Richie Guerin

Richard Vincent Guerin was born on May 29, 1932, in the Bronx, New York, where he grew up. He attended Mount Saint Michael Academy, where he excelled in basketball. ==College career==

Guerin attended Iona College in 1950 where he played center for coach Jim McDermott. He commuted to school daily. He averaged at least 19.9 points per game in his three years of varsity basketball, and set the freshman team scoring record at the time. ==Professional career==

New York Knicks (1956–1963) On April 24, 1954, the New York Knicks selected him in the 1954 NBA draft, but Guerin could not join the Knicks until he had completed two years of service in the Marines. In his third year Guerin led the Knicks in assists (5.1 apg) and ranked second in scoring (18.2 ppg). He made a (then) team-record 21 assists against St. Louis on December 12, 1958. The 21 assists he totaled were also Madison Square Garden high until John Stockton broke the record 41 years later. That year New York made its only postseason appearance with Guerin on the team, losing to the Syracuse Nationals in a first-round sweep. By the end of the campaign Guerin had firmly established himself among the league's backcourt elite. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team for the third time in his first six seasons. St. Louis had gone 17–16 under Gallatin, and the team went 28–19 under Guerin. The Hawks earned a playoff spot but lost to the Baltimore Bullets in a division semifinal series. Under Guerin's direction, the Hawks reached the playoffs in each of the next seven seasons. On May 1, 1967, Guerin was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics from the St. Louis Hawks in the NBA expansion draft. The fourth game of the 1970 Western Division Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 19, 1970, was Guerin's last game as a player. He contributed 31 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, but his team failed to avoid a four-game sweep. == Legacy and honors ==

In 2013, Guerin was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame. Guerin was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992. Guerin is considered the last NBA player to use a two-handed set shot. ==Coaching career==

St. Louis / Atlanta Hawks (1964–1972) Guerin stayed on as head coach for two more seasons, and Atlanta went 36–46 each year.). His successor as head coach was Cotton Fitzsimmons who was appointed just over five weeks later on May 31. Guerin was fired on August 4, 1973, despite having four years remaining on a five‐year contract. Feeling the need for a promoter as general manager, the Hawks replaced Guerin with Pat Williams two days later on August 6. ==NBA career statistics==

Regular season Playoffs ==Head coaching record==

Guerin enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve and served from 1947 to 1954. While a reservist, Guerin attended Iona College from 1950 to 1954, and upon graduation was commissioned a second lieutenant. He served on active duty with the T&T Regtiment, Marine Corps Schools, Quantico, Virginia until his discharge as a first lieutenant in June 1956. He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal and the Organized Marine Corps Rerserve Medal. ==Personal==

Following his retirement from professional basketball, Guerin became a Knicks sportscaster and a Wall Street stockbroker. ==See also==