George Fisher (basketball player)

Last updated
George Fisher
Personal information
Born Alhambra, California
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school Alhambra (Alhambra, California)
College Utah (1963–1966)
NBA draft 1966: 6th round, 51st overall pick
Selected by the New York Knicks
Position Forward
Career history
As coach:
1979–1989 Élan Béarnais Orthez
1989–1990 Racing Paris Basket
1991–1992 Aris
Stats   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg at Basketball-Reference.com

George Fisher is an American professional basketball coach and former professional player.

Career

Fisher, a 6’7’’ (2.00 m) forward, [1] played basketball and baseball at Alhambra High School in Alhambra, California. Serving as captain of the Alhambra basketball team, he was a First Team All Pacific League and an All Temple City Tournament selection in 1962. [2] Fisher attended the University of Utah, playing for the Utes  from 1963 to 1966. He saw action in a total of 79 games, averaging 14.4 points per contest. His best season at the college level came in 1964–65, when he tallied 17.8 points a game. In the 1963–64 season, he led the Utes in rebounding with 8.7 boards per game. [3] Fisher earned a bachelor's degree in marketing and management. [4]

Despite having suffered a broken femur during the 1965–66 campaign, [5] he was selected by the New York Knicks in the 1966 NBA draft (sixth round, 51st overall). [6] However, Fisher never played in the NBA. After the end of his college career, he coached the freshman team at the University of Utah, while recovering from his leg injury. Later, Fisher went to Milan, Italy, to play professionally [7] and then moved to France, where he played and coached at Jœuf Homécourt Basket for eight years. [8]

From 1979 to 1989, Fisher served as head coach of Élan béarnais Orthez in France. Under his guidance, Orthez won the Korać Cup in 1984. [9] Fisher also won two French national championships with Orthez (1986 [10] and 1987). [11] In 1987, he guided the team to a third-place finish in the final stage of the FIBA European Champions Cup. [12] Over the years, his Orthez team included players like John McCullough, [9] Paul Henderson, [13] Howard Carter and Tom Scheffler. [11] Fisher left Orthez in 1989. He had offers from Greece, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Real Madrid on the table, but took over the head coaching position at PSG Racing in Paris, France. [14] He parted ways with the club during the 1989–1990 season. [15] During his time in France, Fisher worked for the Banque Nationale de Paris as a consultant to Real Estate Asset Acquisition Managers in off-seasons. [4] From 1991 to 1992, Fisher served as head coach of Aris Thessaloniki in Greece, where his team included players like Nikos Galis, Panagiotis Giannakis and Walter Berry. [16]

Fisher moved back to California, he settled in Shell Beach and worked as a realtor. [4] His former teammate at Utah, Bucky Buckwalter, later revealed, that Fisher made him aware of Arvydas Sabonis in the 1980s and also gave his insight on Dražen Petrović, [17] when Buckwalter started considering foreign players as potential recruits for the Portland Trail Blazers who eventually drafted Sabonis in 1986. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dejan Bodiroga</span> Serbian basketball player (born 1973)

Dejan Bodiroga is a Serbian basketball executive and former professional player, who is currently the President of EuroLeague Basketball. In 1998 and 2002, he received the Golden Badge award for the best athlete of Yugoslavia, and the Yugoslav Olympic Committee also declared him the Sportsman of the Year. He was named to the FIBA All-Time EuroStars Team in 2007. In 2018, he was named one of the 101 Greats of European Basketball. HoopsHype named Bodiroga one of the 75 Greatest International Players Ever in 2021. He was inducted into the Greek Basket League Hall of Fame in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dražen Petrović</span> Yugoslav-Croatian basketball player (1964–1993)

Dražen Petrović was a Yugoslav and Croatian professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he initially achieved success playing professional basketball in Europe in the 1980s with Cibona and Real Madrid before joining the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arvydas Sabonis</span> Lithuanian basketball player and executive

Arvydas Romas Sabonis is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player and businessman. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest European players of all time and one of the best big-man passers in the history of the game. Sabonis won the Euroscar six times and the Mr. Europa Award twice. He played in a variety of leagues, including the Spanish ACB League, and spent seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Playing the center position, Sabonis won a gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics, in South Korea, for the Soviet Union, and later earned bronze medals at the 1992 Olympic Games and 1996 Olympic Games representing Lithuania. He retired from professional basketball in 2005. Sabonis was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the 1986 NBA draft, but he did not play his first NBA game until 1995, at the age of 30.

The Yugoslavia men's national basketball team represented the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1943 until 1992 in international basketball, and was controlled by the Basketball Federation of Yugoslavia.

The 1986 NBA draft was held on June 17, 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Real Madrid Baloncesto</span> Professional basketball club in Madrid, Spain

Real Madrid Baloncesto is a Spanish professional basketball club that was founded in 1931, as a division of the Real Madrid CF multi sports club. They play domestically in the Liga ACB, and internationally in the EuroLeague.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bucky Buckwalter</span> American basketball player, coach, and executive

Morris B. "Bucky" Buckwalter is an American former professional basketball coach and executive. He played college basketball for the Utah Utes. Buckwalter served as an assistant coach and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as well as a head coach in the American Basketball Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serbia men's national basketball team</span> Mens national basketball team representing Serbia

The Serbia men's national basketball team represents Serbia in international basketball competition, and is controlled by the Basketball Federation of Serbia. Serbia is currently ranked fourth in the FIBA World Ranking.

Joseph John Arlauckas is an American former professional basketball player of Lithuanian descent. During his playing career, he played at the power forward position. In 2018, he was named one of the 101 Greats of European Basketball.

