Then & Now: Derrick Vick

Then & Now: Derrick Vick

Compiled By Dave Brandon

(Photo Courtesy NU Media Relations)

Derrick Vick played at Nebraska

from 1987-1988, and led the Huskers in blocked shots

both seasons, along with field goal percentage in 1987

and rebounds in 1988. Vick is also among the Top 60

scorers (703 points) in NU history.

The 6’6” forward played a key part

in Nebraska’s 1987 3^rd place NIT finish, as

he was named to the All-NIT team after leading the team

in scoring (17.0 PPG) and rebounding (7.6 RPG) in the

five game tournament.

Vick is our latest guest in this

Sunday’s edition of “Then & Now.”

HHC: You went to

Corliss High School in Chicago, where you were named one

of the top 25 players in the Chicago area as a senior in

1984. After that, you started your career at Hutchinson

(KS.) Community College, where you became teammates with

former Husker guard Henry T. Buchanan and forward Pete

Manning, while also playing for former Husker assistant

coach Gary Bargen. Before we talk more about the

Nebraska connection there, tell us which Division One

schools recruited you out of high school, and what made

you end up at Hutchinson?

DV: Originally, Kansas was recruiting me

out of high school, but my grades weren’t up to par. I

had Kansas, Illinois State, and I want to say San Diego

and Minnesota on my list, but I think that was out of

Junior College. But, those were the main two out of high

school (Kansas and Illinois State), although I know

there were others that I couldn’t name now. Nebraska

though did not, at least not out of high school. But I

know I took a visit to Kansas, but since my grades

weren’t good enough, I had to go to JUCO.

HHC: What did you learn from Coach Bargen

while at Hutchinson, and how would you describe him as a

man and coach?

DV: Coach Bargen is a great X’s and O’s

coach, and a good motivator. He teaches fundamentals of

the game, and he preaches team and defense. I definitely

enjoyed the two years we had down there, and he’s a

great team coach. He coaches to the talent of his

players with the system he used. There are not enough

good things to say about him.

I never regretted playing for him

at all; I just thoroughly enjoyed my time there. His

style of play and the way he teaches the game, he’s hard

on everyone, but that’s only because he wants the best

for everyone. And, he expected you to be a student first

and athlete second.

HHC: Henry T. Buchanan told us that you

and him decided to go D-1 together as a tandem. What

made Nebraska your choice?

DV: I fell in love with the facility and

the academic environment that they had for support. In

the Big 8, I was going to a good conference, and it was

very competitive. And that led to my decision to come

here.

I wouldn’t say Henry and I were

totally as a package, because I was also thinking about

Kansas State, South Carolina, Minnesota, San Diego

State, and Houston. But, I never took all the visits.

And at the time I visited Nebraska, I just decided to

make that commitment. I think I verbally made the

commitment there, but didn’t do the papers until I came

back.

HHC: We understand that Coach Larry Brown

at Kansas had a good relationship with you. Any regrets

about not ending up in Lawrence?

DV: Well, you know, out of high school

they recruited me. But he didn’t pursue me after that. I

kind of wish I did have the grades at that time to be at

KU, because they were a very talented team, and I love

the challenge. And it would have been interesting to

challenge myself for playing time at a program of that

stature at the time. And, they still are, but in terms

of the Big 8, they were cream of the crop, because

between Kansas and Oklahoma, they were normally sitting

at the top every year.

So, regretting not having grades,

yes I do regret that, I wish I had gotten better grades

early on in my high school career because I didn’t start

playing basketball until I was a sophomore, at least

competitively. I really had no interest in high school

basketball at the beginning, but I was convinced by a

neighborhood friend of mine, Larry Harris, to go out and

try out for the team, because I was better than anybody

they had out on the playgrounds, in his opinion.

HHC: You were at Nebraska for Danny Nee’s

first season in 1986-1987, and you guys finished third

in the NIT at New York’s Madison Square Garden after

compiling a record of 21-12. Before we talk more about

that season, talk about your relationship with Coach

Nee, both during your times at Nebraska and after?

DV: My relationship with Coach Nee was up

and down. You know, the first year was okay. My senior

year was not that good. I mean, me and him had battles

the entire season, and I really never played up to my

full potential my senior year. My junior year, I played

exceptionally well.

But my relationship with him was

still more professional, and afterwards, it really

wasn’t much of a relationship, because he never helped

us further our careers, whether it be basketball or

anything. Year after you were done, you were done, and

there wasn’t much help with anything else.

HHC: When was the

last time you talked to him?

DV: Oh, last time I talked to him, was

probably a year or two before he left. I never really

did come around the program too many times. I mean, I

never had any bad or mixed words with him after the

fact, but it was more of just a “Hey, how you doing,”

type of thing. And that was the extent of it afterwards.

