Joe Colone

{{Infobox basketball biography

|name = Joe Colone

|image =

|width =

|caption =

|position = Forward

|number = 18

|height_ft = 6

|height_in = 5

|weight_lbs = 210

|birth_date = {{birth date|1924|01|23}}

|birth_place = Berwick, Pennsylvania

|death_date = {{death date and age|mf=yes|2009|07|01|1924|01|23}}

|debutyear = 1948

|finalyear = 1953

|draftyear = 1948

|draft_league = BAA

|highschool = Berwick
(Berwick, Pennsylvania)

|college = Bloomsburg

|years1 = 1948–1949

|team1 = New York Knicks

|years2 = 1949–1950

|team2 = Wilkes-Barre Barons

|years3 = 1950–1951

|team3 = Allentown Aces

|years4 = 1951–1953

|team4 = Wilkes-Barre Barons

|years5 = 1953

|team5 = Elmira Colonels

|stat1label = Points

|stat1value = 83 (5.5 ppg)

|stat2label = Assists

|stat2value = 9 (0.6 apg)

|stats_league = BAA

|bbr = colonjo01

}}

Joseph F. "Bells" Colone{{cite web | title = Joe Colone Statistics | publisher = basketball-reference.com | url = https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/colonjo01.html | accessdate = July 7, 2009}} (January 23, 1924 – July 1, 2009) was an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks.{{cite web|title=Joe Colone Past Stats, Playoff Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards |publisher=databasebasketball.com |url=http://www.databasebasketball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=COLONJO01 |accessdate=July 7, 2009 |url-status=usurped |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080604070046/http://www.databasebasketball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=COLONJO01 |archivedate=June 4, 2008 }}{{cite news | last = Shryock | first = Bob | title = One of Woodbury's finest leaves lasting legacy | newspaper = Gloucester County Times | date = July 7, 2009| url = http://www.nj.com/gloucester/voices/index.ssf/2009/07/bob_shryock_one_of_woodburys_f.html| accessdate = July 7, 2009}}

Early life

Colone attended Berwick High School in Berwick, Pennsylvania and then played basketball collegiately at Bloomsburg State Teachers College (now named Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania).

Professional career

He was not drafted into the NBA but still managed to make the Knicks' roster for the 1948–49 season. At 6 feet 5 inches tall and 210 pounds, Joe played the forward position. He only played for one season in the NBA and appeared in 15 games while averaging 5.5 points.

Personal

After his brief stint in the NBA, Colone migrated to Woodbury, New Jersey to teach. He taught at Woodbury Junior-Senior High School from 1954 to 1986. He was an assistant coach for the football and basketball teams there. Colone mentored rising basketball star Dave Budd, who later went on to play at Wake Forest University and then, coincidentally, the New York Knicks. Budd is still the only Woodbury High School graduate to ever reach the NBA. Budd's career lasted five seasons and he was also responsible in sharing the duty of guarding Wilt Chamberlain during his 100-point game. Budd and Colone stayed friends throughout the rest of Colone's life.

Joe "Bells" Colone died at age 83 on July 1, 2009, after many years of fighting various illnesses. He had been married to his wife Genevieve for 57 years and had five children – four sons and one daughter.

BAA career statistics

class="toccolours" style="font-size: 90%; white-space: nowrap;"
colspan="6" style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid #aaa;"\| Legend
style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"\| GP \| Games played
style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"\| FG% \| style="padding-right: 8px" \| Field-goal percentage
style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"\| FT% \| Free-throw percentage
style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"\| APG \| Assists per game
style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"\| PPG \| Points per game

class="toccolours" style="font-size: 90%; white-space: nowrap;"

colspan="6" style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid #aaa;"| Legend

style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"| GP

| Games played

style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"| FG%

| style="padding-right: 8px" | Field-goal percentage

style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"| FT%

| Free-throw percentage

style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"| APG

| Assists per game

style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"| PPG

| Points per game

=Regular season=

class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
Year ! Team ! GP ! FG% ! FT% ! APG ! PPG
style="text-align:left;"\| 1948–49 \| style="text-align:left;"\| New York \| 15	.310	.684	.6	5.5
style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"\|Career \| 15	.310	.684	.6	5.5

class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"

Year

! Team

! GP

! FG%

! FT%

! APG

! PPG

style="text-align:left;"| 1948–49

| style="text-align:left;"| New York

| 15

.310

.684

5.5

style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career