UGA Men’s Basketball
UGA Women’s Basketball
2025 Recruiting
6-0 G/F Westminster Academy’s Lena Girardi is Broward Girls’ Basketball Player of Year for 4A-2A
SEC Basketball
Alabama
Tuscaloosa News: Charles Bediako plans to remain in NBA Draft, leave Alabama basketball
https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/stor...ball-brandon-miller-noah-clowney/70246282007/
Arkansas
South Carolina
College Basketball
USA Today: NIL bill expected in House would provide legal help sought by NCAA, letter says
Letter outlining draft of federal college sports bill says measure would:
-Allow NIL deals
-Give NCAA legal protection
-Say athletes can't be employees
-Create regulatory body to make, enforce rules about collectives, boosters, athlete endorsement deals:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...ts-nil-bill-big-changes-expected/70246101007/
Indiana
Indianapolis Star: Indiana basketball brings Calbert Cheaney back as director of player development
https://www.indystar.com/story/spor...o-iu-coaching-staff-mike-woodson/70248725007/
Miami
Michigan
Milwaukee
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Raw talent: With Langston Wilson now in the fold, UWM's roster is long, athletic and deep
https://www.jsonline.com/story/spor...roster-is-long-athletic-and-deep/70246995007/
New Mexico
Albuquerque Journal: Lobo basketball adds versatile graduate transfer forward for coming season
https://www.abqjournal.com/2600948/...duate-transfer-forward-for-coming-season.html
Oklahoma State
Oklahoman: Big 12 basketball appears set to have 18 conference games for 2023-24 season
https://www.oklahoman.com/story/spo...nference-gamesfor-2023-24-season/70237842007/
Providence
Providence Journal: Kim English adds three coaches to his Providence basketball staff
https://www.providencejournal.com/s...-assistants-to-pc-coaching-staff/70244156007/
Rutgers
NJ.com: Rutgers basketball takes another hit as 4-star commit reneges
https://www.nj.com/rutgersbasketbal...-four-star-commit-reneges.html?outputType=amp
St. John’s
NYP: Rick Pitino’s roster moves have St. John’s ‘right back’ in March Madness conversation
https://nypost.com/2023/05/22/rick-pitinos-roster-has-st-johns-back-in-march-madness-mix/
NBA
Atlanta
Denver
LA Lakers
ESPN: LeBron James says he will consider retirement this offseason
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/37711722/lakers-lebron-james-says-consider-retirement-offseason
Miami
Caleb Martin’s journey:
2012-13: Commits to NC State as a 4-star recruit
2013-14: Finishes high school at Oak Hill Academy
2014-15: Limited minutes as a true freshman
2015-16: Averages 12 PPG at NC State
2016-17: Transfers to Nevada & Sits Out
2017-18: Wins MWC Player of the Year. Leads Nevada to Sweet Sixteen.
2018-19: Makes NCAA tournament again.
2019-20: Undrafted, signs with Charlotte Hornets. Switched between G-League and NBA.
2020-21: 5 PPG, waived after the season.
2021-22: Signs with the Miami Heat, increased role.
2022-23: Averaging nearly 20 PPG in the Eastern Conference Finals, pivotal starter.
History
WKYT: Legendary UK athlete Cotton Nash has died
https://www.wkyt.com/2023/05/23/legendary-uk-athlete-cotton-nash-has-died/?outputType=amp
“Cotton Nash enjoyed brief stints in Major League Baseball with the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox. The former University of Kentucky men’s basketball star is one of only 13 men’s players to have played in both the NBA and MLB…”
In alphabetical order, here are the 13 players who have achieved rare professional sports doubles.
▪ Danny Ainge. The former BYU basketball star originally chose professional baseball. During his three seasons (1979-1981), when he played primarily as a third baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays, Ainge did not hit very well, batting .220 with two career homers and 37 RBIs.
Back in basketball, the 6-foot-4, 175-pound Ainge had even greater success. Ainge, who played in the NBA from 1981 to 1995 in Boston (eight seasons), Phoenix (three seasons), Portland (two seasons), and Sacramento (two seasons), averaged 11.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. Recorded.
