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View Full Version : Randy Denton / Semi Pro?



Uncle Drew
06-05-2008, 07:23 AM
In another thread someone brought up Jeff Mullins and I mentioned I had all of his of his old cards as well as other past Duke greats. I pulled them out and did a scan to post here if any are curious in seeing them....
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh51/williamglatta/Duke.jpg

When I saw Randy Denton's cards something clicked in my mind about that guy looking very familiar then I figured out why......
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh51/williamglatta/semipro_21.jpg

I haven't seen Semi-Pro yet, but in my book Mr. Denton may have grounds for a lawsuit!

Uncle Drew
06-05-2008, 07:37 AM
This one is even more similar....
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh51/williamglatta/Denton.jpg

God I'm glad I barely remember the 70's! But will someone please tell me who the %#$#$ the Tams and the Sounds were??!! (Denton played for a team called the Stars as well and Mike Lewis played for the Pittsburgh Condors.) No wonder the ABA failed they were getting Ray Charles to select mascots!

gvtucker
06-05-2008, 08:31 AM
God I'm glad I barely remember the 70's! But will someone please tell me who the %#$#$ the Tams and the Sounds were??!! (Denton played for a team called the Stars as well and Mike Lewis played for the Pittsburgh Condors.) No wonder the ABA failed they were getting Ray Charles to select mascots!

They were the Memphis Tams. That nickname understandably sounded stupid (and who wants to be named after a hat, anyway?) so they changed it to the Memphis Sounds and had this sort of Mowtownish looking logo.

Back then that was the only pro basketball I ever got to experience. The Dallas Chaparrals would play a few of their home games in Fort Worth, where I lived, and we'd go watch them there. Along with maybe 2 or 3 hundred other people.

Inonehand
06-05-2008, 09:54 AM
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/be/Walk_hard_poster_07.jpg

killerleft
06-05-2008, 10:37 AM
Y'all quit makin' fun of one of my heroes! Randy and Dick Divenzio were almost god-like to me way back then.

mgtr
06-05-2008, 11:13 AM
They were the Memphis Tams. That nickname understandably sounded stupid (and who wants to be named after a hat, anyway?) so they changed it to the Memphis Sounds and had this sort of Mowtownish looking logo.

Back then that was the only pro basketball I ever got to experience. The Dallas Chaparrals would play a few of their home games in Fort Worth, where I lived, and we'd go watch them there. Along with maybe 2 or 3 hundred other people.

I remember one joke about the ABA (frequently made by NBA announcers). The Oakland Oaks are playing tonight, and to save time they introduced the crowd instead of the team.
Rick Barry bailed from the SF Warriors and went to the Oakland Oaks -- so there was no love lost between the Warriors and the Oaks.

Shammrog
06-05-2008, 11:26 AM
You all may find this funny - I was at Duke from 1989-1993. Sometime in that period, Randy Denton's son was a ballboy (or, "ballperson," as the shirts were switched to say during the early days of PC parlance.)

His son was about 12 years old, and 6'5". During the pre-game, before players took the court, he would run around with the other ballpeople doing layups and shooting, etc. Except he was actually DUNKING the ball (pretty well, in fact.)

This led to my all-time favorite Cameron cheer - one time, when the opposing (bad) team took the floor, the Crazies started chanting:

"The ballboy's bet-ter (clap-clap-clapclapclap!)"

watzone
06-05-2008, 12:33 PM
http://www.remembertheaba.com/OnlyintheABAMaterial/BigHairMaterial/Denton/Denton.html

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/dentora01.html

I have fonder memories of the ABA in that the Carolina Cougars were one of the more successful franchises. I saw Denton with the Tam's in Greensboro and Bob Verga and Mike Lewis in Raleigh. Even saw a game in the Dorton Arena when UNC grad Billy Cunningham was playing for the team. Add Larry Brown and Doug Moe to the court as well and former poop sheet owner Dennis Wycik. The Cougers were always pretty good. The ABA also gave us Julius Evring and the league was more than a small thorn in the NBA's side, eventually sending the Pacers, Nets, Nuggets and Spurs to the league. Am I forgetting one? Several NBA stars jumped leagues for better money. Many great NBA stars never played in the NBA until the merge.

