Gene Shue

Eugene William Shue


Born:
December 18, 1931
Baltimore, MD

Died:
April 3, 2022
Marina del Rey, CA


Career
Towson Catholic High School - Maryland (High School)
1951-52 University of Maryland (College)
1952-53 University of Maryland (College)
1953-54 University of Maryland (College)
1954-55 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1954-55 New York Knicks (NBA)
1955-56 New York Knicks (NBA)
1956-57 Fort Wayne Pistons (NBA)
1957-58 Detroit Pistons (NBA)
1958-59 Detroit Pistons (NBA)
1959-60 Detroit Pistons (NBA)
1960-61 Detroit Pistons (NBA)
1961-62 Detroit Pistons (NBA)
1962-63 New York Knicks (NBA)
1963-64 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)
1966-67 Baltimore Bullets (NBA) Head coach
1967-68 Baltimore Bullets (NBA) Head coach
1968-69 Baltimore Bullets (NBA) Head coach
1969-70 Baltimore Bullets (NBA) Head coach
1970-71 Baltimore Bullets (NBA) Head coach
1971-72 Baltimore Bullets (NBA) Head coach
1972-73 Baltimore Bullets (NBA) Head coach
1973-74 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) Head coach
1974-75 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) Head coach
1975-76 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) Head coach
1976-77 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) Head coach
1977-78 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) Head coach
1978-79 San Diego Clippers (NBA) Head coach
1979-80 San Diego Clippers (NBA) Head coach
1980-81 Washington Bullets (NBA) Head coach
1981-82 Washington Bullets (NBA) Head coach
1982-83 Washington Bullets (NBA) Head coach
1983-84 Washington Bullets (NBA) Head coach
1984-85 Washington Bullets (NBA) Head coach
1985-86 Washington Bullets (NBA) Head coach
1987-88 Los Angeles Clippers (NBA) Head coach
1988-89 Los Angeles Clippers (NBA) Head coach

Not even offered a scholarship at the University of Maryland, Gene Shue worked hard to play for the school and would average over 20 points per game in his junior and senior years. The school had never had a prominent basketball program, but Shue helped push the school into national prominence.

After leaving the University of Maryland, Shue was the 3rd overall pick in 1954 NBA draft, selected by the Philadelphia Warriors. Shue would last less than month with Philly before being sold to the New York Knicks. He would see limited playing time with the Knicks for two seasons and was then traded to the Fort Wayne Pistons in April of 1956 for Ron Sobie. Fort Wayne moved to Detroit the in 1957, and Shue began five straight years as an All-Star, scoring over 22 PPG in 1959-60 and 1960-61. He was traded back o the Knicks in 1962, and a little over a year later was sold to the new Baltimore Bullets.

After the 1963-64 season with the Bullets, he retired as a player but a few years later returned as the team's head coach. Struggling to a 16-40 record in his first season as coach in 1966-67, two years later he lead the Bullets to a divisional title (and unfortunately a quick exit from the playoffs.) In 1971, the Bullets advanced to the NBA Finals but Shue's team was swept by the Milwaukee Bucks. In June of 1973, Shue quit the Bullets with four divisional titles under his belt. He was hired by the Philadelphia 76ers a few weeks after. Shue took a team that had been 9-73 in 1972-73 to the NBA finals four seasons later. He was fired by the Sixers in December of 1977, and a year later would begin his two-season stint coaching the San Diego Clippers. He resigned from the Clippers in May of 1980 to return to the Bullets (now playing in the nation's capitol), but this time the Bullets remained hovering around the .500 mark for all six seasons he was at the helm. After being fired by the Bullets, he returned to the Clippers for a season and a half but didn't fare well, being fired 38 games into the 1988-89 season. He worked for the 76ers in the front office as well as working as a scout in the 90's.

Source:


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/shuege01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=shuege01

Frank Selvy

Franklin Delano Selvy


Born:
November 9, 1932
Corbin, KY

Died:
August 13, 2024
Simpsonville, SC


Career
1948-49 Corbin High School - Kentucky (High School)
1949-50 Corbin High School - Kentucky (High School)
1950-51 Furman University - South Carolina (College) Freshmen
1951-52 Furman University - South Carolina (College)
1952-53 Furman University - South Carolina (College)
1953-54 Furman University - South Carolina (College)
1954-55 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)
1954-55 Milwaukee Hawks (NBA)
1955-56 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)
1957-58 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)
1957-58 Minneapolis Lakers (NBA)
1958-59 New York Knicks (NBA)
1959-60 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1959-60 Minneapolis Lakers (NBA)
1960-61 Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)
1961-62 Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)
1962-63 Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)
1963-64 Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)
1966-67 Furman University - South Carolina (College) Head coach
1967-68 Furman University - South Carolina (College) Head coach 
1968-69 Furman University - South Carolina (College) Head coach
1969-70 Furman University - South Carolina (College) Head coach  


On February 13, 1954, Furman was celebrating their favorite senior with Frank Selvy night in a game against Newberry College. Selvy was averaging over 40 point per game, highest in the country. With 4000 fans, including many friends and family members from Kentucky, packed in to Textile Hall, Coach Lyles Ally told his team to get the ball to Selvy and let him do the work on his special night. What wound up happening is Selvy hit 41 of 66 field goal attempts and also scored 18 from the line to score a staggering 100 points, a record that still stands for a Division I team. (Newberry College was not a Division 1 opponent. The record for points in a game by a Division 1 player against a Division I opponent is 72 by Kevin Bradshaw.)

Selvy was the first overall selection in the 1954 NBA draft by the Baltimore Bullets. The Bullets franchise dissolved shortly into the 1954-55 season, and Selvy was selected by the Milwaukee Hawks in the dispersal draft. He would average 19 points per game in his rookie year and was partly into his second season with the Hawks (now in St Louis) when he entered the U.S. Army. He would spend two years in the service and returned to the Hawks in 1958. The Hawks traded him to the Lakers in mid-February of 1958, and joined the New York Knicks for the 1958-59 season. After a year with the Knicks, he was waived on the eve of the 59-60 season. He was claimed by the Nationals and spent about six weeks with Syracuse before being sold back to the Lakers. He spent the rest of his nine year career in Los Angeles before retiring in 1964 as a two-time All-Star. He returned to Furman to coach the team for four seasons.

Source:


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/selvyfr01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=selvyfr01

Red Morrison

Dwight W. "Red" Morrison


Born:
April 26, 1932
Fresno, CA

Died:
June 7, 2023
Mesa, AZ


Career
1947-48 Walla Walla High School - Washington (High School)
1948-49 Walla Walla High School - Washington (High School)
1949-50 Walla Walla High School - Washington (High School)
1951-52 University of Idaho (College)
1952-53 University of Idaho (College)
1953-54 University of Idaho (College)
1954-55 Boston Celtics (NBA)
1955-56 Boston Celtics (NBA)
1957-58 Boston Celtics (NBA)

Born to James and Phyllis Morrison in Fresno, California, Dwight and the Morrison family moved to Walla Walla, Washington, where "Red" would play basketball in high school.  went Red was drafted by the Celtics in the second round of the 1954 NBA Draft. He signed with the Celtics and played two years before quitting basketball to study medicine at Whitman College back in Walla Walla. He returned the Celtics in 1957 and played one more year before quitting the NBA. He wound up becoming a special agent for the FBI, pursuing fugitives and bank robbers and retired from the FBI after 22 years. He then worked at Boeing for about 4 years.

Red and his wife Peggy had two sons and two daughters.

Source:
celticslife.com, August 2013

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/morrire01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=morrire01

Tom Marshall

John Thomas "Tom" Marshall


Born:
January 6, 1931
Coldwater, TN

Died:
May 10, 2024
Fort Myers, FL


Career
1948-49 Mount Juliet - Tennessee (High School)
1949-50 Mount Juliet - Tennessee (High School)
1951-52 Western Kentucky University (College)
1952-53 Western Kentucky University (College)
1953-54 Western Kentucky University (College)
1954-55 Rochester Royals (NBA)
1956-57 Rochester Royals (NBA)
1957-58 Detroit Pistons (NBA)
1957-58 Cincinnati Royals (NBA)
1958-59 Cincinnati Royals (NBA) Head coach / player
1959-60 Cincinnati Royals (NBA) Head coach

From Mount Juliet, Tennessee, Tom Marshall was a two-time All-American at Western Kentucky, averaging well over 20 point per game. Marshall was taken seventh overall in the 1954 NBA Draft by the Rochester Royals. He played a season with the Royals before missing the 1955-56 season to serve in the U.S. Army. Except for a short stint with the Pistons, Marshall played exclusively in the NBA with the Royals, both in Rochester and Cincinnati. He would also serve as the head coach for a couple seasons. Marshall would eventually retired to Fort Myers, Florida.

Source:
Hilltopperhaven.com
wilsonpost.com, February 8, 2011

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/marshto01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=marshto01

Jim Phelan

James Joseph Phelan


Born:
March 19, 1929
Philadelphia, PA

Died:
June 16, 2021
Emmitsburg, MD


Career
1945-46 La Salle Collegiate - Philadelphia (High School)
1946-47 La Salle Collegiate - Philadelphia (High School)
1947-48 La Salle College - Philadelphia (College)
1948-49 La Salle College - Philadelphia (College)
1949-50 La Salle College - Philadelphia (College)
1950-51 La Salle College - Philadelphia (College)
1953-54 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1953-54 Pottsville Packers (EPBL)
1953-54 La Salle College - Philadelphia (College) Assistant coach
1954-55 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1955-56 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1956-57 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1957-58 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1958-59 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1959-60 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1960-61 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1961-62 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1962-63 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1963-64 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1964-65 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1965-66 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1966-67 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1967-68 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1968-69 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1969-70 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1970-71 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1971-72 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1972-73 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach 
1973-74 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1974-75 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach 
1975-76 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1976-77 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach 
1977-78 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1978-79 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach 
1979-80 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1980-81 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach 
1981-82 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach 
1982-83 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach  
1983-84 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach 
1984-85 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach  
1985-86 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach 
1986-87 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach  
1987-88 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach 
1988-89 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach  
1989-90 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach 
1990-91 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach  
1991-92 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1992-93 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1993-94 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1994-95 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1995-96 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1996-97 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1997-98 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1998-99 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
1999-00 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
2000-01 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
2001-02 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach
2002-03 Mount St. Mary's College - Maryland (College) Head coach


After starring at La Salle Collegiate, Phelan went on to La Salle College and after graduating served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War. After the war, Phelan was drafted by the Philadelphia Warriors and appeared in four games before being released. He signed on to play with the Pottsville Packers of the Eastern League. After that season, he was offered the head coaching job at Mount St. Mary's, a small college in Emmitsburg, Maryland. This was the beginning of a legendary tenure at MSM that last 49 seasons. He would lead the school to the NCAA Division 2 Basketball Championship in 1961-62, and over his career would attain a 830-524 record. MSM would eventually move up to Division 1 status and in 1995 the school entered the NCAA tournament for the first time. Known for his signature bowtie as well as his coaching ability, Phelan finally retired in 2003 at the age of 74.

Jim and his wife, Dottie, married in 1954 and they have five children.

Blogger Note:
I anticipate adding "HALL OF FAME" to this page one day. Hopefully it is when Jim is alive to enjoy the honor he deserves.

Source:
Mount Athletics
Washington Post, Februalry 23, 2019

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/phelaja02.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=phelaja02

Dick Knostman

Richard William Knostman


Born:
August 9, 1931
Warnego, KS

Died:
March 16, 2022
Wickenburg, AZ


Career
1947-48 Warnego High School - Kansas (High School)
1948-49 Warnego High School - Kansas (High School)
1949-50 Kansas State College (College) Freshmen
1950-51 Kansas State College (College)
1951-52 Kansas State College (College)
1952-53 Kansas State College (College)
1953-54 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)

Knostman, a 6'6 center from Warnego, Kansas, played basketball at Kansas State where he helped the Wildcats to the 1951 Final Four as a sophomore. After a stellar career at K-State that saw him score over 1000 points, he was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals but would only play five games for them.

Source:


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/knostdi01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=knostdi01

Rollen Hans

Rollen Franklin Hans, Jr.


Born:
April 13, 1931
Los Angeles, CA

Died :
August 30, 2021
Seattle, WA


Career
1948-49 Polytechnic of Los Angeles (High School)
1949-50 Los Angeles CC (College)
1950-51 Los Angeles CC (College)
1950-51 Fibber McGee and Molly (AAU)
1951-52 Los Alamitos Navy (Military)
1952-53 Los Alamitos Navy (Military)
1953-54 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)
1954-55 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)

LIU ALL-Time Rister

"Rollie from Poly" graduated from high school and then went to Los Angeles Community College where he would star on the basketball court for a couple seasons, also playing AAU basketball with a team sponsored by the "Fibber McGee and Molly" show. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, playing on the powerful Los Alamitos team. He supposedly went to Long Island University, but I cannot find much evidence of him actually playing on the team, and the timeline between his naval service in California and his professional career with the Baltimore Bullets doesn't leave a window where he would have played at LIU. He DOES appear on the LIU All-Time roster, but they do not list his years on the team. I think what happened is he was to transfer to LIU after the 1950-51 school year but wound up going into the Navy instead. I could use some clarity here.



He played two seasons with the hapless Bullets, and when the team folded in the 1954-55, so ended his NBA career.

Rollen married Cathryn Dixon in 1968 and they had six children.

Source:


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hansro01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=hansro01

Ernie Beck

Ernest Joseph Beck


Born:
December 11, 1931
Philadelphia, PA

Died:
December 12, 2024



Career
1947-48 West Catholic High School - Philadelphia (High School)
1948-49 West Catholic High School - Philadelphia (High School)
1950-51 University of Pennsylvania (College)
1951-52 University of Pennsylvania (College)
1952-53 University of Pennsylvania (College)
1953-54 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1955-56 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1956-57 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1957-58 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1958-59 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1959-60 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1960-61 St Louis Hawks (NBA)
1960-61 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1961-62 Sunbury Mercuries (EPBL)
1962-63 Sunbury Mercuries (EPBL)
1963-64 Sunbury Mercuries (EPBL)  Head coach / player

Beck was one of many stars from Philadelphia in the 40's to make it to the NBA. Beck lead the city in scoring in his senior year at West Catholic before enrolling at Penn. He scored a school-record 1827 points at Penn, with 67e coming in his final year (still the school record for a single season.) He was a territorial draft pick by the Philadelphia Warriors and played 15 games in the NBA in 1953 before having to leave to serve in the U.S. Navy. After two years, he returned to the Warriors and rarely missed a game over the next five seasons.  He helped the Warriors to the NBA title in 1955-56.
Just prior to the 1960-61 season, Beck was traded with Woody Sauldsberry to the St. Louis Hawks for Ed Conlin. He appears in 7 games with the Hawks before being sold to Syracuse, and was let go shortly thereafter.

Out of the NBA, Beck would play a few seasons in the Eastern League with Sunbury. He would start a new career as a high school teacher and coach


Source:
https://www.philly.com/philly/sports/high_school/230939891.html

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/becker01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=becker01

Ernie Barrett

Ernie Drew Barrett


Born:
August 27, 1929
Pratt, KS

Died:
April 21, 2023
Manhattan, KS


Career
1945-46 Wellington High School - Kansas (High School)
1946-47 Wellington High School - Kansas (High School)
1947-48 Kansas State University (College)
1948-49 Kansas State University (College)
1949-50 Kansas State University (College)
1950-51 Kansas State University (College)
1953-54 Boston Celtics (NBA)
1954-55 Kansas State University (College) Assistant coach
1955-56 Boston Celtics (NBA)
1956-57 Kansas State University (College) Assistant coach
1957-58 Kansas State University (College) Assistant coach
1958-59 Kansas State University (College) Assistant coach
1959-60 Kansas State University (College) Assistant coach
1960-61 Kansas State University (College) Assistant coach

Barrett was born in the small town of Pratt, Kansas, but his family moved around a lot before he wound up in Wellington, Kansas. His basketball skills got him a scholarship at Kansas State University, where in his senior year he would be team captain and lead the Wildcats to the NCAA Championship game, falling to Adolph Rupp's Kentucky squad, 68-58.

