1. Pete Maravich“Pistol” Pete tops the list of toughest covers. Averaging 44.2 points per game throughout his entire college career is why this guy became legendary. To get all his points he had to shoot... a lot! Guarding Maravich meant no plays off. He took slightly over 38 shots a game in college which means their were no breaks, no time to relax. He offensive creativity was unparalleled at the time. No one else was making the moves that Maravich was. He had great range but played before the advent of the 3-point line. For all those reasons Maravich ranks #1 on Mike Barr's toughest covers list.
Barr: “he scored 54 on me one night. He would just dangle the ball like he wasn't looking, baiting me to go for steals, and then he would attack after I took the bait.”
2. George Gervin
“The Iceman” and Mike crossed paths in the ABA. Gervin played 4 seasons in the ABA and 10 more in the NBA. Two times in his NBA career Gervin eclipsed the 30 points per game mark for the entire season. He had career averages of 26.2 points per game in the NBA and 21.9 points per game in the ABA. He had the record for the most scoring titles in the NBA before Jordan came along and broke his record. He once scored 33 points in a single quarter of an NBA game! His signature shot was the finger roll. Most players do finger rolls for lay-ups but Gervin was known to perform them from as far out as the foul line. This Hall of Fame inductee and a top 50 greatest NBA players of all-time ranks #2 in Mike Barr's toughest covers list.
Barr: “I played with him for the Virginia Squires and against him when he was with San Antonio. I thought I was quicker than him but he would shoot right over me like I wasn't even there.”
3. Austin CarrBarr faced Carr 2 times in Duquesne vs Notre Dame match-ups. Mike was proud he held Carr under his scoring average in one matchup when Carr got 34 points, below his average of 34.4 points per game. Carr would get NCAA AP player of the year in his final season at Notre Dame and still is the school's all-time leading scorer. He was drafted by the Cavs with the #1 overall pick in the 1971 draft and played 10 years in the NBA, including 9 with the Cavs. Known as “Mr. Cavalier”, He averaged a respectable 15.4 points per game for his career and is ranked 3rd in Cavs franchise history in scoring behind LeBron James and Brad Daugherty.
Barr: “He was so physical and he got the ball a lot so there was no time to rest. He didn't run around too much, mostly parking down in “the office” and using his body.”
4. Doug CollinsCollins is the newest head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers and spent all 8 of his NBA seasons as a player for the Philly franchise after they drafted him with the 1st selection of the 1973 NBA Draft. He was a five time NBA All-Star and finished with a 17.9 points per game scoring average. In college at Illinois State, Collins averaged 29.1 points per game and was named 2nd Team All-American his senior year.
Barr: “He was taller and quicker than me. I could usually out-quick taller guys, but not collins”
5. Johnny Davis
Davis was a bit of an NBA journeyman, being traded 4 times in his pro career. He was drafted by Portland in 1976 but had his best scoring years after being traded to Indiana. With NBA career averages of 12.9 points per game and 4.5 assists per game, it's clear Davis could kill you with the shot or the pass.
Barr: “He was just super quick.”
Honorable Mention: Calvin Murphy, John Williamson, Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe
