THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, July 10, 2020 Page 5 The greatest player from Massachusetts By Th e Old Sachem he greatest basketball player to grow up in Massachusetts was Patrick Ewing of Cambridge. Born in Jamaica, Ewing was brought to this country as an 11-yearold youngster. He played basketball as a youngster and as he sprouted, he became more and more talented. As a junior high schooler, he stood at six foot eleven in height, but was awkward. At Cambridge Rindge and Latin, he came under the tutelage of Mike Jarvis, who turned Patrick into a competitor wanted by every college in the nation. He chose Georgetown in the nation’s capital. His coach at Georgetown was John Thompson, a six ten backup center to Bill Russell, who matured Ewing. He had four great years at Georgetown; he was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player as a junior, and as College Player of the Year by Sporting News. Olajuwon, Jordan and Barkley also played college basketball during these years. Ewing stayed for four years with the Hoyas to obtain a degree in Fine Arts. He was a phenom on defense and the Hoyas captured one National Collegiate Athletic Association title and played in two other finals. In his four years at Georgetown, he played in 143 games, scored 1,382 points, and averaged 15.3 T Gerry D’Ambrosio Attorney-at-Law Is Your Estate in Order? Do you have an update Will, Health Care Proxy or Power of Attorney? If Not, Please Call for a Free Consultation. 14 Proctor Avenue, Revere (781) 284-5657 Points Per Game (PPG). The first NBA Draft Lottery was established in 1985, giving a chance to many teams to pick first in the draft. Before this time a coin flip between the two last place teams decided who would pick first, but the league determined that it is better to allow other stagnant teams to have the chance of obtaining the best player available. On Mother’s Day in 1985, the NBA Draft was televised from New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel, and the Knicks, although they finished with the third worst record the year prior, won the lottery and selected Ewing with the first choice. This selection brought back memories of halcyon days for the Knicks when Willis Reed and Walt “Clyde” Frazier brought the Knicks to championships in 1970 and 1973. The Knicks were not as desperate as their ranking would seem. They had made the playoffs three times in the last five years, so that there was not desperation in New York. The team included seven-foot one center Bill Cartwright and Bernard King, so they had talent, but injuries to the two stars the season before sidelined both, and the door was opened to Ewing to lead the team. Patrick won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in his first season. A knee injury caused him to miss the All-Star Game that season. He had been a standout defensive player with the Hoyas, but New York wanted more offense from him, and the coaches worked diligently to get this result. In his third year with the Knicks, Ewing finished twentieth in scoring in the league, with 20.2 PPG, and third in blocked shots, 2.99 per game. Rick Pitino was in his first year as coach then, and the team made the playoffs only to be eliminated by the Boston Celtics, three games to one, in the first round. Patrick had 18.8 points and 12.8 rebounds per game to lead the team. He was named All-NBA Second Team at years end. Although Pitino was let go after the season, the Knicks won the Atlantic Division with a record of 52 wins and 30 defeats. Ewing moved up the ladder to twelfth in the NBA, scoring with 22.7 PPG, third in blocked shots (3.51 PPG), fourth in Field Goal Percentage (FGP) and twentieth in rebounding with 9.3 per game. He brought the team to the Eastern Conference Semifinals before losing to the Chicago Bulls in six games. In the 1989-1990 season, Ewing was spectacular. He ranked second in blocked shots (3.99 PPG), third in scoring (28.6 PPG), fifth in rebounding (10.6 Rebounds Per Game [RPG]) and sixth in FGP at .551. He entered his fourth All-Star game that season, and first as a starter. In the playoffs the team was down 0-2 to the Celtics in the first round. He brought the team back with a victory in game three, then scored 44 points and 13 rebounds in game four, then 31 points in game five for the series victory. The Knicks were upended by the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. He averaged 29.4 PPG in the 10 playoff games, with a resounding 45-point total in game three, a Knicks victory. Pat Riley became the coach in the off-season and the Knicks won at least 50 games each year for the next four years, and advanced to the NBA finals in 1994. He played 15 seasons with New York, one season with Seattle and one with Orlando. His career statistics are 1,183 games played, averaged 16.3 field goals per game, and 2.4 blocked shots per game – by far the greatest player to come out of Massachusetts in my lifetime. AUTOTECH 1989 SINCE Is your vehicle ready for the Summer Season?!! Recharge your vehicle's AC for the warm weather! Includes up to 1 LB. of Refrigerant* (*Most Vehicles/Some Restrictions May Apply) AC SPECIAL Only $69.95 DRIVE IT - PUSH IT - TOW IT! CASH FOR YOUR CAR, TRUCK OR SUV! 2012 FORD FUSION SEL 2015 NISSAN ALTIMA 6 Cylinder, Auto., 1 Previous Owner, Most Pwr., Options incl. Keyless Entry, & Pwr. Sunroof. Only 110K Miles! ALL TRADES WELCOME! $5,995 Easy Financing Available! Only 104K Miles, One Owner, Most Power Options, in Excellent Condition. QUALITY & PRICE $7,250 781-321-8841 1236 EasternAve • Malden EddiesAutotech.com We Pay Cash For Your Vehicle!
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