Scorecards, trophies and a broken finger: Philly’s basketball lifers share their oldest hoops possessions | Mike Jensen

I saw it in a closet one day, my oldest basketball possession, a bag I kept from the 1976 Dr. J Basketball Camp.

Couldn’t just be me. Why not ask other folks what they’ve kept the longest? Didn’t ask for best keepsake, just oldest. Many of the most iconic names in Philadelphia, from Dawn Staley to Joey Crawford to Herb Magee to Jay Wright, gave their own answers, providing a kind of walk down Philly hoops memory lane.

Former Drexel player, son of Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Paul, father of current St. Joseph’s player Chris

“Narberth league trophy my dad won in 1944. My son Chris won the same award 70 years later.”

Retired Immaculata women’s coach

“Being at a Catholic college, on every trip someone would give me a St. Christopher medal or these little green string things with saints’ pictures on them [I think they are called scapulas] or rosary beads. I have kept them all in a shoebox for all these years. Good luck, good karma, God’s blessing?”

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Just retired Jefferson coach

“My oldest possession is my jump shot.”

Big 5 Hall of Famer at Penn, longtime Quakers radio analyst

“I have the mimeographed stat sheet of Bill Bradley’s last game at Dillon Gym. It’s faded but significant to me because I outscored him, even though we lost. I was happy to see him go and I knew he couldn’t guard me any better than I could guard him. It was 1965. Later on there is a picture of him making a 15-foot hook shot over my outstretched arm in his book A Sense of Where You Are. He had made me look silly.”

Villanova guard

“A Kobe jersey that was signed – my father got it for me. Or one of those old basketball cards you would get. I think I got Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson, way back when I was little.”

South Carolina women’s coach

Staley has her harness from carrying the flag at the 2004 Olympics.

“Now I’m competitive, so I have to find something older,” Staley said.

She came up with it: “My Dobbins letterman’s jacket from Public [League] championship.”

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ESPN bracketologist

“Semi-basketball possession: In the first grade, my Dad gave me an old manual typewriter. It was 1966-67 and I used it to make up stats from the great Sixers team with Wilt. Pre-Bracketology.”

Longtime Comcast-Spectator communications czar

“A 1967 championship ball, autographed.”

St. Joseph’s men’s coach

“A poster signed by Dr. J in the Echelon Mall in June of ‘83 after we won the NBA championship. My mom and I were first in line and he could not believe we got the poster that quickly. He actually asked her where she got it.”

Former St. Joseph’s men’s coach

“I have saved these jackets for over 40 years. Great memories of cutting down the nets at the Palestra with Speedy Morris and teammates. We beat West Philadelphia in the City Title game in 1974. No City Title game in 1973 (Public School teachers strike). We beat Father Judge for the Catholic League Championship in 1973.”

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A star of Villanova’s 1985 national championship

“I have a couple old jerseys, a USA team I played on in Germany called the Albert Schweitzer Games in ‘83, senior year in high school. Eight kids from U.S. met up with a few who were service kids and we played a junior Olympic style tournament. Lost to Italy in the finals.”

Neumann Goretti boys’ coach

“A color team photo of my CYO team for the 1978-79 season. I was a seventh-grader who started alongside four eighth-graders and was our leading scorer. We made it to the league final that was played at the old Neumann in front of a packed house. Lost in OT but when I see that framed picture, which my Dad had at his house and gave it to me, it brings back memories of a great time in my life. King of Peace grade school was an awesome place to grow up. That picture brings me back whenever I see it.”

Blue Chip Basketball honcho

“So my Dad in 1985 was [Villanova] associate AD and director of marketing/promotions ... (TV deals, cars for AD/coaches) anyway gave me the ring a couple years ago. … We hopped on a plane the next day and when we landed went right to float in Philly for parade.”

Founder of Philly Rise travel team

“This is a picture of the Olney Eagles 12u team from I believe 1970. So me and Timmy Graham (who is a successful attorney in Seattle now) decided we would give the one-finger salute in the photo as we were holding the ball. So needless to say Tim was a much smarter kid than me, and you can’t tell if he was giving the finger or not. Genius me, oh, no, I am clearly flipping the bird on my right knee. When the pictures came in, of course I decided not to share with my family. But the picture ended up in the window of the famous Olney watering hole, The Huddle Bar on 5th Street where it was displayed for months. Of course my Dad frequented that establishment along with all our coaches, so needless to say it became a very negative point of contention with my parents.”