▪ Frank Baumholtz. A major league outfielder from 1947 to 1957 with the Reds for three years, the Cubs for six years, and the Phillies for two years, Baumholtz had a career batting average of .290 and finished second in the National League with a .325 batting average in 1952. became.
A 5-10 basketball guard, Baumholtz played one season (1946-1947) for the Cleveland Rebels of the American Basketball Association (renamed the National Basketball Association after three seasons). He averaged 14 points per game, but made only 29.8 percent of his field goal tries.
▪ Hank Biasatti. A native of Beano, Italy, Biasatti had a brief “coffee” in both professional baseball and basketball. He appeared in 21 games as a first baseman and pinch hitter for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1949. He had two hits in 24 at-bats, both of which were doubles.
During the 1946-1947 American Basketball Association season, the 5-11, 175-pound guard appeared in six games and scored six points for the Toronto Huskies.
▪ Gene Conley. The 6-8, 225-pound giant Conley threw in the big leagues in 1952 and 1954-1963. He played six seasons with the Braves, one with Boston, five with Milwaukee, then two with the Phillies, and three with the Phillies. Red Sox.
Conley went 91-96 with a 3.82 ERA, but made four All-Star appearances.
As a basketball player, the power forward played for the Boston Celtics from 1952 to 1953, returned to the NBA and played for the Celts from 1958 to 1961, and then spent a final stint with the New York Knicks from 1962 to 1964. played.
Conley averaged 5.9 points and 6.3 rebounds in his NBA career.
▪ Chuck Connors. A first baseman, Connors spent 1949 with the Brooklyn Dodgers and 1951 with the Chicago Cubs. 238 with two homers and 18 RBIs in his two-season career.
The 6-5 forward/center, 190-pound Connors played for the Boston Celtics from 1946 to 1948, averaging 4.5 points and shooting 25.2 percent.
After leaving professional sports, Connors embarked on a 40-year career in show business, most notably starring as Lucas McCain in the television series The Rifleman from 1958 to 1963.
▪ Dave Dobuscher. As a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox in 1961 and 1962, Debscher appeared in 36 games, going 3-4 with a 2.90 ERA.
A 6-6, 220-pound power forward, Debusher has built a much more impressive legend in the NBA. He played in the league from 1962 to 1974, averaging a career double-double of 16.1 ppg and 11 rpg.
After playing for the Detroit Pistons from 1962 to midway through the 1968-69 season, Debscher was traded midseason to New York where he was a key cog on the Knicks’ NBA championship teams in 1969 and 1973.
An eight-time All-Star, Deb Cher was also named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team for the 2021-22 season.
▪ Dick Grote. A star of college basketball at Duke University, Grote made his greatest impact in professional sports as a shortstop in baseball. In a career that began in 1952 and lasted from 1955 to 1967, Grote played for the Pirates (1952, 1955-1962), Cardinals (1963-1965) and Phillies (1966-1967). , and played for the Giants (1967).
286 with 2,138 hits and 707 RBIs in Grote’s career. He batted .325 in 1960 and was named the National League MVP. Grote played for his two World Series winning teams, the 1960 Pirates and his 1964 Cardinals.
In basketball, the 5-11, 180-pound guard played one season (1952-1953) for the Fort Wayne Pistons, averaging 11.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists.
▪ Steve Hamilton. A 6-6, 190-pound Hamilton from Columbia, Kentucky, who graduated from Morehead State University, pitched in the major leagues from 1961 to 1972. He struggled with the Cleveland (1961), Washington Senators (1962) and Yankees (1963). -1970), White Sox (1970), Giants (1971), Cubs (1972).
The left-handed Hamilton went 40-31 with a 3.05 ERA and 42 saves in his career.
In two seasons as a Minneapolis Lakers forward (1958-1960), Hamilton averaged 4.5 points and 3.7 rebounds.
At the end of his playing career, Hamilton returned to his alma mater and coached the Morehead State baseball team for ten seasons (230-173) from 1988 until his death in 1997, when he was head of the Eagles’ track and field team.
▪ Mark Hendrickson. The 6-9, 240-pound lefty Hendrickson pitched in the major leagues from 2002-2011, with Toronto (2002-03), Tampa Bay (2004-06), LA Dodgers (2006-07) and Florida. played. (2008) and Baltimore (2009-2011).
He went 58-74 with a 5.03 ERA.
Prior to playing baseball, the Washington State University alumnus was an NBA power forward from 1996-2000. He played for Philadelphia (1996-97), Sacramento (1997-98) and Nets (1998-99), averaging 3.3 points and 2.8 rebounds. 1999-2000) and Cleveland (1999-2000).
▪ cotton nash. The former British men’s hoop star was a minor-league hitting first baseman and outfielder. However, during his short MLB stints with the Chicago White Sox (1967) and Minnesota Twins (1969 and 1970), Nash had only 16 major league at-bats and had three hits and two RBIs.
In his rookie season in the NBA (1964-65), Nash averaged 3.0 points and 1.8 rebounds in 45 games with the Los Angeles Lakers (25) and San Francisco Warriors (20).
Nash also played for the American Basketball Association. He appeared in 39 games for the Kentucky Colonels in 1967-68, averaging 8.5 ppg and 4.9 rpg for Nash.
▪ Ron Reed. He was a 6-6, 215-pound lead from Notre Dame who threw in the majors from 1966 to 1984. During his career he spent time in Atlanta (1966-75), St. Louis (1975), Philadelphia (1976-83), and White the White. He played for the Sox (1984), Reed went 146-140 with a 3.46 ERA and 103 saves.
In his two seasons with the NBA’s Detroit Pistons (1965-67), Reed averaged 8.0 ppg and 6.4 rpg.
▪ Dick Ricketts. Another pitcher and power forward, the 6-7, 215-pound Ricketts played just one season in MLB in 1959. As a pitcher for the Cardinals, Ricketts appeared in 12 games and started nine, going 1-6 with a 5.82 ERA.
A native of Duquesne, Ricketts played in the NBA from 1955-1958 for the St. Louis Hawks (one season), the Rochester Royals, and the Cincinnati Royals. Ricketts averaged 9.3 points and 6.3 rebounds in his NBA career.
▪ Howie Schultz. A 6-6, 200-pound first baseman, Schultz played in the majors from 1943 to 1948. He played in Brooklyn (1943-47), Philadelphia (1947-48) and Cincinnati (1948).
Schultz, a basketball power forward, split his first season (1949-1950) between the Anderson Packers and the Fort Wayne Pistons. After he spent a season in the rival leagues, Schultz returned to the NBA, playing for the Minneapolis Lakers from 1951-1953.
Schultz averaged 5.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in his NBA career.”
https://amp.kentucky.com/sports/college/kentucky-sports/uk-basketball-men/article275715411.html
WDRB: As Nuggets soar, Louisville pro basketball fans left with memories, questions
“Let's not forget this Nuggets' nugget: Denver is also the franchise that put the final punctuation mark on the Kentucky Colonels. Getting 40 points from David Thompson and 24 more painful points from Dan Issel, Denver beat the Colonels in Game 7 of the 1976 American Basketball Association playoff semifinals.
It was April 28, 1976. Less than two months later, the Colonels were going, going, gone.
Denver made the ultimate basketball cut list as one of four ABA franchises merged into the NBA. Louisville did not and likely never will despite a lengthy list of NBA dreams and pursuits, false starts and false hopes, secret ownership groups and other tales of pro basketball intrigue.
After about four years of working for the NBA2LOU group, Issel left that project in 2022.
In fact, he moved back to — brace yourself — Denver, where he played and coached, to be closer to his children and grandchildren, including a grandson who has already asked Issel to take him Ball Arena to watch the Nuggets in the NBA Finals.
In a telephone interview Tuesday, Issel said he no longer believes the NBA has expansion as a priority and that Louisville's quest to land a team has stalled.
"I think if John Y. (Brown, the Colonels' primary owner) had the whole thing to do over again, he would have gone in a different direction and taken Louisville into the NBA, considering the value of these franchises today," Issel said.
"But that's not the way it turned out."
No, it isn't.
Brown sold Issel, the former University of Kentucky All-American, to the Baltimore Claws for $500,000 in the ABA's final season before the Claws moved him to Denver.
Brown got another $3 million for folding the franchise in 1976. No dummy, Brown later bought the Buffalo Braves for about $1.5 million, an investment that he upgraded into ownership of the Boston Celtics.
