Hall of Famer Sidney Moncrief says his college coach, Eddie Sutton, will get Hall call

Sidney Moncrief is honored to be selected as a member of the Naismith Hall of Fame.

One thing would have been the occasion more special — entering with his college coach Eddie Sutton.

That didn’t happen. Sutton was finalist for the sixth time and once again did not get the call. He remains the only college coach with 800 career victories not be elected.

Sutton compiled an 806-326 record at Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma State and San Francisco. He took three teams to the Final Four, including Moncrief’s 1978 Razorbacks.

“He forced you the play the right way,” Moncrief said. “You had to play defense, you had to be on time, you had to show up to class — all the things that made you a man.

“I became a better person and teammate playing for coach Sutton.”

Being a good teammate was put to the test at the beginning of Moncrief’s NBA career. The Milwaukee Bucks, who took Moncrief with the fifth overall pick in the 1979 draft, didn’t start as a rookie.

“I went from being an All-America player to being a bench warner,” Moncrief said. “[Sutton] prepared me for that sacrifice. He prepared me to respect my teammates and wait for my time.”

Moncrief soon became a starter and a standout. He was a five-time NBA All-Star and two-time defensive player of the year.

Sutton, 83, a Bucklin, Kansas, native who spent the bulk of his career at Oklahoma State, was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011. A call from the Naismith Hall will have to wait at least another year.

“One day he’ll get that call,” Moncrief said. “He went beyond molding players. He molded people. He’s a hall of fame coach.”

This story was originally published April 6, 2019 at 3:53 PM with the headline "Hall of Famer Sidney Moncrief says his college coach, Eddie Sutton, will get Hall call."