Rony Seikaly documentary | Syracusefan.com

Rony Seikaly documentary

Had a class with Rony freshman year. He was a redshirt and nobody knew who he was. He was just this really tall guy in the class. Nice guy though. Years later I randomly bumped into him in Bloomingdale's in Manhattan and he actually came up to me and said hi. The Wife was impressed.
 
Had a class with Rony freshman year. He was a redshirt and nobody knew who he was. He was just this really tall guy in the class. Nice guy though. Years later I randomly bumped into him in Bloomingdale's in Manhattan and he actually came up to me and said hi. The Wife was impressed.
I forgot he red shirted. He was 23 when he graduated. Nowadays, not too many guys picked 9th overall are 23 years old.
 
He had family money well before earning his NBA $. He’s lived quite the life. Was so much fun watching him develop from an athlete to a great center over his 4 years here. I remember Rony destroying the late Dwayne Schintzius and Florida after Schintzius publicly told the media etc how he was going to take the game to him.
Found this from back then - SEIKALY HUMBLES SCHINTZIUS
 
He had family money well before earning his NBA $. He’s lived quite the life. Was so much fun watching him develop from an athlete to a great center over his 4 years here. I remember Rony destroying the late Dwayne Schintzius and Florida after Schintzius publicly told the media etc how he was going to take the game to him.
Found this from back then - SEIKALY HUMBLES SCHINTZIUS
I began watching SU hoops with Pearl. So, let's go with that era, say since 1980.
Rony's game against UF/Schintzius remains the best game I have ever seen from a SU center. It was a clinic. He hit everything and none of it was luck or good fortune.

The only other game nearly as good from an SU center also came from Rony, 2 rounds later, when he went for 26 and 11 against JR Reid and Scott Williams.

That run to the title game was on Rony's shoulders and that narrative gets lost every time.
I am not sure why.
He scored:
22pts/7reb vs. Georgia Southern
23pts/10reb vs. Western Kentucky
33pts/9reb vs. Florida
26pts vs.11reb North Carolina (imposing front line)
16pts/6reb vs. Providence
18 pts/10 reb vs. Indiana

He's easily SU's best center the last 40 years. Not even close.
 
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I began watching SU hoops with Pearl. So, let's go with that era, say since 1980.
Rony's game against UF/Schintzius remains the best game I have ever seen from a SU center. It was a clinic. He hit everything and none of it was luck or good fortune.

The only other game nearly as good from an SU center also came from Rony, 2 rounds later, when he went for 26 and 11 against JR Reid and Scott Williams.

That run to the title game was on Rony's shoulders and that narrative gets lost every time.
I am not sure why.

He scored:
22pts/7reb vs. Georgia Southern
23pts1/10reb vs. Western Kentucky
33pts/9reb vs. Florida
26pts vs.11reb North Carolina (imposing front line)
16pts/6reb vs. Providence
18 pts/10 reb vs. Indiana

He's easily SU's best center the last 40 years. Not even close.

Yeah, it really is AMAZING how productive and efficient he was - especially since he was sharing the court with 3 other ALL-TIMERS in DC, Stevie, and Sherm.

... especially considering where he first started out as a Frosh -
all he could do was run, gorilla dunk, and HACK dudes.
 
Yeah, it really is AMAZING how productive and efficient he was - especially since he was sharing the court with 3 other ALL-TIMERS in DC, Stevie, and Sherm.

... especially considering where he first started out as a Frosh -
all he could do was run, gorilla dunk, and HACK dudes.

I’ll never forget in an away game at UConn in their old gym , Seikaly not going for a rebound on a 1 and 1 free throw shot. He then pleaded with the referee afterwards mimicking the ref by putting one finger up on each hand that it proved that he had signaled for 2 free throws not just one. It’s was a display of how young he was even playing the game not knowing the basic rules. He was convinced in his early career here that the refs unfairly just didn’t like him thinking that they called fouls as a personal statement. He would say ‘I don’t know why the refs hate me’. His athleticism was top notch but by playing soccer overseas, and while here how he learned to use that raw athleticism to develop into one of the top NBA competitive centers in the era of great centers like Ewing, Malone, David Robinson, Olajuwon, etc.
 
In his freshman year, we went to see SU play Seton Hall in their old bandbox gym (Walsh Gymnasium). We ended up sitting behind a large contingent of his family. They seemed like wonderful people, and were extremely enthusiastic whenever Rony did something - anything. Their chants (in their Lebanese accents - Rony! Rony! Rony!) were so exuberant they were infectious. One of my favorites.
 
A hint to youth basketball league coaches. Prioritize drafting the best soccer players. They usually can run forever, know how to guard other players fighting for the ball not dependent on using their hands but foot speed to fend off opponents and they have a ‘leg up’ on good footwork.
 
I think the best Rony story involves Magic Johnson. He was in LA rehabbing early in his career. It was right after Magic announced he was HIV positive. Rony asked Magic if he could play 1 on 1 with him. They proceeded to go at it, bumping, hacking and even sweating on one another.

Magic never forgot it and mentioned it in his book that Rony was the first player to completely disregard his diagnosis. It doesn't seem like a big deal now but almost 30 years ago it was.
 
Was too young to see Rony play in person, but I did see him DJ in Miami. He was actually pretty good, with a legit following.
 
Prime example of why college basketball was so much better when guys stayed three and four years. Can't wait to see it.


Friday night - before semi-final Saturday - Final Four - 1987.

My fraternity brothers from IU and I are on Bourbon Street late in the evening. (Yes, I was rooting for the Orange very hard even though I attended IU).

We meet up with Dick Vitale - have a few laughs.

All of a sudden it appears that Rony is approaching us.

He says hello to Dick and to all of us.

We are dumbfounded. Why is Rony out and about at this hour??

It was not Rony.

It was Vinnie Testaverde.
 
Friday night - before semi-final Saturday - Final Four - 1987.

My fraternity brothers from IU and I are on Bourbon Street late in the evening. (Yes, I was rooting for the Orange very hard even though I attended IU).

We meet up with Dick Vitale - have a few laughs.

All of a sudden it appears that Rony is approaching us.

He says hello to Dick and to all of us.

We are dumbfounded. Why is Rony out and about at this hour??

It was not Rony.

It was Vinnie Testaverde.

outside of the 8 inches in height - they do look a lot alike
 
Seikaly played in the nba, wealthy outside of the nba, travels the world, vacations in the most beautiful places and has been married to 2 gorgeous brazillian models.

On top of that, he can stay out of the limelight when he wants.

the dude won the life lottery.
 

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