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Ernie DiGregorio

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Ernie DiGregorio
DiGregorio playing for the Buffalo Braves
Personal information
Born (1951-01-15) January 15, 1951 (age 73)
North Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High schoolNorth Providence
(North Providence, Rhode Island)
CollegeProvidence (1970–1973)
NBA draft1973: 1st round, 3rd overall pick
Selected by the Buffalo Braves
Playing career1973–1978
PositionPoint guard
Number15, 7
Career history
1973–1977Buffalo Braves
1977–1978Los Angeles Lakers
1978Boston Celtics
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points2,997 (9.6 ppg)
Rebounds610 (2.0 rpg)
Assists1,594 (5.1 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference
Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame

Ernest DiGregorio (born January 15, 1951), also known as "Ernie D.", is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Buffalo Braves, Los Angeles Lakers, and Boston Celtics from 1973 to 1978.

DiGregorio was named NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1973–74 season and shares the NBA rookie record for assists in a single game with 25. Due to a severe knee injury suffered early in DiGregorio's professional career, he played only five NBA seasons.

A 1973 NCAA All-American at Providence, DiGregorio was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Early life

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DiGregorio was born on January 15, 1951, in North Providence, Rhode Island.[1] At age 12, he decided to become a professional basketball player, and put in thousands of hours over the years to develop his skills.[2] He played on the 1968 Rhode Island (Class B) champions at North Providence High School.[3]

College and NBA career

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Providence College

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DiGregorio attended Providence College, graduating in 1973.[4] He played basketball under Hall of Fame head coach Dave Gavitt.[5] DiGregorio, Marvin Barnes and Kevin Stacom led the Providence team to a Final Four appearance in the 1973 National Collegiate Athletic Conference (NCAA) Tournament in DiGregorio's senior season.[2] They eventually lost to Memphis State,[6] but only after Barnes sustained a knee injury that forced an early exit, after playing only 11 minutes in the game.[3][7] DiGregorio received the NCAA East Regional Most Outstanding Player honors.[8]

In the 1972-73 season, DiGregorio averaged 24.5 points per game and 8.6 assists per game (a school record as of 2024[9]), and was Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Player of the Year.[8] He received the 1973 Lapchick Award as the nation’s outstanding senior.[10] He was an All-American for each of his three varsity years at Providence,[8] and a first-team consensus All-American his senior year.[11] Over his three-year career, he averaged 20.5 points a game, and a school record 7.7 assists per game (as of 2024).[8][9][12]

Providence retired his number at halftime of a February 5, 2008, game against DePaul, giving the fans DiGregorio bobblehead figures.[10]

International exhibition series

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After playing for the Providence, DiGregorio played on a college all-star team, coached by Bob Cousy, against a team from the Soviet Union in a six-game exhibition series. DiGregorio was considered the star of the series.[13] Among others, the U.S. team also included future Hall of Fame center Bill Walton,[14] Swen Nater (who replaced Walton after an injury in game 1), Providence teammate Marvin Barnes, future Hall of Fame player Bobby Jones,[15] Pat McFarland, and Tom Henderson, who defeated the Soviet team in the bruising six-game exhibition series,[16][17] which helped heal the still-open wound of the United States' loss in the 1972 Summer Olympic finals.[citation needed] The Soviet team included, among others, Aleksander Belov.[18] The American team won the first game 83–65, with DiGregorio and Nater the leading scorers (14 points), and DiGregorio's crowd pleasing sharp passes.[17] In the fifth game, DiGregorio scored two baskets in 13 seconds to send the game into overtime, which the U.S. won 89–80. DiGregorio had 25 points and 11 assists, and Barnes scored 8 points in overtime.[16]

Buffalo Braves (1973–1977)

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DiGregorio was drafted by the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association in the ABA's 1973 special circumstances draft[19] but opted instead for the NBA.

He was selected third overall by the Buffalo Braves (a franchise now known as the Los Angeles Clippers) in the 1973 NBA draft out of Providence College,[20] and won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1973–74 after averaging 15.2 points and leading the league in both free throw percentage (.902) and assists per game (8.2), while playing 35.9 minutes per game.[21][1][22] DiGregorio still holds the NBA rookie record for assists in a single game with 25 (a record now shared with Nate McMillan).[23] The following year, he had a severe knee injury that cut short his future productivity and remaining career.[24]

He would never again come close to his 1973-74 level of production. He played only 31 games of the 1974-75 season, and 67 games the next year, playing only 20 minutes a game and averaging less than seven points a game. His coach Jack Ramsay thought DiGregorio had lost speed and quickness after knee surgery, and made him the team's fourth guard; though DiGregorio disagreed with that assessment.[13] During DiGregorio's last full season with the Braves (1976-77), he was up to 28 minutes a game, and averaged 10.7 points and 4.7 assists per game.[1] He led the league in free throw percentage a second time, with a then-NBA record 94.5%[1].[citation needed] As of 2024, this is the 9th best seasonal percentage of all-time.[25]

In 1977, he joined fellow NBA stars Julius Erving, Rick Barry, Wilt Chamberlain, and Pete Maravich,[citation needed] in endorsing Spalding's line of rubber basketballs, with a signature "Ernie D." ball making up part of the collection.[26][10]

Los Angeles Lakers (1977–1978)

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Before the 1977–78 season, the Brave's sold DiGregorio's contract rights to the Los Angeles Lakers, after Buffalo had acquired future Hall of Fame point guard Nate "Tiny" Archibald; part of a greater plan of player transactions in Buffalo.[27][13] DiGregorio played in a Lakers' uniform, under coach Jerry West (who had been hopeful about DiGregorio as his point guard), in only 25 games before being waived.[24][1][13]

Boston Celtics (1978)

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The Boston Celtics signed him as a free agent but he played only sparingly for the rest of the season.[24][1] He would not play in the NBA again, although he did not formally retire until 1981.[citation needed]

Honors

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Post-NBA

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After 1978, he returned to Providence College to earn a degree.[3] In 1981, at only 30 years old, Celtic coach Bill Fitch gave DiGregorio an opportunity to try out for the Celtics.[30] DiGregorio tried to make a comeback with the Nets in 1983.[21] He was a head coach for the Rhode Island School for the Deaf.[10] He later became the head coach at his high school alma mater, North Providence High.[21] He was also a referee in the Continental Basketball Association for a year, and worked with an advertising firm in public relations. He later took a job at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut.[21] He has written children's books, worked in the community holding basketball clinics and advising young basketball players at local schools. He worked as Director of Operations for the Buffalo 716ers of the American Basketball Association.[10][31]

NBA career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1973–74 Buffalo 81 — 35.9 .421 — .902* 2.7 8.2* 0.7 0.1 15.2
1974–75 Buffalo 31 — 23.0 .440 — .778 1.5 4.9 0.6 0.0 7.8
1975–76 Buffalo 67 — 20.4 .384 — .915 1.7 4.0 0.6 0.0 6.7
1976–77 Buffalo 81 — 28.0 .417 — .945* 2.3 4.7 0.7 0.0 10.7
1977–78 L.A. Lakers 25 — 13.3 .410 — .800 0.9 2.8 0.2 0.0 3.9
1977–78 Boston 27 — 10.1 .431 — .923 1.0 2.4 0.4 0.0 3.9
Career 312 — 25.2 .415 — .902 2.0 5.1 0.6 0.0 9.6

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1974 Buffalo 6 — 40.0 .430 — .889 2.7 8.7 0.2 0.0 13.7
1976 Buffalo 9 — 24.1 .484 — 1.000 1.4 5.0 0.6 0.2 7.6
Career 15 — 30.5 .453 — .941 1.9 6.5 0.4 0.1 10.0

College statistics

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1970–71 Providence 28 — 36.2 .481 — .830 4.0 6.5 — — 18.6
1971–72 Providence 27 — 38.0 .436 — .802 3.0 7.9 — — 17.7
1972–73 Providence 31 — 36.0 .478 — .802 3.2 8.6 — — 24.5
Career 86 — 36.7 .468 — .812 3.4 7.7 — — 20.5

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Ernie DiGregorio Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Ernie D.: For the love of the game". Block Island Times. February 9, 2024. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d "Ernest A. DiGregorio Jr. – Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame". Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  4. ^ "Ernie D on basketball, friendship, and his memoir about both". PC News. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  5. ^ "The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Dave Gavitt". www.hoophall.com. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  6. ^ "1973 NCAA tournament: Bracket, scores, stats, records | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  7. ^ "Providence vs. Memphis Box Score (Men), March 24, 1973". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Ernie DiGregorio To Be Inducted Into National Collegiate Basketball Hall Of Fame". Providence College Athletics. April 2, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Providence Men's Basketball Leaders & Records - Season". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d e f "Ernie DiGregorio (2016) - Hall of Fame". ecacsports.com. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  11. ^ "Men's Consensus All-America Teams (1969-70 to 1978-79)". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  12. ^ "Providence Men's Basketball Leaders & Records - Career". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c d Goldaper, Sam (September 7, 1977). "DiGregorio of Braves Is Acquired by Lakers". New York Times.
  14. ^ "The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Bill Walton". www.hoophall.com. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  15. ^ "The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Bobby Jones". www.hoophall.com. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  16. ^ a b Goldaper, Sam (May 8, 1973). "U.S. FIVE DEFEATS SOVIET, 89 TO 80". New York Times.
  17. ^ a b "U.S. Five Defeats Russians, 83‐65". New York Times. April 30, 1973.
  18. ^ "SOVIET UNION'S FIVE WINS TOUR OPENER". New York Times. April 28, 1973.
  19. ^ "1973 ABA Special Circumstance Draft Pick Transactions". www.prosportstransactions.com. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  20. ^ "1973 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  21. ^ a b c d Rhoden, William C. (March 2, 1996). "Sports of The Times;Ernie D Has Found A New Game". The New York Times.
  22. ^ "1973-74 NBA Leaders". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  23. ^ "NBA Individual Regular Season Records for Assists". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  24. ^ a b c "Ernie DiGregorio - All Things Lakers - Los Angeles Times". projects.latimes.com. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  25. ^ "NBA & ABA Single Season Leaders and Records for Free Throw Pct". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  26. ^ "Spalding Presents Street Ball, with Rick Barry and Dr. J!" advertisements on the back of Marvel and DC comic books, 1977.
  27. ^ "The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Nate Archibald". www.hoophall.com. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  28. ^ "Ernie DiGregorio". National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame website. Archived from the original on June 16, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
  29. ^ Weisberg, Tim WeisbergTim (June 17, 2024). ""They'll Fix It": Providence Hoops Legend's Name Misspelled at Complex Dedicated to Him". 1420 WBSM. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  30. ^ "DiGregorio Tries Again". New York Times. September 29, 1981.
  31. ^ POIRIER, BRETT. "Youth Basketball: New generation gets lesson in basketball". Norwich Bulletin. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
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