Barrett was drafted by the Celtics in the first round of the 1951 draft, but he had to serve his country in the Korean War first. After his time in the army, he finally join the Celtics in fall of 1953. The guard saw action in 59 games, scoring 2.3 points per game. However, playing behind Hall of Famer Bill Sharman was too big an obstacle, and Barrett returned to KSU to work as an assistant coach.  The NBA adopted the shot clock after the 1954-55 season, and Celtics coach Red Auerbach sensed that the league style of play would change to the kind that would fit a sharp-shooter like Barrett, so he coaxed him away for K-State to return to the Celtics. Barrett played in all 72 games but wanted to return to coaching so he retired for good. Back at K-State, he would eventually wind up as the athletics director there

Source:
Mark McClure, The Mercury (Manhattan. KS), March 21, 2018
Celtic Nation Interviw, December 2018

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/barreer01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=barreer01

Gene Rhodes

Eugene Stephen Rhodes


Born:
September 2, 1927
St. Louis, MO

Died:
March 10, 2018
Louisville, KY


Career
1943-44 Male High School - Louisville, Kentucky (High School)
1944-45 Male High School - Louisville, Kentucky (High School)
1945-46 Male High School - Louisville, Kentucky (High School)
1948-49 Western Kentucky University (College)
1949-50 Western Kentucky University (College)
1950-51 Western Kentucky University (College)
1951-52 Western Kentucky University (College)
1952-53 Indianapolis Olympians (NBA)
1953-54 Trinity High School - Louisville, Kentucky (High School) 
1954-55 St. Xavier High School - Louisville, Kentucky (High School) Head coach
1955-56 St. Xavier High School - Louisville, Kentucky (High School) Head coach
1956-57 St. Xavier High School - Louisville, Kentucky (High School) Head coach
1957-58 St. Xavier High School - Louisville, Kentucky (High School) Head coach
1958-59 St. Xavier High School - Louisville, Kentucky (High School) Head coach
1959-60 St. Xavier High School - Louisville, Kentucky (High School) Head coach
1960-61 St. Xavier High School - Louisville, Kentucky (High School) Head coach
1962-63 Male High School - Louisville, Kentucky (High School) Head coach
1963-64 Male High School - Louisville, Kentucky (High School) Head coach
1964-65 Western Kentucky University (College) - Head coach
1965-66 Western Kentucky University (College) - Head coach
1966-67 Western Kentucky University (College) - Head coach
1967-68 Western Kentucky University (College) - Head coach
1967-68 Kentucky Colonels (ABA) - Head coach
1968-69 Kentucky Colonels (ABA) - Head coach
1969-70 Kentucky Colonels (ABA) - Head coach
1970-71 Kentucky Colonels (ABA) - Head coach

Born to Leslie and Lorena Rhodes in St. Louis, Gene grew up in Louisville, Kenutcky, and was a natural athlete, playing multiple sports at Male HS. He entered the U.S. Army after graduating and served two years before returning home and enrolling at Western Kentucky.

Rhodes played basketball and baseball at WKU before being drafted by the Indianapolis Olympians of the NBA. After ones season with the Olympians where he played 65 games, he returned home to Louisville to coach basketball at Trinity High School. A year later, he saw an opening at St. Xavier HS and immediately jumped on that opportunity. In the 1958, his coached St. Xavier won the state basketball title. After a stint at his old high school, Male HS in Louisville, he took an assistant coaching job under John Oldham at WKU.

After the getting off to a slow 5-12 start in the 1967-68 ABA season, The Kenutcky Colonels fired head coach John Givens on November 22, 1967, and hired Rhodes away from WKU. Rhodes would save the Colonels season and get them into the playoffs, and the team improved over the next two seasons. In 1970, the Colonels were off to a 10-5 start when Rhodes was fired and replaced with former Celtic great Frank Ramsey. Mike Storen, the Colonel's GM, would be named in a lawsuit, along with the ownership of the team (Athletic Enterprises, Inc) in a defamation lawsuit filed by Rhodes in 1971. Rhodes claimed statements made by the organization with regards to his dismissal injured and defamed him maliciously. The two-million dollar lawsuit would be settled for an undisclosed sum in 1973. When Storen resigned a short-time after the settlement, Rhodes was hired to replace him as GM. Rhodes was named vice-president in 1975. With the ABA floundering through its 1975-76 season, the NBA agreed to take four ABA teams into its fold. The Kentucky Colonels were not one of those teams. The Colonels dissolved in the summer of 1976, and Rhodes took a job as special projects manager at Canada Dry Bottling in Louisville and left basketball behind.

