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And that was an absolute beast power forward...Maurice Lucas. Lucas was a monster defender, had a good offensive game and was the perfect complement to and enforcer for Walton. He was a stud center himself for Al McGuire's Marquette Warriors. The guard play, while not spectacular was very solid with Lionel Hollins, Dave Twardzik and Johnny Davis.

One of the most athletic centers of the time and most tenacious was Bill Russell. My father went to USF with Russell. As a freshman, Russell could hardly jump and the coaching staff would spend extra time at the end of practices with jumping and rebounding drills. By his senior year he was the NCAA high jump champion whose record stood for many years.

I was at the game when Digger and his guys broke the UCLA winning streak. This was an Irish team that a few years earlier held the ball against the Bruins while behind by 50 points...the 6-20 first year. The Big Shu held his own against Walton.