Richie Guerin

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Richie Guerin
Guard
Number9, 15, 18, 19
Career history
As player:
1956–1963New York Knicks
1963–1967
1968–1970		St. Louis / Atlanta Hawks
As coach:
1964–1972St. Louis / Atlanta Hawks
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As coach:

Career statistics
Points
14,676 (17.3 ppg)
Rebounds4,278 (5.0 rpg)
Assists4,211 (5.0 apg)
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Basketball Hall of Fame as player

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

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,

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

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]

Early life

Richard Vincent Guerin was born on May 29, 1932, in the

Bronx, New York, where he grew up. He attended Mount Saint Michael Academy, where he excelled in basketball
.

College career

Guerin attended

Iona College in 1950 where he played center for coach Jim McDermott.[5]

Professional career

New York Knicks (1956–1963)

On April 24, 1954, the New York Knicks selected him in the 1954 NBA draft, but Guerin could not join the Knicks until he had completed two years of service in the Marines.[4]

New York was struggling through the mid-1950s at or near the bottom of the Eastern Division. Among the only successful players during that period were high-scoring guard Carl Braun, point guard Dick McGuire, and center Harry Gallatin. Turnover on the team was high.[4]

Guerin joined the club in 1956 and quickly established himself. In his second season he made the

Syracuse Nationals in a first-round sweep.[4]

By Guerin's fourth year in the league he had established himself as a scorer. He made both long shots and layups on his way to a team-leading 21.8 points per game in 1959–60. His 57 points against Syracuse on December 11 broke Braun's previous team record of 47.[4]

In

All-NBA Second Team for the third time in his first six seasons.[4]

In the

free-throw
percentage (.848).

When he left the Knicks, Guerin ranked second on the team's all-time scoring list behind Carl Braun.

St. Louis / Atlanta Hawks (1963–1967, 1968–1970)

Guerin and star Pete Maravich in 1970

On October 18, 1963, two games into the

St. Louis Hawks for cash and a second-round draft pick (Howard Komives was later selected). In his first appearance at the Garden in a Hawks uniform, Knicks fans showed their gratitude by giving Guerin a five-minute standing ovation.[4]

Guerin joined a Hawks team loaded with offensive weapons, and his production dropped accordingly to 13.1 points per game in 1963–64. He became the Hawks'

Baltimore Bullets in a division semifinal series. Under Guerin's direction, the Hawks reached the playoffs in each of the next seven seasons.[4]

Guerin played two more full seasons, averaging 14.9 points in 1965–66 and 13.8 in 1966–67. After the Seattle expansion team drafted him in 1967, he announced his retirement as a player. As a coach, he guided the Hawks to a 56–26 record and the Western Division championship and being named NBA Coach of the Year for 1967–1968.[9]

On May 1, 1967, Guerin was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics from the St. Louis Hawks in the NBA expansion draft.

On November 15, 1968, Guerin was traded by the Seattle SuperSonics to the Atlanta Hawks for Dick Smith.

The Hawks moved to Atlanta prior to the 1968–69 season, and Seattle traded Guerin back, allowing him to return to playing as a reserve player, guiding the Hawks to a 48–34 record while appearing as a player in 27 games. In the 1969–70 season, he guided them to another 48–34 record while appearing as a player in 8 games.

The fourth game of the 1970 Western Division Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 19, 1970 was Guerin's last game as a player. He contributed 31 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, but his team failed to avoid a four-game sweep.[10]

Coaching career

St. Louis / Atlanta Hawks (1964–1972)

Guerin stayed on as head coach for two more seasons, and Atlanta went 36–46 each year. He compiled a 327–291 career coaching record.[4] Notably, Guerin was Pete Maravich's first pro head coach during those two seasons. Guerin was promoted to general manager on April 24, 1972.[11] His successor as head coach was Cotton Fitzsimmons who was appointed just over five weeks later on May 31.[12] Guerin was fired on August 4, 1973 despite having four years remaining on a five‐year contract. Feeling the need for a promoter as general manager, the Hawks replaced Guerin with Pat Williams two days later on August 6.[13][14]

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1956–57 New York 72 24.9 .368 .620 4.6 2.5 9.7
1957–58 New York 63 37.6 .354 .691 7.8 5.0 16.5
1958–59 New York 71 36.0 .424 .802 7.3 5.1 18.2
1959–60 New York 74 32.8 .420 .773 6.8 6.3 21.8
1960–61 New York 79 38.3 .396 .792 7.9 6.4 21.8
1961–62 New York 78 42.9 .442 .820 6.4 6.9 29.5
1962–63 New York 79 34.3 .432 .848 4.2 4.4 21.5
1963–64 New York 2 13.0 .688 .800 1.5 2.0 13.0
1963–64 St. Louis 78 30.0 .410 .819 3.2 4.8 13.1
1964–65 St. Louis 57 29.4 .446 .767 2.6 4.8 14.4
1965–66 St. Louis 80 29.5 .415 .812 3.9 4.9 14.9
1966–67 St. Louis 80 28.4 .436 .731 2.4 4.3 13.7
1968–69 Atlanta 27 17.5 .423 .770 2.2 3.7 5.6
1969–70 Atlanta 8 8.0 .273 1.000 0.3 1.5 0.9
Career 848 32.4 .416 .780 5.0 5.0 17.3
All-Star 6 20.3 .411 .654 3.2 3.0 10.5

