Sidney A. Moncrief (born September 21, 1957) is a retired American professional basketball player. As an NCAA college basketball player from 1975–1979, Moncrief led the University of Arkansas Razorbacks trio known as "The Triplets" to the 1978 Final Four, which ended in a win in the NCAA Consolation Game versus #6 Notre Dame. Nicknamed Sid the Squid, Sir Sid, and El Sid, Moncrief went on to play 11 seasons in the NBA, as his career was cut short by degenerative knees. A noted defensive player, he won the first two NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards in 1983 and 1984.
College career
Moncrief, Marvin Delph of Conway, Arkansas, and Ron Brewer of Fort Smith, Arkansas ("The Triplets"), along with head coach Eddie Sutton and assistant coach Gene Keady, resurrected the University of Arkansas basketball program in the 1970s from decades of modest success and disinterest, and helped lay the foundation for what became one of the country's premier college basketball programs through the mid-1990s. Moncrief's leadership on the court and electrifying play renewed interest in the Razorback program, and ushered in the winning tradition in the Arkansas basketball program. His jersey was retired not long after he graduated from school and went on to the NBA, and is still the only one. Moncrief was the school's all-time leading scorer until Todd Day broke his record in 1992.
NBA career
Moncrief's NBA career started with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1979 when he was drafted 5th overall. Moncrief spent the next 10 seasons with the Bucks. In Game 3 of the first round of the 1982 NBA Playoffs, Moncrief made a running bank shot at the buzzer to beat the Philadelphia 76ers. After sitting out of the NBA for one year, Moncrief played one season with the Atlanta Hawks before retiring. The Bucks retired his no. 4 jersey in 1990, and rededicated it at halftime on January 19, 2008, when the Warriors, with whom he was a shooting coach, visited the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to play the Bucks.[1]
During the 1980s, Moncrief was the leader of the Milwaukee Bucks, who had the third best winning percentage for the decade behind only the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics. Moncrief was known for his versatility on the court, particularly given his 6'4" stature, but was most known for his tenacious defensive plays. Many say he was one of the greatest Shooting Guards of his time, but he was never able to get to the Finals, as the Bucks frequently came up short in the Eastern Conference Finals. Moncrief was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the 1982-83 and 1983-84 seasons. He also made the All-Star team for five consecutive years and was named to the All-NBA first team for the 1982-83 season. Moncrief averaged over 20 points per game in four seasons of his career and finished his 11-season NBA career with an average of 15.6 PPG.
Among Moncrief's admirers was All-Star Michael Jordan who once described his on-court intensity to an L.A. Times reporter: "When you play against Moncrief, you're in for a night of all-around basketball. He'll hound you everywhere you go, both ends of the court. You just expect it."[2]
Moncrief was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.
Post-playing career
Moncrief was the head coach at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock for one season, 1999-2000. The Trojans finished with a record of 4 wins and 24 losses in Moncrief's only season.
In 2006, Moncrief returned to basketball as the head coach of the Fort Worth Flyers, a professional basketball team in the NBA D-League. He rejoined the NBA in October 2007 when he became the shooting coach for the Golden State Warriors.[3][4] In 2011 he returned to the Milwaukee Bucks as an assistant coach.
It was announced in July, 2013 that Moncrief would analyze and commentate Bucks games for FSN Wisconsin.
Personal life
Moncrief's son Brett was a wide receiver for Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and now plays for the Troy University Trojans in Troy, Alabama.[5][6][7]
Popular culture
Moncrief was portrayed by Ahmed Best in the 2011 movie Poolboy: Drowning Out the Fury.
Moncrief gained some new popularity when he and the 1984-85 Bucks were featured as a historic team in NBA 2K13.
See also
References
External links
1979 NBA Draft |
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Arkansas–Little Rock Trojans men's basketball head coaches |
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- John A. Larson (1930–1931)
- Alvin Longstreth (1931–1939)
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- Herman Bogan (1942–1944)
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- Herman Bogan (1945–1946)
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- Deno Nichols (1947–1948)
- David Sibley (1948–1949)
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- Woody Johnson (1953–1956)
- No team (1957–1961)
- Bill Ballard (1961–1965)
- Cleve Branscum (1965–1967)
- Happy Mahfouz (1967–1979)
- Ron Kestenbaum (1979–1984)
- Mike Newell (1984–1990)
- Jim Platt (1990–1994)
- Winfrey Sanderson (1994–1999)
- Sidney Moncrief (1999–2000)
- Porter Moser (2000–2003)
- Steve Shields (2003– )
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| Name |
Moncrief, Sidney |
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| Short description |
American basketball player-coach |
| Date of birth |
September 21, 1957 |
| Place of birth |
Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Date of death |
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| Place of death |
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