Paul Pressey

Paul Pressey (B.S. ’82) has spent his life keeping his head in the game, both on the court and off it. Perhaps none of it would have been possible without one incredible mentor.

The youngest of eight children, Pressey was born in Richmond, Virginia, and played high school basketball. That’s where Coach Rob Evans saw him and was impressed with his skills. Evans contacted Nolan Richardson, who was then at Western Texas Junior College in Snyder, and told him about Pressey. Two years later, after winning the NJCAA, Richardson came to Tulsa as head basketball coach and brought along Pressey, setting him up for an impressive career on the court.

“Nolan Richardson was the reason for my success along with my teammates at The University of Tulsa,” Pressey said. “He was not just my coach, he was a father figure to me, a mentor, a teacher, and a close friend. He taught me how to work hard on the basketball court.”

Known as the “Rubberband Man” to Tulsa fans, Pressey and the team brought national recognition and the 1981 NIT Championship to Tulsa. As a senior, he earned All-America honors and was named the MVC Player of the Year. He completed his collegiate career with 291 assists and 191 steals, leading Tulsa to a 50-13 record in two seasons.

Pressey points to Richardson as instilling in him the kind of work ethic required to pursue basketball professionally and later to coach, following in Richardson’s footsteps. After UTulsa, Pressey played eight years for the Milwaukee Bucks, where he and his team swept the Boston Celtics his rookie year, and then later for the San Antonio Spurs and the Golden State Warriors.

One of pioneers of the “point-forward” position, the 6-foot-5 Pressey averaged 5.1 assists per game during his NBA career. He led the Bucks in that category for five consecutive seasons, including a career-best 7.8 assists per outing in 1985-86.

Pressey was also named to the NBA All-Defensive Team for three straight years. In 1985-86, he finished seventh in the NBA with 168 steals.

Beginning in the early 1990s, Pressey embarked on his second career: coaching. He served as assistant coach for the Warriors, Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Los Angeles Lakers, before a recent stint as special assistant to another Golden Hurricane, Mike Anderson (BS ‘82), who served as the men’s basketball head coach at St. John’s University. Pressey’s favorite coaching memory? Winning the first NBA Championship in 1999 with the San Antonio Spurs.

Pressey is just as passionate about his life outside the game. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have been married 42 years and have four children, Ashley, Angie, Matt, and Phillip, and 10 grandchildren. Pressey enjoys fishing, hunting, and most especially visiting his grandchildren and – yes – quilting with his wife. But recollections from the court are never far off, and he is proud of his years as a student-athlete.

“My best memory as a player at TU was when we won the National Invitation Tournament. It was great for the City of Tulsa. Those are memories that will last a lifetime for the players involved and the city as a whole,” he said. “Tulsa is a great town to start a young student’s college career and prepare them for success in the workplace and in society.”