Brown won. Professional basketball fans in Louisville lost.
And the Nuggets began their 47-year climb toward what the franchise hopes to achieve over the next few weeks. But unlike the Pittsburgh Pipers, Oakland Oaks, Pacers and, of course, the Colonels, the Nuggets never won an ABA title.
In his final ABA season, Issel played for the Nuggets' team that lost to Julius Erving and the New York Nets in the 1976 ABA Finals.
"So many things go through your mind," said Lloyd Gardner, the trainer of those Colonels' teams. "So many connections between the teams, especially with Dan, especially with the other connections to what happened Monday night."
The other connection to Monday night was the 48th anniversary of the glorious night when Issel, Louie Dampier, Artis Gilmore and the Colonels defeated George McGinnis, Darnell Hillman, Billy Knight and the Pacers, 110-105, to close out the 1975 ABA Finals in five games at Freedom Hall for Kentucky's only ABA title.
Wobbling with financial issues, the ABA finished that season with six teams.
Four were welcomed into the NBA when the leagues finally merged on June 17, 1976: the San Antonio Spurs, the Nets, the Pacers and the Nuggets.
On June 1, the Nuggets will become the fourth and final former ABA team to advance to the NBA Finals when they play either the Miami Heat (likely) or the Celtics (highly unlikely with their 3-0 deficit in the Eastern Conference Finals)…
The Nuggets will try to join the Spurs (take a bow, Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich) as the only former ABA teams to win an NBA title.
And the Colonels?
Their celebration was limited to several hours of reminiscing by Gardner, coach Hubie Brown, Gilmore and Dampier on Issel's radio show Monday morning.
Although he is based in Denver, Issel continues to host his daily talk show from 10 a.m. to noon with Louie Rabaut on ESPN 680 AM in Louisville.
"We went one direction and Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Nashville went another," Gardner said.
As did Denver. The conversation on Issel's radio show through the NBA Finals should be fascinating.”
https://www.wdrb.com/sports/bozich-...cle_659f4aa6-f994-11ed-935d-a3afb022a56c.html
UGA Women’s Basketball
2025 Recruiting
6-0 G/F Westminster Academy’s Lena Girardi is Broward Girls’ Basketball Player of Year for 4A-2A
SEC Basketball
Alabama
Tuscaloosa News: Charles Bediako plans to remain in NBA Draft, leave Alabama basketball
https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/stor...ball-brandon-miller-noah-clowney/70246282007/
Arkansas
South Carolina
College Basketball
USA Today: NIL bill expected in House would provide legal help sought by NCAA, letter says
Letter outlining draft of federal college sports bill says measure would:
-Allow NIL deals
-Give NCAA legal protection
-Say athletes can't be employees
-Create regulatory body to make, enforce rules about collectives, boosters, athlete endorsement deals:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...ts-nil-bill-big-changes-expected/70246101007/
Indiana
Indianapolis Star: Indiana basketball brings Calbert Cheaney back as director of player development
https://www.indystar.com/story/spor...o-iu-coaching-staff-mike-woodson/70248725007/
Miami
Michigan
Milwaukee
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Raw talent: With Langston Wilson now in the fold, UWM's roster is long, athletic and deep
https://www.jsonline.com/story/spor...roster-is-long-athletic-and-deep/70246995007/
New Mexico
Albuquerque Journal: Lobo basketball adds versatile graduate transfer forward for coming season
https://www.abqjournal.com/2600948/...duate-transfer-forward-for-coming-season.html
Oklahoma State
Oklahoman: Big 12 basketball appears set to have 18 conference games for 2023-24 season
https://www.oklahoman.com/story/spo...nference-gamesfor-2023-24-season/70237842007/
Providence
Providence Journal: Kim English adds three coaches to his Providence basketball staff
https://www.providencejournal.com/s...-assistants-to-pc-coaching-staff/70244156007/
Rutgers
NJ.com: Rutgers basketball takes another hit as 4-star commit reneges
https://www.nj.com/rutgersbasketbal...-four-star-commit-reneges.html?outputType=amp
St. John’s
NYP: Rick Pitino’s roster moves have St. John’s ‘right back’ in March Madness conversation
https://nypost.com/2023/05/22/rick-pitinos-roster-has-st-johns-back-in-march-madness-mix/
NBA
Atlanta
Denver
LA Lakers
ESPN: LeBron James says he will consider retirement this offseason
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/37711722/lakers-lebron-james-says-consider-retirement-offseason
Miami
Caleb Martin’s journey:
2012-13: Commits to NC State as a 4-star recruit
2013-14: Finishes high school at Oak Hill Academy
2014-15: Limited minutes as a true freshman
2015-16: Averages 12 PPG at NC State
2016-17: Transfers to Nevada & Sits Out
2017-18: Wins MWC Player of the Year. Leads Nevada to Sweet Sixteen.
