NCAA Tournament History

Q&A w/ Wyoming Great Fennis Dembo

Jon Teitel — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:18:16 -0800

As part of his Forgotten Legends series, Jon Teitel chatted with former Wyoming superstar Fennis Dembo. The Cowboys all-time leader in points & rebounds, Dembo led his team to the 1987 Sweet Sixteen, earning himself a Sports Illustrated cover and a 10-year professional basketball career.

CHN) Your oldest sister Zona (one of 10 other siblings) named you and your twin sister Fennis and Fenise, allegedly because “Finis” is French for “the end” and she did not want your mother Clarissa to have any more kids. Is that a true story, and how do you like the name Fennis? It is a true story, as she hoped we would be the last kids, and I love my name. My older siblings had a tremendous impact on me, as they all played sports growing up (although most went into nursing or the military), and I got to play basketball against all my older brothers.

CHN: From 1986-1988 you were a 3-time 1^st-team All-WAC performer: how were you able to dominate throughout your college career?

FD: I was just blessed to be in the circumstances I was in and have the teammates I had. I just got to concentrate on the things I was good at, and the others would pick up the slack. It is easy to do a lot of freelancing when you have a lot of talent around you who know their roles.

CHN: What are your memories of the 1986 WAC tourney title game?

FD: We missed a couple of free throws at the end, and I got the rebound with a couple of seconds left, but I missed the lay-up. It was a blessing in disguise: if we had won then we would have gone to the NCAA tourney, but the loss put us into the NIT, which allowed us to play several more games instead of a 1-and-done. (Editor: Dembo scored 28 PTS in a 1-point loss to UTEP after Juden Smith followed his own miss with 37 seconds left to win the game.)

CHN: Take me through the magical 1986 NIT (which you have referred to as the “highlight of your college career”):

FD: We were really blessed and drew great crowds, as the NIT gave us all home games until the finals. We were a young team with many sophomores so we just went out and enjoyed ourselves. Our fans were really supportive, and we grew up a lot.

CHN: You started off by beating LMU:

FD: LMU was coached by ex-Lakers coach Paul Westhead, and was a good team, but we were confident at home. We did not know who we would play next, so we just tried to take care of business.

CHN: You scored 19 points against Clemson, and you jabbed your finger at the Clemson bench after making 2 ft's with 21 seconds left to seal the win. Why the taunting?

FD: It was probably a mix of taunting and being glad that we won the game. I was a young guy who was showing off a little bit, but it was all in good fun, and not mean-spirited at all.

CHN: In the finals, you lost to Ohio St. Did you consider your run in the tourney to be a success or a failure?

FD: We were disappointed that we did not win, but we took it as a chance to get a lot of seasoning and a lot of confidence that we were a pretty good team. The NIT gave us a chance to play against teams from great conferences that were not on our schedule. Ohio state coach Eldon Miller was leaving the school at the end of the year, so the Buckeyes came out and played their hearts out for their coach in his last game. (Editor: Dembo scored 28 points in the loss.)

CHN: Take me through the magical 1987 NCAA tourney that started with a win over Virginia:

FD: We looked at it as a progression. We knew that Ralph Sampson used to play for Virginia, so we felt like we were playing against a lot of history/mystique. It is easier to play non-conference teams because conference teams know your style, and each win that March gave us something to build on for our senior year.

CHN: You then scored a career-high 41 points and made 16-16 ft's against UCLA. You also talked trash all game long to Reggie Miller, who had 24 points:

FD: UCLA was the model program out west, so I really feel like I had to concentrate to win the game. I honestly do not remember talking trash. I knew it would take a special game from someone on our team to have a chance to win, so we still had to hit our free throws FT down the stretch and make some plays.

CHN: In the Sweet Sixteen, you scored 27 points and had 9 rebounds in a loss to UNLV, led by Armon Gilliam's 38 point effort. Was that UNLV team the best you have ever played against?

FD: We honestly felt that we were the best team out west. UNLV was a little more talented across the board, but nothing we had not seen before, as we had lost to Louisville and Pervis Ellison by 3 points earlier that season. We made some crucial turnovers down the stretch against UNLV, which goes to show that the most important parts of a game are the 1^st 5 minutes and last 5 minutes of each half. Gilliam was a very talented player and All-American, and he came out and did his job like he had all year, so you have to give it to him. They were #1 in the country for a reason, and we played as hard as we could, but we were not mentally ready to beat a #1 team.

