A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

Don Owen: Now a Southern California guy, NKU hoops legend Fields vividly recalls 1980s UC series


Though he’s firmly entrenched in California as a successful executive for Warner Bros. Entertainment, Derek Fields is forever etched in the basketball history of Northern Kentucky University.

But excuse the former NKU All-American if he doesn’t miss the winter weather of the Greater Cincinnati area. The climate of sunny Southern California is a perfect fit for Fields, an Ohio native who graduated from Worthington High School in 1985.

“We have fantastic weather in California, my friend,” Fields said, offering a sympathetic chuckle when I mentioned the brutal winters he left behind. “I can’t complain about the winters out here.”

Derek Fields

Think about it, and choose one of the following options during January: Below-freezing temperatures, shoveling snow and navigating icy roads in Greater Cincinnati, or 70 degrees while jogging outside in sunny Burbank?

It must be nice to never worry about the ramifications of the shifting polar vortex, and instead plan on visiting Hollywood or driving through the sun-drenched San Fernando Valley during the winter.

“It’s a great atmosphere out here in California, from the weather to the entertainment industry,” said Fields, who earned the Vincent Schulte Athlete of Distinction Award from NKU in 1989. “I’ve really been blessed in my career with opportunities in the job market. I can’t thank NKU enough for giving me the education that prepared me for everything.

“I enjoy living in Southern California, I work for an outstanding company, and the weather is fantastic during the winter months.”

While Fields escaped the frigid winter temperatures of the Midwest, he left behind a legacy filled with accolades at NKU. He became the first NKU men’s basketball performer to be voted Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year, taking that honor after his record-breaking senior season in 1988-89.

The 6-foot-1 guard was named to the NCAA Division II All-America third team in 1989 after averaging a school-record 23.7 points per game. His 664 points in 1988-89 are still an NKU single-season record.

In 2001, Fields was inducted into the NKU Athletics Hall of Fame, his 1,664 career points sixth on the Norse’s all-time scoring list.

He was also a member of the last NKU team that faced the University of Cincinnati in a regular-season game on Nov. 27, 1988. And though he’s now a Southern California guy, Fields has no trouble recalling the NKU/UC series that he played in four times during the 1980s.

NKU’s Derek Fields grabs a rebound against Cincinnati on Nov. 27, 1988.

“We were Division II at the time, and it was an opportunity to see where we were,” he said of the NKU/UC series, which is set to be renewed this season after a 30-year hiatus. “Several of us — Chris Wall, Tracey Davis, Shawn Scott, the Hairston twins, myself — we had offers to play Division I basketball coming out of high school, but [then-head coach Mike] Beitzel was able to get us to come down to NKU together. So playing Cincinnati was an opportunity for us to take on a big challenge. A lot folks didn’t give us a chance.

“It was the little brother playing the big brother. If you look over the series, those games were fairly close. It wasn’t like we couldn’t compete with them. Cincinnati looked at us as a scrimmage. We took it to heart and spilled our guts on the court.”

Fields, blessed with an ironclad memory and genuinely enthusiastic about the four years he spent at NKU, vividly recalled many other basketball-related items. Though he’s plenty busy in his career as vice president of sales and retail development at Warner Bros. Entertainment, Fields provided a plethora of details about the NKU/UC basketball series from the 1980s as well as his entire college career.

FACING UC AS A FRESHMAN AT NKU

On Dec. 6, 1985, NKU and Cincinnati squared off in Riverfront Coliseum. The Bearcats featured players such as Roger McClendon and Myron Hughes, and UC pulled away for a 75-56 win. Just a freshman, Fields finished with two points.

So, what did it feel like the first time you entered the game in Riverfront Coliseum to play against UC?

“Nerves. My stomach was in knots,” Fields replied. “Big crowd, 11,000 or 12,000 fans in a huge arena, going against a Division I program with great athletes. Absolutely you have the jitters as a freshman. But once you get into the game, it’s time to compete.

“Remember, we played in Regents Hall at that time, and it then held about 2,500 people. So playing at Riverfront Coliseum for the first time against UC, lots of nerves. But it all goes away once you start competing.”

PRACTICING FOR THE UC GAME

Playing for three years under the fiery Beitzel, Fields grew used to the intensity-driven practices. But Beitzel also implemented another strategy prior to the UC game.

“Beitzel was always an intense coach, but he used the psychological approach in practice the week of the UC game,” Fields said. “He would tell us that people are saying ‘you can’t compete with them’ to try and get us motivated. It was his way of attempting to loosen us up so we weren’t so tense about playing Cincinnati.”

THE MEMORABLE MOMENTS

NKU and UC have met just seven times, with all of those games being played in the 1980s. The Bearcats are 7-0 all-time against the Norse, but NKU nearly upset the heavily favored Bearcats on Nov. 29, 1986, falling 70-64 in the closing minutes at Riverfront Coliseum. NKU’s Shawn Scott poured in a game-high 21 points to pace the Norse.

“Shawn Scott lit up UC that night, made all kinds of tough shots,” said Fields, who added 10 points in that game as a sophomore. “Chris Wall also had a big game. I believe Chris threw down a big dunk, and he was talking a lot of smack to the UC players. Chris wasn’t afraid of anybody.”

THE LAST TIME NKU PLAYED UC

Yes, it’s been 30 years since NKU and UC actually played a regular-season game. And, yes, Fields played a major role in that contest in 1988, scoring a team-leading 19 points as NKU dropped a 75-63 decision to the Bearcats in Cincinnati Gardens.

