https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30638260/paul-westphal-member-naismith-memorial-basketball-hall-fame-dies-age-70
RIP Paul.
A brief story about when I first met Paul...I was a good basketball player in my younger years. I played basketball all four years in high school and then was planning to play in college at the Air Force Academy before I left and transferred to Boston College. Boston College had a very good team and I was trying out as a walk on. We used to gather to play pick up games on the full court at the Roberts Center after school. Most of the basketball team was there along with a variety of football players. About halfway through the first quarter of a five on five pick up game I was rotated into a full court game and was told to pick up the guy playing guard who was bringing the ball up the court. He blew by me to my left at the top of the key and hammer dunked with his left hand. I was impressed. Then the next time down the court he schooled me again and went by me and dunked with his right hand. He made a couple of long jump shots and then there was a timeout. I came to our bench to a group of laughing teammates and asked who is that guy. It was Paul Westphal who was in his first season with the Celtics. Paul passed away today at 70. Paul taught me that I probably wasn’t going to become a professional basketball player and I refocused on academics and switched my collegiate sports to fencing and tennis. RIP Paul and thanks for the hard-earned lesson.
RIP Paul.
A brief story about when I first met Paul...I was a good basketball player in my younger years. I played basketball all four years in high school and then was planning to play in college at the Air Force Academy before I left and transferred to Boston College. Boston College had a very good team and I was trying out as a walk on. We used to gather to play pick up games on the full court at the Roberts Center after school. Most of the basketball team was there along with a variety of football players. About halfway through the first quarter of a five on five pick up game I was rotated into a full court game and was told to pick up the guy playing guard who was bringing the ball up the court. He blew by me to my left at the top of the key and hammer dunked with his left hand. I was impressed. Then the next time down the court he schooled me again and went by me and dunked with his right hand. He made a couple of long jump shots and then there was a timeout. I came to our bench to a group of laughing teammates and asked who is that guy. It was Paul Westphal who was in his first season with the Celtics. Paul passed away today at 70. Paul taught me that I probably wasn’t going to become a professional basketball player and I refocused on academics and switched my collegiate sports to fencing and tennis. RIP Paul and thanks for the hard-earned lesson.
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