Athletes - Jerry Lucas

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	Athletes - Jerry Lucas

Jerry Ray Lucas (born March 30, 1940) was a legendary basketball star from the 1950s to the 1970s, and is now a world-renowned memory education expert. In 1996, the NBA's 50th anniversary, he was named one of the . He was named to Sports Illustrated's five-man College All-Century Team in 1999.

Lucas was born in Middletown, Ohio, a town of 20,000 halfway between Dayton and Cincinnati which in the 1940s and 1950s boasted one of the most respected high school basketball programs in the United States. Lucas was already a playground legend by age 15, as he was already at almost his full-grown height of 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m). He had developed shooting accuracy as far out as 25 feet, and had trained his leaping ability and timing to become an amazing rebounder. Lucas was gifted with great hands, which he could use to dazzle onlookers in an array of magic card tricks, as well as with 20-10 eyesight.

In 1956 and 1957, Lucas led Middletown High to undefeated seasons and back-to-back Ohio state high school championships. With his advanced gameplay, Lucas broke nearly every existing high school record during these two seasons, and became arguably the first high school basketball player to be known coast-to-coast at a time when television was in its infancy. Crowds of as many as 10,000 were common for games in which he played. Lucas strained somewhat under the media glare, and his minutes in blowout games were usually limited. Lucas usually scored more than two points per minute, and his best performances were in closer games against better teams because he was allowed to play more. Shying from the limelight, Lucas decided to pass more so that his scoring would not make him appear selfish; it would become his standard for the rest of his playing career. Even while passing up shots, Lucas broke Wilt Chamberlain's national high school scoring record as a senior by making more than 60% of his shot attempts and 85% of his free throws, another standard for his career. Coaches and scouts often traveled hundreds of miles to see Lucas play, swelling Middletown's gym to nearly three times its usual capacity. Lucas was so popular that a radio network was set up to broadcast his games across Ohio, drawing more listeners than several Division I colleges. He, Wilt Chamberlain, and Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) are generally considered the greatest high school basketball players of all time. Lucas' team suffered its only loss in 1958 in the state playoffs.

Offered more than 200 athletic scholarships, it appeared Lucas might choose Adolph Rupp's legendary Kentucky program, but he instead chose more-local Ohio State - which was not well-known for basketball at the time. Lucas insisted on an academic scholarship also, as he was nearly a straight-A student and already well-known for his memory. Ohio State had also recruited three-sport star John Havlicek and Columbus-area star Mel Nowell that year. When the three became sophomores in 1959 (freshman were then ineligible for varsity college sports), they teamed with junior Larry Siegfried to form a basketball juggernaut that would go 78-6 over three NCAA seasons. Lucas was the team's clear star, leading the nation in shooting accuracy and rebounding all three years, and leading Ohio State to three straight NCAA Finals. (Future coaching legend Bobby Knight was a reserve player.) They were national champions in 1960, and had just one loss in 1961. The 6-9, 240-pound (2.06 m, 109 kg) Lucas was All-American all three years, Big Ten Player of the Year all three years, and was named ahead of all college and pro athletes to be Sports Illustrated "Sportsman of the Year" in 1961. He was considered the greatest college player ever upon graduation, and remains the only player ever to record 30 points and 30 rebounds in the same NCAA Tournament game.

In 1960, Lucas was also named to the U.S. Olympic team for the Rome Games that year. The team, which also listed Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Walt Bellamy, and Terry Dischinger among its members, is generally considered the greatest amateur team of all time. The team's youngest player at age 20, Lucas was its leader and star at center. The U.S. team roared through the international tournament to easily win the gold medal. Lucas also was noteworthy as he had memorized paragraphs of Japanese, Italian and Russian, and would briefly converse with players speaking those languages during the Games. U.S. coach Pete Newell called Lucas "the greatest player I ever coached."

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Athletes - Jerry Lucas

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