Derek Fields averaged 23.7 points per game as a senior.

Looking at the box score, I assumed Fields was outstanding in that contest and stated such. Turns out I was wrong. Well, half wrong.

“Believe it or not, I stunk up the gym in the first half,” Fields said, laughing and noting he was 0-for-7 from the field before halftime. “I also had like three or four turnovers, and Coach {Ken} Shields moved me to the two-guard in the second half. I performed much better in the second half (7-for-12 from the field), we got into the flow and just started playing our game.”

While Fields and Wall (17 points) kept NKU within reach of a possible upset, UC’s Cedric Glover dominated the inside and finished with 23 points. “Glover was so big and powerful, around 6-8 and 235 [pounds], and he really hurt us,” Fields said.

Andre Tate added 17 points — including a trio of key 3-pointers against the Norse’s 2-3 zone — as UC pulled away from NKU late in the second half, closing the door on a series that would remain shut for the next 30 years.

ON HIS NKU BASKETBALL CAREER

As NKU prepared to enter the GLVC for the 1985-86 season, Beitzel brought in one of the most impressive recruiting classes in Norse basketball history. The eight-player recruiting class featured Fields, Wall, Davis, Patrick Holt, Kerry Hairston, Terry Hairston, Stepphone Bishop and Terrence Moorman.

Many around the program considered it the best recruiting class in the history of NKU athletics, and much was expected. During the next three years, NKU posted 15-13 records and finished below .500 in the GLVC in each campaign.

But in 1988-89, under the direction of first-year head coach Ken Shields, NKU forged a 17-11 record against a difficult schedule. The Norse also posted an 8-8 mark in the GLVC that season, the first time NKU had finished .500 in the nation’s toughest NCAA Division II conference.

One of the most impressive recruiting classes in NKU history arrived on campus in 1985-86. The eight-player recruiting class is pictured above: Front row (kneeling left to right): Stepphone Bishop, Derek Fields, Terrence Moorman. Back row: (standing left to right): Tracey Davis, Kerry Hairston, Terry Hairston, Patrick Holt, Chris Wall.

Refreshingly candid while reflecting on his career, Fields wasn’t satisfied with the 62-50 record NKU compiled from 1985-89. “I’m going to be honest with you — I totally believe we underachieved at NKU the four years I was there, especially my senior year,” he said. “I honestly believe had Ken Shields been there a year earlier, the way his system was geared — a more up-and down way of playing — we would have been a lot better than .500 in the conference my senior year.

“For me, the 17-11 record was really a disappointment as well as being .500 in the conference, especially after the start we got off to (NKU began the season 8-1). We had the talent to be in the upper echelon of the conference my senior year, but we finished 8-8.”

NKU lost seven games that season by four points or less, several of those setbacks triggered by missed free throws, including last-second heartbreakers to Chico State (91-89), IPFW (96-93), Kentucky Wesleyan (100-97), Ashland (80-77) and Bellarmine (108-105 in overtime). “We were very close to winning 22 or 23 games at least,” Fields said, his voice trailing off.

SENIOR NIGHT IN REGENTS HALL, FAREWELL TO NKU

On March 4, 1989, NKU sprinted to a 124-118 win over Indianapolis in Regents Hall, marking the final game for Fields in a Norse uniform. After being honored in Senior Night ceremonies, Fields poured in 35 points, dished out 10 assists and grabbed six rebounds as his farewell gift to the Regents Hall faithful. Wall scored 30 points for NKU, and that victory against Indianapolis marks the last time two Norse players netted at least 30 in the same game.

“It’s an emotional night. It’s the final time you put on the uniform with your brothers on the basketball team,” Fields said of his final game at NKU. “It’s one of the toughest things you go through as an athlete. Your family and friends are there. Then you come off that court together one last time. I was very happy we won that final time together as a team.”

FROM THE CBA TO BURBANK

Following his senior season at NKU, Fields was drafted in the seventh round by the San Jose Jammers of the now-defunct Continental Basketball Association. “The CBA was paying around $8,000 to play for about five and a half months,” he chuckled. “It wasn’t long-lived. I had another opportunity in the CBA with the Columbus Horizon the next year, but with the education I had received at NKU, I just decided that was enough for me to move forward. There were also some opportunities to play overseas, but I really didn’t see that as an option back then. Looking back now, I think I made the right decision as far as my career.”

Before accepting his current position at Warner Bros. Entertainment two years ago, Fields had worked for almost 13 years at Disney Consumer Products in Glendale, California. His career on the west coast has left him no time to visit Highland Heights since his alma mater transitioned from Division II to Division I status in athletics.

“I’ve not been back there to see their new arena, but I’ve been able to follow their progress,” he said. “I did watch their NCAA Tournament game against Kentucky two years ago. They’ve come a long way from Regents Hall.”

The same can be said for Derek Fields, an NKU All-American guard who traded in his winter wardrobe in the Midwest for a successful career in sunny Southern California — some 2,176 miles away from home.

Contact Don Owen at don@nkytrib.com and follow him on Twitter at @dontribunesport


Related Posts

2 Comments

  1. Benita Farve says:

    What an incredible item on one of the awesome young men I know….. my no. 1 nephew who is amazing inside out…..a one in a million true success story of how God can bless you all n sooooooo many ways…… Luv U dearly Sweetheart

  2. Tony Black says:

    Excellent story. I always knew Mr. Fields was a solid basketball player and an effective executive, but this article exposes his all-around exceptional attributes. From his grooming, including his thought-process, through to his execution.

Leave a Comment