Current news and articles about Mark.
Need an article for your next association newsletter?
Mark's articles on teamwork have appeared in over 40 national publications. Please email info@7ft4.com if you would like to use one for your publication.
< back to PR
| Mar 05 2009 Eaton's star never really appreciated |
|
| Eaton's star never fully appreciated Kurt Kragthorpe Tribune Columnist When former Jazz center Mark Eaton gives motivational speeches, audiences are stunned by the story of how someone could go from playing barely the equivalent of a full game in his senior season of college basketball to becoming an NBA All-Star. So, actually, is the speaker. "It is a little bit of a miracle," Eaton said. And while it may be a stretch to say that any of the seven Jazz players whose retired jerseys hang in EnergySolutions could be considered underrated, Eaton certainly was undervalued locally, simply because he never averaged 10 points for a season. "I don't think he was ever appreciated enough," teammate Thurl Bailey said. Opponents recognized Eaton's impact. That was never more true than during the 1988 playoffs, when Los Angeles Lakers coach Pat Riley said, "We're being dominated at the center position." You may have heard of the L.A. center at the time: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. While the Lakers rallied to win the series, extending them to seven games in the second round was both a landmark and a launching point for the Jazz franchise. It took a while to kick in, considering the Jazz did not reach the Western Conference finals for four more years or the NBA Finals for nine years, yet Eaton believes that series helped establish a Jazz "culture" that still exists. He was a big part of it, as unlikely as his basketball background may have been. Discovered by a junior college coach in California, the 7-foot-4, 290-pound Eaton went from working as an auto mechanic to playing for UCLA's storied program, although "playing" is not exactly the right word. In his speeches, Eaton still draws laughs for the old Frank Layden joke about requesting films of Eaton in college and getting only shots of him taking off his warmup outfit near the end of blowouts. He played a total of 41 minutes as a senior. Yet assistant coach Kevin O'Connor - coincidentally, he's now the Jazz's general manager - recommended him to Jazz player personnel director Scott Layden, and the team drafted Eaton in the fourth round in 1982. Before long, he was starting and making his presence known, while gradually becoming more of an all-around player. "He fit in perfectly with us," said Frank Layden, then the team's coach and general manager. Eaton welcomed the chance to play regularly for a developing team, becoming the starter midway through his rookie year when the Jazz traded former first-round pick Danny Schayes to Denver. In four of five seasons, beginning in 1983-84, Eaton led the NBA in blocked shots. He was a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, appeared in the 1989 All-Star Game and helped the Jazz become one of the league's toughest defensive teams. Layden believes that if not for the back problems that led to Eaton's retirement in 1993 at age 36, the Jazz would have won a league championship or two in the mid '90s. As it was, Eaton appeared only once in the conference finals. So his most memorable series remains that losing effort against the Lakers in 1988. In the Jazz's three victories, Eaton averaged 8.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 5.0 blocked shots to Abdul-Jabbar's 8.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. In a Game 2 road win, Eaton blocked seven shots in the first half. "He wasn't afraid of anybody," Layden said, "and I think a lot of them were afraid of him." That description may not have applied to Abdul-Jabbar, but Eaton gained the Hall of Fame center's respect. It all adds up to "a remarkable story," in the words of Bailey. It provides plenty of speaking material for Eaton, who continued to live in Utah after his playing days and became an upscale restaurant owner, among other interests. Thinking back to that first season when the unknown center joined a struggling franchise, Eaton said, "It worked out for both of us." Quite well, actually. |
