Q&A: Calbert Cheaney discusses IU, UE, Final Four, Michael Jordan and more

You can’t run out of superlatives discussing Calbert Cheaney, who scored so effortlessly your eyes would bug out when you saw how many points he racked up during a game.

Off the court, Cheaney was as humble and self-effacing as you could possibly ask of a hometown hero.

After scoring a school-record 47 points in Harrison’s victory over Henderson County as a senior in 1989, he recalls looking at the stat sheet and saying, “I couldn't believe it."

Cheaney seemingly played the schoolyard game of “around the world” against the Colonels, scoring from virtually every angle, from the left to right baseline and everything in between. Of course, he did much more than star at the high school level.

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Not only is Cheaney an Indiana University legend, he remains the Big Ten’s all-time leading scorer with 2,613 points. He was the consensus National Player of the Year as a senior in ’93 and spent 13 years in the NBA. It’s easy to place him alongside Bob Griese and Don Mattingly as the best male athletes to ever come out of Evansville.

One of the more modest three-time All-Americans you’d ever meet, Cheaney had the smoothest left-handed jumper you ever witnessed. 

Enshrined in the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019 at Kansas City, Cheaney lifted IU to the 1992 Final Four, four NCAA tournament appearances and two Big Ten championships. He averaged 22.4 points and 6.2 rebounds in earning Wooden and Naismith National Player of the Year honors his senior season. Cheaney was the No. 6 pick in the 1993 NBA Draft by the Washington Bullets. His best season was 1994-95, averaging 16.6 points for the Bullets.

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Now 50, Cheaney retired from the NBA after playing for five teams in 13 seasons. He joined the Golden State Warriors in 2009-10 season as a front office special assistant before joining the team's coaching staff as an assistant in 2010-11. He returned to IU as the director of basketball operations in 2013. He went on to spend three years as an assistant coach under Jim Crews for Saint Louis University, before returning to the pro ranks.

Currently the Indiana Pacers assistant coach for player development, Cheaney spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach in the NBA G League for Atlanta Hawks affiliates.

Following is a Q and A with Cheaney. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Courier & Press: Who do you like in the Final Four?

Calbert Cheaney: When you look at the matchups, the stars are aligned for Coach K to go out with a national championship. If I had to make a choice and I wouldn’t be that confident, it would be Kansas.

C&P: Everybody is talking about the NCAA tournament. You led IU to the 1992 Final Four, were named national player of the year in ’93 and are still the Big Ten’s all-time leading scorer. What stands out the most for you?

Cheaney: As far as being the Big Ten’s all-time leading scorer, I wouldn’t have got those (points) without my teammates. Our Final Four team in ’92 was probably our best from a talent standpoint. We had hoped to realize our dream of winning a national championship, but it didn’t happen. We lost to a very good Duke team, which went on to win the national championship, back-to-back.

C&P: The UE situation is a mess. You were a finalist for that job, which went to Walter McCarty, who was a few years behind you at Harrison. They went through the highs of beating Kentucky and the lows of him being fired. Todd Lickliter did a good job at Butler and also coached at Iowa, but has really struggled at UE. And now four starters have entered the transfer portal. Did you ever wonder ‘what it?’ – what if you had gotten the job? Everything probably would have been a lot more stable. Would you ever consider re-applying for the head coaching job if it came open again (Lickliter is in the last year of his contract)?

Cheaney: I can’t speak on that. UE has had a good basketball program, especially when I was in high school. Hopefully they’ll find someone who can provide stability. As far as saying anything else, I have no comment. I do hope they figure it out and start being a successful program again.

C&P: Khristian Lander has entered the transfer portal. He was one of the most hyped players to ever come out of Evansville. And unlike when you played, social media in today’s climate makes the pressure even worse. Archie Miller cajoled him into playing for IU when he should have been a senior at Reitz and he struggled this year under Mike Woodson. What is your advice for Khristian?

Cheaney: I know ‘Woody.’ He's 13 or 14 years older than me, but we've met through the years. I would tell Khristian to stay the course. Obviously things got tough. He's a great ballplayer and a great kid. Whenever it's hard you have to go out and do the best you can. He has high goals and expectations.

C&P: Dan Dakich tweeted that Evansville should hire Dane Fife as head coach; he also mentioned you in the conversation. How well do you know Fife, who was dismissed as an IU assistant after one season.

Cheaney: Dane is a great guy. I've known him for a long time. No matter where he goes, he'll always be an IU guy at heart.

C&P: Through the years, it’s obvious that you, Bob Griese and Don Mattingly stand above the rest of the male athletes from Evansville. Did you look up to Griese or Mattingly when you were growing up?

Cheaney: I looked up to Don Mattingly. Bob Griese was a little older. I watched Don play for the Yankees (on television) at a high level. He’s the manager of the Marlins. He’s still doing it. I had a chance meeting with him 10 or 15 years ago and he was a true Evansvillian. He was as down to earth as he could be.

C&P: You played in a golden age of the NBA, with Magic, Bird and Michael Jordan. Was there a defining moment, a distinctive memory of when you guarded Jordan?

Cheaney: He had made a crazy baseline fadeaway in the playoffs (Cheaney and the Washington Bullets were playing Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the first round in 1997). He came back down the floor and looked at me and asked me if I was tired. I said, ‘You must be tired. You’ve gotta have 40 points.’ You laugh it off and continue to play. He was a great player. Without a doubt the best player I ever played against. He is legendary.

C&P: You have been a player development assistant with the Pacers since November of 2020.

Cheaney: I try to help players get better on and off the floor. It’s a long season. You have to stay focused on the job, keep in the right frame of mind.

C&P: Will you apply for a head coaching job again?

Cheaney: I want to help kids realize their goals, pay it forward. It would be great if the opportunity came along.

Contact Gordon Engelhardt by email at gordon.engelhardt@courierpress.com and follow him on Twitter @EngGordon.