Ray Scott (basketball) explained

Ray Scott
Height Ft:6
Height In:9
Weight Lb:215
Birth Date:12 July 1938
Birth Place:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
High School:West Philadelphia
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
College:Portland (1957–1958)
Draft Year:1961
Draft Round:1
Draft Pick:4
Draft Team:Detroit Pistons
Career Start:1958
Career End:1972
Career Number:22, 12, 31
Career Position:Power forward / center
Years1:1958–1961
Team1:Allentown Jets
Years2:
Team2:Detroit Pistons
Years3:
Team3:Baltimore Bullets
Years4:19701972
Team4:Virginia Squires
Cyears1:
Cteam1:Detroit Pistons
Cyears2:1976–1979
Cteam2:Eastern Michigan
Highlights:
Stats League:NBA and ABA
Stat1label:Points
Stat1value:11,269 (14.3 ppg)
Stat2label:Rebounds
Stat2value:7,979 (9.8 rpg)
Stat3label:Assists
Stat3value:1,781 (2.2 apg)

John Raymond Scott (born July 12, 1938) is an American former professional basketball player and coach.

Early life

John Raymond Scott was born on July 12, 1938, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended West Philadelphia High School, where he excelled in basketball.

College career

Scott attended the University of Portland from 1957 to 1958.

Professional career

Allentown Jets (1958–1961)

Scott played for the Allentown Jets of the Eastern Professional Basketball League from 1958 to 1961.

Detroit Pistons (1961–1967)

Scott was selected with the fourth pick of the 1961 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons, where he played from 1961 to 1967 and was a deadly shooter near the perimeter of the court.

Baltimore Bullets (1967–1970)

Scott played for the Baltimore Bullets from 1967 to 1970.

Virginia Squires (1970–1972)

Scott played for the Virginia Squires from 1970 to 1972.

Coaching career

Detroit Pistons (1972–1976)

Scott was promoted from assistant to head coach of the Pistons on October 28, 1972, succeeding Earl Lloyd after a 2 - 5 start.[1] Under his direction, the ballclub went 38 - 37 for the remainder of the 1972 - 73 campaign. He received the NBA Coach of the Year Award and become the first black man to win NBA coach of the year after guiding the Pistons to a then-franchise-best 52 - 30 regular season record in 1973 - 74. The team slumped to 40 - 42 in 1974 - 75. He was dismissed and replaced by assistant Herb Brown with the Pistons at 17 - 25 on January 26, 1976.[2]

Eastern Michigan (1976–1979)

Scott was appointed men's basketball head coach at Eastern Michigan University just over six weeks later on March 10, 1976.[3] Over three seasons, he guided EMU to a 29–52 record. Eastern Michigan fired Scott in March 1979.

Personal life

After his coaching career, Scott went into private business. He also has held the position of ambassador for children and families for the Wellspring Lutheran service agency in Michigan.[4] In February 2008, Scott was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.[4] In April 2008, during a celebration of the Pistons' 50th anniversary, he was named one of the "30 All-Time Pistons". In November 2017, Scott was inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.Ray married Jennifer Ziehm June 27, 1981. They met during his coaching of the men's basketball team at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti. Together they share three daughters; Allison, Devon, and Nia. Ray also has a fourth daughter named Maria. Ray coached two of his daughters in grade school basketball for the Ann Arbor St. Paul Lutheran School Lady Crusaders. Coaching there for almost a decade, he claims that was his most satisfying experience in basketball. "Coaching my girls was one of the most fulfilling feelings [I] could ever have in life. Just coaching my girls."He still resides, happily married to Jennifer, on Michigan's East Side.

On June 14, 2022, Scott published and released his first book, a memoir. It is an autobiographical piece that reflects on racism and segregation he faced in the 1960s and 70s in regards to his career in the NBA. The book title is The NBA in Black and White: The Memoir of a Trailblazing NBA Player and Coach.

Career statistics

NBA/ABA

Source[5]

Regular season

YearTeamGPMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGPPG
Detroit75 27.8 .387 .657 11.5 1.8 13.3
Detroit76 33.4 .414 .674 10.2 2.5 16.2
Detroit80 37.1 .412 .719 13.5 3.1 17.6
Detroit66 32.8 .368 .701 9.6 3.6 15.5
Detroit79 33.6 .416 .743 9.6 3.0 17.9
Detroit45 32.8 .370 .757 9.0 1.9 14.7
Baltimore27 35.9 .445 .625 13.2 2.8 19.0
Baltimore81 36.1 .412 .779 13.7 2.1 16.4
Baltimore82 26.4 .416 .659 8.8 1.6 11.8
Baltimore73 19.1 .425 .803 6.3 1.6 8.9
Virginia (ABA)72 21.6 .450 1.000 .792 8.0 1.7 14.3
Virginia (ABA)55 14.9 .415 .500 .781 4.6 .7 7.6
Career (NBA)684 31.2 .405 .720 10.5 2.4 14.9
Career (ABA)127 18.7 .440 .600 .789 6.5 1.3 11.4
Career (overall)811 29.2 .409 .600 .727 9.8 2.2 14.3

Playoffs

YearTeamGPMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGPPG
1962Detroit10 40.0 .406 .522 14.5 4.3 17.3
1963Detroit4 38.8 .351 .692 12.0 2.3 15.8
1969Baltimore4 34.3 .442 .875 8.0 1.0 13.3
1970Baltimore7 12.9 .324 .714 3.0 .6 4.6
1971Virginia (ABA)12 22.0 .510  - .839 6.5 1.8 17.3
1972Virginia (ABA)11 19.3 .495  - .737 5.3 1.5 12.0
Career (NBA)25 31.3 .390 .598 9.8 2.4 12.8
Career (ABA)23 20.7 .504  - .798 5.9 1.7 14.7
Career (overall)48 26.2 .440  - .694 8.0 2.0 13.8

Head coaching record

NBA

Source[6]

Detroit753837.5073rd in MidwestMissed playoffs
Detroit825230.6343rd in Midwest734.429Lost in Conference semifinals
Detroit824042.4883rd in Midwest312.333Lost in First round
Detroit421725.405(fired)
Career2811471341046

References

Notes and References

  1. https://www.nytimes.com/1972/10/30/archives/scott-is-named-to-head-pistons-lloyds-replacement-is-14th-coach-for.html Goldaper, Sam. "Scott Is Named to Head Pistons," The New York Times, Monday, October 30, 1972.
  2. https://www.nytimes.com/1976/01/27/archives/pistons-drop-ray-scott-as-coach.html "Pistons Drop Ray Scott As Coach," United Press International (UPI), Monday, January 26, 1976.
  3. https://commons.emich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=2337&context=focus Eshenroder, Owen. "Away from the Pros, Ray Scott Finds Happiness on EMU Campus," Focus EMU (Eastern Michigan University), November 22, 1976.
  4. http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/ray_scott_080122.html Scott Joins Michigan Sports HOF
  5. Web site: Ray Scott NBA playing stats. Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. 25 January 2024.
  6. Web site: Ray Scott NBA coaching stats. Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. 25 January 2024.