1948 BAA draft

Basketball player selection August 2023 1948 BAA draft Basketball May 10, 1948Bradley Robert D. The Basketball Draft Fact Book: A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts 2013 Scarecrow Press 9780810890695, pg. 6 Morrison Hotel (Chicago, Illinois) BAA 8 113 15 Andy Tonkovich, Providence Steamrollers 4 F Dolph Schayes G Bobby Wanzer F Harry Gallatin C Neil Johnston 1947 1949 The 1948 BAA draft was the second annual draft of the Basketball Association of America (BAA), which later merged with the National Basketball League (NBL) to become the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 10, 1948, before the 1948–49 season. In this draft, eight BAA teams along with four teams who moved from the NBL, took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players. Originally, this BAA draft was meant to be a joint draft venture with the NBL similar to what had meant to occur in the BAA's inaugural league draft (as well as what the National Football League would later do in the late 1960s with the American Football League). However, on May 9, the day before the draft was meant to begin for both leagues, the Tri-Cities Blackhawks (who were a part of the NBL at the time) would sign consensus All-American prospect and NCAA scoring champion Murray Wier from the University of Iowa, which caused BAA commissioner Maurice Podoloff to object to the Blackhawks' early signing attempt and endangered what was already a strenuously held truce between the two leagues. Before the draft officially began on May 10, the Minneapolis Lakers, Rochester Royals, Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, and Indianapolis Kautskys announced they were leaving the NBL for the BAA (albeit with the Fort Wayne team officially dropping the "Zollner" part of the Pistons name and the Indianapolis team renaming the Kautskys to the Indianapolis Jets in order for both of them to be admitted in since the BAA did not allow for teams to promote local businesses as team names); the desertion of those four NBL teams led to the planned joint draft to be withdrawn on the NBL's end and subsequently led to the NBL breaking off all relations with the BAA at the time. As such, each league would conduct their own draft instead, with the BAA officially selecting 113 collegiate players and the NBL being slated to have chosen 125 total collegiate players themselves. Draft selections and draftee career notes Due to what could be seen as last-minute additions for this BAA draft by having four teams from the rivaling National Basketball League joining their league in time for entry into the BAA draft (as opposed to utilizing a combined BAA-NBL draft between the two leagues as they had originally planned for at the time), the BAA would have to work in the four new teams that they had just acquired into the draft system where they had the other eight teams already set beforehand. In the case of the Indianapolis franchise that joined (going from the Kautskys to the Jets), despite them (barely) being an NBL playoff team in their final season in that league, their 24–35 record would cause them to have the #2 pick of the draft due to it being behind every other BAA team that season outside of the lowly Providence Steamrollers (with the Boston Celtics having a 20–28 record that previous season being a better overall win percentage by comparison). As for the other three NBL-turned-BAA franchises in Fort Wayne, Minneapolis, and Rochester, they would each obtain the eighth, ninth, and tenth overall picks due to their overall records that previous season being better than every other team in the BAA, though with the caveat of having the BAA's division champions in the Philadelphia Warriors (Eastern) and Washington Capitols (Western) holding the eleventh and twelfth picks in the first round respectively instead. Andy Tonkovich from Marshall University was selected first overall by the Providence Steamrollers. Four of the first round picks, George Kok, George Hauptfuhrer, Bob Gale and Chuck Hanger, never played in the BAA. Four players from this draft, Harry Gallatin, Dolph Schayes, Bobby Wanzer and Alex Hannum have been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.https://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/hof.html Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees basketball-reference.com October 28, 2009 Interestingly, the first round selection of Bobby Wanzer by the Rochester Royals could be considered a cheating selection for the franchise's first ever draft pick in the BAA/NBA since Wanzer had previously played for the Royals in the 1947–48 season back when they were a part of the rivaling National Basketball League. However, it was agreed between the Royals and the BAA that the Rochester franchise could either waive their territorial draft pick rights or their regular draft turn in order for them to retain Wanzer, with the Royals deciding to waive their territorial draft pick rights in order to retain Wanzer onto their team for good.Bobby Wanzer https://www.thedraftreview.com/?option=com_content&view=article&id=6812 The Draft Review February 25, 2012 August 22, 2025 Draft Pos.GFCPositionGuardForwardCenter y y y upright|thumb|150px|Andy Tonkovich was the first overall pick by the Providence Steamrollers. upright|thumb|150px|George Kok was selected second overall by the Indianapolis Jets. Rnd. Draft round Pick Overall selection number Player Pos. Position(s) played Nationality Player's representative nationalityn nationality Nationality indicates the player's national team or representative nationality. If a player has not competed at the international level, then the nationality indicates the national team which the player is eligible to represent according to FIBA rules. Team School / club team Most recent school attended or team played for before the draft11 Andy Tonkovich G United States Providence Steamrollers Marshall12 George Kok# C United States Indianapolis Jets Arkansas13 George Hauptfuhrer# C United