Remembering LaZelle Durden

Mick Cronin made a reference to LaZelle Durden today when we were talking about Deonta Vaughn and how he has learned to move without the ball to get open looks. Nobody did that better than Durden, who was forever running off screens and seemed to never get tired.

One of the memories that stands out from covering UC over the years is the night in December, 1994 when Durden scored 45 points to keep the Bearcats from getting upset at Wyoming. The team had begun a trip west with a 91-88 overtime win at Minnesota on Dec. 13 then flew directly to Laramie, Wyoming, where we spent four of the coldest, windiest days you could imagine.

Wyoming was coached by former Miami coach Joby Wright and his team had Danny Fortson bottled up all night. But the Cowboys couldn't stop Durden, who made 16 of 32 shots, 7 of 20 from3-point range and 6 of 7 from the free throw line. UC trailed by two when Durden was fouled while attempting a 3-point shot as time expired.

Durden went to the foul line with the crowd screaming. He held up his index finger to his lips as if to silence the crowd, then calmly knocked in all three free throws to win the game, 81-80. I still remember watching the UC players run off the court as the stunned crowd watched in silence.