Remember the time former Sixers GM Billy King shut down Temple legend Mark Macon? He does.
As the keynote speaker at Temple's 12th annual Sports Media Summit, the former Sixers GM had plenty to say about helping to defeat one of the Owls’ best teams in program history.
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Billy King didn’t hold back.
As the keynote speaker at Temple’s 12th annual Sports Media Summit last week, the former 76ers president and general manager had a good deal to say about helping to defeat one of the Owls’ best teams in program history.
King spent 45 minutes giving advice, telling stories, and fielding questions from a room full of aspiring media professionals at the event hosted by Temple’s Klein College of Media and Communications. He was asked what went into his standout defensive performance against Temple legend Mark Macon in the Elite Eight round of the 1988 NCAA Tournament.
Temple finished that regular season as the No. 1 team in the nation with a 32-2 record, earning the top seed in the NCAA’s East Regional. After convincing wins against Lehigh, Georgetown, and Richmond, the Owls faced King and the Duke Blue Devils in the Elite Eight in East Rutherford, N.J.
King was tasked with guarding Macon, a freshman who entered the game averaging 20 points as a freshman. Thanks to some scouting he did during the season, King had an idea on how to stop the Atlantic 10 rookie of the year.
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“I noticed every time Mark liked to shoot a jump shot, he went to his left,” King said. “I’m going to take those chances, and force him right. ... He wasn’t in rhythm going to his right.”
Macon averaged 23 points on 46% shooting during the first three NCAA games but scored only 13 points on 6-for-29 (20%) shooting against Duke. King’s scouting report and performance helped Duke beat the Owls, 63-53. The Blue Devils would go on to lose to Kansas in the national semifinals.
In Philly basketball lore, King is better known for his construction of the 2001 NBA Finals team led by Hall of Famer Allen Iverson. However, at Temple and to King, he’ll always be known for shutting down one of the Owls’ all-time players on one of the biggest stages in college basketball.