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"Obviously it was a lot of pressure," says Luck- ett. "I was a freshman, and that was the first year freshmen could play varsity. But every- body is looking at you like a senior and you gotta deliver this championship to the world."
Not only was Luckett representing the Bobcat program, he was now the poster boy for all freshmen in their first year of Division I eligibility.
"They get the ball to me in our two-guard front and I will positively freak. I mean, I will drive those rascals wild."
"The people be raisin' hell in the stands and lovin' it."
"I'll be followed here. I'll be known. I hope I can take the school with me."
Those are just a sprinkling of Luckett's quotes from the article, suggesting all the pressure must have manifested only after the magazine hit newsstands.
"It was pretty exciting," says Luckett, looking back. "The campus went wild, the magazine sold a lot, and I guess it was an exciting time because everyone thought OU was gonna go
local to choose a collegiate powerhouse like North Carolina, George- town or UCLA. Instead, Luckett sent shockwaves when he committed to Ohio University of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), a liberal, mid-sized state school nestled in eastern Ohio's Appalachian country, a "small potatoes" university for someone of Luckett's hype and skill. Nevertheless, Walter had his reasons for choosing Athens, Ohio.
Luckett injured his knee his senior year at Kolbe, tearing cartilage af- ter landing awkwardly during a game. The damage required surgery following the season, and he was afraid that bigger college programs might not wait around while he rehabbed the knee during summer and fall workouts. Still, many scratched their heads at someone of Walter's caliber trading down to play in the mid-major MAC. The young phenom saw things differently.
"The year I went (to Ohio), there were six or seven guys that went to the pros right out of the Mid-American Conference," says Luckett. "I thought the competition was good."
His talents only added credibility to his statement. "IT WAS ELECTRIC."
That was how Lou Horvath described the Ohio campus in the fall of 1972, the first quarter of Walter's time at the university and start of Horvath's sophomore year. Luckett's Sports Illustrated issue was released on November 27, 1972 as a preview for the upcoming NCAA season. He had been chosen as the week's cover feature, the first (and to this day, only) Bobcat to achieve the honor, vaulting the Ohio basketball program to unaccustomed notoriety. "He was the No. 1 recruit in the country," says Horvath. "He was gonna come in and 'drive those rascals wild,'" alluding to the now infamous quote Luck- ett had made in the SI article.
Luckett too recalls the excitement around campus when the maga- zine came out. But for him, he was more concerned with how he would handle the target now squarely positioned on his back. And there he was, on the cover of the country's most prominent sport- ing magazine: his massive, Marvin Gaye-style afro and slender 6-4 frame on display in the Ohio uniform, yet naked to the entire world.
70 on and do better things in basketball."
IT MAY HAVE BEEN nearly 40 years ago, but Luckett remains fresh in the minds of those that witnessed him at Ohio University.
"He was a scorer, a definite scorer," says Horvath, who is somewhat of a de facto historian on Ohio Bobcats basketball. "And he had a great afro.
"He had the entire package actually. He was a good-sized guard, he could drive to the basket. He had an unusual shot…he would rise up, bring the ball back behind his head and pop it."
That abnormal style worked just fine for Walter "Put It in the Bucket" Luckett, who finished with 1,625 points during his career, topping the school's record book at the time. He currently resides in ninth place on the list, and second among three-year players, trailing only the great Gary Trent.
After a strong freshman season brought an All-MAC Honorable Mention, Luckett really tapped into his potential as a sophomore, averaging 23 points a contest on his way to a conference scoring title, MAC Player of the Year Award, and NCAA Tournament berth for the Bobcats. His third season earned him a spot on the All-American Honorable Mention list by the Helms Athletic Hall of Fame, one of only three Bobcats to ever grab that recognition. He also won his second straight conference scoring title and All-Mac First Team hon- ors. But the 1975 season proved to be Luckett's last as he declared for the NBA Draft. His personal life was in transition – he had recently married Valita, his high school sweetheart – as was his basketball life. Despite a stellar junior year personally, the Ohio program had taken a step back with coach Jim Snyder retiring and a few of the better players transferring. A new marriage and revamped team influenced Luckett's decision to move to the next stage of his life.
Luckett never quite carried Ohio University to bigger and greater things, but he did play well enough for the Detroit Pistons to select him with the 27th pick in the 1975 NBA Draft. Immediately, Walter was confident that he would excel at the next level. He even pushed his legendary hype further by dominating an exhibition game in Con- necticut over the summer, racking up 28 points against big-name pro