Former Kentucky player was able to get under Michael Jordan’s skin
When the conversation involves Michael Jordan, former Kentucky player Jim Master likes to tell a story that dates back to 1983. It begins with just learning that he made the United States team that would play in the Pan American Games that year.
Master wanted to share the thrilling news.
“I still remember going to the phone and calling my parents,” he said. “Then it dawned on me as I was talking to my mom. Oh, no, I said. Damn. I made the team, but the bad news is I play the same position as Michael Jordan. Gosh darn. That means I’m going to be guarding him in practice for three or four weeks.”
Fast-forwarding to the present, Master watched much — but not all — of the 10-part miniseries on Jordan’s final championship season with the Chicago Bulls. At age 58, Master said he must go to sleep rather than watch the late-night episodes of “The Last Dance.”
People who remember him as Jordan’s teammate in the Pan Am Games or his opponent in a Kentucky-North Carolina game on Dec. 26, 1981, have “inundated” him with calls, Master said.
“I love when people say, ‘Did you play against him?’ I’m, like, well, which time?”
Master and Jordan also played in the National Sports Festival in the summer of 1981.
“I think I know Michael Jordan better than anyone unless they played at North Carolina or they were on the Bulls’ teams,” Master said.
As Master tells it, Jordan did not dominate their matchups.
“He didn’t know how great he could be yet,” Master said of play at the Sports Festival. “He was just like a yearling that was going to be Secretariat.”
Jordan was fresh out of high school in the summer of 1981. Master was coming off a freshman season at UK in which he played in 27 games and averaged 6.5 points.
“Because I was just a little older, and I was kind of at my best at the time, I could get underneath his skin,” Master said.
Matt Doherty, who played with Jordan at UNC and had gotten to know Master when they were prospects in the same high school class of 1980, confirmed this account.
“Jimmy was a helluva player and could really shoot the ball,” Doherty said, “and did not back down from Michael. And Michael had his hands full trying to guard Jimmy coming off the screens and hitting jumpers. I remember that pretty well.”
As a challenge for Jordan, Doherty likened Master to Reggie Miller.
“Jimmy was not afraid,” he said. “Jimmy talked junk. Was very confident and could shoot the ball.”
And, yes, Doherty said, for better or worse, Master’s success in the matchups annoyed the ultracompetitive Jordan.
“You didn’t really want to get under his skin,” Doherty said. “That’s the delicate balance, right? You’ve got to compete against him. But you almost want to say, ‘Oh man, I’m sorry I scored on you. I’m sorry I stole your ball.’”
When asked what he saw that suggested Master, or any opponent, was getting under Jordan’s skin, Doherty chuckled as he answered, “He would take over for the next 30 minutes of the game.”
The first dance
While “The Last Dance” miniseries immortalizes Michael Jordan’s final NBA championship season, one of his first dances has been largely forgotten.
The sixth game of Jordan’s freshman season for North Carolina was against Kentucky. The game was played the day after Christmas 1981 in East Rutherford, N.J. No. 1 UNC defeated No. 2 UK 82-69.
“It was a great atmosphere, and we were really looking forward to the test,” recalled Derrick Hord, who was UK’s leading scorer that season. “I don’t remember Michael doing anything or even the expectations of Michael at that time being that kind of somebody that was the ultimate superstar.”
As Hord remembered it, James Worthy and Sam Perkins were more prominent in Kentucky’s preparation.
“The scouting report said Jordan was a really good player,” Hord said. “You had to play good defense on him, and everything like that. But it seemed like he hadn’t yet become that Michael Jordan.”
Worthy led UNC with 26 points. Perkins posted a double-double: 21 points and 11 rebounds. Jordan made eight of 13 shots en route to 19 points.
Mike Jordan?
UK’s media guide for 1981-82 includes a brief appraisal of each opponent. For North Carolina, it begins with a mention of James Worthy, Sam Perkins and Jimmy Black. It then notes Matt Doherty and Jim Braddock as players returning from the previous season.
It concludes with this: “UNC’s recruiting class numbers six and is ranked one of the best in the nation. Forward Mike Jordan and guard Buzz Peterson head the list.”
Jim Master, who played with and against Michael Jordan in the previous summer’s National Sports Festival, already saw Jordan as exceptional.
“I came back and told everyone there’s this guy going to Carolina,” Master said. “He’s going to be really good.”
Serendipity
Coaches like to be perceived as being in control. Willing to thoroughly prepare. Highly intelligent and blessed with other-worldly instinct. These self-styled wise men steer the destiny of players, teams and themselves.
But do not discount how dumb luck impacts games, seasons and careers.
During Monday’s episode of the “Coffee With Cal” Facebook show, John Calipari and Brad Stevens acknowledged how serendipity made a difference. This came through as the two traded recruiting stories involving Kemba Walker.
As Memphis coach, Calipari went to Carnegie Mellon to watch Walker play in an AAU game.
“I left saying he’s just too small,” Calipari said. Walker, who is 6-foot tall, went on to score 1,783 points for UConn. He led the Huskies to the 2011 national championship.
Stevens, then the Butler coach, went on a recruiting trip to watch a prospect named Ronald Nored. By chance, Nored was matched up against Walker in the game.
“Kemba was unreal,” Stevens said. “And Ron was not unreal.”
Stevens decided not to offer a scholarship to Nored. Nored signed with Western Kentucky. But when Darrin Horn left WKU to become coach at South Carolina, Nored got a release and ultimately enrolled at Butler. He played point guard for Final Four teams in 2010 and 2011.
“Those are some of the breaks that you get in recruiting,” Stevens said. “It was all because of Kemba. He was so good. I couldn’t see past the fact that I thought it was Ron (not being good). And I was wrong.”
From small things
A Bruce Springsteen song came to mind as John Calipari and Brad Stevens spoke of the humble beginnings to their professional careers: “From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come).”
Their message to young people now entering the job market during the coronavirus pandemic was to see long-term possibilities in a humbling entry-level job.
Of present day college students, Calipari said, “They’ve got to understand it is a climb. It is about having grit and determination.”
The future coaches of Kentucky and the Boston Celtics began their careers as volunteers. Calipari retold a familiar story of how he served peas and corn to Kansas players at the team’s training table.
“It may be a blessing in disguise if you use it that way,” he said.
After college, Stevens got a job at Eli Lilly and Company, a pharmaceutical company based in Indianapolis. Knowing he wanted to go into coaching, he soon accepted a volunteer position at Butler.
Stevens recalled attending a coaches’ meeting for the first time. “I’m leaving this job where I was actually making a living to make nothing,” he said. “And I don’t even know anything (about coaching). It was like going into Spanish or French class in year one.”
Within a year, he was promoted to director of basketball operations at an annual salary of $18,000. Five years later, Butler named him head coach.
Belated happy birthday
To John Adams. He turned 77 on May 15. . . . To former Tennessee coach Buzz Peterson. He turned 57 on May 17. … To Ron Mercer. He turned 44 on May 18. … To Enes Kanter. He turned 28 on May 20.
Happy birthday
To Jamaal Magloire. He turned 42 on Thursday. … To Rob Lock. He turned 54 on Friday. … To Kevin Galloway. He turned 32 on Saturday. … To Cedric Jenkins. He turns 54 on Monday.
