Trailblazers: Canadians That First Played In The NCAA
Despite having the nickname “Porky” the first Canadian born and raised basketball player to make an impact south of the border playing NCAA men’s basketball was George Lloyd Andrews who was born September 18, 1917, Victoria, B.C.
True, Pete Newell who was born in Canada played at Loyola Marymount in the late 1930s’ and would go on to become a legendary collegiate coach being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979, but he was only born in Canada (Vancouver) and grew up in Los Angeles.
Andrews was the first Canadian raised and trained hoopster to make it big in NCAA hoops, joining the University of Oregon Ducks for the 1939-40 school year where he had some big shoes to fill considering the Ducks were defending NCAA champions in as much as that they had defeated Ohio State 46-33 at Northwestern University gymnasium March 27, 1939 for the inaugural event.
The Ducks had had a 29-5 season in 1938-39 but were cut down to size during Andrews first season, winning 19 games while losing 12.
Andrews played in 27 games, dropping in 72 points for 2.6 points per game (ppg) average.
The Tall Firs played even for the 1940-41 campaign with an 18-18 record. Andrews averaged 6.4 ppg while playing all 36 games. His total was 233 points.
Two things changed for Andrews prior to the 1941-42 season.
He changed his jersey number from 14 to 4 and he was named Ducks’ team captain.
Unfortunately the Ducks had their first losing season in nearly 10 years with a 12-15 record (previous was in 1932-33 with 8-19)
On a positive note though, Andrews averaged a career high 6.8 ppg with 184 points in 27 games.
He finished his collegiate career with a 5.4 ppg average while scoring 489 points in 90 games. He had opened the doors for other Canadian hoopsters, albeit at a slow pace, to follow. One such player was Ron Putzi, like Andrews is a native of British Columbia, born in Vancouver and raised in Richmond.
Who like Andrews, would play post-secondary hoops south of the border as a student/athlete for the University of New Mexico Aggies from 1990-92 while wearing jersey No. 23.
In his final year with the Aggies, Putzi team made the NCAA Sweet 16, losing to the #1 seeded UCLA Bruins 85-78.
Like Andrews, the 6′,6″ (197cm), Putzi would go on to play professional basketball in Europe for 10 years, the majority of those years in the Swiss Pro League. Andrews would play for Vancouver Hornets in the Pacific Coast Professional Basketball League from 1946 to 1948.
Putzi, who is a contributor to this site, is also a strong advocate of recognizing the pioneers of Canadian basketball who went on to play NCAA hoops. “Often Canadians who dared venturing to the USA to play NCAA Division 1 basketball were labelled as ‘dreamers’,” said Putzi, now 44 years old.
‘I have always admired the Canadian (NCAA Division 1), ‘trailblazers’ – and looked to them for inspiration, guidance, drive, and a sense of what does it take to attain the highest level of amateur competition in the world. What an accomplishment. “They all demonstrated the ‘guts to try to make it big’ – to improve their odds of having the best possibility of making our National Team or the NBA/WNBA or the pro leagues overseas.”
Putzi, a member of Canada’s FISU team which won a silver medal at the 1992 World University Games held in Sheffield, England, continues: ‘Since basketball was first included in the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics, the historical total number of Canadian National Team players is actually small. It’s therefore truly an ELITE CLUB – meaning it was and remains very difficult to make Canada’s Sr. Teams (10-12 players); and especially the Olympic teams. “In fact, there are numerous Canadian NCAA Div. 1 players which didn’t make our National Teams. “Regardless. Each gave it their best to play at the highest amateur level in the world. ‘I, as many others, admire and applaud the “trailblazing”efforts these players took to help advance and enhance the awareness of Canadian Basketball; improving Canada’s international reputation as a well-recognized (talent) hub for basketball. “The number of Canadians competing in NCAA Division 1 basketball was once a small number of pioneers, whereas recent years have seen over 100 Canadian men or women enrolled at NCAA Division 1 basketball programs. “Either way, a vast majority of our National Team Alumni competed in NCAA Division I basketball and have made Canada proud and helped (in part), pave the way for our recent basketball renaissance.”
