This fellow was the real deal. He was a talent like World Free or Gus Williams. Incredible body, excellent skills, fierce competitor, clutch as could be, as well as unselfish, hard working, smart, and mentally tough. He was HIGHLY respected among his peers. I watched him in the ABA. He was complete when healthy. As good as anyone. Any era. Period...
James Silas grew up down the same small town street that I lived on as a child in Tallulah, Louisiana. He graduated from Reuben McCall Sr High School in 1968 and was only the second basketball player from our all Black School to receive a full athletic scholarship to the mostly white university of Stephen F. Austin behind another player name Surry Oliver who had graduated in 1966 from our school. Even though James "Snake" Silas did not win a high school championship title, our school went on to win two BACK to BACK 1969 and 1970 AA Louisiana State championships at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which I was a proud team member on the first one in 1969. I remember the coach came down from Stephen F. Austin to scout the star player on our team, and who was the third player to also receive a full scholarship to the school by the name of Richard Dorsey who was every bit as good as James "Snake" Silas, but he would also meet the same fate as James Silas by "Flunking Out Of The University" which would cause him to not play a full 4 years and possibly get drafted into the ABA/NBA same as Mr. Silas who had at least made "All American" before he flunked out, unlike Richard Dorsey. I remember when the Stephen F. Austin coach came into the school dining room while the team was eating, he personally came directly up to me and rubbed my shoulder as if he knew me and wanted to give me a scholarship, and I didn't know why because I wasn't even a starter on the team, but I was the only "Light Skin" member on the team, and back in 1969 he might have felt a closeness to me due to the light skin connection because I was not in any way ready for a scholarship while still in the 11th grade ha ha ha.. My best childhood friend in Tallulah was also the best friend of James Silas, but me and James were not best friends, but only acquaintances in the small predominantly Black town that was approximately 67% Black and highly racially "Segregated". As I look back at my childhood and think about not only James Silas, but also my late teammate name Richard Dorsey, I realize that no matter how good a player you are, you still have to be academically capable of earning passing "C" or better grades to remain on teams at those predominantly white schools, because when they are done with you, many of them don't are about your future, but James Silas was quite lucky to still be drafted. I left Tallulah during my senior high school year and moved to California where I finished high school, and played only one year of Junior college basketball before deciding to drop the sport and focus all of my energy on my academics by earning my AA, BA, and Masters degrees all by age 26 at San Bernardino Valley Jr College and CSULB (Long Beach State) to become a probation officer in Los Angeles. Education will always take you further than just basketball, football, etc....🙏👨🎓👨🎓👨🎓👨🎓
Silas also wore Puka shell necklaces during games. They were known to break during games which spilled the shells all over the floor which meant that the refs had to call a TO to get them swept up. Silas would run back to the locker and put anothet one on. Billy Paultz, one of his teammates said that Silas had about a dozen of them sitting in a jar in his locker room. He just had to have the necklace on at all times as it was his good luck charm.
330th subscriber here but I could not believe the subscriber count was so low given the quality of your videos. If this video reached me all the way in the UK then I'm glad to say keep doing the work, because it's upwards from here.
Thank god for the ABA-players like Silas, Gervin (kicked out of school for fighting) Connie Hawkins, Roger Brown, Moses Malone and others wouldn't have found a path to the NBA
Is this channel ran by Rich the Fight Historian or is he just the narrator? Great narrator and his boxing vids are incredible like these! Loving this channel! GIANT Spurs fan! Great seeing our OGs get some spotlight.
This fellow was the real deal. He was a talent like World Free or Gus Williams. Incredible body, excellent skills, fierce competitor, clutch as could be, as well as unselfish, hard working, smart, and mentally tough. He was HIGHLY respected among his peers. I watched him in the ABA. He was complete when healthy. As good as anyone. Any era. Period...
My first memories of watching the Spurs was Captain Si’s late quarter heroics hitting clutch shots in the 4th quarter!😎😊
Baller for real!
Great player and leader. Severely underrated the and now.
He was a great and tough player. Defender before his time.
