Jaeson Maravich, Son of Pete Maravich, ‘Sick to My Stomach’ Over How His Father’s Record Could be Broken
Jaeson Maravich isn’t a social media guy. The son of Pete Maravich posted to Facebook for the first time last week in order to get something off his chest. Last Thursday, Pete Maravich’s 53-year-old college basketball scoring mark appeared to be safe after Detroit Mercy’s fifth-year guard Antoine Davis fell three points shy of tying it in a season-ending loss. Detroit Mercy finished 14-19 and had no shot of qualifying for the NCAA tourney or the NIT.
Enter the College Basketball Invitational. The CBI is a little-known 16-team tournament that is made up of NCAA leftovers. Teams must pay $27,500 to enter, but they must be invited. With no requirement stating a team must be above .500, Detroit Mercy could get an invite because Davis could break Maravich’s record on the CBI’s watch and provide it with the publicity it desperately needs. The younger Maravich recently took to Facebook, stating he was “sick to my stomach” that his father’s long-standing record could be bought.
Pete Maravich set his NCAA mark in three years
Anyone who knows college basketball knows Antoine Davis is no Pete Maravich. That is no knock on Davis. It just shows how dominant “Pistol Pete” was.
It took Maravich 83 games to collect his 3,667 points, an NCAA Division I men’s basketball record he set in 1970. Davis needed a fifth season, one granted because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and 144 games to rack up 3,664 points. Not to mention, Maravich never had the benefit of a three-point line. There was also no shot clock, which would allow opposing teams to milk the clock, giving Maravich fewer possessions.
The CBI could give Davis a 145th game. An invitation to Detroit Mercy would be good for the CBI for about 10 minutes. Fans would likely tune in to see a 53-year-old record unjustly fall. Maravich would become No. 2 and Davis No. 1 on paper only. Paying for a record to be broken in a low-level tournament would be doing college basketball a disservice.
“It would be setting a bad precedent,” Jaeson Maravich told Sportscasting on Wednesday. “What about the eight teams that finished ahead of them in their conference? They don’t get an invite?
“I don’t understand how the NCAA even counts these stats. How does this count when my dad’s freshman stats don’t count?”
Jaeson Maravich has been asked about this all week. In every interview, he has never put down Davis. And why should he? It’s not Davis’ fault he was given a fifth year.
“I haven’t ripped the kid at all,” he said. “I’m happy he’s had a good run.”
Playing a 145th game, however, would be a disgrace. At 14-19, you shouldn’t be invited to any tournament. It’s greed on the part of the CBI, and it’s selfishness on Detroit Mercy’s part if it accepts.
