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Amid the Hall of Fame enshrinement for Pistons legend Chauncey Billups, Ricardo Patton shares the origins of ‘Mr. Big shot’

Vaseline October 14, 2024

Detroit — Before his game-winning baskets at The Palace of Auburn Hills sent fans into a frenzy as a member of the Detroit Pistons, Chauncey Billups’ legacy as Mr. Big Shot seven years earlier in Lubbock, Texas.

With the score tied at 78 late in the fourth quarter, Billups was in the middle of a rally orchestrated by coach Ricardo Patton. The Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball team was locked in a tight battle with No. 20 Texas Tech, and with 10 seconds left, Patton had a plan in place to get Billups off a ball screen for a potential game-winning shot.

Billups begged Patton to change the piece. Patton relented and called a 1-4 drop and told his players to get out of Billups’ way. Billups seamlessly got inside the perimeter and drilled a game-winning basket over the top of his defender to give the Buffaloes an 80-78 victory. Patton celebrated with Billups in January 1997 at the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum.

Twenty-seven years later, Patton celebrated again as a proud father. Instead of celebrating a college victory, Patton was elated Sunday night at Symphony Hall in Springfield, Massachusetts, where he witnessed Billups’ induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

“That may have been the origin of Mr. Big Shot,” Patton told The Detroit News. “He’s been a real cerebral basketball player for a long time. Everything he’s gotten, he’s worked for it. Sometimes people get lucky. But Chauncey’s performance is the fruit of his labor.”

Patton coached Billups during his two-year career at Colorado – an honor he once thought was unimaginable. Patton began his career as an assistant coach in 1993 and was tasked with recruiting Billups. As a three-time winner of Colorado’s Mr. Basketball (1993-95), Billups had almost every major university looking for his talents.

Billups was one of the best players in the country during his prep career at George Washington High School. His desire to stay close to home led to his commitment to the University of Colorado. However, Patton was one of the first coaches to get an early look at the intangibles that made Billups an all-time great, both on and off the field.

“He was a young man who was very focused and on a mission to become one of the best players in the country,” Patton said. “I was always fascinated by his basketball IQ. He was a student of the game. He was hungry for great success, and he did it.”

Billups has overhauled Colorado’s basketball program. Before his arrival, the Buffaloes’ last NCAA Tournament appearance came during the 1968–69 season. As a sophomore, Billups led the Buffaloes to their most successful season in 28 years.

Colorado finished the 1996-97 season with a 22-10 record and a trip to the NCAA Tournament, where Billups led the Buffaloes to a huge Round 1 upset against Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers. Billups led Colorado to an 80-67 victory with 24 points on 8-for-14 shooting, 3-for-4 on 3-point shooting, five rebounds, three assists and a steal. The Buffaloes’ season ended in the second round against the North Carolina Tar Heels, featuring Hall-of-Fame classmate Vince Carter.

“What the Hall of Fame says: ‘He’s one of the best basketball players – period,’” Patton said. “It didn’t matter whether it was college or the NBA. This honor says he was one of the greatest players ever. His character helped him achieve greatness because he always remained humble and hungry.

“He was never satisfied, no matter what he accomplished in Colorado. He always wanted to achieve more. And he kept that mentality throughout his NBA career.”

When Billups agreed to a multi-year contract with the Detroit Pistons in July 2002, it was absurd to be immortalized in Springfield. He was a former lottery pick who played his first six seasons for four different teams after the Boston Celtics selected him with the No. 3 pick in the 1997 NBA Draft.

The Pistons gave Billups a chance to renew his career from a first-round bust to a Finals MVP (2004) and five-time All-Star. However, the move to Detroit also gave Billups the opportunity to use Patton’s teachings on an NBA floor.

As Billups’ college coach, Patton was instrumental in laying the foundation that made him one of the best point guards of his generation and someone now implanted in basketball immortality.

“(The Hall of Fame) wasn’t a surprise,” Patton said. “He had the total package. He honed his craft and made the people around him better. And that’s what he does now as a coach. He was a phenomenon.

“His parents, Ray and Faye Billups, did a phenomenal job of teaching Chauncey the core values of life. They were instrumental in his decision to stay home and attend the University of Colorado. They made Chauncey who he was. has been throughout his career and throughout his life.” to live.”

Collins joins Billups in Springfield

Former Pistons coach Doug Collins was one of 13 members inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Sunday night. Whether he was a four-time All-Star (1976-1979) during his playing days with the Philadelphia 76ers or one of the most respected coaches of his generation, almost every stop Collins made during his career led to his enshrinement in the Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2024.

Collins had one of his most impressive coaching tenures during his two and a half seasons as coach of the Pistons. He led Detroit to its most successful period in the post-Bad-Boys era with back-to-back postseason appearances in 1996 and 1997.

Collins finished his tenure as coach of the Pistons with a record of 121-88. He received his only All-Star title as a coach in 1997, resulting in a 54-28 record during the 1996-97 season.

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