Then & Now: Rich King

Then & Now: Rich King

Compiled By Dave Brandon

(Photo Courtesy NU Media Relations)

Rich King, the tallest player in Nebraska history at

7'2", was a four year letter winner at Nebraska from

1988-1991. While at Nebraska, King finished among the

leader in many Nebraska career records, as he is the

Huskers ninth all-time leading scorer with 1,475 points,

as well as in the top ten in career rebounds and blocked

shots.

The former honorable mention All-American, NBA player,

and member of the Nebraska basketball hall of fame

recently sat down with HHC, to reflect on the past and

present.

HHC: Thanks for joining us Rich, its nice to have you on

HHC.

RK: Thank you for having me and thanks for creating this

website. I'm as big a Nebraska football fan as anyone,

but it's great to have something dedicated to the

basketball program.

HHC: In your four years at Nebraska, you could say that

the team performed with more ups and downs than a

roller-coaster. Your first year, ('87-'88) you finished

13-18, before jumping to 17-16 in '88-'89. At that

point, you had to believe that '89-'90 could be the year

that Nebraska made its second career NCAA tournament

appearance. However, you went back to 10-18.

Obviously your senior season would see a 26-8 record,

but talk to us a little bit about the three years before

that - was it a process of taking a step back to move

forward, or was there a lot of underachievement?

RK: I don't think it was a case of underachieving. My

freshman year, we had a a very young team overall with a

mix of veterans. We were all thrown together and had

never played with each other before. We had decent

talent, but because we didn't really know each other as

players, we were very inconsistent. My sophomore year,

we started to come together and play as a team. We

bought into the system and we had a pretty solid year.

Up to this point, we were on a nice, linear path towards

our goal being one of the top teams in the Big 8 (I'm

dating myself) and an NCAA Tournament team.

My junior year, as you mentioned, should have seen the

continuation of that progression. However, during the

preceding summer, Beau Reid injured his knee causing him

to miss most of the 89-90 season. That really hurt us,

both on the court and off. Beau brought so many things

to the team with his skills and ability, but maybe even

more importantly, he brought so many intangibles like

leadership, toughness, intelligence, etc. We still

should have been better than 10-18, but if Beau hadn't

been hurt, I have no doubt we would've had a very

successful season.

My senior year really was the culmination of a lot of

things. We finally had a nucleus of guys who had played

together in the same system for 4 years. The coaching

staff had done a great job with recruiting and we had a

great mix of young, talented players coming in behind

us. We had talent all the way down the bench. There

wasn't much of a drop off, if any, from the starters to

the bench. We had a basketball PROGRAM. At that point in

time, I really felt like we had built a program that

would be a regular NCAA tournament team.

HHC: Before your senior season in '90-'91, in which you

would ultimately become an honorable-mention

All-American, you gained eighteen pounds over the

summer. How much did this help you as a player, and who

were some of the other centers you played against in the

Big 8 who drove you to improve your strength?

RK: I did gain weight that year, and there's no doubt

that some of it was gained through the weight program

and a concerted effort to get bigger and stronger. But

some of it was just a result of getting older. I had

always been a late bloomer and was still maturing

physically. I'm not even sure if I was shaving yet.

However, I definitely hit the weights hard that summer

too. There were a lot of great centers in the Big 8 at

the time, and they were all big, strong guys. Guys like

Victor Alexander, Shaun Vandiver, Byron Houston, Doug

Smith, etc.

HHC: Speaking of other players and teams you played

against, tell us a couple stories about tough road enviornments. Which fans stick out, and any memorable

stories involving the classic 'hecklers?'

RK: Look up classic hecklers in the dictionary and

you'll see, "The Antlers." The Missouri students who

called themselves the Antlers were far and away the

worst, which I guess makes them the best, as far as

hecklers go. Oklahoma St.'s fans were pretty rough

too...very vocal. I can't remember any good

stories...I'm sure I've blocked them out.

HHC: While we're on the process of telling stories, we

ask every player who played for Danny Nee this question

- can you give us a classic Danny Nee story or two?

RK: Hmm, I may have blocked those out too. I remember

one year, we were playing at Ohio St. and were big

underdogs. I don't think anyone expected us to do

anything except get blown out. However, we were hanging

with them pretty good throughout the first half.

Right at the end of the half, if I remember correctly,

they scored a basket, got a steal, and then hit a lucky

three pointer at the buzzer. So, I think we were only

down 7 or so at half. Not good, but not horrible either.