Rhodes died in 2018 at the age of 90.


Source:
https://www.newcomerkentuckiana.com/Obituary/155126/Eugene-Rhodes/Louisville-Kentucky
https://www.wbko.com/content/sports/WKU-hall-of-famer-Rhodes-dead-at-90-476464533.html

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/rhodege01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=rhodege01

Bill Mlkvy

William Paul Mlkvy


Born:
January 19, 1931
Palmerton, PA

Died:
December 12, 2024



Career
1947-48 Stephen F. Palmer High School - Palmerton, PA (High School)
1949-50 Temple University (College)
1950-51 Temple University (College)
1951-52 Temple University (College)
1952-53 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)

Known during his days at Temple as the "Owl Without A Vowel," Mlkvy  lit up college basketball in his junior year, averaging 29.2 points per game and setting a Temple record with 73 markers in one game against Wilkes College (at one point, he had scored 53 of Temple's points in a row). He finished Temple with over 1500 points, at the time the career record at Temple. He was a territorial draft pick of the Philadelphia Warriors, in 1952, and he played in 31 games for them in the 1952-53 season. Mlkvy was still attending

Temple at this time, going into dentistry. Coach Eddie Gottlieb told Bill he would have to choose between basketball and school. He was going to chose basketball, but when he found out he was going to be drafted into the army if he stayed in basketball, he chose to continue school and delay his entry into the army. When his schooling was finished, he went in as a dental officer. and served six years, most of the time stationed in Korea. When he returned home, he set up a private dental practice and would work there for a quarter of a century.

Bill married Barbara Harper in 1954 and they had three children.

Bill's younger brother, Bob, was also a collegiate basketball player who became a dentist.

Source:
City of Basketball Love, September 23, 2014

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mlkvybi01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=mlkvybi01

Bucky McConnell

Paul Joseph "Bucky" McConnell


Born:
July 1, 1928
Newark, NJ

Died:
April 1, 2019



Career
1948-49 John Marshall College - New Jersey (College)
1948-49 John Marshall College - New Jersey (College)
1951-52 Newark Iron Dukes (Independent)
1952-53 Newark Iron Dukes (Independent)
1952-53 Milwaukee Hawks (NBA)

1952-53 Berwick Carbuilders (EPBL)
1953-54 Berwick Carbuilders (EPBL)
1953-54 Jersey Titans (Independent)
1954-55 Carbondale (Independent)
1954-55 Williamsport Billies (EPBL)
1955-56 Hazleton Hawks (EPBL)

McConnell signed with the Milwaukee Hawks on February 16, 1953, and would play 14 games with the Hawks, scoring 68 points. He failed to make the Hawks that fall and was released on October 5, 1953. He signed with the Jersey Titans and would bounce around various teams and leagues in the East for a few more years.

Source:


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mcconbu01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=mcconbu01

