Every basketball team has its star player. From 1967 to 1970,
Louisiana State University saw the rise of a legend: "Pistol Pete"
Maravich, one of the greatest basketball players in LSU history and
arguably the greatest to ever play college basketball. Known for
his dazzling ball handling, creative passing, and extraordinary
shooting, he averaged 44.2 points per game at LSU -- without the
benefit of a three-point line -- and remains the NCAA's all-time
leading scorer.
Danny Brown, a journalism student at LSU during most of Pete's
college years, took hundreds of photographs at LSU basketball games
as part of his course work. In Shooting The Pistol, Brown offers
more than eighty photographs -- most never before published -- of
Pete in action, along with game statistics and personal
recollections, to form the single most complete portrait ever made
of Maravich at LSU.
Danny first met Pete not on the basketball court, but during Air
Force ROTC training, where Danny was Pete's squadron sergeant. Upon
learning that the tall, scrawny guy with the shaved head and the
purple-and-gold beanie cap was scoring 40 points a game on the
freshman team, Danny replied, "That kid can play basketball?" Danny
eventually became friends with Pete and his father, Coach "Press"
Maravich, and his images pay tribute to an amazing athlete and a
magical time in LSU sports history.
Brown's photographs provide intimate courtside views of Pete's
gravity-defying, play-making skills. Many capture Pete in midair,
where he seemingly floats, his off-balance body positions
resembling moves in an athletic ballet. Famous for his ability to
stop on a dime, Pete -- as Brown's pictures demonstrate -- often
caught opponents flat-footed as he quickly maneuvered for an
opening to the basket or sent a sudden "no-look" pass to a
teammate. The volume culminates in Brown's near-perfect photographs
of Pete's shot that broke the NCAA scoring record during the 1970
Ole Miss game and of the ensuing game-stopping victory
celebration.
While the majority of the images here show number 23 in motion,
several reveal the personal side of the shy star, including a rare
game attendance by his mother and quieter off-court moments with
his father. Throughout, Brown weaves a rich conversational
commentary -- anecdotes about Pete, circumstances surrounding the
more notable photographs, and descriptions of the games and Pete's
performance.
Seeing LSU's basketball phenomenon Pete Maravich through Danny
Brown's lens will transport fans back in time, under the goal, to
witness firsthand the making of college sports history.
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