Pete Maravich's all-time NCAA basketball scoring record, which stood for over 50 years, was broken by Caitlin Clark on Sunday. While 'Pistol Pete' still holds the all-time NCAA men's basketball scoring record, there were many who were quick to point out that he had one less year of college basketball as freshmen were not allowed to play varsity at the time.
Furthermore, Maravich's college career came before the implementation of the three-point line or shot clock. Take a look at how Maravich performed and how his career would look if the three-point line existed in his time.
How did Pete Maravich perform in his college career?
Pete Maravich joined the LSU Tigers as one of the most highly-touted prospects of his generation. While rules prevented him from playing on the varsity team as a freshman, he averaged 43.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game while shooting 45.2% from the field and 83.3% from the free-throw line in 17 games on the freshman team. His 741 points scored were not counted in the NCAA record books, while steals and blocks were not tracked.
Maravich's success continued on the varsity team the following year as he averaged 43.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 4.0 apg while shooting 42.3% from the field and 81.1% from the free-throw line. He followed that up by averaging 44.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 4.9 apg while shooting 44.4% from the field and 74.6% from the free-throw line as a junior.
In his final season with the Tigers, 'Pistol Pete' averaged 44.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 6.2 apg while shooting 44.7% from the field and 77.3% from the free-throw line. He was named a consensus first-team All-American in all three seasons.
Maravich also led the nation in scoring in all three seasons, ending his college career averaging 44.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg and 5.1 apg while shooting 43.8% from the field and 77.5% from the free-throw line.
How would Pete Maravich's career look like with a 3-point line?
While there was no 3-point line in Pete Maravich's era, former LSU Tigers coach Dale Brown reportedly tracked how he would have performed with a 3-point line. Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton shared the story, stating:
"Dale Brown, who coached at LSU after Press and Pete were there - Dale Brown went back and charted all the games with the running score. Maravich, free throw. Maravich, 22 foot jumper. Maravich, layup. And he calculated that with the current college three-point rule at 19.9 [feet], Pete Maravich would have averaged 13 three-point makes per game which would have given him a career average of 57 points per game under today's rules. That guy is unbelievable."
Check out Bill Walton's comments on Pete Maravich below (starting at the 1:56 mark):
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