CHN: You finished with 27.8 ppg, which was the highest scoring average of anyone in the tourney. Did you feel like you were one of the best scorers in the country?

FD: I did not feel that I was one of the best scorers in the country (in comparison to guys like Derrick Chievous, Danny Manning, etc.), but I was always confident in my ability. We gained a lot of experience that year, and I was very excited going take another step going into my senior year, but we failed to do so due to some changes in coaching/personnel.

CHN: What are your memories of the 1988 NCAA tourney? You guys lost a wild 119-115 game to LMU led by Hank Gathers & Bo Kimble.

FD: Gathers and Kimble did a number on us, but Mike Yoest was the real star with 25 PTS and 9 REB. They just killed us with a bunch of threes. Gathers/Kimble had recently transferred to LMU and had not played on the 1986 team, so revenge was not much of a factor for them. The style that LMU played just fit them to a tee, and we ran into a situation where we needed a lot of discipline, because they ran and shot the ball very well.

CHN: You finished your career as the all-time leading scorer in Wyoming history: did you realize at the time how prolific a player you were?

FD: When I first got there, I looked at the history and the records, so I was conscious of it, but it was not something I was trying to do. The guy whose scoring record I broke (Flynn Robinson) did it in 3 years, so he deserves a lot of credit for that. I wanted my name in the record book in each category, because it would be nice to be remembered as 1 of the guys to have records here, but I tried to be the best all-around player. I was proud that I could be successful while sharing the spotlight with great talent like Eric Leckner (who finished his career as the #3 scorer in school history with 1938 PTS), as nobody tried to hog all the notoriety.

CHN: In the summer of 1988 you were drafted in the 2^nd round by Detroit (your teammate Eric Leckner was drafted in the 1^st round): did you see that as a validation of what a great team you played on at Wyoming, and were you thrilled to realize your dream of making it to the pros?

FD: My goal was never to make it to the NBA, but I was obviously happy to be drafted and see Eric get drafted. I went through a lot of different thought patterns: I was happy for Eric, but felt that I had been overlooked by everyone except Detroit, so it was a very sweet/sour situation, and very eye-opening to realize that other teams did not think I was good as I thought I was. I got to go to a great situation in Detroit, and would not change it at all. I would have gotten more money if I was drafted higher, but I probably would have spent it all by now.

CHN: In 1989 you won the NBA title with Detroit despite scoring only 36 points all season: were you just lucky to be in the right place at the right time, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterwards?

FD: As nice as it is to sit in your living room and watch your favorite team win a title on TV, it is so much better to be a part of the team itself. There were after-parties, and the city treated us great and gave us a parade, so it was a great experience which I just tried to soak it all in.

CHN: Why did you only end up playing 1 season in the NBA?

FD: I was not disciplined or motivated at the time, so I did not know what it took to be an NBA player. I worked hard in college, but there is so much more discipline in the pros. There is no real training camp: you are expected to come in ready to play on day 1, and it is a lot easier to get motivated when you are a starter in college than when you are sitting on the bench as a pro.

CHN: From 1990-1998 you played in Italy, France, Spain, Argentina, and the CBA: what did you learn from these experiences, and how did they compare to the NBA?

FD: I finally realized that hard work will pay off. When I was in San Antonio, I hung out with guys from the Spurs who showed me what it took to play pro ball, and I learned to maximize my skills. It was tough work overseas because they practice their butts off over there.

CHN: After retiring from basketball, you worked for the San Antonio Water System, and you are now studying civil engineering at St. Philips College: what kind of work do you hope to do in the future?

FD: It is hard, as I am only halfway done with my degree, but I would like to get a masters or PhD and get into the university setting and do some teaching to help out kids. My former Wyoming teammate Oliver Wilson is my inspiration, who passed away in August after a 32-month battle with cancer. A lot of people remember my name and want to help me, so I hope to continue my journey regardless of where it leads me.

