Tag: Naismith Hall of Fame

Rudy Tomjanovich named 2020 finalist for Basketball Hall of Fame

Unlike 2019, former Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich is back as a finalist in 2020 for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Former Houston Rockets head coach Rudy Tomjanovich is officially a 2020 finalist for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

The NBA announced the news Friday in Chicago as part of All-Star Weekend activities. Tomjanovich was also a finalist in 2017 and 2018, though he was not among the final group in 2019.

The 2020 finalists were picked from almost 200 nominees, with the full elected class to be unveiled at the Final Four in Atlanta on April 4.

Now 71 years old, Tomjanovich played for the Rockets from 1970 through 1981, and was head coach from 1992 through 2003. That run included Houston’s only two NBA titles in the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons.

In his 11-plus seasons as head coach, Tomjanovich led the Rockets to a 503-397 (.559) regular-season record and a 51-39 (.567) mark in the NBA playoffs, headlined by Houston’s two championships in 1994 and 1995. He is by far the winningest coach in franchise history.

But “Rudy T,” as he’s best known in Rockets’ circles, was also a dynamic player ⁠— with averages of 17.4 points and 8.1 rebounds in 33.5 minutes per game over 11 seasons. He was a five-time All-Star at power forward.

Tomjanovich is the only coach in history with multiple NBA titles and an Olympic gold medal who is not in the Hall of Fame.

In recent months, several storied NBA coaches went out of their way to make the case for Tomjanovich’s Hall of Fame induction.

Further details about the voting panel and the election process are available at the Basketball Hall of Fame’s official website.

Tomjanovich is the only NBA head coach among this year’s finalists.

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Hall of Fame high school basketball coach Morgan Wootten dies at age 88

Morgan Wootten became the first person who exclusively coached high school basketball to be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2000. The legendary DeMatha High School coach died Tuesday at the age of 88, according to the school.

Morgan Wootten became the first person who exclusively coached high school basketball to be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2000. The legendary DeMatha High School coach died Tuesday at the age of 88, according to the school.

Wootten coached from 1956-2002 at the high school in Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. He turned down opportunities to coach at Duke, Virginia, NC State and Wake Forest universities to continue leading the high school program.

Wootten’s coaching techniques made his program one of the first high school teams to begin taking on powerhouses outside of the state. He employed full-court pressure defenses in a way that led to the offensive foul.

In 1984, DeMatha finished 29-2 and USA Today named Wootten its Coach of the Year and the team national champions.

But in 1985, Wootten’s team took down Power Memorial Academy of New York, ending a 71-game win streak and limiting and stand-out center who later changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabar.

Wootten coached 13 players at DeMatha who went on to have NBA careers.

Hall of Fame high school basketball coach Morgan Wootten dies at age 88

Morgan Wootten became the first person who exclusively coached high school basketball to be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2000. The legendary DeMatha High School coach died Tuesday at the age of 88, according to the school.

Morgan Wootten became the first person who exclusively coached high school basketball to be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2000. The legendary DeMatha High School coach died Tuesday at the age of 88, according to the school.