States Boston Celtics Harvard14 Dolph Schayes^ F/C United States New York Knicks NYU15 Ed Mikan F/C United States Chicago Stags DePaul16 Walt Budko F/C United States Baltimore Bullets Columbia17 Bob Gale basketball# G/F United States St. Louis Bombers Cornell18 Ward Williams F United States Fort Wayne Pistons Indiana19 Chuck Hanger# – United States Minneapolis Lakers California110 Bobby Wanzer^ G United States Rochester Royals Rochester Royals (NBL)111 Don Ray Don Ray (basketball) F/C United States Philadelphia Warriors Western Kentucky112 Jack Nichols Jack Nichols (basketball) F/C United States Washington Capitols Washington Other picks The following list includes other draft picks who have appeared in at least one BAA/NBA game.https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/BAA_1948.html 1948 BAA Drafthttp://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/past_drafts/1948 NBA Past Drafts - RealGM upright|thumb|150px|Arnie Ferrin was selected by the Minneapolis Lakers. upright|thumb|150px|Billy Gabor was selected by the Rochester Royals. upright|thumb|150px|Future Hall of Famer Harry Gallatin was selected by the New York Knicks. Rnd. Draft round Pick Overall selection number Player Pos. Position(s) played Nationality Player's representative nationality Team School / club team Most recent school attended or team played for before the draft–– Johnny Bach G/F United States Boston Celtics Fordham–– Gene Berce G/F United States New York Knicks Marquette–– Darrell Brown Darrell Brown (basketball) F United States Baltimore Bullets Humboldt State–– Jack Burmaster G United States St. Louis Bombers Illinois–– Jake Carter Jake Carter (basketball) F/C United States Baltimore Bullets East Texas State–– Jack Coleman Jack Coleman (basketball) Jack Coleman+ F/C United States Providence Steamrollers Louisville–– Bobby Cook Bobby Cook (basketball) G United States Fort Wayne Pistons Wisconsin–– Hook Dillon F United States Chicago Stags North Carolina–– Arnie Ferrin G/F United States Minneapolis Lakers Utah–– Bill Gabor+ G/F United States Rochester Royals Syracuse–– Harry Gallatin^ F/C United States New York Knicks Northeast Missouri–– Earl Gardner Earl Gardner (basketball) F United States Minneapolis Lakers DePauw–– Dee Gibson G/F United States Minneapolis Lakers Western Kentucky–– Alex Hannum F/C United States Indianapolis Jets USC–– Marshall Hawkins basketball F United States Boston Celtics Tennessee–– Joe Holland Joe Holland (basketball) F United States Baltimore Bullets Kentucky–– Whitey Kachan G United States Chicago Stags DePaul–– Leo Katkaveck G United States Washington Capitols NC State–– Tom Kelly Tom Kelly (basketball) G United States Boston Celtics NYU–– Andy Kostecka F United States Indianapolis Jets Georgetown–– Dan Kraus G United States Baltimore Bullets Georgetown–– Herb Krautblatt G United States Baltimore Bullets Rider–– Leo Kubiak G/F United States Rochester Royals Bowling Green–– Ray Lumpp G United States Indianapolis Jets NYU–– Johnny Macknowski F United States Rochester Royals Seton Hall–– Mel McGaha G United States New York Knicks Arkansas–– Murray Mitchell C United States Boston Celtics Sam Houston State–– Johnny Orr basketball, born 1927 F United States Minneapolis Lakers Beloit–– Easy Parham G/F United States St. Louis Bombers Texas Wesleyan–– Jack Parkinson Jack Parkinson (basketball) G United States Washington Capitols Kentucky–– Ed Peterson C United States New York Knicks Cornell–– Roy Pugh F/C United States Philadelphia Warriors SMU–– Tex Ritter Tex Ritter (basketball) G United States New York Knicks Eastern Kentucky–– Kenny Rollins G United States Fort Wayne Pistons Kentucky–– Dick Shrider G United States New York Knicks Ohio–– Odie Spears G United States Chicago Stags Western Kentucky–– Brady Walker F/C United States Providence Steamrollers BYU–– Dick Wehr F United States Indianapolis Jets Rice–– Murray Wier G United States Fort Wayne Pistons Iowa–– D. C. Wilcutt G United States St. Louis Bombers Saint Louis Notable undrafted players List of undrafted NBA players These players were not selected in the 1948 draft but played at least one game in the BAA/NBA. Player Pos. Nationality School/club teamDon AsmongaGUnited States 1912Alliance (So.)Jake BornheimerPF/CUnited States 1912Muhlenberg (So.)Bob BrannumPF/CUnited States 1912Michigan State (Jr.)Jim BrowneCUnited States 1912Tilden Tech (Illinois) (HS Sr.)Joe ColoneSFUnited States 1912Bloomsburg State (Sr.)Jack Cotton basketballPF/CUnited States 1912Wyoming (Sr.)Dillard CrockerSG/SFUnited States 1912Western Michigan (Fr.)Ray EllefsonPF/CUnited States 1912Oklahoma A&M (Sr.)Jack EskridgePF/CUnited States 1912Kansas (Jr.)Phil FarbmanPGUnited States 1912CCNY (Sr.)Donnie FormanPGUnited States 1912NYU (Sr.)Joe GraboskiPF/CUnited States 1912Tuley (Illinois) (HS Sr.)John Hazen basketballPGUnited States 1912Indiana State (So.)Gene JamesSF/PFUnited States 1912Marshall (Jr.)Neil Johnston^CUnited States 1912Ohio State (So.)Lionel MalamedPGUnited States 1912CCNY (Sr.)Jack McCloskeyPGUnited States 1912Penn (Sr.)Bill Miller basketballSG/SFUnited States 1912North Carolina (So.)Dave MinorGUnited States 1912UCLA (Jr.)Dermie O'ConnellPGUnited States 1912Holy Cross (So.)Fred PaineSFUnited States 1912Westminster (Pennsylvania) (Sr.)Jim SpruillSGUnited States 1912Rice (Sr.) Notes n See also List of first overall NBA draft picks NBA records References General https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/BAA_1948.html 1948 BAA Draft basketball-reference.com September 12, 2009 http://www.apbr.org/4751drft.html 1947–1948 BAA Drafts, 1949–1951 NBA Drafts The Association for Professional Basketball Research September 11, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20100704045137/http://www.apbr.org/4751drft.html July 4, 2010 live Specific External links NBA.com NBA.com: NBA Draft History Draft Category:Basketball Association of America draft BAA draft BAA draft Category:1940s in Chicago Category:Basketball in Chicago Category:Organized events in Chicago