** Fennis Dembo's numbers rank right up there with anybody in MWC history (Wyoming is currently a member of the MWC, although they were in the WAC during Dembo's time.) Here are my all-time MWC "fantasy" studs:

Air Force: Raymond Dudley (1990): 2178 PTS (#1), 148 STL (#2), 285 3PM (#1), 39.6 3PM (#3), 2-time All-American

BYU: Danny Ainge (1981): 2467 PTS (#1), 539 AST (#2), 195 STL (#1), 2-time All-American, conference POY, national POY

Colorado State: Pat Durham (1989): 1980 PTS (#1), 851 REB (#1), 109 STL (#5), 171 BLK (#3)

New Mexico: Kenny Thomas (1999): 1931 PTS (#2), 1032 REB (#1), 239 BLK (#2), All-American

San Diego State: Michael Cage (1984): 1846 PTS (#2), 1317 REB (#1), 54.8 FG% (#5), 118 BLK (#2), 2-time All-American, 2-time conference POY

TCU: Corey Santee (2005): 1832 PTS (#2), 575 AST (#1), 155 STL (#2), 243 3PM (#1)

UNLV: Stacey Augmon (1991): 2011 PTS (#3), 1005 REB (#3), 275 STL (#1), 41.9 3P% (#3), All-American, conference POY, 3-time defensive POY

Utah: Keith Van Horn (1997): 2542 PTS (#1), 1074 REB (#2), 206 3PM (#2), 126 BLK (#2), 85.1 FT% (#1), 2-time All-American, 3-time conference POY, national POY

Wyoming: Fennis Dembo (1988): 2311 PTS (#1), 954 REB (#3), 410 AST (#4), 176 STL (#2), 143 3PM (#5), All-American, conference POY

Top 5 NCAA Tournament Memories

Jeff Fox — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:46:33 -0700

The beauty of the Madness of March is that it is chock-full of “where were you when” moments. Whether it was a big shot, a Cinderella run or a monster dunk, you can probably remember where you were when it happened. That is what makes the NCAA tournament so unique and memorable.

So I’ve dusted off the cobwebs in my mind and come up with my five favorite NCAA tournament memories. Over the past 20 or so years that I’ve been watching the tournament, these are the moments that I remember best.

5) Mario Chalmers shot

There’s nothing more annoying than a player who can’t knock down his free throws (the fact that I shot 55.6% from the charity stripe during my illustrious collegiate career notwithstanding), so it was fitting that Memphis’ refusal to knock down their one-pointers came back to bite them in last year’s tourney. The fact that Memphis let Kansas back in the game and it went to overtime was memorable enough. The fact that Mario Chalmers hit a last second three-pointer to send the game into overtime made it an instant classic.

4) Cal knocks off the champs

I was always intrigued by Jason Kidd ever since I heard about this high school kid that was schooling NBA players in pickup games and packing arenas in the Bay Area. Once he stepped foot onto Cal’s Berkeley campus in 1992/93 I instantly started rooting for the Bears. Matching a playmaker like Kidd up with a collegiate scoring machine like Lamond Murray was a match made in heaven. When Cal and the back-to-back defending champs Duke met in the second round of that year’s tournament, I made sure my house was packed with friends to check out the action. Thankfully my Bears came out on top and my Duke-supporting friend got abused by me for days to come.

3) The Fab Five

Plain and simple, the Fab Five were cool. They brought style and swagger (before swagger annoyingly became “swag”) to the court with their bald heads, baggy shorts and black socks. They were the anti-heroes, a slap in the face of the old fashioned traditionalists. It would have been all for naught if they didn’t have the game to back it up, but luckily Chris, Jimmy, Ray, Juwan and Jalen had skills out the yin-yang. Their charge to the championship game in 1992 was unprecedented and the follow up run in 1993 proved they were no flukes. The fact that they didn’t win - and all records of their performance now erased due to NCAA violations - just seem fitting for the team that normally played the role of the villain.

2) Grant climbs the hill

On a Duke roster packed with NCAA stars, it would have been easy for Grant Hill to get overlooked his freshman year in 1991. Well for anyone that did overlook the precocious swingman, their eyes got opened in the 1991 championship game versus Kansas. While on a fast break, Bobby Hurley lobbed an alley-oop that appeared to be way too high for Hill to get to. Luckily Hill’s elevator had an extra floor back in those days and his reaching, one-handed finish was simply ri-dunk-ulous.