The great James Silas
James Silas grew up down the same small town street that I lived on as a child in Tallulah, Louisiana. He graduated from Reuben McCall Sr High School in 1968 and was only the second basketball player from our all Black School to receive a full athletic scholarship to the mostly white university of Stephen F. Austin behind another player name Surry Oliver who had graduated in 1966 from our school. Even though James "Snake" Silas did not win a high school championship title, our school went on to win two BACK to BACK 1969 and 1970 AA Louisiana State championships at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which I was a proud team member on the first one in 1969. I remember the coach came down from Stephen F. Austin to scout the star player on our team, and who was the third player to also receive a full scholarship to the school by the name of Richard Dorsey who was every bit as good as James "Snake" Silas, but he would also meet the same fate as James Silas by "Flunking Out Of The University" which would cause him to not play a full 4 years and possibly get drafted into the ABA/NBA same as Mr. Silas who had at least made "All American" before he flunked out, unlike Richard Dorsey. I remember when the Stephen F. Austin coach came into the school dining room while the team was eating, he personally came directly up to me and rubbed my shoulder as if he knew me and wanted to give me a scholarship, and I didn't know why because I wasn't even a starter on the team, but I was the only "Light Skin" member on the team, and back in 1969 he might have felt a closeness to me due to the light skin connection because I was not in any way ready for a scholarship while still in the 11th grade ha ha ha.. My best childhood friend in Tallulah was also the best friend of James Silas, but me and James were not best friends, but only acquaintances in the small predominantly Black town that was approximately 67% Black and highly racially "Segregated". As I look back at my childhood and think about not only James Silas, but also my late teammate name Richard Dorsey, I realize that no matter how good a player you are, you still have to be academically capable of earning passing "C" or better grades to remain on teams at those predominantly white schools, because when they are done with you, many of them don't are about your future, but James Silas was quite lucky to still be drafted. I left Tallulah during my senior high school year and moved to California where I finished high school, and played only one year of Junior college basketball before deciding to drop the sport and focus all of my energy on my academics by earning my AA, BA, and Masters degrees all by age 26 at San Bernardino Valley Jr College and CSULB (Long Beach State) to become a probation officer in Los Angeles. Education will always take you further than just basketball, football, etc....🙏👨🎓👨🎓👨🎓👨🎓
Silas also wore Puka shell necklaces during games. They were known to break during games which spilled the shells all over the floor which meant that the refs had to call a TO to get them swept up.
Silas would run back to the locker and put anothet one on. Billy Paultz, one of his teammates said that Silas had about a dozen of them sitting in a jar in his locker room. He just had to have the necklace on at all times as it was his good luck charm.
330th subscriber here but I could not believe the subscriber count was so low given the quality of your videos. If this video reached me all the way in the UK then I'm glad to say keep doing the work, because it's upwards from here.
Thanks for the sub, Chris. We'll see if the channel grows
Great Content
Captain late was his knick name on the Spurs team!!!!!!
Fabulous..oh those knees.....i wish the technology was better ....we in the ABA saw his brilliance..peace
Thank god for the ABA-players like Silas, Gervin (kicked out of school for fighting) Connie Hawkins, Roger Brown, Moses Malone and others wouldn't have found a path to the NBA
Is this channel ran by Rich the Fight Historian or is he just the narrator?
Great narrator and his boxing vids are incredible like these!
Loving this channel! GIANT Spurs fan! Great seeing our OGs get some spotlight.
This is a great vid, thank you
Much Gratitude
Excellent work
Billy Paultz is a friend of mine
Old ABA player John Brisker would a good one to cover, interesting story
I agree, he would be an interesting topic.
I'll add him to the to do list.
I wish James Silas made the all-star team in 79.when he came back.phil Ford and Bernard King didn't make it either
Stop playing with my Uncle 😍😍😍
Would love to see a video about Wes Unseld
Mel Daniels thought that James Silas was the greatest point guard ever
They said that the NBA never seen the real James Silas cause he missed the 77 and 78 seasons from a knee injuries
There's videos on UA-cam about Wes unself too
a few yrs ago I challenged myself to a free throw shooting contest and made 13 in a row.
Silas, Geoff Petrie on the Blazers, and Phil Chenier all had their bodies fail them. Sucks