The 1986 FIBA World Championship was the 10th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. It was hosted by Spain and was held from 5 to 20 July 1986. The final phase of the tournament was held at the Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad, Madrid. They were classified as the official men's basketball event of the 1986 Goodwill Games, held simultaneously in Moscow. This was the final tournament for West Germany, which did not participate in the next tournament prior to its unification with East Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aleksandar Petrović (basketball, born February 1959)</span> Croatian basketball coach and player

Aleksandar "Aco" Petrović is a Croatian professional basketball coach and former player who is currently the head coach of the Croatia men's national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland Trail Blazers accomplishments and records</span>

The Portland Trail Blazers are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The franchise entered the NBA in 1970, and is one of two major league franchise in Oregon. The Trail Blazers sold out 814 consecutive home games from 1977 through 1995, the second longest such streak for American professional sports teams which was broken July 9, 2011, by the Dayton Dragons. The team has played their home games at the Moda Center, since the 1995–96 NBA season. The Trail Blazers are owned by the Paul G. Allen Trust chaired by Jody Allen, since the passing of owner Paul Allen in 2018. Since the team joined the NBA in 1970, it has won one NBA championship, three conference championships, six division championships, and has appeared in the NBA playoffs 34 times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euroscar</span> Annual basketball award

The Euroscar European Player of the Year Award is an annual basketball award given to the year's best male European basketball player. Its name is a portmanteau of Europe and Oscar, and the award is often referred to as "European basketball’s Oscar”.

Košarkaški klub Šibenik, commonly referred to as KK Šibenik or simply Šibenik, was a men's professional basketball club based in Šibenik, Croatia. It was considered one of the best Croatian basketball clubs. In 2010, KK Šibenik bankrupted and was dissolved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domantas Sabonis</span> Lithuanian-American basketball player

Domantas Sabonis is a Lithuanian-American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Lithuanian national team. Son of the Hall of Fame player Arvydas Sabonis, Sabonis is a two-time All-NBA Team member and three-time NBA All-Star.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpha Kaba</span> French basketball player

Alpha Kaba is a French-Guinean professional basketball player for Valencia of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He also represents the Guinea national basketball team in international competitions.

Edward Murphy is a retired American professional professional basketball player. During his playing career, Murphy was nicknamed Radar, "Lucky Luke", and "Ed-la-Gâchette", which in French means, “Ed-the-Trigger”. During his pro club career, Murphy won two European-wide third-tier level FIBA Korać Cup championships, in the 1981–82 and 1982–83 seasons. He also won the Belgian Basketball League championship in the 1979–80 season, three French Pro A League championships, three French Federation Cup titles, and two Swiss Cup titles.

Justin Bibbins is an American professional basketball player for Dinamo Sassari of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played college basketball for Long Beach State and Utah.

Derrick Raymond Lewis is an American-French former professional basketball player. A Tarboro, North Carolina native, he played high school basketball at Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, D.C., where he was a McDonald's All-American as a senior in 1984. He then played in college with the Maryland Terrapins, staying for 4 years; he was a first-team All-ACC selection and an Honorable mention All-American as a junior in 1987, and a second-team All-ACC selection as a senior in 1988. As of 2020 he is the program's all-time leader in blocks and ranks third in rebounds. He was drafted in the third round of the 1988 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls, but he did not play in the NBA. After one season in the Continental Basketball Association, Lewis moved to France where he played for 15 seasons, 13 of which in the LNB Pro A, the top level of French basketball, where he was a 5-time blocks leader and a 2-time All-Star.

Paul Henderson is a retired American-French professional basketball player.

References

  1. ↑ "George Fisher". The Draft Review. 29 May 2014. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  2. ↑ "Alhambra High School Hall of Fame – George Fisher – 1962". ahshalloffame.com. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  3. ↑ "2019-20 Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). University of Utah Athletics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-07-03. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
  4. 1 2 3 "George Fisher, Real Estate Agent in Santa Barbara, Montecito, & Central Coast". Compass. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
  5. ↑ "The 1965–66 Runnin' Utes". Utah Communication History Encyclopedia. 2017-04-26. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  6. ↑ "1966 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  7. ↑ Spehr, Todd (2016). The Mozart of Basketball: The Remarkable Life and Legacy of Dražen Petrović. Sports Publishing. ISBN   978-1613219171.
  8. ↑ "La semaine décisive du basket-ball français Fisher-la-Science". Le Monde.fr (in French). 1987-02-18. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  9. 1 2 "Korac Cup 1983–84". www.linguasport.com. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  10. ↑ "L'Elan champion de France". larepubliquedespyrenees.fr (in French). Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  11. 1 2 "Bilan saison 1986–1987". www.basketarchives.fr. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  12. ↑ "Quand Orthez était la 3e équipe d'Europe". Basket Europe (in French). 2022-03-15. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  13. ↑ "Bilan saison 1980–1981". www.basketarchives.fr. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
  14. ↑ "BASKET-BALL : début du championnat de France Une SOS pour sauver le Racing Paris". Le Monde.fr (in French). 1989-09-16. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  15. ↑ "BasketNews 581". Issuu. 5 December 2011. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  16. ↑ "Aris Salonica" (PDF). El Mundo Deportivo. 1991-10-27. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
  17. ↑ "Drazen Petrovic leaves lasting legacy in NBA". ESPN.com. 2013-06-07. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  18. ↑ "The Storied Acquisition of Arvydas Sabonis Retold". Blazer's Edge. 2016-06-09. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.