Gene Banks

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Gene Banks
Gene Banks Hawks vs Wizards (cropped).jpg
Banks as an assistant coach with the Washington Wizards in 2012
Personal information
Born (1959-05-15) May 15, 1959 (age 62)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High schoolWest Philadelphia
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
CollegeDuke (1977–1981)
NBA draft1981 / Round: 2 / Pick: 28th overall
Selected by the San Antonio Spurs
Playing career1981–1993
PositionShooting guard / Small forward
Number20
Coaching career2009–present
Career history
As player:
1981–1985San Antonio Spurs
1985–1987Chicago Bulls
1988–1989Arimo Bologna
1989–1990La Crosse Catbirds
1990–1992Maccabi Rishon Lezion
1992–1993Hapoel Herzliya
As coach:
2009–2012Washington Wizards (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points5,305 (11.3 ppg)
Assists1,335 (2.9 apg)
Rebounds2,430 (5.8 rpg)
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

Eugene Lavon Banks (born May 15, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. He was born and raised in Philadelphia.

High School Career and College Recruitment[]

A 6'7" forward, Banks attended high school in West Philadelphia. Nicknamed "Tinkerbell," Banks was named to high school All-American teams his last three years of high school. By his senior year, he was considered one of the best players in the country, along with such players as Albert King and Magic Johnson. Banks was voted MVP of the 1977 and named to the inaugural McDonald's All American team; there was not yet a designated McDonald's game, but Banks was named MVP when the McDonald's team played in the 1977 Capital Classic.

Banks' decision to attend Duke University surprised close observers of amateur basketball. Recruited by virtually all colleges with major basketball programs, Banks was widely expected to choose to play for a winning program with a record of recruiting black players. UCLA and Villanova were considered the favorites. Banks has said that the only reason he even went on a recruiting visit to Duke was that a high school teacher had repeatedly emphasized Duke's academic opportunities. At the same time, Duke was a southern, small-town college that had never successfully recruited an elite black basketball player. In addition, while the Blue Devils had been to 3 Final Fours in the 1960s, the basketball program had been floundering and had just finished a losing season in which it finished last in the Atlantic Coast Conference.[1]

College Basketball Career[]

At Duke, Banks started as a freshman alongside such players as Mike Gminski, Jim Spanarkel, and Kenny Dennard. After finishing last in the conference the prior year, the Blue Devils were ranked in the top 10 by the end of the regular season. Qualifying for the NCAA tournament for the first time in a dozen years, the Blue Devils reached the championship game in 1978, losing to Kentucky, 94–88. During that rookie season, Banks became the first Duke freshman to record a triple double and was named the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Rookie of the Year.

Banks' teams never again made it to the Final Four, though they did qualify for the NCAA tournament during two of the next three years. The team's overall record during his 4 years was 90–37. During the course of his 4-year Duke career, Banks averaged 16.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, and shot 53% from the field.[2] During those final three seasons, Banks was named team MVP each year.[2]

During his senior season, playing for Mike Krzyzewski, Banks won the ACC scoring title over such players as James Worthy and Ralph Sampson. He was named to All American teams after two of his seasons.

Banks is widely seen as a crucial recruit as Duke slowly transitioned into the world of integrated college basketball. While the sixth African American player in Duke's history, he was the school's first Black All American, setting the stage for Coach Krzyzewski's later recruiting success.[3]

Banks received his BA in English from Duke in May 1981, where he was one of the two graduation speakers selected from the student body.

Professional Basketball[]

Banks played six seasons and 468 games in the National Basketball Association. Competing for with the San Antonio Spurs and the Chicago Bulls, he averaged 11.3 points per game. His career high of 44 points was achieved against the Los Angeles Lakers in 1983. He recorded his first NBA triple-double with the Chicago Bulls.

In the 1988–89 season, Banks played in Italy for Arimo Bologna. He went from Italy to continue his career as a member of the Maccabi Rishon Lezion basketball club in Israel. In 1993, he continued his play in Israel as a member of Hapoel Herzliya and took them to the Israeli Cup Championship game.

Between these stints, Banks played the 1989–90 season with the La Crosse Catbirds of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), averaging 15.3 points in 40 games. The Catbirds would go on to win the CBA title that year.[4]

Coaching[]

In 2009, Gene Banks became an assistant coach with the Washington Wizards.[5] In 2012, Banks was reassigned from assistant coach with the Wizards to scout of the southern region of the eastern Atlantic Coast. He is credited with the development of such players as JaVale McGee, Andray Blatche and Kevin Seraphin.

Honors[]

Banks was inducted into the Duke Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994, and the Duke Hall of Honors in 1996.

In 2007, Banks was named the "best foreign player" to ever play for Maccabi Rishon LeZion.

NBA career statistics[]

Regular season[]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1981–82 San Antonio 80 4 21.3 .477 .000 .684 5.1 1.8 .7 .2 9.6
1982–83 San Antonio 81 81 33.6 .550 .000 .705 7.6 3.4 1.0 .3 14.9
1983–84 San Antonio 80 66 32.5 .568 .167 .741 7.3 3.2 1.3 .3 13.1
1984–85 San Antonio 82 41 25.5 .586 .333 .774 5.4 2.9 .8 .2 9.5
1985–86 Chicago 82 33 26.1 .517 .000 .718 4.4 3.1 1.0 .1 10.9
1986–87 Chicago 63 39 28.9 .539 .000 .767 4.9 2.7 .8 .3 9.7
Career 468 264 27.9 .539 .043 .730 5.8 2.9 .9 .2 11.3

Playoffs[]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1982 San Antonio 9 – 16.2 .462 .000 .400 4.8 1.0 .4 .3 7.1
1983 San Antonio 11 – 36.2 .507 – .657 6.9 4.5 1.0 .1 15.9
1985 San Antonio 1 0 10.0 .000 – – .0 1.0 .0 .0 .0
1986 Chicago 3 0 23.0 .556 .000 .500 3.3 1.7 .3 .0 7.3
1987 Chicago 3 3 26.3 .591 – .625 2.7 .7 .0 .0 10.3
Career 27 3 26.0 .504 .000 .596 5.1 2.5 .6 .1 10.8

References[]

  1. ^ Bell, Daryl (February 26, 2019). "Before Zion: How Gene Banks paved the way for Duke's stars".
  2. ^ a b "Gene Banks College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
  3. ^ Jacobs, Barry (November 1, 2007). Across the Line: Profiles in Basketball Courage : Tales of the First Black Players in the ACC and SEC. Lyons Press. pp. 73–. ISBN 9781599210421. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  4. ^ 1990–91 CBA Official Guide and Register, page 250
  5. ^ "Wizards Assistant Coaches". Washington Wizards.

External links[]

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