Retired Notre Dame women’s coach

“Let me think -- the oldest thing I have is probably my uniform from the California Dreams in 1980 [in the Women’s Basketball League] -- and I’m sure it still fits.”

Former University of Sciences men’s coach

“A mint-condition book, Practical Basketball, by Ward ‘Piggy’ Lambert, John Wooden’s college coach at Purdue … 1932, $6 on eBay.”

Founder and director of the All-City Classic

“If I still have them at my mom’s house, it’s a pair of Andrew Toney’s Converse sneakers.”

Assistant general manager, Portland Trail Blazers

“I was rearranging things today and I found a Seattle Sonics sweatshirt and a pair of practice shorts from my scouting days in the ‘90′s. Champion was the league sponsor. Classic. I’ll have them forever!!”

Neumann Goretti boys’ assistant coach

“My late dad gave me this Sixers world champs shirt when I was 6 (1991).”

Retired NCAA referee and former director of officiating

“I have a game ball from my last NCAA championship game that I officiated. The next day I interviewed to be the first national coordinator of NCAA Basketball officiating and was chosen and held the position for over 20 years.”

Former St. Joseph’s star

“My oldest basketball possession is a old Charles Barkley jersey from when he was playing with the 76ers. My parents got it and gave it to me really early … my first item I knew I was not going to lose.”

Retired Rowan men’s coach

“Game program from the dedication of the Kelly Gymnasium at St. Joseph’s Prep, Feb. 9, 1969. [Cassidy played for Archbishop Carroll’s JV.] I was a deep sub on the JV team and only one point all year, but it was that day.”

Founder and director of the 6th Man Project, which gives away basketballs

“My oldest is a piece of the floor from Hershey PA where Wilt scored 100 points.”

Former St. Joseph’s men’s coach, now associate head coach of Michigan

“I have a basketball, one of the old ones, given to me by Paul Arizin, through his son Michael.”

Head of Philly Pride travel-team program

“Rollie Massimino Instructional VHS Tape, 1985. Made these tapes right after winning the National title.”

Sportswriter

“Probably have tickets to the Palestra, might be 1962, St. Joe’s vs. Bowling Green, back when Bowling Green was No. 3 in the country … Jimmy Lynam, Jimmy Boyle played on that team. Bowling Green had Nate Thurmond, first eight guys out of the locker room dunked. They were wearing satin, St. Joe’s was wearing terry cloth. I’m sure you heard the end, about Boyle making the shot at the end … They played the Hawk Will Never Die song, the whole Palestra was singing it. I was there with St. Bernadette CYO.”

Rosemont College men’s coach

“My oldest possession is a scrapbook my mother made. She was a huge St. Joes fan, and from maybe 1961 to 1964 she collected tons of newspaper clippings from the Inquirer and Bulletin (maybe Delco Times too?) that had anything to do with the Hawks. It is a large book and there’s some fascinating narratives in there.”

Villanova men’s coach

“I know I still have my high school jersey. I bet I have tickets from like Nineteen Seventy …”

Wright paused, thought about the year.

“... Three, 1973, St. Joe’s Villanova game at the Palestra.”

Former Sixers executive

“A photo that I took of Doc when I was in high school. My dad was friends with a season-ticket holder, Harold Weissman. He arranged for me to get a photo pass for this game in December 1976. I gave him a copy of the photo for his office. I can only imagine when his office was closed someone got rid of the photo. Last year out of the blue I got a call from a person in Ohio. He was a big 76ers fan as a kid and collected memorabilia. He was starting to get rid of some of his old stuff. My name and address was stamped on the back of the photo. Not sure how he found me. I haven’t lived in my childhood home since 1977. But I guess he Googled me and the 76ers and found me. I obviously had no idea 46 years ago that I’d go on to be EVP of the 76ers. I thought that it was pretty cool to get the photo back after all of these years.”

Attorney

Otter was cleaning the house of the late Norm Eavenson, who ran a recruiting service but also had a large memorabilia collection.

“I was at Norm’s yesterday and rooting around a different room,” Otter said last week. “Saw something on a tall shelf. Got a step stool to reach it. Found a Wilt Chamberlain autographed NBA ball.”

