Remembering Q

QUINTIN DAILEY has died age 49, leaving a legacy of great BASKETBALL skills but also the demise of a great college basketball program.
I was in junior high school when Dailey starred for three seasons (1979-82) with the UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO DONS.
I've always loved the Dons -- one of their greatest centers, BILL CARTWRIGHT, went to high school with one of my cousins.
Dailey carried on in the tradition of great USF Dons' legends. He averaged 25.2 points per game in 1981-82 and was twice named West Coast Conference Player of the Year.
A star on the court, Dailey caused trouble off it.
He pleaded guilty to attempted assault of a USF nursing student in 1982 -- Dailey was originally accused of raping her -- and during the investigation into the crime, authorities discovered Dailey had received thousands of dollars during his collegiate playing career.
The scandal prompted the school's president to eliminate the basketball program -- a program that won two NCAA Championships and produced players the caliber of BILL RUSSELL and K.C. JONES.
The university began play again in 1986, but the basketball program has never recovered to the level of its previous glory -- supplanted by the likes of conference rivals Gonzaga. Dailey played 10 seasons in the NBA for the Bulls, Clippers and Supersonics. He struggled with drugs, however, and his professional career never matched the potential evidenced by his college stardom.
News reports of Dailey's passing suggest he had turned his life around -- he was working for a Las Vegas community center when he died -- and one of my other cousins currently watches Dailey's son, also named Quintin Dailey, play for Eastern Michigan University.