TU Hoops Recruiting Class Countdown: No. 1 - 1980
A dead basketball program turned into one of the best teams in college basketball almost overnight.
When Nolan Richardson was announced as the Tulsa head basketball coach in the spring of 1980, it was a bold move in a time when that type of thing just didn’t happen.
Being the first African American head basketball coach in the region wasn’t met with enthusiasm by all, to say the least. But when the fans saw the players he got to come to Tulsa, and the success the team had, Nolan Richardson quickly became the most popular person in town.
The recruiting class of 1980 is undeniably the best recruiting class in Tulsa basketball history since 1980.
When Richardson was hired, rumor had it that he was bringing with him the best players from his undefeated junior college national championship team, including a first round draft pick.
Nobody disappointed, and Paul Pressey especially lived up to his billing. A future first round draft pick by the Milwaukee Bucks, Pressey had to be seen to be believed. He became an All-American and an NBA standout.
Not many players have a position named after him. Bucks coach Don Nelson created the position point forward because Pressey would play point guard on offense but forward on defense. In fact, he would guard all five positions on the court at different times, including 7-foot centers in the NBA.
The 6-foot-5 Pressey possessed freakishly long arms, and his role at the front of Richardson’s 1-3-1 full court press terrified opponents. He could dominate a game without scoring, but the bigger the game, the more he scored.
Pressey was one of four players Richardson brought with him from Western Texas JC. The others were athletic 6-8 forward David Brown, 6-9 center Greg Stewart and 6-4 guard Phil Spradling.
In addition, junior college guard Mike Anderson was added. He had played against Western Texas in the juco national tournament, and Richardson had noticed.
Those five players would...
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• LINK: No. 2 - the 1998 class
• LINK: No. 3 - the 1981 class
• LINK: No. 4 - the 2006 class
• LINK: No. 5 - the 1993 class
• LINK: TU Football Spring Analysis – Wide Receivers
• LINK: Shamari Brooks commits to Tulsa