It was never “Hey, help me do this,

or guide me.” Outside of getting us to get degrees, that

was about it.

HHC: Can you give us a colorful Danny Nee

story or two to add to our ongoing collection?

DV: Oh, well how about the time he kicked

me out of practice for three days, have you heard about

that? (Laughs)

HHC: No, but please

share!

DV: Oh, that was my

senior year, and we had a confrontation at the beginning

of the year, about me and my position on the team and

where I was going to be playing. And he permanently

wanted to play me at the 4, and I was not totally

agreeing with him. I was like, “Okay, I’ll play a

little, but I need to play the wing as well.” I didn’t

want my back to the basket the whole time.

But that’s how it got started, and

he kicked me out. I’m trying to think if that was the

actual first day of practice, or the second.

HHC: How’d you get

back in?

DV: Oh, eventually, I think it was Henry

T., and he told me that I needed to come back and do

what he says, and play the position he said. And that’s

what I eventually did, but I think I was gone for a

couple of days. And we really didn’t have any

communication to iron it out, really, it was just,

“Okay, I’m back, I’ll play your style.” He wasn’t happy,

so I was never happy that senior year. It’s not that I

didn’t want to play power forward, it’s just that I

needed to play other positions if I wanted to further my

career.

HHC: As we mentioned, you guys went deep

into the NIT that year, but before we talk about that,

we want to hear what you remember about making the

buzzer beating, game winning layup that you made against

Kansas. The shot was in overtime, and ended a four-year

time frame of not defeating the Jayhawks. Walk us

through what you remember about that play and game?

DV: Oh, that was a very good game. Dude, I

definitely remember most of that game. That game, I

didn’t score as much if I recall. One, they had Danny

Manning guarding me, which is a tough guy to get around

and shoot over, since he was so agile at that time. He

didn’t have any knee problems back then.

But about that play and that game,

it was a back and forth and tight game the entire time

it was played, and I remember that last play. It was

designed to go to Bernard (Day) or a drive by one of the

guards or pull up and shoot the ball - it wasn’t

designed for me specifically.

But I think Henry T. got the ball

on the left side of the court and drove to the middle.

And Manning was guarding me, and he pulled up to help on

Henry, and by doing that, I snuck right behind to the

basket and got the pass, which I knew would come. And

the rest, as they say, was “history” on that layup.

That was one memorable moment, and

I don’t have any film of it, although I wish I did. But

that was an incredible feeling, because I think Kansas

was in the Top 5 at that time when we knocked them off.

That was especially nice since I never got recruited to

KU after my high school career, even though I was an

honorable mention Junior College All-American, so that

was sweet to hit that.

HHC: And talk about your memories of the

NIT and playing in New York City, especially since you

were an All-NIT selection and led the team in scoring

and rebounding for the tournament?

DV: That tournament...that was an

incredible feeling to be able to go to New York and play

in Madison Square Garden, the Knicks home court. We were

very competitive, and only lost the first game by three

or four points. It was a competitive game back and forth

throughout. Being able to play in front of a crowd of

that size, and knowing that you’re on national

television, since its only one of the few games

remaining. Knowing everyone’s watching, knowing you’re

representing your program and being able to get them

some exposure, it was a great feeling, and also, so was

being able to play well.

Being able to play under pressure

was great. I’m not afraid of pressure, and that’s one

thing that’s always been true. I just wish we could have

filled it and won the entire tournament, but the ball

didn’t bounce that way.

HHC: Talk about some

of your teammates from that first year, especially guys

like Brian Carr and Bill Jackman?

DV: Brian Carr was a great player. He

wasn’t a selfish player, and he ran the offense and was

a great point guard. He made sure everyone was where

they were supposed to be. He distributed the ball, and

took his shots as well, which he was supposed to since

he was a great outside threat. He was a really heady

point guard, and I enjoyed playing just that one-year

with him.

Bill Jackman was a workhorse - he

gave it his all in practice and in the games. He may not

have been as talented as some of the big men in our

league, as just about each school in the Big 8 had

someone big who was real good. But, he played up to his

capabilities and then some – he always gave 110% on both

ends of the court. I enjoyed playing with him as well,

and I always thought that Bill, or as we called him,

“Bill the Mayor,” could have won it, because he was that

popular. He came from Grant, but he was an extremely

popular guy who went to Duke and came back. He would

have fit well in Duke’s system too, just with the way

they utilize the big man, because he could face the

basket and pull up for a jump shot, and that’s the kind

of big man that Duke likes to have.

