 Guerin in February 2014 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 29, 1932 Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Mount Saint Michael Academy (Bronx, New York) |
| College | Iona (1951–1954) |
| NBA draft | 1954: 2nd round, 17th overall pick |
| Selected by the New York Knicks | |
| Playing career | 1956–1970 |
| Position | Guard |
| Number | 9, 15, 18, 19 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1956–1963 | New York Knicks |
| 1963–1967 1968–1970 | St. Louis / Atlanta Hawks |
| As coach: | |
| 1964–1972 | St. Louis / Atlanta Hawks |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As coach: | |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 14,676 (17.3 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 4,278 (5.0 rpg) |
| Assists | 4,211 (5.0 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame | |
Richard Vincent Guerin (born May 29, 1932) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played with the National Basketball Association's (NBA) New York Knicks from 1956 to 1963 and was a player-coach of the St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks franchise where he spent nine years.[1] On February 15, 2013, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced that Guerin had been elected as one of its 2013 inductees.[2]
Guerin served in the Marine Corps Reserve from 1947 to 1954. While a reservist, Guerin attended Iona College from 1950 to 1954 where he scored 1,375 points in 67 games playing for coach Jim McDermott. After graduation, Guerin served on active duty at Marine Corps Schools, Quantico, Virginia for two years.[3]
The Knicks drafted Guerin with the 8th pick in the second round of the 1954 NBA draft while still on active duty. After leaving the Marine Corps, Guerin would begin his professional basketball career in 1956.[1]
Richie Guerin was a high-scoring point guard in the late 1950s and early 1960s. As a member of the New York Knicks, his feisty on-court style and wisecracking off-court demeanor catered to Madison Square Garden crowds.[4]
Guerin was a gifted scorer, passer, playmaker, and was one of the most successful rebounding and driving guards of his era. He led the Knicks in assists for five consecutive seasons and in scoring three times during his seven full seasons in the Big Apple, and he tallied more than 20 points per game in four consecutive years. Guerin also set Knicks single-game records for scoring, with 57 points in 1959, and assists, with 21 in 1958.[4] His 57-point game stood as a Knicks record until Bernard King scored 60 on Christmas Day in 1984.
A fan and media favorite, Guerin played in six consecutive NBA All-Star Games. As a team, New York struggled, reaching the playoffs only once during Guerin's tenure. He was traded to the St. Louis Hawks midway through the 1963–64 season and spent the next eight years as the team's player-coach and then head coach. With St. Louis (and eventually Atlanta), Guerin played alongside Bob Pettit, Lou Hudson, Lenny Wilkens, and Cliff Hagan. Guerin helped the Hawks to nine consecutive playoff appearances and was named NBA Coach of the Year for 1967–68.[4]
- ^ a b "Basketball-Reference statistics". Retrieved February 13, 2008.
- ^ "Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Announces 12 Finalists for 2013 Election". Archived from the original on February 18, 2013.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
usmcwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c "NBA.com Bio". NBA.com. Archived from the original on February 11, 2001. Retrieved February 13, 2008.