I remember Denton at Duke as well. You may want to check into his all time rebounding totals. He was a good player and a good man. He played in the days when the saying, "let your freak flag fly," was popular from a CSNY song. Big hair was in then ... not so much big hair as in the 80's rock scene, but long hair. I do think Will owes Randy a check.

DevilDan
06-06-2008, 04:49 AM
I remember the Randy Denton days at Duke. Coach Bucky Waters was a much-heralded, but soon much-criticized successor to the great Vic Bubas and his nationally ranked teams.

One year the Denton-led Blue Devils were up-and-down, beating some top teams, but losing to lesser ones. Waters at one point installed a new "Mongoose Offense", with Randy running the show as a point guard, in something that looked like a wierd "1-4" offense. As I remember, Denton kicked butt from this set.

Anyone else recall this ? Denton never seemed to get the credit he was due. If someone else has more memories of these teams, please chime in.

hq2
06-06-2008, 04:20 PM
Denton was a pretty good player; he was third team All-America as I remember. I'd say center wise he's probably maybe about 5th or 6th all time behind Laettner, Gminski, Parks, Lewis, and Boozer. His legacy has been largely lost, because it occurred when Duke was on the way down in the late 60s-early 70s. As I recall, one of his teams was like, 20-10, his stats were about that too, and he beat Carolina a few times. If he had played for better teams, he might be better remembered too.

Carlos
06-06-2008, 07:49 PM
Great ABA link, watzone.

If you ever have a chance, pick up a copy of Loose Balls by Terry Pluto. It's a great history of the ABA.

roywhite
06-06-2008, 07:56 PM
One year the Denton-led Blue Devils were up-and-down, beating some top teams, but losing to lesser ones. Waters at one point installed a new "Mongoose Offense", with Randy running the show as a point guard, in something that looked like a wierd "1-4" offense. As I remember, Denton kicked butt from this set.


That part is not accurate; DeVenzio was the PG (Denton was a good inside player, but not a perimeter player); then Gary Melchionni had some good success from the Mongoose Offense, especially against Maryland in 1973 when he scored 39.

Uncle Drew
06-06-2008, 08:56 PM
"past Duke greats"

Just for the record since I started this thread I wanted to clarify I have much respect for Mr Denton and all past Duke players. This thread was by no means to belittle his pro or college career. Truth be told everything I have ever heard about him as a person and player has been positive. So if anyone has taken this to be a slam on him (or any other past Duke players) please don't take it that way.

It's just looking back at photos of most any type (yearbooks, magazines, TV reruns) from the 70's or even late 60's the images look "dated". I grew up in the 70's and a photo of me in a plaid patchwork polyester suit makes me wonder if my parents were at Woodstock. I can't watch an episode of The Partridge Family and see the cars / clothes and wonder who thought the styles looked "cool". I'm sure it's a generational thing, but when I see footage of Woodstock and other concerts it makes me want to invent a time machine, go back in the day and go Helter Skelter with an electric razor on a few peoples heads.

Inonehand
06-06-2008, 09:17 PM
"past Duke greats"

Just for the record since I started this thread I wanted to clarify I have much respect for Mr Denton and all past Duke players. This thread was by no means to belittle his pro or college career. Truth be told everything I have ever heard about him as a person and player has been positive. So if anyone has taken this to be a slam on him (or any other past Duke players) please don't take it that way.

It's just looking back at photos of most any type (yearbooks, magazines, TV reruns) from the 70's or even late 60's the images look "dated". I grew up in the 70's and a photo of me in a plaid patchwork polyester suit makes me wonder if my parents were at Woodstock. I can't watch an episode of The Partridge Family and see the cars / clothes and wonder who thought the styles looked "cool". I'm sure it's a generational thing, but when I see footage of Woodstock and other concerts it makes me want to invent a time machine, go back in the day and go Helter Skelter with an electric razor on a few peoples heads.

No worries. I don't believe anyone here felt you were doing anything of the sort.

DevilDan
06-07-2008, 12:46 AM
To Mr. Roy White... you are correct, DiVenzio ran the offense from the point. But Randy Denton on at least one occasion ran the "Mongoose" from the perimeter. I saw this from press row at (the then) Duke Indoor Stadium, with the Sports Editor of the Greensboro Record, a Mr. Earle Hellen, who took me to that particular game. We were shocked to see this, to say the least.

The rest of the time, Denton obviously did play inside, just as he did when he starred in High School in Raleigh, where I first watched him. Thank you.