HHC: 1987-1988 proved

to be a tough season, as you and Henry were the only two

starters back, and Coach Nee was building for the

future. As a team, you guys finished just 13-18,

although a highlight of the season was again defeating

(eventual National Champion) Kansas on a Beau Reid

buzzer-beater. Is that what sticks out about that season

most?

DV: As far as good memories, yes. There

again, that was a heck of a game, and Beau Reid made a

great shot, right by our bench. Yeah, that was one of

the things that stuck out in what was otherwise an

uncomfortable year for me, because I was pretty much

disgruntled the whole year. And even though I played, I

look back and I don’t think I played to my full

potential. I mean I played hard, but I still think that

after looking back, had I not had all that animosity and

anger about just playing one position, I think I could

have given a lot more, which would have resulted in our

win/loss record being a lot different than it was.

I take the cards that I’m dealt,

and I went ahead and played, and at that time, I was

thinking why didn’t I just try and go pro after my

junior year, because there were a lot of NBA scouts

there watching. But I thought what was best for me was

coming back to improve myself and skills in playing both

slots, and then see if I could get a shot or tryout. But

things didn’t work out as best they should have.

And also, I had some stuff that I

never received from the coach. I hate to bring up

negatives, and like to stay positive, but it’s tough

sometimes. That was a tough year, and especially going

13-18, nobody wants to go out their senior year with a

losing record.

Sure, we did have a young team, but

we were talented enough to be better than what we were.

HHC: How difficult was it to end your

college career on a sour note like that, especially

after riding the highs of the previous season?

DV: It was very difficult, because what we

accomplished the first year, all my thoughts were that

it was going to be better the next year. And we were 1

or 2 games away from making the NCAA Tournament that

first year, and I think it was between it was and

K-State, and that’s when we lost to them in the Big 8

tournament. And, they ended up with the selection.

But it was very disappointing to

see where we were the first year, and come back the

second year and have a down year like that, because we

expected better things and more things. So that was very

disappointing, and like I said, you never like to end

your career with a losing record like that. You’d like

to be able to end on a positive note and not have a

losing season. And you had to think about what your

options would be afterwards, and you knew you were on

your own and had no help, so I continued to get my

education and degree the following year.

I wish I would have done some

things differently, like come out with a positive

attitude and keep things to my own. As I look back, I

don’t think I was giving it my all, because I still had

that animosity about only playing one position instead

of multiple. So, I didn’t let that go that year, and I

still had that chip on my shoulder.

HHC: Both on and off the court, what do

you remember most about UNL?

DV: Off the court, the environment, the

atmosphere of the student body. I enjoyed my time here.

Lincoln is not a huge town, but it’s a nice college

town, and you’ve got quite a few things to do. Of

course, you can always get into trouble no matter where

you are, but with Lincoln, I enjoyed myself and never

really got into any kind of trouble. It’s a good college

atmosphere.

HHC: And finally, what has Derrick Vick

been doing since 1988?

DV: After college, I got my degree and

started working for Commercial Investment Property,

which is a local real estate company, and they are still

around, the big dogs on the block here in terms of real

estate and property management. They own quite a few

properties in and around Lincoln. So, I worked for them

for 10 or 11 years. And then I started working for State

Farm as insurance. (Pauses) What son? (Laughs)

HHC: You there?

DV: Yeah, (Laughs) my

son just said that I had him in that time too. (Laughs)

But yeah, then I went to work for State Farm Insurance

working catastrophe claims, so anytime you hear

catastrophic laden events, that’s where I’m at. I was

just in New Orleans and just left last week, and had

been there since early September.

HHC: What was that

like?

DV: Worse than you can imagine. You can’t

imagine the devastation. Sure, the pictures tell you one

thing, but actually being there and being in it and

going around and see it - wow.

Imagine Omaha and Lincoln combined,

devastated. Everything from electricity being taken

away, water, housing, you name it, nothing was

available. Just imagine what everything would be like

coming to a screeching halt. No university, no

hospitals, no nothing. And I was down there September 2^nd,

which was early, right after it first happened, and it

was incredible. Just the amount of flood waters with

homes being 10 feet under water, and just sitting

underwater. The flooding came and never went away, it

came and it stayed.

HHC: Puts a new

perspective on life, I’m sure.

DV: For sure.

HHC: Hey, would you

be cool taking some e-mails from our readers if we set

you up an account at

[email protected] ?

DV: Yeah, for sure.

HHC: Awesome.

Derrick, thanks a lot for taking the time to join us.

Anything you’d like to add or say to the fans of

Nebraska?

DV: Nope, tell them that I’m still around

and enjoying Lincoln. Keep rooting and keep wishing for

the best. Our program is still looking to improve, and

we’re working on that, so stay supportive.<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">