Phil Sellers
Phillip Sellers, Jr. (born November 20, 1953) is an American former professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the NBA.[1]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 20, 1953 Brooklyn, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Thomas Jefferson (Brooklyn, New York) |
| College | Rutgers (1972–1976) |
| NBA draft | 1976 / Round: 3 / Pick: 48th overall |
| Selected by the Detroit Pistons | |
| Playing career | 1976–1979 |
| Position | Small forward / Shooting guard |
| Number | 11 |
| Career history | |
| 1976–1977 | Detroit Pistons |
| 1978 | Jersey Shore Bullets |
| 1978–1979 | Amsterdam Amstel Veen |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Early life
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Sellers played high school basketball at Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn.[1] He achieved success at the prep level, winning the MVP Award of Pittsburgh's Dapper Dan Tournament at the end of his senior season.[2] He also earned All-America honors at Jefferson and received over 200 scholarship offers from colleges across the country to play basketball.[2] Sellers signed a letter of intent to play at Notre Dame, but worries about managing the tough academics made him reconsider and so he attended Livingston College in New Jersey, a part of Rutgers University specially designed to help students from low-income backgrounds.[2]
Rutgers University
At Rutgers, Sellers played under then-assistant coach and future college basketball legend Dick Vitale.[3] His decision to become a Scarlet Knight was initially criticized,[3] but Sellers led Rutgers to two NIT berths during his freshman and sophomore seasons and then back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in his final two seasons.[3]
1975–76 season
Rutgers University's best men's basketball season in school history came during 1975–76. Sellers, a senior and Consensus Second Team All-American,[4] led the team to a 31–0 start. The team finished 31–2, and their only two losses occurred in the national semifinals (to Michigan) and the third-place game (to UCLA).[3] Sellers graduated from Rutgers in 1976 and is still the school's all-time leading scorer (2,399) and rebounder (1,115).[3] On January 16, 1988, he had his jersey number (#12) retired, making him one of only three Scarlet Knights players to have ever been so honored.[3]
NBA
After graduating, Sellers was picked in the third round (38th overall) of the 1976 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons, but lasted only a year with the Pistons before being put on waivers.[3] He then served as an assistant at Rutgers for three years before moving on to a job with a mortgage banking firm in Perth Amboy, New Jersey.[3] Sellers finished his one-year NBA career averaging 4.5 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 44 games played.[1]
See also
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 2000 points and 1000 rebounds
References
- "Phil Sellers Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
- Kirschenbaum, Jerry (January 20, 1975). "One Very Stormy Sellers". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
- Thomas Jr., Robert M. (January 11, 1988). "SPORTS WORLD SPECIALS; The Right Choice". New York Times. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
- "All-America - Division I (1970's)". National Association of Basketball Coaches. Retrieved June 11, 2009.