As a freshman I was in the locker room at about 6 p.m. after squash practice talking with the coach, Bill Summers. In walked a student who checked out a basketball and looked around for someone to play with. He asked me to join him, and Coach Summers said, “Go ahead, Jeff.” I had no idea who he was but for five minutes took bounce passes and jump “shots.” He then returned the ball and gave me a funny look as he walked away. The coach said, “Good luck tonight, Bill.”
I had to ask who this student was. That night I watched him play and realized I could always say I played basketball with Bill Bradley in 1964.
Three years later I was writing with the University Press Club assigned to cover Princeton for The New York Times. At 11 p.m. I received a call from the sports editor asking if Bill Bradley had returned to Princeton immediately after his first appearance playing with the New York Knicks. I checked with sources and called the number for John McPhee’s home. John called Bill to the phone to talk with me. I said The New York Times wanted to talk with him. Bill said he didn’t mind talking to me, but didn’t want to talk to them. I quickly got some quotes and at midnight called them in for the next day’s paper. That month I received a nice bonus in my monthly check for helping out the Times.
I remember two encounters with Bill Bradley:
As a freshman I was in the locker room at about 6 p.m. after squash practice talking with the coach, Bill Summers. In walked a student who checked out a basketball and looked around for someone to play with. He asked me to join him, and Coach Summers said, “Go ahead, Jeff.” I had no idea who he was but for five minutes took bounce passes and jump “shots.” He then returned the ball and gave me a funny look as he walked away. The coach said, “Good luck tonight, Bill.”
I had to ask who this student was. That night I watched him play and realized I could always say I played basketball with Bill Bradley in 1964.
Three years later I was writing with the University Press Club assigned to cover Princeton for The New York Times. At 11 p.m. I received a call from the sports editor asking if Bill Bradley had returned to Princeton immediately after his first appearance playing with the New York Knicks. I checked with sources and called the number for John McPhee’s home. John called Bill to the phone to talk with me. I said The New York Times wanted to talk with him. Bill said he didn’t mind talking to me, but didn’t want to talk to them. I quickly got some quotes and at midnight called them in for the next day’s paper. That month I received a nice bonus in my monthly check for helping out the Times.