only as good as our last championship.
With the Celtics there was a great deal of drive
to win, to succeed at the highest levels.
So every title that we won was special in that
regard.
I’ve asked this of KC
Jones and Frank Ramsey.
Please tell me a little about Bill Russell.
It’s hard for me to say something that hasn’t
already been written about Bill Russell.
Anything that I say at this point won’t add
much, but I will say that he is a very bright man, and
that he is a man without bounds.
He has always been the type of person with the
nerve to take on certain situations, which at the time
made him seem somewhat controversial.
Bill is a unique individual, a true intellectual.
