Lloyd Batts

Last updated
Lloyd Batts
Personal information
Born (1951-05-09) May 9, 1951 (age 72)
Chicago, Illinois
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school Thornton Township (Harvey, Illinois)
College Cincinnati (1971–1974)
NBA draft 1974: 4th round, 60th overall pick
Selected by the Kansas City–Omaha Kings
Playing career1974–1983
Position Forward / guard
Number33
Career history
1974–1975 Virginia Squires
1977–1978 West Virginia Wheels
1981–1982 Juvecaserta Basket
1982–1983 ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne
Stats   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg at Basketball-Reference.com

Lloyd Batts (born May 9, 1951) is a retired American basketball player.

Contents

Early life

Born in Chicago, Batts was one of seven children. His father died when Lloyd was 12. His mother was deaf mute, and the state of Illinois decided the brothers and sisters should live with relatives who could better care for them, so Lloyd and two siblings moved to live with an aunt and uncle in a south suburb of Chicago, Illinois. [1]

Batts became a star forward for Thornton Township High School in Harvey, Illinois. As a young player in Chicago, he was known as a "hang-gliding, super-flying sort of player" who was a "legend of local playgrounds." [2] He averaged 29 points per game as a junior and 35 as a senior. [3] He was a two-time all-state selection and named the Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year as a senior. [4] He graduated in 1970 as the Wildcats' all-time leading scorer with more than 1,600 points. [5]

In 2012, Batts was inducted into the Illinois High School Basketball Hall of Fame. [3] He has a younger brother, Boyd Batts, who was also a high school basketball star who later played professionally for 15 years in Europe and South America. [4]

College career

Batts was heavily recruited out of high school and considered attending the University of Cincinnati, Purdue University and Long Beach State. He chose Cincinnati, in large part because former Thornton Township star Jim Ard had just finished a great career there and because it was the alma mater of all-time basketball great Oscar Robertson. [6]

As a sophomore in 1971–72, Batts led the Bearcats in scoring with 18.7 points per game as the team, coached by Tay Baker, posted a 17–9 record. [7] As a junior under new coach Gale Catlett, [7] the Bearcats were again 17–9 and Batts again led the team in scoring with 20.1 points per game and was named third-team All-American by Basketball Weekly. [7] As a senior in 1973–74, team captain Batts led the Bearcats in scoring for the third season with 21.3 points per game while also leading in assists per game and free throw percentage for the 19–8 team which lost in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). [7] He was named honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press (AP) and The Sporting News . [7] In Batts' final home game, he put on a show with 33 points and 10 rebounds as UC defeated Marquette University, which would later advance to the NCAA title game. [8]

By the end of his career, Batts' 1,585 career points made him the school's fourth all-time scorer behind Hall-of-Famers Oscar Robertson and Jack Twyman and also Ron Bonham. He currently stands 11th. [7]

Professional career

He was selected in the fourth round (60th overall) of the 1974 NBA draft by the Kansas City–Omaha Kings [9] and also in the fourth round of the 1974 American Basketball Association (ABA) draft by the Kentucky Colonels. [10]

His ABA rights were traded to the Virginia Squires, [6] for whom he played one season in 1974–75. In 58 games, he played an average of 22.7 minutes per game and averaged 10.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game. [9] He then played one season (1977–78) for the West Virginia Wheels of the All-American Basketball Alliance (AABA). [11] In 1978, he signed a non-guaranteed two-year contract with the NBA's Chicago Bulls, but he was cut from the team prior to summer league play. [6]

He then played professionally in Europe [12] for nine years—seven in Belgium, one in Italy and one in France. [1] [6]

Coach and administrator

Batts has two master's degrees—one in physical education and one in administration and education. [6]

He has a long career as a basketball coach and school administrator, including as an assistant coach at Eastern Illinois University and both assistant coach and director of enrollment at South Suburban College. [6]