So we get in the locker room and Coach Nee starts

talking to us, and he doesn't seem that mad. I think he

even said something about how we were playing them tough

and hanging in there. But then he starts to work himself

up and gets madder and madder. He got about as animated

as I'd ever seen him and threw a chair and then punched

the chalkboard. It really wasn't a big deal, every coach

has those moments. He may have even done it on purpose

thinking it might fire us up. The funny part is that I

was the last player out of the locker room and he's

holding his hand and I can tell he hurt it and he looks

at me with a sheepish grin and says, "I probably

shouldn't have done that. I think I broke my hand."

HHC: Nee has more colors than Picasso! (laughs) Anyway,

before we talk about your NBA career, tell us what

stands out most about your time at Nebraska. What was

your favorite game as a team, and favorite as an

individual?

RK: To be honest, there are a lot of games I remember

and not necessarily one that really stands out. Beating

Kansas at home, which we always did back then...those

I'll always remember. Beating Oklahoma on the road our

senior year. Going down there and knowing that we were

going to beat them is what I remember. Beating them in

the Big 8 Tournament when Keith Moody hit an amazing

3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game to OT. Like I

said, lot of good memories.

HHC: You were the first ever first-round draft pick from

Nebraska, as Seattle drafted you with the #14 pick in

the NBA Draft. Tell us about draft day - where did you

spend it, how did you feel throughout the day, and did

you have any idea you'd end up with the Sonics?

RK: I was in New York for the draft with my mom. The NBA

took those of us there for the draft around New York

that day doing sightseeing things. The night before the

draft they took us to a Broadway play. It was great. I

was nervous throughout the day. It was hard because it's

a situation that is so out of your control at that

point. My agent would call me about every 10 minutes

with the latest rumors on which team was going to take

who and what that meant for me

I really didn't expect to end up with the Sonics. I had

gone out to Seattle and worked out for them, but they

were picking 14th and there were 3 teams in front of

them who had shown a great deal of interest: New York,

Orlando, and Indiana. Indiana was picking 13th and my

agent really thought they would take me if I was still

on the board.

HHC: What was your first season in the NBA like? Was it

as much of a grind and tough on the body as everyone

says?

RK: The first season was a blur. Everything is so

different from college. You're suddenly flying all over

the country and playing in all the biggest arenas

against guys you've watched on TV for years. You have to

get used to living in a new city; find a place to live,

find your way around, make new friends, etc. It was just

a crazy year and it just flew by.

HHC: You had a lot of injury problems once in the NBA,

that never enabled you to come close to your NBA

potential. First, is that a fair statement? Second, how

hard was it on you watching from the sidelines with the

passion you have for the game?

RK: Yes, that's certainly a fair statement. My rookie

year is the only year in the NBA that I was healthy. I

had a stress fracture in my foot at the beginning of my

2nd year that kept me out the entire season. I needed

two screws in my foot and had to be in a walking cast

for about 6 months. I really think that injury started a

chain reaction throughout my body. I ended up having 3

knee surgeries, back surgery and two foot surgeries. I

had never been hurt prior to that first injury. I don't

think I ever missed a game at Nebraska due to injury.

Needless to say, it was very tough on me. One of the

toughest things is that by not being out on the floor

with your teammates during practices and games, you

start to lose touch and not feel as much a part of the

team. Also, as you mentioned, I never really got to see

how far I could go at the next level. I really thought

I'd still be playing in the NBA until I was close to 40.

HHC: Before we catch up with you today, tell us how many

former teammates from both college and the NBA you still

keep in touch with. Also, do you still follow the

Huskers & Sonics?

RK: I still keep in touch with quite a few college and

pro teammates. Not all of them, and that's unfortunate.

I'd love to know where some of the guys are. I loved

reading your interview with Chris Cresswell. We fell out

of touch several years ago and I wasn't sure where he

was living. I plan on tracking him down now that I know.

I think he owes me $5. I still follow the Huskers. The

internet has certainly made that a lot easier now than

it used to be. I also follow the Sonics. I only go to a

couple games a year, but I keep up. They had a great

season this year and were a lot of fun to watch.

HHC: Today, if we look up high enough, what will we find

Rich King doing, both personally and professionally?

RK: I still live in Seattle and have been married for

four years. My wife Lenore and I just had our first

child in April, a beautiful baby boy named Christian.

Professionally, I am a portfolio manager for Oppenheimer

Asset Management.

HHC: Like the homecoming queen, we have yet to be denied

- We have set up

[email protected] so that

readers may e-mail you and correspond with you. Would

you be willing to catch up with Husker Nation?

RK: Absolutely

HHC: Sounds good - thanks a lot for your time Rich, and

we hope you are enjoying HHC.

RK: Thanks again for having me. I'm looking forward to

reading more interviews with other past teammates.<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">