2018-19: Makes NCAA tournament again.
2019-20: Undrafted, signs with Charlotte Hornets. Switched between G-League and NBA.
2020-21: 5 PPG, waived after the season.
2021-22: Signs with the Miami Heat, increased role.
2022-23: Averaging nearly 20 PPG in the Eastern Conference Finals, pivotal starter.
History
WKYT: Legendary UK athlete Cotton Nash has died
https://www.wkyt.com/2023/05/23/legendary-uk-athlete-cotton-nash-has-died/?outputType=amp
“Cotton Nash enjoyed brief stints in Major League Baseball with the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox. The former University of Kentucky men’s basketball star is one of only 13 men’s players to have played in both the NBA and MLB…”
In alphabetical order, here are the 13 players who have achieved rare professional sports doubles.
▪ Danny Ainge. The former BYU basketball star originally chose professional baseball. During his three seasons (1979-1981), when he played primarily as a third baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays, Ainge did not hit very well, batting .220 with two career homers and 37 RBIs.
Back in basketball, the 6-foot-4, 175-pound Ainge had even greater success. Ainge, who played in the NBA from 1981 to 1995 in Boston (eight seasons), Phoenix (three seasons), Portland (two seasons), and Sacramento (two seasons), averaged 11.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. Recorded.
▪ Frank Baumholtz. A major league outfielder from 1947 to 1957 with the Reds for three years, the Cubs for six years, and the Phillies for two years, Baumholtz had a career batting average of .290 and finished second in the National League with a .325 batting average in 1952. became.
A 5-10 basketball guard, Baumholtz played one season (1946-1947) for the Cleveland Rebels of the American Basketball Association (renamed the National Basketball Association after three seasons). He averaged 14 points per game, but made only 29.8 percent of his field goal tries.
▪ Hank Biasatti. A native of Beano, Italy, Biasatti had a brief “coffee” in both professional baseball and basketball. He appeared in 21 games as a first baseman and pinch hitter for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1949. He had two hits in 24 at-bats, both of which were doubles.
During the 1946-1947 American Basketball Association season, the 5-11, 175-pound guard appeared in six games and scored six points for the Toronto Huskies.
▪ Gene Conley. The 6-8, 225-pound giant Conley threw in the big leagues in 1952 and 1954-1963. He played six seasons with the Braves, one with Boston, five with Milwaukee, then two with the Phillies, and three with the Phillies. Red Sox.
Conley went 91-96 with a 3.82 ERA, but made four All-Star appearances.
As a basketball player, the power forward played for the Boston Celtics from 1952 to 1953, returned to the NBA and played for the Celts from 1958 to 1961, and then spent a final stint with the New York Knicks from 1962 to 1964. played.
Conley averaged 5.9 points and 6.3 rebounds in his NBA career.
▪ Chuck Connors. A first baseman, Connors spent 1949 with the Brooklyn Dodgers and 1951 with the Chicago Cubs. 238 with two homers and 18 RBIs in his two-season career.
The 6-5 forward/center, 190-pound Connors played for the Boston Celtics from 1946 to 1948, averaging 4.5 points and shooting 25.2 percent.
After leaving professional sports, Connors embarked on a 40-year career in show business, most notably starring as Lucas McCain in the television series The Rifleman from 1958 to 1963.
▪ Dave Dobuscher. As a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox in 1961 and 1962, Debscher appeared in 36 games, going 3-4 with a 2.90 ERA.
