Former NBA guard Eldridge Recasner shares vivid memories from his career, from facing the explosive power of Clyde Drexler to witnessing the unparalleled toughness of Anthony Mason. Recasner also reflects on squaring off against a pair of Arizona legends in college.
Clyde Drexler: The Apex Athlete Second Only to LeBron
Recasner places Clyde Drexler among the greatest athletes to ever play the game, ranking him just behind LeBron James in terms of sheer physical dominance.
“I’m going to say this Scoop and people are going to be surprised — now that I’ve seen LeBron as a physical specimen athletic wise; LeBron is probably the GREATEST athlete that I’ve ever seen. I would put Dr. J behind LeBron and I would put Clyde Drexler behind him man,” Recasner asserted. “Just as far as being big, strong, fast and jump out the gym.”
He recalled a terrifying practice encounter: “I can remember Clyde coming down on a fastbreak 3-on-1 and I’m the ‘1’ and I’m saying to myself, ‘Do I really want to take a charge on this guy coming down?’ and I was like, ‘Hell no.’”
Despite his dominance, Recasner praised Drexler’s court awareness: “He was extremely unselfish as a superstar and he would get you the rock if you were open. I loved Clyde’s game.” Recasner confirmed the historical ranking of the era, stating, “In that era was Mike [Jordan] and then it was Clyde.” He also provided a colorful example of Drexler’s physical style of defense against shooters like Jeff Hornacek and Allan Houston, calling the Hall of Famer a “straight up gangsta out of the 3rd Ward of Houston Texas.”
Anthony Mason: The Ultimate Warrior and Point Forward
Recasner reserves the highest praise for his former teammate Anthony Mason, calling him “the ultimate warrior” and the type of player you’d want in any tough situation. Recasner and Mason even shared the same birthday, Dec. 14, a fact that led to Recasner’s humorous observation: “I’m a little crazy, Mase is a LOT crazy.”
He recounted an unforgettable exchange between Mason and then-rookie coach Rick Carlisle during a 1990 Summer League game where Mason, playing the point forward role, refused to relinquish the ball:
“Rick Carlisle said, ‘Hey Mase, when you get the ball, give it up to the point guard.’ So Mase didn’t say nothin’ and the horn sounds and we go back in… Carlisle calls timeout again and said, ‘Mase, I thought I told you to give up the ball!’ so Mase didn’t say anything and Carlisle told Mase, ‘You’re out of here! Go to the locker room!’ and Mase said, ‘I’m not going any damn where. You hit the locker room!’“
Mason then stood in the corner of the court and “stared down Rick Carlisle for the rest of the goddamn game.”
Recasner noted that Mason, who was built like a Greek god with almost no body fat, was often used as a point forward due to his ball-handling skills and fierce confidence, once even believing he should be the team’s starting point guard over the newly drafted Baron Davis. His only major flaw? His unorthodox jump shot. “His only weakness is that he didn’t have no J. If he had a jumper? It would’ve been a wrap.”
Recasner sees no current player who embodies the same blend of ruggedness and skill: “There ain’t no more cats like Mase anymore… You’re not going to find a tougher team core than that [the 90s Knicks].”
PAC-10 Battles: Sean Elliott and Steve Kerr
Looking back at his college days, Recasner immediately pointed to one player as the pinnacle of the conference: Sean Elliott.
“Sean Elliott was the BEST player in college basketball. It’s that simple. 6’8” and can put it on the floor, shoot the J and could dunk on you.” Recasner ranked him and Gary Payton as the two best players he faced in the PAC-10.
He also remembered his battles with the sharpshooting Steve Kerr at Arizona. Kerr, who played a familiar role of hitting wide-open jumpers, possessed “phenomenal” shooting ability. Recasner described the electric atmosphere in the McKale Center when Kerr hit a three: “the announcer would say, STEEEEEEEEEEVE KERRRRR! And all 15,000 damn people at the McKale Center would go STEEEEEEEEEEEVE KERRRRR!”