1) Laettner’s shot

For basketball fans, the title pretty much says it all. But Christian Laettner’s unbelievable game winner versus Kentucky in the 1992 Regional Finals shouldn’t have happened. Laettner should have been kicked out of the game for intentionally stomping on the chest of a Wildcats’ player earlier in the game. Apparently Christian could do no wrong that night, even with the refs. His 10 for 10 shooting night is impressive enough, but shot number 10 is the one that makes this perhaps the tournament’s all-time greatest moment. No need to describe the play, since I’m sure you’ve all seen it, but Grant Hill’s pass was perfect and Laettner’s poise and confidence came through for Coach K’s squad once again.

Now it’s your turn. In the comments section below, let us know your favorite March Madness moment. Whoever CHN feels waxed the most poetic will win a copy of March Madness - The Greatest Moments of the NCAA Tournament DVD. Now get to work

NCAA March Madness: Greatest Moments, DVD Review

Jeff Fox — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:01:24 -0700

NCAA March Madness
The Greatest Moments of the NCAA Tournament
$19.95
Jeff Fox

If for some strange reason you need prodding to get excited for this year’s NCAA tournament, grab a copy of the newly released DVD, NCAA March Madness: The Greatest Moments of the NCAA Tournament. Even if you are properly motivated for this year’s edition of the Madness, you’ll probably still want to check out this film.

Narrated by Jim Nantz (whether this is a positive or negative will be left up to the viewer’s discretion), the film is broken down into four sections: Great Comebacks, Buzzer Beaters, Cinderella Stories and Legendary Performances. Sprinkled within these sections are some of the NCAA’s biggest stars and teams, including Bill Walton, 2006 George Mason and Dwyane Wade. Along with retro interviews with some of the subjects, the film is also bolstered by current sit-downs with some of the key participants reminiscing about the good ole days. Unfortunately this doesn’t include current commentary from the modern age hoops world’s Holy Trinity of Magic, Larry & Michael.

Where the DVD falls short is the fact that it is too short. The Madness can’t be summed up in only 75 minutes, so you’ll be left wanting more once the main feature ends. This is remedied somewhat by the bonus footage, which consists of extensive highlights of the 1979, 82 & 83 championship games and an uncut interview with Coach K. But the length of the film is probably fitting, since most NCAA Cinderella runs tend to end prematurely.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Tournament History: Most & Least "Mad" Brackets

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:21:15 -0700

This chart shows the historical "Assessed Risk" percentages for each final bracket since 1985 (the start of the 64 team tournament). Each bracket is assigned an “Assessed Risk” which evaluates the unlikelihood of the final results by measuring against past year performances of the tournament seeds.

Basically, the higher the number you see below, the more surprising the final result was. Note that 2000 was the most shocking bracket of all-time, with two #8 seeds and a #5 in the Final Four. There was also two #10 seeds that made the Sweet Sixteen that year, and only one of the #2 seeds even made the Sweet Sixteen. On the flip side, the last two NCAA Tournaments have gone according to plan. In 2008, all #1 seeds made the Final Four. While in 2007, the Elite Eight was composed of 4 #1 seeds, 3 #2's, and a #3. Boring stuff indeed.

While making your selections in CHN/PickManager's $100 Million Bracket Challenge, you can view the “Assessed Risk” at the bottom of your bracket. You may wish to compare your risk percentage to the historical risk percentages of the final brackets since 1985.