A 6-6, 220-pound power forward, Debusher has built a much more impressive legend in the NBA. He played in the league from 1962 to 1974, averaging a career double-double of 16.1 ppg and 11 rpg.
After playing for the Detroit Pistons from 1962 to midway through the 1968-69 season, Debscher was traded midseason to New York where he was a key cog on the Knicks’ NBA championship teams in 1969 and 1973.
An eight-time All-Star, Deb Cher was also named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team for the 2021-22 season.
▪ Dick Grote. A star of college basketball at Duke University, Grote made his greatest impact in professional sports as a shortstop in baseball. In a career that began in 1952 and lasted from 1955 to 1967, Grote played for the Pirates (1952, 1955-1962), Cardinals (1963-1965) and Phillies (1966-1967). , and played for the Giants (1967).
286 with 2,138 hits and 707 RBIs in Grote’s career. He batted .325 in 1960 and was named the National League MVP. Grote played for his two World Series winning teams, the 1960 Pirates and his 1964 Cardinals.
In basketball, the 5-11, 180-pound guard played one season (1952-1953) for the Fort Wayne Pistons, averaging 11.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists.
▪ Steve Hamilton. A 6-6, 190-pound Hamilton from Columbia, Kentucky, who graduated from Morehead State University, pitched in the major leagues from 1961 to 1972. He struggled with the Cleveland (1961), Washington Senators (1962) and Yankees (1963). -1970), White Sox (1970), Giants (1971), Cubs (1972).
The left-handed Hamilton went 40-31 with a 3.05 ERA and 42 saves in his career.
In two seasons as a Minneapolis Lakers forward (1958-1960), Hamilton averaged 4.5 points and 3.7 rebounds.
At the end of his playing career, Hamilton returned to his alma mater and coached the Morehead State baseball team for ten seasons (230-173) from 1988 until his death in 1997, when he was head of the Eagles’ track and field team.
▪ Mark Hendrickson. The 6-9, 240-pound lefty Hendrickson pitched in the major leagues from 2002-2011, with Toronto (2002-03), Tampa Bay (2004-06), LA Dodgers (2006-07) and Florida. played. (2008) and Baltimore (2009-2011).
He went 58-74 with a 5.03 ERA.
Prior to playing baseball, the Washington State University alumnus was an NBA power forward from 1996-2000. He played for Philadelphia (1996-97), Sacramento (1997-98) and Nets (1998-99), averaging 3.3 points and 2.8 rebounds. 1999-2000) and Cleveland (1999-2000).
▪ cotton nash. The former British men’s hoop star was a minor-league hitting first baseman and outfielder. However, during his short MLB stints with the Chicago White Sox (1967) and Minnesota Twins (1969 and 1970), Nash had only 16 major league at-bats and had three hits and two RBIs.
In his rookie season in the NBA (1964-65), Nash averaged 3.0 points and 1.8 rebounds in 45 games with the Los Angeles Lakers (25) and San Francisco Warriors (20).
Nash also played for the American Basketball Association. He appeared in 39 games for the Kentucky Colonels in 1967-68, averaging 8.5 ppg and 4.9 rpg for Nash.
▪ Ron Reed. He was a 6-6, 215-pound lead from Notre Dame who threw in the majors from 1966 to 1984. During his career he spent time in Atlanta (1966-75), St. Louis (1975), Philadelphia (1976-83), and White the White. He played for the Sox (1984), Reed went 146-140 with a 3.46 ERA and 103 saves.
In his two seasons with the NBA’s Detroit Pistons (1965-67), Reed averaged 8.0 ppg and 6.4 rpg.
▪ Dick Ricketts. Another pitcher and power forward, the 6-7, 215-pound Ricketts played just one season in MLB in 1959. As a pitcher for the Cardinals, Ricketts appeared in 12 games and started nine, going 1-6 with a 5.82 ERA.
A native of Duquesne, Ricketts played in the NBA from 1955-1958 for the St. Louis Hawks (one season), the Rochester Royals, and the Cincinnati Royals. Ricketts averaged 9.3 points and 6.3 rebounds in his NBA career.
▪ Howie Schultz. A 6-6, 200-pound first baseman, Schultz played in the majors from 1943 to 1948. He played in Brooklyn (1943-47), Philadelphia (1947-48) and Cincinnati (1948).
