Myer Upton "Whitey" Skoog (November 2, 1926 – April 4, 2019) was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's Minneapolis Lakers. He was born in Duluth, Minnesota.[1]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 2, 1926 Duluth, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | April 4, 2019 (aged 92) St. Peter, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Brainerd (Brainerd, Minnesota) |
| College | Minnesota (1948–1951) |
| NBA draft | 1951: territorial pick |
| Selected by the Minneapolis Lakers | |
| Playing career | 1951–1957 |
| Position | Point guard / shooting guard |
| Number | 41, 20 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1951–1957 | Minneapolis Lakers |
| As coach: | |
| 1957–1981 | Gustavus Adolphus |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As coach:
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 2,800 (8.2 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,133 (3.3 rpg) |
| Assists | 903 (2.6 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
A 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) and 180 lb (82 kg) guard, Skoog played collegiately at the University of Minnesota. Following his All-America senior season, he was drafted as a territorial pick in the first round of the 1951 NBA draft by the Lakers.
The Lakers won three NBA Championships in his first three years in the league. Skoog played in six seasons in the NBA before back injuries forced his retirement. Some credit Skoog with being the creator of the jump shot and one of the first players to use a jump shot in an organized game. Following his career in the NBA, Skoog became the men's basketball coach and golf coach at Gustavus Adolphus College. He was the men's basketball coach from 1957 to 1981, and the men's golf coach from 1973 to 1996. He was inducted into the school's hall of fame in 1987. Skoog retired from coaching in 1997, and he continued to live in St. Peter, Minnesota.[2]
Skoog resided in a skilled nursing facility in St. Peter in his later years. He died on April 4, 2019, at the age of 92.[3]
Career statistics
edit| 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 | * | Led the league |
NBA
editSource[4]
Regular season
edit| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951–52† | Minneapolis | 35 | 28.2 | .345 | .789 | 3.5 | 1.7 | 6.7 |
| 1952–53† | Minneapolis | 68 | 14.6 | .386 | .754 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 3.7 |
| 1953–54† | Minneapolis | 71 | 26.4 | .400 | .742 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 7.2 |
| 1954–55 | Minneapolis | 72 | 32.8 | .395 | .806 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 10.9 |
| 1955–56 | Minneapolis | 72 | 32.1 | .398 | .803 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 11.6 |
| 1956–57 | Minneapolis | 23 | 28.5 | .355 | .936 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 8.7 |
| Career | 341 | 27.0 | .388 | .799 | 3.3 | 2.6 | 8.2 | |
Playoffs
edit| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953† | Minneapolis | 11 | 18.0 | .429 | .800 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 5.8 |
| 1954† | Minneapolis | 13* | 30.9 | .393 | .571 | 3.6 | 1.8 | 7.4 |
| 1955 | Minneapolis | 7 | 34.4 | .391 | .905 | 5.3 | 2.3 | 13.0 |
| 1956 | Minneapolis | 3 | 30.0 | .419 | .273 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 9.7 |
| Career | 34 | 27.4 | .402 | .685 | 3.7 | 2.1 | 8.2 | |
References
edit- ^ Christgau, John (1999). "Fire, Myer!". Origins of the Jump Shot: Eight Men Who Shook the World of Basketball. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. pp. 1–29. ISBN 0-8032-6394-5.
- ^ Akin, J.J. (April 4, 2019). "Longtime Coach Whitey Skoog Dies at 92". Gustavus Adolphus College. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
- ^ "Gophers, Lakers, Gusties great Whitey Skoog dies at 92". Star Tribune.
- ^ "Whitey Skoog NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
External links
edit
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