Talking Points | Dr. Jack gives his diagnosis on all things basketball

Over the past 50 years, Dr. Jack Ramsay has been involved at all levels of basketball. Originally a high-school coach, Ramsay moved on to his alma mater Saint Joseph's in 1955. From there he became the Philadelphia 76ers GM, and later their coach. After a four-year stop with the Buffalo Braves, he moved to Portland for the next decade, in 1977 leading the Blazers to their only NBA title.

By the time he retired, Ramsay had amassed 864 wins, the second-highest total at the time. And only three years later, in 1992, the Philadelphia native was inducted into the National Basketball Hall of Fame. Since then he's worked as a television analyst for both the 76ers and the Miami Heat, and now he calls games for ESPN Radio.

Recently, The Daily Pennsylvanian interviewed Dr. Jack - as he's known, thanks to the doctorate he received from Penn in 1963 - to talk about the Big 5, Bill Walton and NBA arenas.

Daily Pennsylvanian: What's it like working for ESPN?

Dr. Jack Ramsay: It's been a great experience. I started 1991-92 season, the first year the Bulls won the championship. I did studio work for television, analyzing the finals of that playoff series. After that, I started doing more analysis. I still do it on occasion, but mostly I do radio games now. It's been very interesting and gratifying.

DP: Even though you're both color commentators, would you ever want to work a game with Bill Walton?

JR: I've never done a broadcast with Bill. He was the epitome of a team player. He was a coach's player: He listened, he carried out what you wanted him to do, urged his teammates to do the same thing. But I think he'd be a tough guy to work with as a broadcaster. My impression of Bill is that, while he has some very good insights, he tries to be too controversial. And I've said this much to him. But he thinks that's who he wants to be. But he's a wonderful guy. I love him, but I'd rather not do a broadcast with him.

DP: Of all the NBA arenas you've seen, which one do you like the most?

JR: From a fan's standpoint, and from a broadcasters' as well, Indiana's Conseco Fieldhouse is probably more like a college fieldhouse - except it seats around 20,000 people. But the arrangement is such that it's a very comfortable place in which to play and to broadcast and to witness a game.

There are stadiums where the fans probably get involved in the game. The loudest arena that I've ever been in was the Old Chicago Stadium. The noise level was almost deafening. And you have some today, like Sacramento, which most Easterners don't even know about it. They have an extremely loud and loyal fan base there that turn out every night.

All of the NBA arenas now are huge, they all seat around 20,000. They're huge buildings. You compare something like that to the Palestra, that doesn't even seat 10,000. I remember how that place used to rock for a Big 5 game. That was deafening but nice. I think everybody enjoyed playing in the Palestra; maybe the visiting teams didn't like it so much. But most teams love playing there.

DP: Now that you've traveled around the country covering basketball, how does the Big 5 compare to the rest of the nation?

JR: I think it's very special. It may have lost some of its luster over the years. My first year coaching at St. Joe's was the first year the Big 5 came into existence. It was an immediate success. I think part of it was the local rivalries among the five schools. . It was the first time all of the five schools played each other. The St. Joe's-Nova rivalry became bigger than life. That first season I remember Temple had a very good team, among the top five teams in the country. We met them down the stretch of the season when we were both 3-0 [in the Big 5]. Temple probably was the better team, but on that particular night, we beat them and won the first Big 5 Championship. That still looms large in my mind as one of the biggest events in my coaching life.

I had come right out of a small high school in Wilmington, Del. and went from there to coach St. Joe's, which never happens today. No one goes from high school to a major college head-coaching job. It was a huge step in my coaching career to do so well. And we went on to play in NIT tournament and finished third. In those years the NIT was almost as prestigious as NCAA tournament, so that was big.

Since then, the Big 5 has established itself nationally as one of the top conferences - even though it's not an official conference but a kind of scheduling uniqueness that nobody else has in the country. There is no area where all the local schools play each other.

DP: What are the major differences between coaching college and coaching pro teams?

JR: You're playing against the best players, very good coaches. It's a different game; the competition is strong every night. All 30 teams are each capable of beating the rest of the league on any given night. So it's very competitive, extremely fascinating for me. I enjoyed it and still enjoy the broadcasting very much.

DP: How has the NBA changed since you coached?

JR: I think there are more great players in today's game then there were when I first started coaching. Over the years they just keep coming out of the woodwork. They're been great players who've gone right from high school to the NBA and done well. There are others that waited with four years of college, others just found their way undrafted, and found their way in Europe and the minor leagues, until they get opportunity and then make the most of it. And the international players have come into the league and established themselves. There have been a number of differences in that regard.

The game itself has changed. The defenses are more sophisticated. Kind of a different game. It's become more of a halfcourt game instead of fullcourt where teams in the early years of my experience ran a lot. Everybody ran. There were very few teams that slowed the game down to force a halfcourt kind of game. But now I'd say although teams do run on occasion, it's more of a halfcourt game with a lot of intricate screening, and second and third and fourth option kind of plays that are executed very well. Time goes on. Players I think are more athletic; just about everyone dunks. When I started out there were some who could dunk, but there were a number who couldn't or didn't - it just wasn't part of their game.

DP: What was your reaction when you found out you were going to be inducted into in the Basketball Hall of Fame?

JR: I was thrilled, of course. I think the Hall of Fame is primarily for players. I was a good player but certainly not Hall-of-Fame level. I felt reluctant to be singled out as a member of that organization. It felt like you were intruding on a unique collection of great players. It was a huge honor and I still feel the same way about it.

DP: As a Philadelphian, is it frustrating that the city hasn't won a professional sports championship since 1983?

JR: There are some cities that have never had a sports championship. I have friends who are [Boston] Celtics fans, and they say, "oh ,we've got to get back and win championships." You can get spoiled with that where you think it's your right to have a championship just because you root for the teams in that city. You've got to earn it, and teams don't have to be from a big city. You know my Portland team won it, and no one expected that. At that's still the biggest sporting event that happened there and that was 31 years ago. They've never forgotten that. A couple of years later Seattle won the championship and their fans have never forgotten that. But it's a very, very competitive business . I don't think any of their teams owe their locations a championship, although that is what everybody strives for.

DP: If you had to predict an NBA champion right now for this year, who would it be and why?

JR: I'm going to pick the Lakers. Since they acquired Pau Gasol, I broadcast their [108-104 overtime] game last Sunday against Dallas, they're very good. Kobe's been even better. Maybe he's there; he's at the Michael Jordan level. They just have a good team. They're well coached by Phil Jackson. I think they have the deepest team in the league, and they're still missing Andrew Bynum, who has emerged this year as a very good NBA center. He may not get back until the playoffs, and there's a chance he might not be back at all without them. Even without him they could win it all this year.

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