Bob Lochmueller

Robert Lee Lochmueller


Born:
June 5, 1927
Elberfeld, IN

Died:
October 27, 2020
Tell City, IN



Career
1942-43 Elberfeld High School - Indiana (High School)
1943-44 Elberfeld High School - Indiana (High School)
1944-45 Elberfeld High School - Indiana (High School)
1949-50 University of Louisville (College)
1950-51 University of Louisville (College)
1951-52 University of Louisville (College)
1952-53 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1953-54 Fort Branch High School - Indiana (High School) Head coach
1954-55 Princeton High School - Indiana (High School) Head coach
1955-56 Princeton High School - Indiana (High School) Head coach
1956-57 Richmond High School - Indiana (High School) Head coach
1957-58 Seymour High School - Indiana (High School) Head coach
1958-59 Seymour High School - Indiana (High School) Head coach
1959-60 Seymour High School - Indiana (High School) Head coach
1960-61 Seymour High School - Indiana (High School) Head coach
1962-63 West Virginia State University (College) Assistant coach
1963-64 West Virginia State University (College) Assistant coach
1964-65 West Virginia State University (College) Assistant coach 
1965-66 Tell City High School - Indiana (High School) Head coach
1966-67 Tell City High School - Indiana (High School) Head coach
1967-68 Tell City High School - Indiana (High School) Head coach
1968-69 Tell City High School - Indiana (High School) Head coach
1969-70 Tell City High School - Indiana (High School) Head coach
1970-71 Tell City High School - Indiana (High School) Head coach
1971-72 Tell City High School - Indiana (High School) Head coach
1972-73 Tell City High School - Indiana (High School) Head coach
1973-74 Tell City High School - Indiana (High School) Head coach
1974-75 Tell City High School - Indiana (High School) Head coach
1975-76 Tell City High School - Indiana (High School) Head coach
1976-77 Tell City High School - Indiana (High School) Head coach
1977-78 Tell City High School - Indiana (High School) Head coach
1978-79 Tell City High School - Indiana (High School) Head coach
1979-80 Tell City High School - Indiana (High School) Head coach

Lochmueller, who played basketball while attending Louisville, was drafted by Syracuse in the 7th round of the 1952 NBA Draft. After a career-ending knee injury in his rookie season, Lockmueller went into the coaching ranks. He bounced around various Indiana High School before being offered as assistant job at West Virginia. After three seasons, we took the head coaching job at Tell City High School, where he would stay for 15 seasons. Tell City would win nine-consecutive sectional championships and two regional championships under Lochmueller.

Source:


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lochmbo01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=lochmbo01

Dick Groat

Richard Morrow Groat


Born:
November 4, 1930
Wilkinsburg, PA

Died:
April 27, 2023
Pittsburgh, PA


Career
1946-47 Swissvale High School - Pennsylvania (High School)
1947-48 Swissvale High School - Pennsylvania (High School)
1949-50 Duke University (College)
1950-51 Duke University (College)
1951-52 Duke University (College)
1952-53 Fort Wayne Pistons (NBA)

Groat went to Duke on a basketball scholarship, but played both baseball and basketball there. In the summer of 1952, Branch Rickey, the general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, offered Groat a contract if he'd leave school early. Groat decided to finish his last year at Duke, and signed with the Pirates the following year. After a decent rookie season where he batted .284 and finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting, Groat went and played basketball with the Fort Wayne Pistons in the NBA, who had drafted him that summer. After a decent season with the Pistons, he wound up being drafted into the U.S. Army and served for two years. After his duty, he returned to athletics, but chose to only play baseball despite enjoying basketball more.

As shortstop for the Pirates, he was a key to the team's resurgence and in 1960 won the NL batting title and the MVP award as he lead the Pirates to their first World Series Championship since 1925. After the 1962 season, the Pirates dealt the 32-year old infielder to the St. Louis Cardinals where he would play for three years, picking up his second ring when the Cards beat the Yankees in the 1964 Series. He would put in some time with the Phillies and the Giants before retiring in 1967 with a .286 lifetime batting average and over 2100 hits.

Groat would work as a salesman and broadcaster as well as owning and operating a golf course.

Dick married model Barbara Womble (d. 1990) in 1955.



Groat is the the only player in NCAA history to lead the country in scoring and assists in the same season.

Major League Baseball Stats
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/groatdi01.shtml

Source:
SABR Biography

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/groatdi01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=groatdi01

Wendell Shows

Wendell W. "Hooks" Shows


Born:
May 11, 1921
Laurel, MS

Died:
May 16, 2011
Pleasant Hill, CA


Career
1940-41 Louisiana State University (College)
1941-42 Louisiana State University (College)
1942-43 Louisiana State University (College)
1948-49 Laurel Oilers (SPBL)

Shows was born in Laurel, Mississippi, and went to LSU where he played basketball. He went into the USMC during World War 2, and after the war, he entered the insurance business. He would play pro basketball with the Laurel Oilers (as well as being head coach) before leaving the game to work as District Manager for Jefferson Standard Life in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. His career would take him westward to Denver, and later wound up in California, where he died at the age of 90.