Canadians in NCAA (Men Trailblazers)
1920s
Harry Shanahan – University of Detroit
Frank Sibley – Indiana University
1930s
Gord Aitchison – Detroit Mercy
George Andrews University of Oregon Ducks
Vito Kubilus Ohio College of Chiropody
Pete Newell: Loyola Marymount
1940s
Jinx Anderson- Montana State
Hank Biasatti- – Long Island
Corey Dogterom – Montana State
Bob Pickell -University of Portland
Jack Pomfret – Washington
Gino Sovran – University of Detroit Mercy
Ernie Vandeweghe – Colgate University
1950s
Paul Buday – Western Washington
Alex Garrow – Alabama
Jay Hirsch- Rhode Island
Bob Houbregs – University of Washington
Fred Ingaldson – Montana State University
Tommy Karren – Brigham Young
John Lee Kootnekoff – Seattle University
Jay McMahan- Penn State
Billy Nicol – Seattle University
1960s
Walter Birtles – University of Hawaii
Bob Burrows – Seattle Pacific
Bobby Croft – University of Tennessee
Neal Dirom – Washington State
Orville Fisher – Brigham Young
Bob Inglis- Brigham Young
Doug Peden – Colorado State
Tim Tollestrup – Utah State
Brent Watson – Washington State
1970s
Barry Atkinson – Bonaventure
Don Brkovich – Michigan State
Mike Brkovich -: Michigan State
Allen Chapple – Utah State
Ron Crevier – Boston College
Bob Dudley – Portland
Cameron Hal -: Duke University.
Lars Hansen – University of Washington
Rich Hunger – Providence
Howard Kelsey – Oklahoma State
Ken McKenzie – University of Montana
Mike Moser – Brown University
George Papadakos – Syracuse & Michigan State
Kirk Randa – Washington
Romel Raffin – Penn State.
George Rautins – Niagara University
Jamie Russell – Colgate University
Al Tait: Oregon – State University
Phil Tollestrup – Brigham Young University
Jim Zoet – Kent State
1980s
Joe Alexander – Niagara
Scott Anthony – Montana State
Jon Antonides – Michigan
Michael Baker – Niagara
Peter Balfour – Southern
Dan Becker- St Joseph’s & Colorado
Barry Bekkedam – Villanova
Gerry Besselink – Connecticut
Robert Biasutto – Detroit
Brian Bleich – Niagara
John Boney- Niagara
Don Brkovich Michigan State & New Mexico
Curtis Celestine- Marist
Norman Clarke- St. Bonaventure
Sean Dodds- Niagara
Paris Dryden- New Hampshire
Tom Forester- Maine
Rick Fox- North Carolina
Peter Gabriele- Boston University
Stewart Granger- Villanova
Paul Green- Hofstra
Eric Hammond- St Francis
Gerry Henry- Niagara
Mark Henry- Niagara
Gordie Herbet- Idaho
Rich Hunger- Providence
Francis John- Vermont
Chris Jonsson- Niagara
John Karpis- Syracuse
John Kijonek- Iona & Marist
Dave Kipfer- Providence
Andrew Kidd- Central Michigan
Mark Kovinsky- Loyola-Maryland
Rich Kraemer- Iona
Wayne LaPier- Cornell
Rocky Llewellyn- St Bonaventure
Dave Lodgins- Wyoming
Robin Lott- Morehead State
Tony Maduri- Columbia
Ron McMahon- Eastern Washington
Danny Meagher- Duke
Aubrey Merriman- Rider
Barry Mungar- St. Bonaventure
George Papadakos- Syracuse & Michigan State
Scott Paterson- Akron
Ron Purdy- Niagara
John Randa- Eastern Washington
Leo Rautins- Minnesota & Syracuse
Charles Rochelin- UCLA
Roger- Rollocks- Syracuse & Texas-San Antonio
Rob Samuels- St. Bonaventure
Gordon Schmidt- Weber State
Tony Simms- Boston University
Dan Smith- Maine
Mike Smrek- Canisius
Tom Swick- Massachusetts & Niagara
Alan Tait- Oregon State
David Turcotte- Colorado State
Alex Urosevic- Stetson
Paul Verret- Idaho & Gonzaga
Greg Walters- Montana State
Dwight Walton- Siena
James Wegren- Loyola Marymount
Bill Wennington- St. John’s
Trevor Williams- Southern
Greg Wiltjer- Oregon State
Wayne Yearwood- West Virginia
David Turcotte- Colorado State
Research by: Curtis J. Phillips
Additions or corrections: cjphillips@shaw.ca