Tom Stith
{{short description|American basketball player (1939-2010)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Tom Stith
| image = Tom_Stith.jpg
| width =
| caption = Stith as a junior at St. Bonaventure
| number = 8
| position = Small forward
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 5
| weight_lb = 210
| birth_date = {{birth date|1939|01|21}}
| birth_place = Greensville County, Virginia, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2010|06|13|1939|01|21}}
| death_place =
| high_school = St. Francis Preparatory
(Brooklyn, New York)
| college = St. Bonaventure (1958–1961)
| draft_year = 1961
| draft_round = 1
| draft_pick = 2
| draft_team = New York Knicks
| career_start = 1962
| career_end = 1966
| years1 = {{nbay|1962|full=y}}
| team1 = New York Knicks
| years2 = 1963–1964
| team2 = Wilkes-Barre Barons
| years3 = 1964–1966
| team3 = Allentown Jets
| highlights =
- All-EPBL First Team (1965)
- 2× Consensus first-team All-American (1960, 1961)
- No. 42 retired by St. Bonaventure Bonnies
- Second-team Parade All-American (1957)
| stats_league = NBA
| stat1label = Points
| stat1value = 77
| stat2label = Rebounds
| stat2value = 39
| stat3label = Assists
| stat3value = 18
}}
Thomas Alvin Stith (January 21, 1939 – June 13, 2010), born in Greensville County, Virginia, was an American professional basketball player, formerly of the NBA's New York Knicks. A 6' 5" forward, Stith was an All-American at St. Bonaventure University in 1960 and 1961.
College career
Stith attended St. Francis Preparatory School in Brooklyn and committed to St. Bonaventure University, where he and older brother Sam formed a formidable 1-2 punch. The Stith brothers posted a 52.0 points per game combined scoring average for the 1959–1960 season. Tom Stith became St. Bonaventure's first consensus All-American in 1960 and 1961. Stith left St. Bonaventure as the school's all-time leading scorer, ending his career with 2,052 points. Stith finished second in the nation in scoring to Oscar Robertson in 1960, averaging 31.5 points per game, and he then finished third in 1961 with 29.6 points per game.[http://www.gobonnies.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/101105aad.html PROFILE OF A LEGEND: THE STITH BROTHERS]
Professional career
After completing his collegiate eligibility, Stith was selected by the New York Knicks as the second pick overall in the 1961 NBA draft, behind Indiana's Walt Bellamy. He made the team and played in 46 games over the 1961–62 seasons. However, Stith contracted tuberculosis only a month into the season, and his NBA career was cut short at 25 games and 3.2 points per game.{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/stithto01.html|title=Tom Stith NBA stats|website=Basketball Reference|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|accessdate=4 March 2024}}
Stith played in the Eastern Professional Basketball League (EPBL) from 1963 to 1966.{{cite web |title=Tom Stith minor league basketball statistics |url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbasketball/stats/p-stithtom001 |website=Stats Crew |access-date=February 16, 2025}} He was selected to the All-EPBL First Team in 1965.
Death
Stith died on June 13, 2010, at the age of 71.[http://wcbstv.com/wireapsportsny/Olean.New.York.2.1751699.html Ex-St. Bonaventure Legend Tom Stith Dies At 71]{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite news |title=Tom Stith, All-American at St. Bonaventure, Dies at 71 (Published 2010) |work=The New York Times |date=17 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602130925/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/sports/ncaabasketball/17stith.html |archive-date=2023-06-02 |url-status=live |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/sports/ncaabasketball/17stith.html |last1=Goldstein |first1=Richard }}
Career statistics
{{NBA player statistics legend}}
=NBA=
==Regular season==
| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;" |
| Year
!Team !GP !MPG !FG% !FT% !RPG !APG !PPG |
|---|
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1962}}
| style="text-align:left;"|New York |25 |8.4 |.336 |.300 |1.6 |.7 |3.1 |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/stithto01.html NBA stats]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20100706233447/http://www.buffalosportshallfame.com/1999/tom_stith.html Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame profile]
{{1961 NBA draft}}
{{1960 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans}}
{{1961 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stith, Tom}}
Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen
Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen
Category:All-American college men's basketball players
Category:Allentown Jets players
Category:American men's basketball players
Category:Basketball players from Virginia
Category:New York Knicks draft picks
Category:New York Knicks players
Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)