Sidney Moncrief

Sidney Alvin Moncrief (born September 21, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player. As an NCAA college basketball player from 1975 to 1979, Moncrief played for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks, leading them to the 1978 Final Four and a win in the NCAA Consolation Game versus #6 Notre Dame. Nicknamed Sid the Squid, Sir Sid, and El Sid, Moncrief went on to play 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association, including ten seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks. He was a five-time NBA All-Star and won the first two NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards in 1983 and 1984. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Sidney Alvin Moncrief was born on September 21, 1957, in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Moncrief, Marvin Delph of Conway, Arkansas, and Ron Brewer of Fort Smith, Arkansas ("The Triplets"), along with head coach Eddie Sutton and assistant coach Gene Keady, resurrected the University of Arkansas basketball program in the 1970s from decades of modest success and disinterest, and helped lay the foundation for what became one of the country's premier college basketball programs through the late-1990s. Moncrief led the Razorbacks to the SWC regular season championship in 1977, 1978, and 1979, and the SWC Tournament championship in 1977 and 1979. Moncrief was also part of the 1978 Final Four run for Arkansas, that saw the Razorbacks lose to eventual champion Kentucky in the semi-finals, and then defeat Notre Dame in the last 3rd place game ever played at the NCAA Final Four. The following year, Moncrief and Arkansas lost to Larry Bird and Indiana State in the Elite Eight. Moncrief's leadership on the court and electrifying play renewed interest in the Razorback program, and ushered in a new winning tradition in Arkansas basketball.

His jersey was retired not long after he graduated from school and went on to the NBA, and is one of only two, along with Corliss Williamson. Moncrief was the school's all-time leading scorer until Todd Day broke his record in 1992. At 6'4", he still remains the schools leader in rebounds in a career with 1015. On November 10, 2014, Moncrief was inducted into the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame. After being honored decades earlier with an unofficial banner, on February 7, 2015, Moncrief was officially honored by Arkansas when his name was put on a banner that was hung in the Razorbacks’ new home, Bud Walton Arena. He was the first player in Arkansas’ program history to have his number retired. Moncrief has also been inducted into the University of Arkansas Hall of Honor.

Although Jerry West wanted to draft him to the Los Angeles Lakers, Moncrief's NBA career started with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1979 when he was drafted 5th overall. In the final game of his rookie season, Moncrief scored 13 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and recorded 7 assists in 107–91 victory over the Utah Jazz.

During the 1980-81 NBA season, Moncrief helped the Bucks to a 60–22 record, third best in the league, while averaging 14 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists. Despite the strong showing in the regular season, Milwaukee lost in seven games to Philadelphia in the conference semifinals, after coach Don Nelson unsuccessfully contested Milwaukee's 99-98 Game 7 loss for two hours and sixteen minutes, while questioning whether Philadelphia got away with a 24-second violation at the end of the game. The following year, in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup, Moncrief made a running bank shot at the buzzer to beat the Philadelphia 76ers, though the Bucks lost the series in six games.

On December 5, 1982, in a loss against the New Jersey Nets, Moncrief recorded a career-high 7 steals. On February 24, 1983, Moncrief scored a career-high 42 points, recorded 8 assists, and grabbed 8 rebounds in a 114–103 victory against the Houston Rockets. That postseason, Moncrief led the Bucks to a sweep of Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics in the second round, averaging 23.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4 assists per game, and being on the dunking end of an alley-oop pass from Brian Winters to help put away the Game 4 win. The following round, on May 14, 1983, Moncrief scored 19 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and recorded 4 steals in a Game 3 loss against the eventual champion 76ers. The Bucks would lose the series 4–1, but would be the only team to beat Philadelphia in any postseason game that year.

On November 30, 1983, Moncrief scored 25 points and blocked a career-high 4 shots in a 139–122 victory against former Bucks player Alex English and the Denver Nuggets. The following month, Moncrief recorded his first career triple-double, with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 89–83 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.