1968–69 New York Nets season
The 1968–69 New York Nets season was the first season of the Nets in New York and second overall season in the American Basketball Association (ABA). After one year in New Jersey, the team elected to play their games at Commack Arena in New York, the same place that they had tried to use for their one game playoff against the Kentucky Colonels that they forfeited due to unplayable conditions. Low attendance plagued the team at times, with the October 29 game drawing only 384 people to see the Nets play the Denver Rockets. Only 249 attended the game played on December 25, 1968 against the Rockets. The December 27 game was notable for a collision between Ken Wilburn and Rick Barry that cost Barry the rest of his season due to injury. Factors for the low attendance ranged from a lack of star power to the condition of the court, which was over the rink due to the Arena doubling as a hockey arena.[1]
| 1968–69 New York Nets season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Max Zaslofsky |
| Arena | Long Island Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 17–61 (.218) |
| Place | Division: 5th (Eastern (ABA)) |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com | |
1968 ABA Draft
| Player | School/Club Team |
|---|---|
| Dick Cunningham | Murray State |
| Rodney Knowles | Davidson |
| Don Smith | Iowa State |
| Steve Adelman | Boston College |
| Eddie Biedenbach | North Carolina State |
| Ron Gruziak | Duquesne |
| Pete ODea | St. Peter's |
| Bill Soens | Miami (FL) |
| Bill Butler | St. Bonaventure |
| John Chamberlain | C. W. Post |
| Tony Koski | Providence |
| Bill Langheld | Fordham |
| Art Stephenson | Rhode Island |
| Harry Laurie | St. Peter's |
Roster
| Number | Player | Position | Height | Weight | Birthday | Experience (in years) | College/High School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Dan Anderson | C | 6-10 | 230 | February 15, 1943 | 1 | Augsburg College |
| 32 | Tommie Bowens | PF | 6-8 | 220 | July 7, 1940 | 1 | Grambling State University |
| 22 | Stephen Chubin | SG | 6-2 | 200 | February 8, 1944 | 1 | University of Rhode Island |
| 9 | Ollie Darden | PF | 6-7 | 235 | July 28, 1944 | 1 | University of Michigan |
| 30 | Will Frazier | C | 6-7 | 210 | August 24, 1942 | 2 | Grambling State University |
| 10 | Tom Hoover | C | 6-9 | 230 | January 23, 1941 | 4 | Villanova University |
| 32 | Tony Jackson | SF | 6-4 | 200 | November 7, 1942 | 1 | St. John's University |
| 10 | Stew Johnson | PF | 6-8 | 220 | August 19, 1944 | 1 | Murray State University |
| 42 | Rod Knowles | C | 6-9 | 215 | February 27, 1946 | R | Davidson College |
| 27 | Tony Koski | SF | 6-8 | 215 | June 26, 1946 | R | Providence College |
| 9 | Manny Leaks | C | 6-8 | 225 | November 27, 1945 | R | Niagara University |
| 27 | Leary Lentz | SF | 6-6 | 200 | February 23, 1945 | 1 | University of Houston |
| 3 | Bobby Lloyd | PG | 6-2 | 184 | January 3, 1946 | 1 | Rutgers University |
| 20 | Randolph Mahaffey | PF | 6-7 | 210 | September 28, 1945 | 1 | Clemson University |
| 22 | Maurice McHartley | SG | 6-3 | 185 | August 1, 1942 | 1 | North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University |
| 22 | Ron Perry | SG | 6-3 | 190 | December 29, 1943 | 1 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
University |
| 4 | Walter Simon | SF | 6-6 | 200 | December 1, 1939 | 1 | Benedict College |
| 33 | Willie Somerset | PG | 5-8 | 170 | March 17, 1942 | 2 | Duquesne University |
| 40 | Levern Tart | SG | 6-2 | 195 | June 1, 1942 | 1 | Bradley University |
| 27 | Bob Verga | SG | 6-1 | 190 | September 7, 1945 | 1 | Duke University |
| 11 | Hank Whitney | PF | 6-7 | 230 | April 28, 1939 | 1 | Iowa State University |
| 10 | Ken Wilburn | SF | 6-6 | 195 | June 8, 1944 | 1 | Central State University |
| 33 | Willie Worsley | PG | 5-9 | 175 | November 13, 1945 | R | University of Texas at El Paso |
Playoffs
- The Nets did not qualify for the playoffs this year.
References
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-03-03. Retrieved 2013-02-22.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)