He has served as head basketball coach at Chicago-area high schools Gage Park High School, Bowen High School, Waukegan High School (two seasons), South Shore High School from 2003 to 2010, where he was also dean of students, and currently at Julian High School. [3] [12] [13] He is also currently the Boys Dean of Students at Chicago Vocational Career Academy. [14]

Personal life

Batts has two children, Davina and Lloyd Jr. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artis Gilmore</span> American basketball player (born 1949)

Artis Gilmore Sr. is an American former professional basketball player who played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA). Gilmore was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on August 12, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Kerr</span> American basketball player, coach, and commentator (1932–2009)

John Graham Kerr was an American basketball player, coach, and color commentator. He played in the NBA from 1954 to 1966, mainly as a member of the Syracuse Nationals. He later held several coaching and administrative positions before embarking on a thirty-three-year career as a television color commentator for the Chicago Bulls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwight Eddleman</span> American athlete (1922–2001)

Thomas Dwight "Dike" Eddleman was an American athlete who was generally considered the greatest athlete in the history of athletics at the University of Illinois. Eddleman participated on the university's basketball, track and field, and football teams between the years of 1942 and 1949. Eddleman earned a combined 11 varsity letters in his career at the university, during which he also became a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. Eddleman was born in Centralia, Illinois, and attended Centralia High School. On October 24, 2008, Eddleman was named a Distinguished Alumni of Centralia High school. He, along with five others, including James Brady, were the first to be named Distinguished Alumni. His wife, Teddy Eddleman, accepted his award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Issel</span> American basketball player, coach, executive

Daniel Paul Issel is an American former professional basketball player and coach. An outstanding collegian at the University of Kentucky, Issel was twice named an All-American en route to a school-record 25.7 points per game for his career. The American Basketball Association Rookie of the Year in 1971, he was a six-time ABA All-Star and a one-time NBA All-Star.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kendall Gill</span> American basketball player (born 1968)

Kendall Cedric Gill is an American former professional basketball player who now works as a television basketball analyst.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Phillip</span> American basketball player and coach

Andrew Michael "Handy Andy" Phillip was an American professional basketball player. Born in Granite City, Illinois, Phillip had an 11-year career and played for the Chicago Stags of the Basketball Association of America and the Philadelphia Warriors, Fort Wayne Pistons and Boston Celtics, of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donnie Freeman</span>

Donald E. Freeman is an American former professional basketball player. He spent eight seasons (1967–1975) in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and one season (1975–1976) in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Freeman was the youngest of four children.

Deon La velle Thomas is an American-Israeli former basketball player. As a high school player, he led his team to the Chicago Public League title, and was named Illinois Mr. Basketball. As a college player at the University of Illinois, he finished his career as the all-time leading scorer in Fighting Illini history. Selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the 28th selection of the 1994 NBA draft, he opted to play professional basketball in Europe and Israel.

Thornton Township High School, often simply referred to as Thornton is a public high school founded in 1899, located in Harvey, one of the South Suburbs of the city of Chicago, Illinois, USA. The school is one of three administered by Thornton Township High Schools District 205. It is occasionally confused with the two other similarly named schools in the district, Thornridge High School and Thornwood High School.

Stephen Phil Kuberski is an American former professional basketball player. Kuberski won two NBA titles with the Boston Celtics, in 1974 and 1976 and had a nine-year National Basketball Association (NBA) career. Kuberski was the last Celtic to wear number 33 before Larry Bird.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Bonham</span> American basketball player (1942–2016)

Ronald D. Bonham was an American professional basketball player. He won two NBA championships with the Boston Celtics and a college national title at the University of Cincinnati.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Ard</span> American basketball player (born 1948)

Jimmie Lee Ard is an American retired professional basketball player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Thacker (basketball)</span> American basketball player and coach

Thomas Porter Thacker is an American former basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Cincinnati Royals and the Boston Celtics from 1963 to 1968, and from 1968 to 1971, for the American Basketball Association's Indiana Pacers. He is the only player to have played on an NCAA championship team, an ABA championship team, and an NBA championship team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Wilson (basketball, born 1942)</span> American basketball player (1942–2023)

George Wilson was an American professional basketball player. Wilson played as a center for the Cincinnati Royals, Chicago Bulls, Seattle SuperSonics, Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia 76ers, and Buffalo Braves of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1964 to 1971. Before turning professional, he played college basketball for the Cincinnati Bearcats and won a gold medal in the 1964 Summer Olympics.

