Clyde Lovellette

Clyde Edward Lovellette (/loʊˈvɛlɛt/ loh-VEL-et;[1] September 7, 1929 – March 9, 2016) was an American professional basketball player. He was the first basketball player in history to play on an NCAA championship team, Olympics gold medal basketball team, and NBA championship squad. As a high school junior (1946-47), Lovellette's previously undefeated high school team in Terre Haute, Indiana lost in the Indiana state championship finals to Shelbyville, Indiana led by Bill Garrett.

Clyde Lovellette
Lovellette with his mother in 1956
Personal information
Born(1929-09-07)September 7, 1929
Petersburg, Indiana
DiedMarch 9, 2016(2016-03-09) (aged 86)
North Manchester, Indiana
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight234 lb (106 kg)
Career information
High schoolGarfield (Terre Haute, Indiana)
CollegeKansas (1949–1952)
NBA draft1952 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9th overall
Selected by the Minneapolis Lakers
Playing career1952–1964
PositionCenter / Power forward
Number4, 34, 89
Career history
1951–1953Phillips 66ers
1953–1957Minneapolis Lakers
1957–1958Cincinnati Royals
1958–1962St. Louis Hawks
1962–1964Boston Celtics
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points11,947 (17.0 ppg)
Rebounds6,663 (9.5 rpg)
Assists1,165 (1.7 apg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
Medals
Representing the United States
Men's Basketball
Olympic Games
1952 Helsinki Team Competition

Playing career
Lovellette in 1961

Lovellette fostered the trend of tall, physical and high-scoring centers. A two-time All-State performer at Garfield High School in Terre Haute, Indiana, the six-foot-nine Lovellette later attended the University of Kansas where he became a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

While at the University of Kansas he led Jayhawks to the 1952 NCAA title, capturing MVP honors and scoring a then-NCAA-record 141 points. A two-time first-team All-American at Kansas,[1] Clyde led the Big Seven in scoring in each of his three seasons. Playing for Basketball Hall of Fame coach Forrest "Phog" Allen, Lovellette led the nation in scoring his senior year (1952, 28.4 ppg) and was named the Helms College Player of the Year.

Lovellette and basketball legend Dean Smith were teammates at Kansas. He is still the only college player to lead the nation in scoring and win the NCAA title in the same year. Lovellette's dominance in the paint landed him a place on the 1952 Summer Olympics gold medal team in Helsinki, Finland and he was the team's dominating player and leading scorer.[2]

Lovelette was the 1st Round pick (#9) of the Minneapolis Lakers in the 1952 NBA draft.

Following graduation, Lovelette played in 1951-1952 and 1952-1953 seasons for the Bartlesville Phillips 66ers. [3]

At the pro level, Clyde became one of the first big men to move outside and utilize the one-handed set shot that extended his shooting range and offensive repertoire. This tactic enabled him to play either the small forward, power forward or center positions, forcing the opposition's big man to play out of position.[4]

In 704 NBA games with the Minneapolis Lakers, Cincinnati Royals, St. Louis Hawks and Boston Celtics, Lovellette scored 11,947 points (17.0 ppg) and grabbed 6,663 rebounds (9.3 rpg). Selected to play in three NBA All-Star Games, Lovellette was an integral component of championships in Minneapolis (1954) and Boston (1963, 1964).

Honors

Lovellette is one of only seven players in history to win an NCAA Championship, an NBA Championship, and an Olympic Gold Medal.[5]

Lovellette was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982.

Lovelette had his #16 Jersey retired by the University of Kansas.

Lovelette was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988. As of 2018, Lovellette is the only player from the 1952 NBA draft to make the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

He was featured in the 1950s All-Star roster on NBA Live 2007.

Personal

After retiring he participated in a variety of activities including serving as Sheriff of Vigo County, Indiana. He enjoyed farming and business activities. At Whites Residential Services, a faith-based school in Wabash County, Indiana for at-risk teenagers, he served for 20 years and was successful in providing a positive influence on their lives. He resided at one time in the small town of Munising in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where he served as the Varsity Basketball Assistant Coach and on the city council.

Lovellette died from cancer in North Manchester, Indiana at the age of 86.[6]

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
 †  Won an NBA championship

Regular season
Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1953–54† Minneapolis 72 17.4 .423 .695 5.8 0.7 8.2
1954–55 Minneapolis 70 33.7 .435 .686 11.5 1.4 18.7
1955–56 Minneapolis 71 35.5 .434 .721 14.0 2.3 21.5
1956–57 Minneapolis 69 36.1 .426 .717 13.5 2.0 20.8
1957–58 Cincinnati 71 36.5 .441 .743 12.1 1.9 23.4
1958–59 St. Louis 70 22.8 .454 .820 8.6 1.3 14.4
1959–60 St. Louis 68 28.7 .468 .821 10.6 1.9 20.8
1960–61 St. Louis 67 31.5 .453 .830 10.1 2.6 22.0
1961–62 St. Louis 40 29.8 .471 .829 8.8 1.7 20.9
1962–63† Boston 61 9.3 .428 .745 2.9 0.4 6.5
1963–64† Boston 45 9.7 .420 .789 2.8 0.5 6.7
Career 704 27.1 .443 .757 9.5 1.6 17.0
All-Star 3 23.7 .475 .500 9.3 1.3 13.3

Playoffs
Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1954† Minneapolis 13 20.4 .450 .483 9.7 0.5 10.5
1955 Minneapolis 7 28.1 .449 .725 9.1 0.4 16.7
1956 Minneapolis 3 23.0 .487 .594 8.3 2.0 19.0
1957 Minneapolis 5 36.2 .432 .731 9.4 2.2 24.2
1958 Cincinnati 2 36.0 .387 .643 10.5 0.5 16.5
1959 St. Louis 6 26.8 .500 .786 9.8 1.3 15.3
1960 St. Louis 14 30.4 .393 .824 10.8 2.8 17.6
1961 St. Louis 8 23.9 .404 .660 6.5 1.4 15.4
1963† Boston 6 6.7 .269 .667 0.8 0.2 3.0
1964† Boston 5 8.0 .235 1.000 1.4 0.4 4.0
Career 69 23.8 .416 .684 8.1 1.3 14.0

References
  1. Litsky, Frank; McDonald, William (March 10, 2016), "Clyde Lovellette, Hall of Famer Who Brought Size and Skill to Basketball, Dies at 86", The New York Times
  2. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Clyde Lovellette Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  3. https://www.nasljerseys.com/EBA/Players/L/Lovelette.Clyde.htm
  4. "Hall of Famers: Clyde E. Lovellette". www.hoophall.com. Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on September 11, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  5. medal Basketball's Triple Crown - The Post Game.com
  6. "KU basketball legend Clyde Lovellette dies at age 86", The Kansas City Star, March 9, 2016
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.