Schultz, a basketball power forward, split his first season (1949-1950) between the Anderson Packers and the Fort Wayne Pistons. After he spent a season in the rival leagues, Schultz returned to the NBA, playing for the Minneapolis Lakers from 1951-1953.
Schultz averaged 5.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in his NBA career.”
https://amp.kentucky.com/sports/college/kentucky-sports/uk-basketball-men/article275715411.html
WDRB: As Nuggets soar, Louisville pro basketball fans left with memories, questions
“Let's not forget this Nuggets' nugget: Denver is also the franchise that put the final punctuation mark on the Kentucky Colonels. Getting 40 points from David Thompson and 24 more painful points from Dan Issel, Denver beat the Colonels in Game 7 of the 1976 American Basketball Association playoff semifinals.
It was April 28, 1976. Less than two months later, the Colonels were going, going, gone.
Denver made the ultimate basketball cut list as one of four ABA franchises merged into the NBA. Louisville did not and likely never will despite a lengthy list of NBA dreams and pursuits, false starts and false hopes, secret ownership groups and other tales of pro basketball intrigue.
After about four years of working for the NBA2LOU group, Issel left that project in 2022.
In fact, he moved back to — brace yourself — Denver, where he played and coached, to be closer to his children and grandchildren, including a grandson who has already asked Issel to take him Ball Arena to watch the Nuggets in the NBA Finals.
In a telephone interview Tuesday, Issel said he no longer believes the NBA has expansion as a priority and that Louisville's quest to land a team has stalled.
"I think if John Y. (Brown, the Colonels' primary owner) had the whole thing to do over again, he would have gone in a different direction and taken Louisville into the NBA, considering the value of these franchises today," Issel said.
"But that's not the way it turned out."
No, it isn't.
Brown sold Issel, the former University of Kentucky All-American, to the Baltimore Claws for $500,000 in the ABA's final season before the Claws moved him to Denver.
Brown got another $3 million for folding the franchise in 1976. No dummy, Brown later bought the Buffalo Braves for about $1.5 million, an investment that he upgraded into ownership of the Boston Celtics.
Brown won. Professional basketball fans in Louisville lost.
And the Nuggets began their 47-year climb toward what the franchise hopes to achieve over the next few weeks. But unlike the Pittsburgh Pipers, Oakland Oaks, Pacers and, of course, the Colonels, the Nuggets never won an ABA title.
In his final ABA season, Issel played for the Nuggets' team that lost to Julius Erving and the New York Nets in the 1976 ABA Finals.
"So many things go through your mind," said Lloyd Gardner, the trainer of those Colonels' teams. "So many connections between the teams, especially with Dan, especially with the other connections to what happened Monday night."
The other connection to Monday night was the 48th anniversary of the glorious night when Issel, Louie Dampier, Artis Gilmore and the Colonels defeated George McGinnis, Darnell Hillman, Billy Knight and the Pacers, 110-105, to close out the 1975 ABA Finals in five games at Freedom Hall for Kentucky's only ABA title.
Wobbling with financial issues, the ABA finished that season with six teams.
Four were welcomed into the NBA when the leagues finally merged on June 17, 1976: the San Antonio Spurs, the Nets, the Pacers and the Nuggets.
On June 1, the Nuggets will become the fourth and final former ABA team to advance to the NBA Finals when they play either the Miami Heat (likely) or the Celtics (highly unlikely with their 3-0 deficit in the Eastern Conference Finals)…
The Nuggets will try to join the Spurs (take a bow, Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich) as the only former ABA teams to win an NBA title.
And the Colonels?
Their celebration was limited to several hours of reminiscing by Gardner, coach Hubie Brown, Gilmore and Dampier on Issel's radio show Monday morning.
Although he is based in Denver, Issel continues to host his daily talk show from 10 a.m. to noon with Louie Rabaut on ESPN 680 AM in Louisville.
"We went one direction and Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Nashville went another," Gardner said.
As did Denver. The conversation on Issel's radio show through the NBA Finals should be fascinating.”
https://www.wdrb.com/sports/bozich-...cle_659f4aa6-f994-11ed-935d-a3afb022a56c.html
