Mike Bantom
MIKE BANTOM
Power forward / Center
6-9, 200 pounds
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pa.
College: Saint Joseph’s University
College Achievements:
Olympics Stat Line: nine games, 7.7 average points per game
Professional Experience: selected by the Phoenix Suns in the eight pick of the 1973 NBA Draft, and continued to play in the NBA for nine years for the Seattle SuperSonics, the New York Nets, the Indiana Pacers and the Philadelphia 76ers; played in Italy from 1982 to 1989 after leaving the NBA
NBA Stats: 8,568 points, 4,517 rebounds and 1,623 assists
Life After Basketball: stayed with the NBA as a businessman instead of an athlete – Bantom has served as the Licensing Manager for NBA International and NBA International Director of Marketing, and currently holds the position of NBA Senior Vice President of Player Development.
Family: four children, Robbie, Misha, Brenda and Alan
Jim Brewer
JAMES TURNER “JIM” BREWER
Power forward
6-9, 210 pounds
Hometown: Maywood, Ill.
College: University of Minnesota
College Achievements:
Olympics Stat Line: nine games, 7.6 average points per game, 7.1 average rebounds per game
Professional Experience: selected first round, second pick, of the 1973 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers; continued for the Detroit Pistons, the Portland Trail Blazers and the Los Angeles Lakers; played in Italy for three years before retiring from basketball in 1985
Life After Basketball: Brewer assistant coached the NBA for 17 years with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers, Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics. He was also director of player personnel during his time with the Timberwolves. Brewer now serves on the Drug Education Foundation “Truth About Drugs” board of directors, which educates youth on the effects of drugs through seminars.
Family: he and wife, Patsy, have two children – Pherah and Jimmy – currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif.
Interesting Facts: While playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, his fans would cheer “Two for the Brew!” when he scored during home games
Tom Burleson
TOMMY BURLESON
Center
7-2, 225 pounds
Hometown: Crossnore, N.C.
College: North Carolina State University
College Achievements: 1974 NCAA Champion, three-time All-ACC (1972-1974), two-time All-American (1973-1974), two-time Everett Case Award (1973-1974), ACC Tournament MVP, 1974 Eastern Regional co-MVP, NCAA All Final Four Team 1974, College of Agriculture LS/BS, Gamma Sigma Delta Honor’s Society, John Speaks Award
College Stats: average 20 points and 12 rebounds per game
Olympics Stat Line: seven games, 3.9 average points per game, 2.1 average rebounds per game
Professional Experience: Seven-year NBA career began with third overall pick of the 1974 NBA Draft to the Seattle SuperSonics; also played for the Kansas City Kings and the Atlanta Hawks; earned NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1975 and ACC 50th Anniversary men’s basketball team in 2002, which honors the fifty greatest players in Atlantic Coast Conference history
Life After Basketball: Burleson has won the North Carolina 4-H Lifetime Achievement Award, and was inducted into the NC Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. He’s run the Tommy Burleson Basketball Camp for 27 years, and currently works as the director of planning and inspections for Avery County, N.C. Burleson is very active in community service, and his volunteer work includes workshops with special needs individuals, battered women’s shelter and cancer research. Tommy Burleson Ministries supports a hospital, school and orphanage in Malawi, Africa.
Family: Burleson and his wife, Denise, have three sons, Robert, 29, David, 27, and Quentin, 22.
Doug Collins
DOUG COLLINS
Shooting guard / small forward
6-6, 180 pounds
Hometown: Christopher, Ill.
College: Illinois State University
College Achievements:
Olympics Stat Line: nine games, 7.3 average points per game, 2.3 average rebounds per game
Professional Experience: selected first overall pick of the 1973 NBA Draft by the 76ers, where he stayed until 1981 when an injury forced him to forgo his career as an athlete
Professional Achievements: All-Star team for four consecutive years, scored 7,427 points, grabbed 1,339 rebounds and passed 1,368 assists
Coaching: Since 1986, he’s coached the Chicago Bulls, the Detroit Pistons and the Washington Wizards. Collins has been coaching the 76ers in 2010, having the unique honor of running the program he once played in; trained Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, Theo Ratliff, Alan Houston, Richard Hamilton and many other notable athletes
Coaching Achievements: NBA Coach of the Year
Family: Doug and his wife, Kathy, currently reside in Delaware Valley. They have two children, Chris and Kelly, who share their father’s passion for basketball.
Kenny Davis
KENNETH “KENNY” DAVIS
Shooting guard
6-1, 165 pounds
Hometown: Monticello, Ky.
College: Georgetown College
College Achievements: three-time All-American and three-time AAU All-American; one of only two players in Kentucky basketball history to score more than 3,000 career history; holds both single season and career records at Georgetown College; inducted into Georgetown College Hall of Fame; 1971 Pan American team; traveled to five continents and 26 countries
Olympics Stat Line: six games, 2.3 average points per game, 0.7 average rebounds per game
Professional Experience:
Life After Basketball: sales executive at Converse since 1972, and works part-time as a motivational speaker; has a written provision in his will that neither his wife nor his children shall accept the silver after he passes away
Family: lives with wife, Rita, in Paint Lick, Ky.
James Forbes
JAMES RICARDO “JIM” FORBES
Forward
6-8, 201 pounds.
