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Steve Kerr and Billy Donovan played each other in the first few games of their collegiate careers at Arizona and Providence, respectively. Now, they are coaching against each other in the NBA Western Conference Finals (photos trading cards of both schools)
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“Steve (Kerr) was an integral player for us. He was our most consistent outside shooter and because of that, the defense couldn’t lay off of him, which helped open up the middle for the small forward, power forward, and center positions to be more effective.”
— Former Arizona small forward Eddie Smith, who scored 27 points in Arizona’s 72-69 loss at Providence on Dec. 3, 1983
Three games into the Lute Olson era in the 1983-84 season, Arizona traveled across the country to play at Providence, the first road game for the Wildcats under the Hall of Fame coach after he took over a 4-24 program the previous season.
Coming off the bench for Arizona and Providence were two freshmen who would later evolve into valuable point guards who led their respective teams to the Final Four. The Wildcats’ Steve Kerr and Friars’ Billy Donovan combined for only six points in the game in which Providence escaped with a 72-69 win on Dec. 3, 1983.
“I respectfully do not remember a great performance from Billy Donovan,” said former Arizona small forward Eddie Smith regarding Donovan’s four points in eight minutes with the scoring occurring on four free throw attempts. “He was a young guard that was beginning to come into his own.
“I think he was playing behind some older players. His recognition grew the years following. Steve was an integral player for us. He was our most consistent outside shooter and because of that, the defense couldn’t lay off of him, which helped open up the middle for the small forward, power forward, and center positions to be more effective.”
Kerr played 24 minutes against the Friars and Donovan, scoring two points on 1-of-6 shooting. He tied starting point guard Brock Brunkhorst for the team lead with five assists.
Kerr and Donovan are coaching against each other in the NBA’s Western Conference finals more than 32 years later, a stretch that is older than most of the players they are coaching. Kerr’s Golden State Warriors, the defending NBA champs, trail Donovan’s Oklahoma City Thunder 2-1 in the best-of-seven series with Game 4 Tuesday night in Oklahoma City.
Smith and Pete Williams, cornerstone players who really got Arizona’s program going under Olson, stood out the most in that inaugural season for the successful coach. The junior college transfers combined for 41 points on 17-of-21 shooting from the field and 14 rebounds against the Friars.
“What I remember from the Providence game is that it was a tough game to play in unfamiliar territory,” Smith said to me Monday. “Having never played against a Big East team, it was unique for me and a learning experience.
“That U of A team was young and we were still learning each other’s movements. I think for where we were in experience, our performance was adequate.”
Smith scored 27 points, which was his career high at Arizona until he scored 28 as a senior the following season.
“I am thankful to have scored as many points as I did,” Smith said of his output against Providence. “For me, a happier ending would have been a win for the team than the points. I never felt satisfaction through my point total, but in a win. In the end, people remember teams that win, not a player’s point totals.”
Smith stood out the most in the game against Providence, holding his own against the Friars and All-American center Otis Thorpe, who finished with 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting and seven rebounds.
Thorpe, a first-round pick after that season, went on to play 17 seasons in the NBA.
“The one player’s court presence that cannot be overlooked is Otis Thorpe,” Smith said. “He dominated the game with an NBA physique (6’10” and 245 pounds) that was difficult for us to stop.
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Box score of Providence’s 72-69 win over Arizona on Dec. 3, 1983.
OKC's Billy Donovan and Golden State's Steve Kerr took very different paths to NBA coaching. https://t.co/sop7qTruuH pic.twitter.com/0JFWWzbasM
— theScore (@theScore) May 21, 2016
“Steve’s been a great friend. Someone that I’ve been able to build a relationship with for a long period of time. I’ve always liked Steve. We’ve talked about different things. Talked about the NBA, and even talked about himself maybe going into coaching and himself being in the front office. … He’s just a great, down-to-earth guy, and just through being in college coaching and him covering and doing games we’ve just kind of been able to build a relationship over the years.”
— Billy Donovan as quoted by the Associated Press
“Billy’s a great coach. I got to know him when I was doing NCAA Tournament games at TNT, and I did a few Florida games and had a chance to visit with him. We actually stayed in touch before he took that other job in the last couple of years, just on random coaching thoughts. If either one of us had any possible coaching positions that we were looking at, we tended to call each other.”
— Steve Kerr as quoted by the Associated Press
Eddie Smith scored 27 points in Arizona’s first road game under Lute Olson, a 72-69 loss at Providence that featured guards Steve Kerr and Billy Donovan coming off the bench (Smith photo)
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“I vaguely remember Billy from our game in Providence. As I stated, the focus was on Thorpe.”
Smith was nearly flawless shooting the ball in the game, making 11 of his 13 field-goal attempts and all five of his free throw tries. He recorded two steals. Olson was quoted as saying by the Associated Press that Smith “was responsible all or in part for 13 of (Providence’s) 15 turnovers.”
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Arizona committed 18 turnovers that helped Providence rally from a five-point deficit late in the game. Kerr not surprisingly went without a turnover in his 24 minutes in his first collegiate road game.
Providence was coached by Joseph Mullaney that season. Rick Pitino was hired by the Friars two seasons later. As a senior, in his second season under Pitino, Donovan led Providence to the 1987 Final Four.
A year later, Kerr, who sat out the 1986-87 season with a knee injury, led the Wildcats to their first Final Four.
“Both Billy and Steve’s basketball pedigree is a result of having played in great programs, and from that, both have continued their success on the coaching level,” Smith said. “Now, they have the opportunity to face one another as coaches on the highest level of basketball.
“Coach Kerr, Warriors, and Coach Donovan, Thunder, have very good teams. It will be a great match up. I think the team that builds momentum has the best chance to win.”
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Smith, 52, is a middle-school educator and motivational speaker who now resides in Stockbridge, Ga.
“My performance in that game against Providence was an indication that I could play at that level,” Smith said. “I think it not only solidified my confidence but our team that I could be successful as a Division I player.
“Also, I understood that I was just a small part of our success later in the season. I know that I couldn’t have improved without the play of all of my teammates and Coach Olson and his coaching staff.”
ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon.
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