Year	Assessed Risk
NCAA 1985	23.88%
NCAA 1986	30.05%
NCAA 1987	17.71%
NCAA 1988	22.96%
NCAA 1989	25.46%
NCAA 1990	33.81%
NCAA 1991	24.77%
NCAA 1992	23.88%
NCAA 1993	13.13%
NCAA 1994	20.15%
NCAA 1995	18.76%
NCAA 1996	20.65%
NCAA 1997	23.08%
NCAA 1998	26.29%
NCAA 1999	23.54%
NCAA 2000	37.14%
NCAA 2001	21.77%
NCAA 2002	26.27%
NCAA 2003	21.91%
NCAA 2004	29.18%
NCAA 2005	24.94%
NCAA 2006	30.49%
NCAA 2007	7.75%
NCAA 2008	13.30%

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Clip of the Day: Eric Maynor Beats Duke

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 01:22:12 -0700

Clip of the Day

Thanks to the genius of YouTube, the world has access to thousands of great college basketball videos to keep us busy every second of every day. We'll be featuring daily movies to whet your college basketball appetite. Even if you've seen them before, some clips are just too good not to watch again and again.

Eric Maynor: The Dagger

Sure this took place back in 2007, but Maynor's game-winner against Duke in the NCAA Tournament was sweet..

- Watch all of CHN's favorite College Basketball Videos!

- Also check out past Cheerleaders of the Day!

- And finally the Picture of the Day!

Memorable First Round Performances

Michael Dugan — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0800

Certainly, you remember Christian Laettner’s performance against Kentucky in the 1992 East Regional Final, where he was not only perfect from the foul line and the field, but also hit “the shot.” But do you remember Connecticut’s Tony Kimball pulling down 29 rebounds against St. Joseph’s in 1965?

Well, in all likelihood, probably not, because, for starters, who on earth is Tony Kimball? And, also, he did it in the first round, where there’s considerably less fanfare, so that’s perhaps another reason why.

Regardless, as we head into tomorrow’s first round match-ups, keep Kimball in mind, as well as these other extraordinary opening round performances from years gone by:

Elvin Hayes, Houston (1968): The Big E scored 49 points and snatched 27 rebounds against Loyola-Chicago. To this day, he’s the only player ever to score more than 40 points and tally more than 25 rebounds in a tournament game.

Austin Carr, Notre Dame (1970): While most players would be lucky to get 21 points in an entire game, Carr got that in the first 11 minutes, and didn’t stop until he scored a tournament record 61 in Notre Dame’s 112-82 victory over Ohio. In three tournament games that year he averaged 52.7, another record.

David Robinson, Navy (1987): Entering the tournament as the nation’s player of year, averaging 28 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks, Robinson did not disappoint as he went off for 50 against Michigan. However, in a testament to the Admiral’s exceptionally ordinary supporting cast, the Midshipmen still lost by 15.

Bo Kimble, Loyola-Marymount (1990): Kimball torched New Mexico State for 45 points and 18 rebounds less than two weeks after his childhood friend, Hank Gathers, died on the court during the West Coast Conference tournament. In a memorable tribute to his fallen teammate, Kimble, who was right-handed, shot his free throws left handed, just as Gathers, a notoriously poor free-throw shooter, had done. Making the performance all the more impressive: Kimble played the entire second half with four fouls. The Lions won the game 111-92.

Shaquille O’Neal, LSU (1992): Going up against 7’6’’ Shawn Bradley, Shaq put up a triple-double, scoring 26 points, 13 rebounds and a tournament record 11 blocks, as seventh-seeded LSU beat BYU 94-83. As a side note, and certainly not to take anything way from the Daddy’s performance, but considering his physical prowess—especially relative to college players—how in the world were the Tigers only a seven seed?

Sam Crawford, New Mexico State (1993): The nation’s leader in assists that year, Crawford tallied 16 helpers to go along with 20 points in the Aggies’ 93-79 win over Nebraska. His 16 assists are tied for the second most ever in a tournament game, behind Mark Wade of UNLV, who had 18.

Bryce Drew, Valporaiso (1998): Clearly, putting up 22 points and scoring a big upset, while impressive, doesn’t compare to the others. Yet, hitting one of the most famous shots in tournament history has to count for something. Trailing Ole Miss 69-67 with 2.5 seconds remaining, Valpo’s Bill Jenkins corralled a three-quarter-court pass and in one motion threw the ball to his left where an onrushing Drew sank a game winning 22-footer.

Harold Arceneaux, Weber State (1999): Nicknamed “the show,” Arceneaux hit 5 of 7 three-point attempts on his way to 36 points, including 20 in the second half, as the 14th-seed, Weber State, upset perennial power North Carolina.