Retired Villanova women’s coach

“One of the things I kept was the Big East championship hat from 19 years ago when we beat UConn when they won 76 in a row.”

Runs the Philadelphia stat crew that keeps stats at Sixers and many of the city’s college games

Pollack’s late father, Harvey Pollack, basically invented the stat-counting business in the NBA. His son was there in Hershey, too, a sophomore at Northeast High School, when Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in 1962. It wouldn’t be 100-percent surprising if Pollack said he has this old peach basket given to his dad by James Naismith.

“I actually have three of the pits from the peaches that were in that basket,” Pollack quipped.

What he does have is one of the great collections in the sport, from a photo of Chamberlain’s getting Philadelphia high school player of the year in 1954, another one of playing for Kansas against St. Joe’s, to his father’s Warriors 1955-56 NBA championship ring, to a Wigwam program for a 1962 game between the Warriors and the Knicks … yes, that game, the 100-point game, with a Wilt autograph addressed to Ron’s son, Brian.

Author and Washington Post sportswriter

“Last home game when I was a Duke senior. Gave up Chronicle’s one primo seat to sit under the basket with my girlfriend -- one of many mistakes I’ve made with women. Carolina, as usual back then, won easily. Last play of the game some Carolina walk-on flings 50-footer that takes one hop and comes to me as I’m standing up. Looked around for someone to give it to but everyone just left. So, I kept it.”

Rowan men’s coach

“A trophy/photo of my grandfather’s team at Temple. He didn’t play much but went to the Final Four in 1958.”

West Chester men’s coach

His oldest basketball possession? A memory.

“Dribbling a gold and black Nerf soccer ball in my mother’s living room. I didn’t have a basketball at this time so the soccer ball acted as a temporary replacement. I would run from one end of the living room to the other dribbling and shooting jump shots off the walls with this soccer ball and I’m sure you could imagine it got me in a lot of trouble. Nevertheless, it’s a memory that I will never forget and is why this game will always be special to me. This all came about after watching Mo Cheeks play on TV for the Sixers. Ironically, years later things came full circle when I tried out for the Sixers, where he was an assistant coach.”

Rider men’s assistant coach

“My high school 1,000-point ball, Feb. 11, 1982. When my Mom passed, we cleaned out her house, I told my sister, throw all the old stuff out! A buddy called me and said “Yo I rode past your Mom’s and all your trophies were in the trash”. I told him that’s where that old [stuff] belongs!!! … I never brought any of my trophies from my Mother’s home (to my house once I was an adult) … because my Father always said any trophy earned while you were living here stays here!”

In charge of cleaning the Palestra floor among other duties for decades

“I really don’t have to search the house or look far for my oldest basketball ‘possession.’ It’s around 65 years old and right in front of me everyday in the form of a crooked pinky finger on my right hand. To tell the truth I was without a doubt the worst basketball player in Southwest Philly. I was so bad when we [chose] sides if there where eleven guys there I didn’t get picked. I spent a lifetime ‘playing the winners’. Anyway, getting back to my finger. I did get into a game at St. Barnabas schoolyard in Southwest Philly in the summer of 1957. They had two courts there and the backboards were metal with chains as nets. I went up for a rebound (I jumped about three inches), the ball hit the bottom of the chained rim and shot straight down into my unprepared right hand breaking and pushing my pinky finger down into the side of my hand. Sorta painful and gruesome.

“Being typical Southwest Philly tough, or dumb, I tried to shake it off. Back in those days we kids were on our own so there were no parents around with cell phones to call 9-1-1. So, holding my hand upright, I walked the three blocks to my house on Felton Street. It was a hot day and my father was sleeping on the couch watching the Phillies/Cubs at the same time. When I told him I think I better go to the doctor he said ‘OK…after the game’. I knew it was going to be an extra long wait because back then you could get three quarts of Neuweilers for a dollar. Well, he finally took me to the hospital on the old P.T.C. (Philadelphia Transportation Company) ‘G’ Bus to Misericordia hospital at 54th and Cedar Ave. About a painful 45-minute ride. What you see here is the result of that fateful game and bus ride. I’m pretty sure in this day and age I could, as a 15-year-old, find a good lawyer and sue my dad for child abuse. Loved the guy anyway. I guess this finger is my little reminder of him.”

Retired NBA referee

Oldest possession?

“Yes, me.”