Nash: Just being with my teammates, wherever it was. Anywhere they were, I was happy.
Purdy: Your favorite class?
Nash: God, it’s been so long—22 or 23 years. I had some great teachers. My major was sociology. I remember my professor, Marilyn Fernandez, who was overseeing my senior thesis. The basketball team went to Maui for a tournament and she was perplexed that I was going to miss classes when part of that process was due. Part of me was frustrated to be handing in a component of my senior thesis from my hotel room in Maui while my teammates were in the water. But part of me also respected that I went to a school where my teacher was saying, “What do you mean you’re going to miss class? And I don’t care if you play basketball.”
It was the early days of email, and I submitted that portion of my thesis and it didn’t transmit. You could see the bones of it, but it wasn’t transmitting. I got a “D” on that segment. I ended up passing the class but … you know, a major segment of your work was a “D” because of technology and the fact that I was in Maui with the basketball program did not hold water for her. And I love that in a way. It was a great experience.
Purdy: If you were asked to come back to Santa Clara to teach a class, what would it be?
Nash: It would be something on leadership and culture building. I feel like I could add to a conversation about that.
Beating Arizona, Maryland, UCLA
Purdy: What’s your favorite Dick Davey story or quote?
Nash: Dick had some quick hitters. He’d tell us, “Use your head for something other than a hat rack.” Or, “You know your head is that round thing up there.” The best story: I think it was over the holidays and late one night, we were practicing. It might have been two-a-day practices getting back off Christmas break. He told us all to get on the end line to do some sprints. He wasn’t happy. And challenged all of us to a fight. We had Carl Anderson ’93 on the team and Carl was about 6-foot-11 and 250 pounds. And Dick challenged every one of us to a fight. He was amazing.
Purdy: In your SCU Hall of Fame induction speech, you spoke very movingly about assistant coach Larry Hauser.
Nash: I adored Larry and miss him greatly. One time we were playing Cal at the San Jose Arena, now SAP Center. A few of us were taking a van to the arena. And Larry was driving. He has the music up and the song “Brick House” by the Commodores comes on. And we called Larry Hauser “House,” so he quickly was like singing along: “I’m a brick … house!” And he was pointing to himself while singing. If you knew Larry Hauser, you’ll get a good giggle out of that one.
Purdy: What was your favorite Bronco victory, other than two NCAA tournament upsets over Arizona and Maryland?
Nash: Well, in the Maui tournament, it was fantastic to beat UCLA the first game of the season out there—a UCLA team that went on to win a national championship. We lost to Kansas in a close game at Allen Fieldhouse, which was an awesome experience, too—to take them basically to the last minute or two in their own building, which is an incredible place, such a historic college basketball arena and crowd. That was fantastic.
Lloyd, Marlon, and That Beautiful Game
Purdy: How surprised are you that Santa Clara hasn’t returned to the NCAA tournament since you were there? Any thoughts about the team getting back to that level?
Nash: It’s a little disappointing, obviously. But at the same time, it shows how hard it is to do and how great it was for us to go three times in four years when we were there. Obviously, Gonzaga has figured it out. St. Mary’s has done well, too. But largely, it’s difficult in that conference. And hopefully, we have a coach now who can find our way back.
Purdy: Along those lines, do you have any thoughts about the idea of paying college players a stipend as has been discussed by the NCAA, and what that might do to a program like Santa Clara one way or the other?
Nash: It depends on the model. I don’t know what the model is and … who knows? Maybe it’s a 401K type situation where money is deposited in that kind of account for later accessibility, rather than paying players while they’re in school. And then it could be more equitable. But I think there’s probably a model to be found.
Purdy: If the college basketball and NCAA climate had been the same way when you played as it is today, would you have thought about leaving early?
Nash: I thought about leaving my junior year. But it was just such a rare thing, especially for a small white kid from the west coast of Canada. I don’t think people really trusted some of those things. So I stayed.
Purdy: What would you say is the most Santa Clara thing about you?
Nash: My relationships with my teammates. We still are very close and, while we don’t communicate every day, it’s like no time has passed when we connect. We still see each other every year at some point or another.
Purdy: Your Santa Clara teammate Lloyd Pierce ’98 has been named the new head coach of the Atlanta Hawks. And as one of his assistants, he has hired Marlon Garnett ’97, another of your former Santa Clara teammates who went on to have a pro career. I am assuming that at no time while you guys were together on campus, did anybody say that on this team, “We have two future NBA players on this team including a future MVP, plus a future NBA head coach”?
Nash: It’s incredible. I thought that I would play in the NBA. At least I dreamed, and hoped, and believed. Maybe I was naive, but I thought I would. But to think that Marlon would play in the NBA, that Lloyd would become a head coach, that Marlon’s on his staff? It’s a beautiful game—and a beautiful community and school. I’m just thrilled for those guys that they could also represent the program at the highest level.
MARK PURDY was a longtime sportswriter for The Mercury News. Check out his story for us from March 2018: “Steve Nash, Welcome to the Basketball Hall of Fame.”