Source:
Hattiesburg American, December 2, 1949


Stats:

Red Hultburg

Dr. James Eldon "Red" Hultberg


Born:
October 2, 1926
Burlington, IA

Died:
July 7, 2020
Metairie, LA


Career
1942-43 Warren Easton High School - New Orleans (High School)
1943-44 Warren Easton High School - New Orleans (High School)
1944-45 Loyola University - New Orleans (College)
1945-46 Loyola University - New Orleans (College)
1946-47 Loyola University - New Orleans (College)
1947-48 Loyola University - New Orleans (College)
1948-49 New Orleans Sports (SPBL)

Hultberg played baseball and basketball in high school before attending Loyola in New Orleans. After lettering for four years, he graduated and played with the New Orleans Sports while finishing dental school. He was a dentist for many years in Louisiana before retiring.

Red married Marion Simmons in 1949 and they had two daughters and a son, Jordy, who would play basketball at LSU.

Source:
"Fight, Grin and Squarely Play the Game" by Ramon A. Vargas and Peter Finney

Stats:

Ray Spitzer

Raymond Joseph Spitzer


Born:
January 30, 1924
Edgeley, ND

Died:
November 15, 2018
Pinson, AL


Career
1947-48 Gadsden / Bessemer Whiz Kids (SPBL)

After playing a year in the Southern League alongside his brothers, Herb and Lloyd, Ray would go on to work at Bell South Telephone for 35 years before retiring. He was 94 when he died in 2018

Ray and his wife, Ruth, had five children.

Source:


Stats:

Ken Spiker

Kenneth Richard Spiker


Born:
October 27, 1925
Fort Wayne, IN

Died:
June 1, 2016
Rochester, NY


Career
1942-43 Olney High School - Philadelphia (High School)
1943-44 Olney High School - Philadelphia (High School)
1946-47 Lansdale Hawks - Philadelphia (Independent)
1947-48 Montgomery Rebels (SPBL)
1948-49 Montgomery Rebels (SPBL)

Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Spiker's family moved to Philadelphia around 1941. After high school, Spiker joined the U.S. Army and served in the Air Corps during World War 2. After the war, he played semi-pro basketball around Philly where he caught the attention of the ABL's Baltimore Bullets. Spiker signed with the Bullets of the ABL in the summer of 1947 and was sent to Montgomery where he would play with the Rebels for two seasons, trying to impress Bullets' management enough to bring him to the big league. He never made it to the Bullets, and left basketball to work for many years as a journeyman tool and die maker.



Source:
Obituary, Maryland Journal

Stats:

Ken Redmond

Kenneth Emerson Redmond


Born:
January 8, 1926
Tennessee

Died:
June 4, 2018
Nashville, TN


Career
1943-44 Howard High School - Nashville (High School)
1946-47 Tennessee Tech - Cookeville, TN (College)
1947-48 Nashville Vols (SPBL)
1948-49 Nashville Vols (SPBL)

Redmond entered the military after high school to serve his country during World War 2. After the war, the former high school football and basketball star received scholarship offers from 5 SEC schools but chose to attend Tennessee Poly (now Tennessee Tech). He left school early do to financial hardship, he left school early and played basketball for the Nashville Vols for the two seasons the Southern Basketball League was in existence. He would become one of the more well-known football coach in Tennessee High School athletics, coaching for forty years at various Tennessee school.

Ken and his wife, Joyce, had five children.

Source:
The Tennessean, November 30, 1988
Woodbine Funeral Home

Stats:

Lindsey Oden

Elias Lindsey Oden


Born:
August 27, 1929
Birmingham, AL 

Died:
November 2, 2019
Pinson, AL


Career
1947-48 Gadsden / Bessemer Whiz Kids (SPBL)
1948-49 Birmingham Steelers (SPBL)

Oden, a basketball player from the Birmingham area, played two years in the Southern Basketball League. He was the brother-in-law of teammate Herbert Spitzer.

Source:


Stats: