American professional basketball player
Jim Loscutoff
|
|
Born
| (
1930-02-04
)
February 4, 1930
San Francisco, California
, U.S.
|
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Died
| December 1, 2015
(2015-12-01)
(aged 85)
Naples, Florida
, U.S.
|
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Listed height
| 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
|
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Listed weight
| 220 lb (100 kg)
|
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|
High school
| Palo Alto
(
Palo Alto, California
)
|
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College
|
- Grant Tech (1948?1950)
- Oregon
(1950?1951, 1954?1955)
|
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NBA draft
| 1955
: 1st round, 3rd overall pick
|
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Selected by the
Boston Celtics
|
Playing career
| 1955?1964
|
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Position
| Small forward
|
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Number
| 18
|
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|
|
1955
?
1964
| Boston Celtics
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|
1964?1976
| Boston State
|
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1980?1981
| New England Gulls
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As player:
|
|
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Points
| 3,156 (6.2 ppg)
|
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Rebounds
| 2,848 (5.6 rpg)
|
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Assists
| 353 (0.7 apg)
|
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|
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Stats
at NBA.com
|
Stats
at Basketball-Reference.com
|
|
James Loscutoff Jr.
(February 4, 1930 ? December 1, 2015) was a professional
basketball
player for the
Boston Celtics
of the
National Basketball Association
(NBA). A
forward
, Loscutoff played on seven Celtics
championship teams
between 1956 and 1964.
[1]
Early life
[
edit
]
Loscutoff was born in
San Francisco, California
, the son of Nellie George (Ramzoff)
[2]
and James Loscutoff. His parents were
Spiritual Christian
Molokans
from Russia.
[3]
He starred in basketball at
Palo Alto High School
, graduating in 1948. Loscutoff then attended Grant Technical College, a two-year college near
Sacramento, California
, before proceeding to the
University of Oregon
. In his final season at Oregon, Loscutoff led the team in scoring and rebounding with 19.6 points per game and 17.2 rebounds per game.
[4]
He still holds the Oregon school record for rebounds in a game, with 32.
[5]
Professional career
[
edit
]
Standing 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) tall, Loscutoff was selected with the third non-
territorial pick
of the first round in the
1955 NBA draft
. He was originally drafted by coach
Red Auerbach
to provide some much-needed defensive nerve for the Celtics team, which (despite becoming the first team to average 100 points per game in the
1954?55 season
) had one of the worst defensive records in the league.
During his rookie year, Loscutoff set a then-record for the Celtics with 26 rebounds in a game.
[4]
In the
1957 NBA Finals
, he sank the final two free throws of a 125?123 double-overtime victory over the
St. Louis Hawks
in
game seven
, as the Celtics won their first NBA championship.
[5]
Loscutoff missed most of the
1957?58 season
due to a knee injury, working closely with Auerbach on his rehabilitation.
[6]
He successfully returned to the Celtics and was a member of six more championship teams.
[6]
In nine NBA seasons, from 1955?56 to 1963?64, Loscutoff was a member of
seven championships
as part of the legendary Celtics teams of the 1960s. A
small forward
, he was sometimes described as the Celtics
hatchet man
.
[7]
His defense and strength were part of the defensive greatness of the 1960s Celtics, alongside
Hall-of-Famer
Bill Russell
.
Loscutoff's nicknames included "Jungle Jim" and "Loscy". The organization wished to honor Loscutoff, but he asked that his jersey number (18) not be retired, so that a future Celtic could wear it. Instead, the Celtics added a banner with his nickname "Loscy" to the
retired number
banners hanging from the rafters of their arenas. The number was later retired in honor of another Celtic great,
Dave Cowens
.
Coaching career
[
edit
]
Loscutoff coached the basketball team at
Boston State College
from 1964 to 1976 and compiled a record of 219?92 with the Warriors.
In November 1980, he became the head coach of the
New England Gulls
of the
Women's Professional Basketball League
, the first women's pro basketball league in the United States. He coached the team for six games, all of which they lost, before being replaced by assistant coach Dana Skinner in early January 1981.
[8]
Less than a month later, the Gulls folded due to financial difficulties.
[9]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Loscutoff lived in
Florida
and
Andover, Massachusetts
, where his family owns a day camp for children.
[10]
His wife was artist Lynn Loscutoff.
[11]
He died in
Naples, Florida
, on December 1, 2015, from complications of
Parkinson's disease
and
pneumonia
.
[12]
[13]
In 1980, he was a member of the inaugural class of inductees to the
Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
.
[14]
NBA career statistics
[
edit
]
Regular season
[
edit
]
Playoffs
[
edit
]
Note: Following the
1959?60 regular season
, Loscutoff did not play in the
1960 postseason
due to injury.
[15]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Team Statement on Celtics Legend Jim Loscutoff"
. Archived from
the original
on January 12, 2016.
- ^
"FamilySearch.org"
.
- ^
"FamilySearch.org"
.
- ^
a
b
Pave, Marvin (December 3, 2015),
"Jim Loscutoff, at 85; forward on seven Celtics title teams"
,
The Boston Globe
- ^
a
b
Schudel, Matt (December 2, 2015),
"Jim Loscutoff, brawny forward for Celtics dynasty, dies at 85"
,
The Washington Post
- ^
a
b
Abacus Reveals (December 2, 2015).
"Recalling Jim Loscutoff -- An Auerbach Guy to the Core"
.
celticslife.com
. Retrieved
July 17,
2021
.
- ^
Reynolds, Bill (2010).
Rise of a Dynasty: The '57 Celtics, the First Banner, and the Dawning of a New America
. Penguin Group.
ISBN
9781101475058
.
- ^
Ray Fitzgerald (January 14, 1981).
"Loscutoff charges; Gulls owner denies"
.
The Boston Globe
. p. 69
. Retrieved
October 28,
2023
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
"New England Gulls grounded"
.
Press Journal
.
Associated Press
. January 29, 1981. p. 3B
. Retrieved
October 28,
2023
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
Twiss, Jeff.
"Legal Timeout with Jim Loscutoff"
.
NBA.com
. Retrieved
October 11,
2007
.
- ^
Singlelais, Neil (February 17, 1957). "The Wives Get Along Together".
The Boston Globe
.
- ^
"Jim Loscutoff, brawny forward for Celtics dynasty, dies at 85 - The Washington Post"
.
The Washington Post
.
- ^
"
'Jungle Jim' Loscutoff was fearsome but fun-loving - the Boston Globe"
.
The Boston Globe
.
- ^
"Jim Loscutoff ? Basketball"
.
oregonsportshall.org
. Oregon Sports Hall of Fame and Museum
. Retrieved
July 17,
2021
.
- ^
"Injury Hit Celtic Hopes"
.
The Gettysburg Times
. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. January 12, 1960.
Archived
from the original on January 1, 2021
. Retrieved
September 21,
2016
.
External links
[
edit
]
Links to related articles
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| Franchise
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Arenas
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Personnel
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G League affiliate
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Retired numbers
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NBA championships
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Rivalries
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Culture and lore
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