Phil Tollestrup

Last updated
Phil Tollestrup
Personal information
Born (1949-10-21) October 21, 1949 (age 75)
Raymond, Alberta, Canada
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school Raymond High School
(Raymond, Alberta)
College BYU (1968–72)
University of Lethbridge (1972–73)
NBA draft 1973: 20th round, 211th overall pick
Selected by the Buffalo Braves
Position Forward
Career history
As player:
1973-74 Saski Baskonia (Spain)
As coach:
1978-80 McMaster University
2004-07 Lethbridge College
Career highlights and awards
  • Fourth overall scorer in 1976 Summer Olympics
  • FIBA World Championship North / South American All-Star (1974)
  • First Team CIAU All-Canadian (1973)
  • University of Lethbridge Male Athlete of the Year (1973)
  • Canada West First Team All-Star (1973)
Stats at Basketball Reference   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Phil Tollestrup (born October 12, 1949) is a former Canadian basketball player and Olympian. Among his accomplishments, he was the fourth overall scorer in the 1976 Summer Olympics (21.3 ppg), [1] where Canada competed for the bronze medal; [2] [3] [4] was drafted in the NBA by the Buffalo Braves in 1973; [5] [6] [7] was a First Team CIAU All-Canadian (1973); [8] [9] [10] was the University of Lethbridge's Male Athlete of the Year (1973); [9] [11] [12] and was a First Team Canada West All-Star. [13]

Contents

International career

Tollestrup played for the Canadian men's national basketball team from 1971 to 1979. [10] [11] This included representing Canada in the 1976 Olympics. [14] [15] Tollestrup played well in these Olympics, being the tournament's fourth overall leading scorer with 21.3 ppg. [1] [9] [15] The '76 Olympics were also noteworthy in that Canada competed for the bronze medal and finished fourth overall, [2] [3] [4] one of only three times in the past 80 years in which Canada has competed for an Olympic medal in basketball. [4]

Tollestrup also represented Canada in three Pan American Games (1971, 1975, 1979), [14] [15] [12] the 1972 Pre-Olympic Tournament, [16] the 1973 World Student Games [5] [9] [12] and the 1974 FIBA World Championships. [5] [14] [17] Tollestrup played well in these tournaments as well: in the 1974 World Championships, he was selected as a North / South American All-Star [15] and was Canada's third-leading scorer with 13.3 ppg. [17] In the 1972 Pre-Olympic tournament, he was Canada's second-leading scorer with 19.3 ppg. [16]

Professional

Tollestrup was drafted by the Buffalo Braves in the 20th round as the 211th overall pick in the 1973 NBA draft. [6] [7] [18] In the 1973–74 season, Tollestrup played professionally in the Spanish first division for Saski Baskonia. [9] [11] [13]

University

In high school, Tollestrup led Raymond High School to win two provincial championships (1967, 1968). [9] [11] [15] He was also named provincial MVP. [5]

He played at BYU the following four years (1968–72). [5] [9] [12] At BYU, he played on the conference championship team. [15]

Tollestrup played his final year (1972–73) at the University of Lethbridge. [9] [10] [12] This was the University of Lethbridge's inaugural year in basketball. [11] In this year, he established intercollegiate scoring records [15] when he averaged 26.4 ppg. [13] He was named a First Team All-Canadian, [8] [10] [11] a Canada West First Team All-Star [13] and as the University of Lethbridge's Male Athlete of the Year. [9] [11] [12] In this year, he also led the Pronghorns to the Canada West championship game. [9] [12] [13]

Coaching career

Tollestrup coached McMaster University from 1978 to 1980. [10] [14] [15] He then coached at the high school level in Milk River, Stirling and Magrath in Alberta, Canada. [9] [12] He then coached the Lethbridge College Kodiaks from 2004 to 2007. [9] [12] [15]

Post-career Awards

Tollestrup has been inducted into the Canada Basketball Hall of Fame (1991), [14] the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame (1984), [15] the City of Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame (2011), [9] the University of Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame [11] and the City of Raymond Sports Hall of Fame,. [10] [12] [15] Additionally, the 1976 Canadian men's national team of which Tollestrup was a member [1] was inducted into the Canada Basketball Hall of Fame. [19]

Personal life

Tollestrup was born on October 12, 1949. [3] [6] [14] He is a native of Raymond, Alberta, Canada. [5] [6] [11]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Event Standings". FIBA Archive. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Phil Tollestrup". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 "Phil Tollestrup". Canadian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 "Reflecting on when Karl Tilleman, Eli Pasquale, and Their Fellow Canadian University Teammates Took a Shot at Ruling the Basketball World". Somers Point News. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "#40 Phil Tollestrup". BYU Cougars. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Los Angeles Clippers Draft Picks". Basketball Reference. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  7. 1 2 "Phil Tollestrup". Draft Express. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  8. 1 2 "Men's Basketball All-Canadian Teams" (PDF). U Sports. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Phil Tollestrup". Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Hall of Fame Inductees". The Meliorist. No. 35. 28 March 2002. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Phil Tollestrup". University of Lethbridge Athletics. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Lethbridge's Olympians". Lethbridge Sports Council. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 "Phil Tollestrup". U Sports Hoops. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Phil Tollestrup--Athlete" (PDF). Canada Basketball Hall of Fame. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Phil Tollestrup". Alberta Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  16. 1 2 "Canada". FIBA Archive. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  17. 1 2 "Canada". FIBA Archive. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  18. ↑ "Phil Tollestrup". Basketball Reference. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  19. ↑ "1976 Senior Men's Olympic Team – Team" (PDF). Canada Basketball Hall of Fame. Retrieved 15 February 2024.


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