COLLEGE BASKETBALL : Jackson Obeys Murphy’s Law

Calvin Murphy knows a thing or two about shooting.

After all, 20 years after Murphy left Niagara, the 5-foot 9-inch scoring machine still holds the fourth-best college scoring average of 33.1 points, bettered only by the late Pete Maravich of LSU, 44.2; Austin Carr of Notre Dame, 34.6, and Oscar Robertson of Cincinnati, 33.8.

Chris Jackson also knows a thing or two about shooting.

In his first year at LSU last season, Jackson’s 30.2 average set an NCAA freshman record. At 6-feet 1-inch, Jackson scored at least 50 points three times, got 48 twice, averaged 50.5 points against Southeastern Conference champion Florida and scored 20 or more points in 17 consecutive games.

So when Jackson started having unexpected trouble with his shooting this season, to whom did he turn? With Coach Dale Brown’s approval, Jackson looked up Murphy, the former Houston Rocket, who watched Jackson during an LSU workout Tuesday in Houston, then suggested that Jackson was not following through on his shooting motion.

“He came and asked me to look at his shot,” said Murphy, who is the director of community relations and shooting coach for the Rockets, the franchise for which he scored 17,949 points in 13 seasons. “He was having a little problem. He was hitting the front of the rim. He was having a little recoil. He wasn’t following through completely. I watched him for about 20 minutes and gave him that little tip.”

That night in LSU’s game against Texas, Jackson broke out of his shooting slump with his biggest offensive output of the season, a 51-point outburst, that he said was entirely the result of Murphy’s help.

“I’ve seen Calvin play a couple of times and I’ve always been impressed by him,” Jackson said. “For him to give me a tip, it helps.”

Jackson had scored 27 in LSU’s previous game, a victory over Hardin-Simmons, but had managed just 28 points in the two preceding games, against Cal State Los Angeles and Northwestern Louisiana. Brown said that when Jackson asked to have Murphy look at his shot, he simply backed off and let Murphy take a look.

Murphy, who went to the game to watch Jackson, said he enjoyed seeing Jackson put up 51 points.

“He made me look like a genius,” said Murphy, who believes Jackson is ready for the NBA right now. “Maybe he’ll take me as his personal shooting coach.”

Murphy was one of the most prolific college scorers while at Niagara. His 68 points, against Syracuse on Dec. 7, 1968, is the second-highest one-game total against a Division I opponent in NCAA history. Maravich scored 69 points for LSU against Alabama in 1970. Murphy’s scoring average of 38.2 in 1968 is No. 8 on the NCAA season scoring list, with Maravich holding down the first three spots--44.5 in 1970, 44.2 in 1969, 43.8 in 1968.

Being compared to Jackson is gratifying to him, Murphy said.

“There’s been so much said about (comparing) his style to mine, that it’s similar,” Murphy said. “He mentioned it, that he kind of patterned himself after me a little bit.

“When you get to this stage, you know, we all played with ego. They forget you very quickly. To have someone of his caliber, being so young, to make you feel like he’s playing because you did it before him, you just can’t get a better feeling than that.”

Murphy said Jackson talked about him in front of Murphy’s 11-year-old son, Calvin.

“When he said these things to me in front of my son, it was just a perfect ending to an evening for me,” Murphy said. “I mean I’m trying to impress my boy, who’s been in love with Chris since he started reading all the basketball magazines, so that was super. Chris has got a fan for life, now.”

More Jackson: “Chris is ready for the pros right now,” Murphy said. “Besides the fact that he can score 51, he can see the floor, he can go right-left with speed, he can change up offensively in midstream and see a teammate--I just think he is a complete ballplayer. If he was smart, right now is the time (for the NBA),” he said.

Quote of the week: From Coach John Sneed of Cal State Fullerton after his Titans had lost by 28 points to Nevada Las Vegas and was asked what team can beat the Runnin’ Rebels this year: “Maybe it will take the Lakers.”

Quote of the week runner-up: This reaction from La Salle’s Lionel Simmons when Temple called time out to shake his confidence at the free-throw line (Simmons made two free throws with 11 seconds left to win the game): “I laughed.”

Milestone: Northern Iowa’s 77-74 upset victory over No. 20 Iowa Wednesday night was the Panthers’ first victory over the Hawkeyes in 77 years.

The UNI-Dome was set up to handle nearly 23,000 fans and 22,797 were on hand, the largest crowd to ever see a basketball game in Iowa.

Milestone II: Two hefty home winning streaks ended this week. Temple lost to LaSalle, 63-62, ending the Owls’ 27-game streak at McGonigle Hall in Philadelphia, and Alabama lost to Vanderbilt, 68-67, ending the Crimson Tide’s 21-game streak at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa.

College Basketball Notes

Minnesota is 9-1 and will carry a nine-game winning streak into the start of Big Ten play today against No. 4 Illinois. After Minnesota thrashed Rider College Wednesday night, 116-48, Coach Clem Haskins said: “I’m just tickled pink.” But Rider Coach Kevin Bannon was not happy about a 68-point beating, the New Jersey school’s 36th consecutive loss on the road: “Nobody wants to come out and give them their highlight film for the next year,” he said.

Martin Massengale of Nebraska, chairman of the NCAA Presidents’ Commission, said the university will support proposals to reduce the basketball season and spring football practice. The proposals, which will be discussed at the NCAA convention in Dallas next week, would push back preseason basketball from Oct. 15 to Nov. 1 and reduce the season from 28 regular-season games to 25. . . . Kevin Dewayne Johnson, 19, a forward at Sacramento City College, is being held without bail in a Sacramento jail as a suspect in a drive-by shooting in which a member of a youth gang was killed, Sacramento police said. Yuba County deputies arrested Johnson in the locker room at halftime of a game with Yuba College in Marysville. Johnson’s teammates went on to win, 74-64.