Hometown: El Paso, Texas
College: University of Texas at El Paso
College Achievements: 1971 Pan American team
Olympics Stat Line: nine games, 5.1 average points per game, 3.1 average rebounds per game
Professional Experience:
Life After Basketball: Returned to UTEP as an assistant coach, then left this position 28 years ago to use his knowledge and experience obtained as both a player and a coach at UTEP to develop and coach successful high school programs in Texas
Family:
Tom Henderson
EDWARD THOMAS “TOM” HENDERSON
Shooting guard
6-3, 190 lbs
Hometown: Newberry, S.C.
College: San Jacinto Junior College, then transferred to the University of Hawaii
College Achievements: averaged more than 30 points per game at SJJC; first team All-American in 1974
Olympics Stat Line: nine games, 9.2 average points per game, 2.0 average rebounds per game
Professional Experience: picked seventh overall in the NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks; 9-year NBA career also included playing for the Washington Bullets and the Houston Rockets
Professional Achievements: 1978 NBA Champion; 6,008 points and 3,136 assists
Life After Basketball: administrator at a Houston-area juvenile facility
Family:
Bobby Jones
ROBERT CLYDE “BOBBY” JONES
Small forward
6-9, 210 pounds
Hometown: Charlotte, N.C.
College: University of North Carolina
College Achievements: 1974 NCAA All-American Second Team; bachelor’s degree in psychology
Olympics Stat Line: eight games, 4.6 average points per game, 3.1 average rebounds per game
Professional Experience: Twelve-year professional career began with fifth overall pick in the 1974 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets; also played for the Denver Nuggets and the Philadelphia 76ers
Professional Achievements: four-time NBA All-Star, eight-time NBA All-Defensive First Team, 1983 NBA Champion, 1976 ABA All-Star, 1983 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, 1985 NBA All-Defensive Second Team, 1976 All-ABA Second Team and two-time ABA All-Defensive First Team, 1975 ABA All-Rookie First Team
Life After Basketball: moved back to Charlotte, where he coached high school basketball at Charlotte Christian School for ten years, winning three state 3A championships, and currently coached middle school basketball and tennis at Carmel Christian School
Family: married to Tess West Jones for 38 years, has three children – Eric, Matt and Meredith – and three grandchildren – Elliott, Isabelle and Benjamin
Dwight Jones
DWIGHT JONES
Power forward / Center
6-10, 210 in
Hometown: Houston, Texas
College: University of Houston
College Achievements:
Olympics Stat Line: nine games, 9.2 average points per game, 2.0 average rebounds per game
Professional Experience: Ninth overall pick of the 1973 NBA Draft to the Atlanta Hawks; ten-year NBA career also included the Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers; played for Bic Trieste in Italy for one year after the NBA
Professional Achievements: made 6,230 points, 4,513 rebounds and 911 assists during NBA career
Life After Basketball:
Family: Jones’ son, Dwight Jones II, played basketball at Houston Baptist University as a 6-foot-3-inch guard.
Kevin Joyce
KEVIN JOYCE
Guard
6 -3,190 pounds
Hometown: Bayside, N.Y.
College: University of South Carolina
College Achievements: scored over 1,400 points in three years, and averaged 20.4 points per game his senior year; 42-inch vertical jump; helped take USC to the 1971 ACC Tournament title game, where six-foot-three Joyce famously out-jumped UNC’s six-foot-ten Lee Dedmon with four seconds remaining, helping to secure a win for the Gamecocks
Olympics Stat Line: nine games, 5.3 average points per game, 1.2 average rebounds per game
Professional Experience: selected eleventh overall pick in the 1973 NBA Draft to the Golden State Warriors, but chose the American Basketball Association instead; played professionally for the Indiana Pacers, San Diego Sails and Kentucky Colonels.
Life After Basketball: Currently an equity salesman with NavPoint LLC in New York.
Family: he and his wife, Ginna, reside in Long Beach, N.Y., with their three children – twins Mary and Kevin, and daughter Sally
Tom McMillen
CHARLES THOMAS “TOM” McMILLEN
Power forward / Center
6 -11, 215 pounds
Hometown: Elmira, N.Y.
College: University of Maryland
College Achievements: 1973 Consensus NCAA All-American Second Team, Rhodes Scholar
Olympics Stat Line: nine games, 6.8 average points per game, 4.3 average rebounds per game
Professional Experience: ninth overall pick of 1974 NBA Draft to the Buffalo Braves, and also played for the New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks and Washington Bullets
Life After Basketball: Retired in 1986 in pursuit of politics; elected to the U.S. Congress from 1987-1993 as a Democrat to represent Maryland’s 4th district; was a Presidential appointee from 1993-1997; currently serves as Chairman and CEO of an investment firm and Chairman of the National Foundation on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition
Family: Tom and his wife Judy currently reside in Maryland
Interesting Facts: known to be the tallest U.S. Congressman in history
Ed Ratleff
WILLIAM EDWARD “ED” RATLEFF
Shooting guard / Small forward
6 -6, 195 pounds
Hometown: Bellefontaine, Ohio
College: California State University, Long Beach
College Achievements: two-time All-American, two-time Big West Conference Player of the Year, inducted into CSULB Hall of Fame
Olympics Stat Line: nine games, 6.4 average points per game, 3.1 average rebounds per game
Professional Experience: sixth overall pick in the 1973 Draft to the Houston Rockets, where he remained until 1978
Professional Stats: 2,813 points, 1,363 rebounds and 896 assists
Life After Basketball: coached college basketball at Long Beach State for six years, now lives in Long Beach, and has worked as a State Farm agent since 1986
Family: two children, Paige and Dillon, also reside in Long Beach
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