| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 10, 1946 |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | James Madison (Dallas, Texas) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 1968: 15th round, 185th overall pick |
| Drafted by | San Diego Rockets |
| Position | Guard |
| Number | 15 |
| Career history | |
| 1968 | Houston Mavericks |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
William Roosevelt Gaines (born March 10, 1946) is a former basketball player who played the guard position. He starred at Henderson County Community College and East Texas State University (now East Texas A&M University) before playing briefly with the Houston Mavericks in the American Basketball Association (ABA).
Gaines attended James Madison High School in Dallas, Texas, [1] where he played basketball and football alongside his brother Henry. [2] [3] After missing out most of his senior season following a football injury that required a surgery, he signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Wichita. [4] [5] He never played for Wichita and later started his college career at Henderson County CC in the National Junior College Athletic Association [6] where he was twice All-Texas Eastern Conference and once Junior College All-American. [7] In 1966, he won the Texas Eastern Conference (TEC) while leading it in scoring with a 30.6 point average [8] [9] [10] and was named to the TEC All-Conference team. [11]
The following season, he signed a letter of intent with North Texas State University [1] but later transferred to East Texas State University (now known as Texas A&M Commerce) [12] where he averaged 16.8 points and 6.2 rebounds his first season [13] and made the All-Lone Star Conference second team. [14] He missed a large part of the following season, but still led the team with 326 points, for an average of 25.1 points per game. [15]
Gaines was drafted by the San Diego Rockets as the first pick in the fifteenth round of the 1968 NBA draft [16] and by the Houston Mavericks in the 13th round of the American Basketball Association (ABA) draft. [12] He signed with the Mavericks during the summer [7] and appeared in the team's opening game of the 1968–69 season, scoring two points. He was waived by the Mavericks a week later, along with Rich Dumas. [17]