Duane W. "Skip" Thoren is an American former professional basketball player. At a height of 6 ft 10 in tall, he played at the center position.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Burmaster</span> American basketball player and coach

John Hagelou "Jack" Burmaster was an American basketball player and coach.

James C. Dawson is an American former professional basketball point guard who played one season in the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a member of the Indiana Pacers during the 1967–68 season. He attended University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign where he was drafted by the Chicago Bulls during the 16th round of the 1967 NBA draft, but he did not play for them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jalen Brunson</span> American basketball player (born 1996)

Jalen Marquis Brunson is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Villanova University, where he was the National Player of the Year as a junior and won two national championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Allen (basketball)</span> American basketball player (1947–1997)

Joe Allen was an American basketball player who played for Bradley University in the late 1960s. A center, Allen led the Braves in rebounding and scoring each season of varsity basketball. While averaging 10.9 rebounds per game, Allen also averaged 22.2 points per game. During his senior season, Allen would lead the nation in field goal percentage shooting over 65% from the field (.655).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Wessels (basketball)</span> College basketball player (b. 1938, d. 1994)

John M. Wessels was an American college basketball standout for Illinois in the late 1950s and early 1960s. A center, Wessels averaged 13.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in his three years of varsity basketball for the Fighting Illini, earning a varsity letter each year. Graduating from Rockford West High School, Wessels led the Warriors to the IHSA state championship during consecutive seasons in 1955 and 1956.

References

  1. 1 2 Canfield, J.; Hansen, M.V.; Williams, P. (2011). Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inside Basketball: 101 Great Hoop Stories from Players, Coaches, and Fans. Chicken Soup for the Soul. ISBN   9781611591613 . Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  2. ↑ "There Must Be a Reason Why Quinn Buckner Only Plays for Winners". Los Angeles Times. 1985-06-05. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  3. 1 2 3 "Batts, Lloyd (2012) | Illinois High School Basketball Hall of Fame & MuseumIllinois High School Basketball Hall of Fame & Museum". illinoishoops.org. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  4. 1 2 Bell, T.H.A. (2004). Sweet Charlie, Dike, Cazzie, and Bobby Joe: High School Basketball in Illinois. University of Illinois Press. p. 110. ISBN   9780252090486 . Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  5. ↑ "Boudreau Trophy Room Rededicated | Thornton Township High School Alumni Legacy Fund". tthsalumnifund.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Bell, T. (2006). Glory Days Illinois: Legends of Illinois High School Basketball. Sports Pub. p. 105. ISBN   9781582619453 . Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "SINGLE-GAME TEAM RECORDS" (PDF). 15 November 2010. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  8. ↑ Perry, M.; Lachey, N. (2004). Tales from Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball . Sports Pub. p.  107. ISBN   9781582617459 . Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  9. 1 2 "Lloyd Batts NBA & ABA Stats | Basketball-Reference.com". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  10. ↑ "Lloyd Batts Past Stats, Playoff Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards". basketballreference.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-05. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  11. ↑ "History of the All-America Basketball Alliance". apbr.org. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  12. 1 2 Henricksen, Joe (2012-10-23). "Lloyd Batts hired as coach at Julian – City/Suburban Hoops Report". blogs.suntimes.com. Archived from the original on 2013-05-23. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  13. ↑ "IHSA Chicago (Julian)". ihsa.org. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  14. ↑ "Chicago Vocational Career Academy". cvcacademy.org. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
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.