Jeff Cohen (basketball)

Jeffrey Maxwell Cohen (October 12, 1939 – June 23, 1978) was an All-American basketball player at the College of William & Mary in 1960-61.[1] He was selected as the 14th pick in the second round (23rd overall) of the 1961 NBA Draft by the Chicago Packers (now the Washington Wizards).[2]

For other people with the same name, see Jeff Cohen.
Jeff Cohen
Personal information
Born(1939-10-12)October 12, 1939
Kenosha, Wisconsin
DiedJune 23, 1978(1978-06-23) (aged 38)
Zurich, Switzerland
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High schoolBradford (Kenosha, Wisconsin)
CollegeWilliam & Mary (1958–1961)
NBA draft1961 / Round: 2 / Pick: 23rd overall
Selected by the Chicago Packers
Playing career1961–1963
PositionPower forward
Career history
1961–1962Hawaii Chiefs
1962–1963Chicago Majors
Career highlights and awards
  • SoCon Player of the Year (1961)
  • SoCon Athlete of the Year (1961)
  • 2× First-team all-SoCon (1960, 1961)
  • Second-team all-SoCon (1959)
  • No. 52 retired by William & Mary

At William & Mary, Cohen played his way into the NCAA record books. He is the ninth all-time leading rebounder in the pre-1973 college basketball era, having grabbed 1,679 boards.[3] He is one of very few men's basketball players in NCAA history to score 2,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds during a collegiate career. At the time of his graduation, he was only one of 10 players to ever accomplish that feat. As of 2019–20, Cohen's 2,003 career points rank fourth all-time at William & Mary.[4] He was a three-time All-Southern Conference selection from 1959 to 1961,[4] and in 1990 he had his jersey number retired posthumously.[5] Additionally, Jeff set a W&M single game scoring record of 49 points on February 25, 1961. He was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity.[6]

Despite being drafted to the NBA, Jeff was never signed by any team. He spent some time playing professionally in the now-defunct American Basketball League from 1961 to 1963. As a member of the Hawaii Chiefs, he averaged 10.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game for the 1961-62 season.[7] The following season, Cohen averaged 12.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists while playing for the Chicago Majors.[7]

See also

References
  1. Jews in Basketball. "Other All-America players included...Jeff Cohen, William and Mary, 1960-61." Accessed February 26, 2008.
  2. The Draft Review.com – Jeff Cohen, William & Mary. Accessed February 26, 2008.
  3. NCAA Men’s Career Leaders – HickokSports.com Archived 2012-06-29 at Archive.today. Accessed February 26, 2008.
  4. 2007-08 W&M men's basketball media guide: team history Archived 2008-07-05 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed March 18, 2008.
  5. 2006-07 Tribe basketball. Accessed February 26, 2008.
  6. Alumni Spirit - wm.edu Archived 2010-06-29 at the Wayback Machine. "...and Jeff Cohen '61, both members, along with Cheek, of Sigma Nu Fraternity." Accessed February 27, 2008.
  7. American Basketball League Statistics. Accessed February 27, 2008.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.