On Thursday, Rudy Tomjanovich was the guest of honor at a luncheon held at the Texas Sports Hall Of Fame in Waco. My brother is the sports editor of the Waco Trib and was able to get us a table. What a dream come true! Rudy shared some great stories about his career in basketball, as a player, scout and ultimately head coach. Some things I had heard before from his autobiography (which he graciously signed), but he also shared some things I had never heard before. One was a particularly hilarious encounter with Wilt Chamberlain, and another tidbit was a certain strategy (a weak side pick and roll with Otis) he employed during the 94 Finals, which was designed to keep New York's big men from beating up Hakeem too much. A gracious and humble man, and a forever Houston legend, I was so honored and overjoyed to meet him. Side note - if you've never checked out the Texas Sports Hall Of Fame in Waco, you should! It's fantastic, and has some wonderful tributes to all kinds of Texas teams and athletes, including many of our favorite Rockets, Astros and Oilers from years past.
My favorite memory of the Summer League was getting to shake the man's hand. He was kind enough to do it even though he was trying to escape the exiting crowds. Either that or he was trying to escape people like me in the stands trying to shake his hand. But I'd prefer not to think of it that way.
