Vernon Hatton

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Vernon Hatton
Vernon Hatton.jpg
Hatton from the 1958 Kentuckian
Personal information
Born (1936-01-13) January 13, 1936 (age 87)
Owingsville, Kentucky
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school Lafayette (Lexington, Kentucky)
College Kentucky (1955–1958)
NBA draft 1958: 2nd round, 9th overall pick
Selected by the Cincinnati Royals
Playing career1958–1962
Position Guard
Number11, 20, 52, 17
Career history
1958 Cincinnati Royals
19581961 Philadelphia Warriors
1961 Chicago Packers
1961–1962 St. Louis Hawks
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points 1,244 (5.5 ppg)
Rebounds 531 (2.4 rpg)
Assists 318 (1.4 apg)
Stats   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Walter Vernon "Vern" Hatton (born January 13, 1936) is an American basketball player who won a national championship as a player at the University of Kentucky and played professionally in the National Basketball Association.

Contents

Kentucky career

Hatton played under Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp. He is considered a Kentucky basketball legend largely due to a memorable half-court shot he made to force a third overtime in a victory over Temple University. [1] He was voted an honorable mention All-American his senior year and scored 30 points to lead the Kentucky Wildcats over Elgin Baylor-led Seattle in winning the 1958 NCAA men's basketball championship. Hatton was named a member of the NCAA All-Tournament team for 1958 along with Baylor, Johnny Cox, and Guy Rodgers. [2] Hatton said of playing for Rupp, "It takes you six to eight years to get over playing for Adolph Rupp, but once you get over it, you get to like him." [3]

Professional career

A jersey honoring Hatton hangs in Rupp Arena. Vernon-Hatton-jersey.jpg
A jersey honoring Hatton hangs in Rupp Arena.

He was drafted 9th overall in the 1958 NBA draft by the Cincinnati Royals. [4] He played four years in the NBA, mainly for the Philadelphia Warriors.

Personal life

Hatton is married with three sons and is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. [5]

Career statistics

Legend
  GPGames played  GS Games started MPG Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage 3P%  3-point field goal percentage FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game APG  Assists per game SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game PPG Points per game Bold Career high

NBA

Source [6]

Regular season

YearTeamGPMPGFG%FT%RPGAPGPPG
1958–59 Cincinnati 2229.9.319.6673.71.47.5
1958–59 Philadelphia 4210.8.393.7962.31.05.0
1959–60 Philadelphia 6715.7.357.6092.41.24.6
1960–61 Philadelphia 5411.3.319.8211.71.14.4
1961–62 Chicago 1526.4.308.7543.02.99.5
1961–62 St. Louis 2520.1.362.8212.32.27.2
Career22516.3.344.7352.41.45.5

Playoffs

YearTeamGPMPGFG%FT%RPGAPGPPG
1960 Philadelphia 62.8.308.333.5.21.5

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References

  1. "Hatton Saves Game Twice for Wildcats and Wins It in Third Overtime", The New York Times , 8 December 1957. Retrieved on 24 April 2021.
  2. "All-Tournament Teams", The Washington Post , 1998. Retrieved on 24 April 2021.
  3. "Kentucky's Tortured Champions", The New York Times , 29 March 1978. Retrieved on 24 April 2021.
  4. Hampton, Jeff. "7 Mormons Who Made March Madness History", LDS Living, 15 March 2016. Retrieved on 24 April 2021.
  5. Hummer, Steve. "In the beginning", The Atlanta Journal-Constitution , 2 April 2013. Retrieved on 24 April 2021.
  6. "Vern Hatton NBA stats". Basketball Reference . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 18, 2023.

Additional reading