Tark the Shark

[Big Old Booger]

I believe you are talking about the 87 game, where they played UNLV for a second time that season, after beating them - I think - in Hawaii.

I was working at a local Norman newspaper - the weekly called "The Oklahoma News" - writing sports and got to cover all of the games in Norman that year, including meeting Tark, Larry Johnson and most of the UNLV team. Pretty cool.

UNLV, based on my memory, missed an open 3 and about three putbacks before the clock finally ran out. Was an unbelievable atmosphere in LNC that day!

They beat us earlier in the season, in Las Vegas, in the NIT Pre-Season tournament then we beat them in Norman. The year we played them in Hawaii and then later in LV was the 88/89 season and we won both games. The game in LV was the game that Stacey King scored 42 points and really carried us that day.

Larry Johnson played at UNLV for the 89/90 and 90/91 seasons. So, if you met him it would have been in December of 89 when they came to Norman. If you met the players from the 87 game when UNLV missed a last second shot then that would have been Armon Gilliam and Gerald Patillo, whom (Patillo) Tubbs recruited heavily but lost out to Tark. Both Tubbs and Tark recruited a lot of the same players in those days.

In the 87 game, Gilliam missed a jumper from the FT line at the buzzer which would have won the game for UNLV. If I remember correctly, we scored with less than :10 seconds to take the lead. The game in 89 didn't come down to a final shot.

One more thing, if BJ Armstrong from Iowa doesn't hit the last second 3 to beat us in Seattle (in 1987) in the Sweet 16, we would have played UNLV a 3rd time that season to play in the Final 4. I remember my brother didn't want to play UNLV again that season because we were lucky to win in Norman and UNLV was really really good that year. I still don't understand how they lost to Indiana (who won the NC) in the Final 4.

 

[jmizzy4ou]

Tark was fun to watch on the bench, and of course he had some fun teams to watch. I remember being in the LNC as a student, watching David Johnson & Choo Kennedy break Tark's heart....

 

[jackson_supersooner]

Fun read guys! Keep posting love hearing all the stories!

 

[Sooner04]

One more thing, if BJ Armstrong from Iowa doesn't hit the last second 3 to beat us in Seattle (in 1987) in the Sweet 16, we would have played UNLV a 3rd time that season to play in the Final 4. I remember my brother didn't want to play UNLV again that season because we were lucky to win in Norman and UNLV was really really good that year. I still don't understand how they lost to Indiana (who won the NC) in the Final 4.

Kevin Gamble hit the shot to beat us in '87, not BJ Armstrong.

The Rebels lost to Indiana at the Final Four because Bob Knight decided to run with them. I've read before where Bob's thoughts were "if we play a half-court game with these guys we'll get destroyed". UNLV was probably the best defensive team in the country that year, and it took Alford being unconscious to beat them by four.

 

[BoulderSooner]

Was that ever proven? I thought he filed suit against the NCAA.

he did and he won

 

[garyeb2]

He did eventually get a favorable outcome in his lawsuit against the NCAA. However, he was fired for running an outlaw program and the facts surrending his departure are not in dispute. The Tark/Switzer comparison are valid.

I will say this though. I was living in Las Vegas during that 2 yr championship game run. UNLV Basketball was showtime and as big as anything on the strip. They captivated the whole community and Tark remained a beloved figure.

 

[Big Old Booger]

Kevin Gamble hit the shot to beat us in '87, not BJ Armstrong.

The Rebels lost to Indiana at the Final Four because Bob Knight decided to run with them. I've read before where Bob's thoughts were "if we play a half-court game with these guys we'll get destroyed". UNLV was probably the best defensive team in the country that year, and it took Alford being unconscious to beat them by four.

You are right, why did I think it was Armstrong? Maybe he was Iowa's leading scorer?

We still should have won that game, IMO.

 

[Sooner04]

Huge Tark fan here, so I'm completely biased. I won't join in the debate.

I will say this, and I think most would be in agreement: the 1987 OU BBall team was the most inconsistent of the modern era. They could play with anybody, they could lose to anybody, and they did plenty of both.

 

[Big Old Booger]

Huge Tark fan here, so I'm completely biased. I won't join in the debate.

I will say this, and I think most would be in agreement: the 1987 OU BBall team was the most inconsistent of the modern era. They could play with anybody, they could lose to anybody, and they did plenty of both.

They lost 3 games to end the regular season and should have won at least 2 of them (KSU -- coached by Kruger and Henson was the PG; and @ Kentucky with Eddie Sutton). We had the Kentucky game won and really choked down the stretch.

I also think if King's bucket at the halftime buzzer counted and it should have, we might have beaten KU that day. Lost by 5 and that was a 3 point shot considering it was from the free-throw line at the other end of the court. Even if replay existed the refs probably wouldn't have given it to us though because we never got the calls in KC and especially vs KU. Not excuses, just truth.

 

[152219]

Huge Tark fan here, so I'm completely biased. I won't join in the debate.

I will say this, and I think most would be in agreement: the 1987 OU BBall team was the most inconsistent of the modern era. They could play with anybody, they could lose to anybody, and they did plenty of both.

Agree about the '87 team. I also remember them having a tough time winning close games, but maybe that is just old age messing with my memory. Weird thing to say, but the '87 team has to be the most talented 10+ loss team we have ever had.

 

[152219]

In an era when a lot of players stayed all 4 years, the '86 Sooner team will always be my "what-if" team....meaning, what-if Tis had stayed for his senior year and does OU cut down the nets that year.

 

[DenverSooner]

David Johnson, Choo Kennedy, Stacy King (he wasn't that great his freshman season), Tim McCalister and Wayman Tisdale would have made a heck of a core for a basketball team. OU was 26-9 without Wayman. The worst loss was a 13 point loss in Columbia. OU lost by 6 to KU (in Lawrence), 3 to ISU (in Ames), 2 to Nebraska (in Lincoln), 9 to Duke (in Durham), 7 to KU (in Norman), 3 to OSU (in Stoolwater), 2 to KU (Big XII) and 5 to DePaul (NCAA).

You have to believe Wayman makes them win several if not all of those games. Could they have won it all? Who knows but it is a reasonable question.

That team also had Bowie.