George Kaftan
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 22, 1928 New York City, New York |
| Died | October 6, 2018 (aged 90) |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Xavier (New York City, New York) |
| College | Holy Cross (1945–1949) |
| BAA draft | 1949 / Round: 2 |
| Selected by the Boston Celtics | |
| Playing career | 1949–1953 |
| Position | Small forward |
| Number | 9, 17, 6 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1949–1950 | Boston Celtics |
| 1950–1952 | New York Knicks |
| 1952 | Pawtucket Slaters |
| 1952–1953 | Baltimore Bullets |
| As coach: | |
| 1958–1972 | LIU Post |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career BAA and NBA statistics | |
| Points | 1,594 (7.5 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 424 (3.1 rpg) |
| Assists | 399 (1.9 apg) |
Stats  at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
George A. Kaftan (February 22, 1928 – October 6, 2018)[1] was an American professional basketball player.
George grew up in New York City and went to Xavier in Manhattan before going to Holy Cross for college. Though just 6'3", Kaftan was the starting center for the College of the Holy Cross team that won the 1947 NCAA Basketball Tournament. In 1947 Kaftan also won Most Outstanding Player honors after averaging 21 points per game in three games.[2]
Kaftan was selected in the second round of the 1949 BAA Draft. Kaftan later played professionally for the Boston Celtics (1949–1950), New York Knicks (1950–1952) and Baltimore Bullets (1952–1953). He averaged 7.5 points per game in his BAA/NBA career.[3]
Kaftan is a member of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame and the Holy Cross Varsity Club Hall of Fame.[4]
Personal[]
Kaftan was of Greek descent. His family's original name was Kaftagouras.
BAA/NBA career statistics[]
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | MPG | Minutes per game | ||
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage | ||
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | ||
| PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high | ||
Regular season[]
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948–49 | Boston | 21 | – | .368 | .626 | – | 2.9 | 14.5 |
| 1949–50 | Boston | 55 | – | .372 | .654 | – | 2.6 | 9.7 |
| 1950–51 | New York | 61 | – | .388 | .624 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 4.9 |
| 1951–52 | New York | 52 | 18.4 | .375 | .687 | 3.8 | 1.7 | 6.2 |
| 1952–53 | Baltimore | 23 | 16.5 | .317 | .657 | 3.3 | 1.3 | 5.8 |
| Career | 212 | 17.8 | .370 | .650 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 7.5 | |
Playoffs[]
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | New York | 8 | – | .333 | .333 | .8 | .3 | 1.6 |
| 1952 | New York | 13 | 17.8 | .394 | .667 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 6.2 |
| Career | 21 | 17.8 | .381 | .644 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 4.4 | |
References[]
- ^ George A Kaftan 1928 2018
- ^ The Little Team That Could. Retrieved on March 1, 2008.
- ^ "George Kaftan Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 1, 2008.
- ^ Hall of Fame Inductees. Retrieved on March 1, 2008.
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- 1928 births
- 2018 deaths
- All-American college men's basketball players
- American men's basketball coaches
- American men's basketball players
- American people of Greek descent
- Baltimore Bullets (1944–1954) players
- Basketball coaches from New York (state)
- Basketball players at the 1947 NCAA Final Four
- Basketball players at the 1948 NCAA Final Four
- Basketball players from New York City
- Boston Celtics draft picks
- Boston Celtics players
- College men's basketball head coaches in the United States
- Holy Cross Crusaders men's basketball players
- LIU Post Pioneers men's basketball coaches
- New York Knicks players
- Small forwards
- Xavier High School (New York City) alumni
- American basketball biography, 1920s birth stubs