Wally Choice
{{short description|American basketball player}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Wally Choice
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_date = August 13, 1932
| birth_place = Montclair, New Jersey, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2018|9|9|1932|8|13}}
| death_place = Montclair, New Jersey, U.S.
| nationality =
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 4
| weight_lbs = 195
| high_school = Montclair (Montclair, New Jersey)
| college = Indiana (1953–1956)
| draft_year = 1956
| draft_round = 11
| draft_pick = 78
| draft_team = St. Louis Hawks
| career_start =
| career_end =
| career_position = Forward
| career_number =
| years1 = 1957–1964
| team1 = Easton Madisons / Trenton Colonials
| highlights =
- EPBL champion (1960)
- All-EPBL First Team (1962)
- 4× All-EPBL Second Team (1958–1960, 1963)
}}
Wallace Choice Jr. (August 13, 1932 – September 9, 2018[https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/choicwa01.html Wally Choice], Basketball-Reference.com. Accessed December 21, 2022. "Born: August 13, 1932 in Montclair, New Jersey" Note that if the 1932 date of birth is correct, he would have graduated from high school at 20 and been 86 (not 85) at his death.) was an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers. Choice played professionally with the Harlem Globetrotters and in the Eastern Professional Basketball League. After his retirement from playing, he became a prominent community activist in his hometown of Montclair, New Jersey.
Playing career
Choice was born in Montclair, New Jersey, and graduated from Montclair High School in 1952.{{cite web |last1=Proctor |first1=Owen |title=Montclair civic leader, former Harlem Globetrotter Wally Choice dies |url=https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/essex/montclair/2018/09/11/wally-choice-montclair-nj-leader-and-former-harlem-globetrotter-dies/1269255002/ |website=NorthJersey |access-date=December 21, 2022 |date=September 12, 2018}} He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers and was the second African-American to play in the Big Ten Conference. Choice was appointed as team captain and became the first African-American to hold the role for a Big Ten team.
Choice played for the Harlem Globetrotters and in the Eastern Professional Basketball League (EPBL). He played for the Easton Madisons / Trenton Colonials with whom he won an EPBL championship in 1960{{cite web |title=1959-60 Easton Madisons Statistics |url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbasketball/stats/t-EBAEAM/y-1959 |website=Stats Crew |access-date=March 5, 2025}} and was a five-time selection to the All-EPBL Team.{{cite web |title=Wally Choice minor league basketball statistics |url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbasketball/stats/p-choicwal001 |website=Stats Crew |access-date=December 21, 2022}} Choice led the EPBL in scoring twice: 1,033 points during the 1961–62 season and 956 during the 1962–63 season.{{cite web |title=1961-62 Eastern Professional Basketball League Leaders |url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbasketball/leaders/l-EPRBL/y-1961 |website=Stats Crew |access-date=December 21, 2022}}{{cite web |title=1962-63 Eastern Professional Basketball League Leaders |url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbasketball/leaders/l-EPRBL/y-1962 |website=Stats Crew |access-date=December 21, 2022}} His 41.3 points per game during the 1961–62 season were a league record.{{cite web |last1=Miller |first1=Chuck |title=A League of Their Own |url=https://www.slamonline.com/archives/history-out-of-bounds/ |website=SLAM |access-date=December 21, 2022 |date=December 14, 2007}}
Later life
Choice returned to Montclair where he became a real estate developer and owned retail outlets. He was a founding member of Montclair Grass Roots in 1968 which hosted summer camps.{{cite web |last1=Corbett |first1=Nic |title=Montclair community honors Wally Choice with re-naming ceremony |url=https://www.nj.com/news/local/2009/10/community_honors_wally_choice.html |website=NJ.com |access-date=December 21, 2022 |date=October 7, 2009}} Choice was a community activist and nicknamed as a "godfather" of the Montclair community. Montclair Grass Roots led upgrades at Glenfield Park which renamed its Glenfield Park House to the Wally Choice Community Center in 2009.
Personal life
Death
Choice died aged 85 at the Mountainside Medical Center on September 9, 2018, after a short illness.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/wally-choice-2.html College statistics]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Choice, Wally}}
Category:American community activists
Category:American men's basketball players
Category:Forwards (basketball)
Category:Harlem Globetrotters players
Category:Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball players
Category:Montclair High School (New Jersey) alumni
Category:Basketball players from Montclair, New Jersey
Category:St. Louis Hawks draft picks