Playoffs

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1959
 New York 2 38.5 .257 .857 9.0 7.5 15.0
1964
 St. Louis 12 35.7 .444 .788 4.2 4.1 18.1
1965
 St. Louis 4 31.3 .385 .760 2.0 5.3 17.3
1966
 St. Louis 10 39.9 .453 .816 3.7 s7.9 20.6
1967
 St. Louis 9 25.3 .419 .800 2.6 4.3 10.7
1969
 Atlanta 3 10.7 .250 .500 1.7 2.3 1.0
1970
 Atlanta 2 28.0 .619 1.000 4.0 2.0 16.5
Career 42 32.0 .429 .803 3.5 5.1 15.6

Head coaching record

Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win–loss %
Playoffs PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win–loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
St. Louis 1964–65 47 28 19 .596 2nd in West 4 1 3 .250 Lost in
Div. Semifinals
St. Louis 1965–66 80 36 44 .450 3rd in West 10 6 4 .600 Lost in
Div. Finals
St. Louis 1966–67 81 39 42 .481 2nd in West 9 5 4 .556 Lost in
Div. Finals
St. Louis 1967–68 82 56 26 .683 1st in West 6 2 4 .333 Lost in
Div. Semifinals
Atlanta 1968–69 82 48 34 .585 2nd in West 11 5 6 .455 Lost in
Div. Finals
Atlanta 1969–70 82 48 34 .585 1st in West 9 4 5 .444 Lost in
Div. Finals
Atlanta 1970–71 82 36 46 .439 2nd in West 5 1 4 .200 Lost in
Div. Semifinals
Atlanta 1971–72 82 36 46 .439 2nd in West 6 2 4 .333 Lost in
Div. Semifinals
Career 618 327 291 .529 60 26 34 .433

Marine Corps

Richie Guerin on the 1955-56 basketball team at Marine Corps Schools, Quantico, Virginia

Guerin enlisted in the

Iona College from 1950 to 1954, and upon graduation was commissioned a second lieutenant. He served on active duty with the T&T Regtiment, Marine Corps Schools, Quantico, Virginia until his discharge as a first lieutenant in June 1956. He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal and the Organized Marine Corps Rerserve Medal.[15]

Guerin was inducted into the Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.[3]

Personal

Following his retirement from professional basketball, Guerin became a Knicks

managing director, for Bear, Stearns & Co. Guerin, who has four children and nine grandchildren, now resides in Palm Beach, Florida with his wife, Pat.[16]

See also

  • List of National Basketball Association players with most assists in a game

References

  1. ^ a b "Basketball-Reference statistics". Retrieved February 13, 2008.
  2. ^ "Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Announces 12 Finalists for 2013 Election". Archived from the original on February 18, 2013.
  3. ^ a b "2004 U.S. Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony" (PDF). Retrieved February 13, 2008.
  4. ^
    NBA.com. Archived from the original
    on February 11, 2001. Retrieved February 13, 2008.
  5. NBA.com
    . Retrieved February 13, 2008.
  6. ^ Goldaper, Sam (December 20, 1989). "Oakley Isn't Missed As Ewing Dominates". The New York Times. Retrieved February 13, 2008.
  7. ^ "Player Season Finder". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  8. ^ "Guerin Is Named to Replace Gallatin as Coach of St. Louis Hawks," United Press International (UPI), Monday, December 28, 1964. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  9. ^ "The GOAT List: 2014 Edition – Page 10".
  10. ^ Berkow, Ira (April 21, 1990). "The Last Two-Handed Set Shooter". The New York Times. Retrieved February 13, 2008.
  11. ^ "Hawks Promote Guerin To General Manager," The Associated Press (AP), Tuesday, April 25, 1972. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  12. ^ "Fitzsimmons Is Named Atlanta Hawks' Coach," The Associated Press (AP), Thursday, June 1, 1972. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  13. ^ "Hawks Drop Guerin, Hire Pat Williams as Manager," United Press International (UPI), Saturday, August 4, 1973. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  14. ^ Goldaper, Sam. "People in Sports: Guerin, No Promoter, Needs a Job," The New York Times, Tuesday, August 7, 1973. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  15. ^ "Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame – Richard Vincent Guerin". Retrieved February 13, 2008.
  16. NBA.com. Archived from the original
    on December 25, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2008.

External links

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