Our next profile features a program that has not made the NCAA tournament since 1997-98. In fact, they’ve never really recovered since they chose to shut their basketball program down for three seasons (1983-85) due to multiple NCAA violations. While their recent history is putrid, they once were a significant program, earning 15 tournament appearances in a 28-year span. Ultimately, the main reason they’re in this tournament, and have two NCAA championships, is due to the presence of one of the GOATs of the sport. The NBA San Francisco Dons are led by the incomparable Bill Russell, who will try to work his magic with modest NBA talent around him.
K.C. Jones, the starting lead guard, was one of the great defensive players of his era. His offensive limitations were pronounced, which did not make a difference during his playing career (he won a title in his first eight seasons as a Celtic), but will be limiting for this team. Jones was below average from the field, even accounting for his era (for his career, he was 9% worse than league average), was a horrendous foul shooter for a guard (64.7%), and he averaged just 7.4 PPG for his career. He was, however, a key piece of the greatest dynasty we’ve ever seen, and as a playmaker, he ranked in the top 12 in assists six years in his career. The starting wings will take on an outsized scoring role for their rotation. Quintin Dailey was a good mid-range shooter who put up 15.3 PPG over the first seven seasons of his career. His impact statistics, however, were horrendous (career 101 offensive rating, 111 defensive rating, 0.050 win shares per 48 minutes), and his teams averaged just 25 wins per game over that period. Dailey had his troubles on both the college and pro levels, and his admission that he accepted money for a bogus job was the last straw that led to the university suspending its program. He was, however, immensely talented, and he’ll be surrounded by winning players in the starting lineup. Phil Smith, the other starting wing, had the talent to be a 3-and-D wing in the modern game. He was a tremendous athlete who in his prime years (his 2nd to 5th seasons before an Achilles injury slowed him down) averaged 19.6 PPG on 48.0% from the field, and 4.4 APG while making an all-NBA defensive team and an all-NBA second team appearance. He’ll be one of the key players on this roster, and will have to guard larger wings due to their lack of small forwards.
The starting frontcourt consists of two big men who combined to win 14 championships in their pro careers. Bill Russell is the greatest winner of all time, and the greatest defensive player ever. He has the most career defensive win shares in NBA history, and has the second most rebounds and rebounds per game ever. One researcher estimated that he averaged more than 8 blocks per game in his career based on more than 100 games for which reports are available. When accounting for pace, these numbers are less impressive, but Russell’s impact went far beyond the box score. Although impossible to quantify, he seemed to have a mental edge over his opponents, frequently intimidating them on defense, and knowing their tendencies and weaknesses as well as anyone who has ever played. He was 10-0 in game sevens in his career. And, of course, he won the championship in 11 of his 13 seasons, which will never be duplicated. His skillset would translate to any era of NBA basketball, which includes the intangibles that helped lead to all of his success. His frontcourt mate, Bill Cartwright, was best known for his supporting role on the Bulls championship teams, but he started his career off as a true offensive threat, averaging 20.9 PPG on 55% shooting over his first two years in the league. Throughout his Knicks career (from 1979-80 to 1987-88), Cartwright had a major impact on both ends of the court, as seen in his offensive (116) and defensive (106) rating over that period. He’ll be one of the prime offensive weapons for this team, and his weaknesses as a big man (rebounding, defending the rim) should be more than compensated for by Russell.
Off the bench, Fred Scolari was a pioneering point guard whose impact on both sides of the ball led to two all-star game selections and two all-BAA honors. He was more of an offensive threat than K.C. Jones as a lead guard, and can give this team a different look when he comes into the game. After Scolari, I don’t have anything informative to say about anyone else on the rest of the bench. Depth is a major problem for this team, as none of the remaining six players even approached mediocrity at the pro level. While Russell averaged 42+ minutes per game in his career, the other players will need rest, so these journeymen will be forced into action to the detriment of the team’s chances at winning.
Overall, the NBA San Francisco Dons will be offensively challenged, but should be among the best defensive teams in the tournament due to their famed Celtics duo, along with Smith and Cartwright. As the 13th seed, they have a tough first round matchup against the NBA Georgetown Hoyas.