Lou Tsioropoulos
Encyclopedia
Louis "Lou" C. Tsioropoulos (born August 31, 1930 in Lynn, Massachusetts
) is a retired Greek
-American
professional basketball
player who played for the NBA's Boston Celtics
for three seasons from 1956-1959.
Tsioropoulos played college basketball at the University of Kentucky
under legendary coach Adolph Rupp
. As a sophomore in 1951
he was a member of Kentucky's NCAA Championship
team, the Wildcats defeating Kansas State
68-58 in the Championship game.
In the fall of 1952, a point shaving
scandal involving three Kentucky players (one of whom was a teammate of Tsioropoulos on Kentucky’s 1951 NCAA champions) over a four-year period forced Kentucky to forfeit its upcoming season, which would have been the senior year for Tsiroropoulos and future Hall-of-Famers Frank Ramsey
and Cliff Hagan
. The suspension of the season made Kentucky's basketball team, in effect, the first college sports team to get the "death penalty."
Tsioropoulos, Ramsey and Hagan all graduated from Kentucky in 1953 and, as a result, became eligible for the NBA Draft
. All three players were selected by the Boston Celtics—Ramsey in the first round, Hagan in the third, and Tsioropoulos in the seventh. All three also returned to Kentucky for one more season despite graduating. After finishing the regular season (one in which Tsioropoulos averaged 14.5 points per game) with a perfect 25-0 record and a #1 ranking in the Associated Press, Kentucky had been offered a bid into the NCAA Tournament
. However, then-existing NCAA rules prohibited graduate students from participating in post-season play. The Wildcats declined the bid because their participation would have forced them to play without Tsioropoulos, Ramsey and Hagan, thus jeopardizing their perfect season.
Tsioropoulos' #16 jersey was retired by his alma mater and he is in the University of Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame.
As Tom Heinsohn's backup at forward, Tsioropoulos played three seasons with the Celtics, winning championships in 1957 and 1959. In 157 games, he averaged 5.8 points per game. His best season was 1957-58; he averaged 7.7 points per game. This season was the only one of his three in which he played in the playoffs; he averaged 6.3 points per game. That year, the Bob Pettit
-led St. Louis Hawks
(which also featured Tsioropoulos' ex-college teammate Hagan, who had been traded to the Hawks in the Bill Russell
deal) defeated the Celtics in the NBA Finals
.
Tsioropoulos is a retired principal of Jefferson County High School and now lives in Florida
.
Lynn, Massachusetts
Lynn is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 89,050 at the 2000 census. An old industrial center, Lynn is home to Lynn Beach and Lynn Heritage State Park and is about north of downtown Boston.-17th century:...
) is a retired Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player who played for the NBA's Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
for three seasons from 1956-1959.
Tsioropoulos played college basketball at the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
under legendary coach Adolph Rupp
Adolph Rupp
Adolph Frederick Rupp was one of the most successful coaches in the history of American college basketball. Rupp is fourth in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching...
. As a sophomore in 1951
1951 in sports
1951 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-American football:* January 14 – The National Football League has its first Pro Bowl Game ....
he was a member of Kentucky's NCAA Championship
1951 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1951 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 16 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 20, 1951, and ended with the championship game on March 27 at Williams Arena in Minneapolis,...
team, the Wildcats defeating Kansas State
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
68-58 in the Championship game.
In the fall of 1952, a point shaving
Point shaving
In organized sports, point shaving is a type of match fixing where the perpetrators try to prevent a team from covering a published point spread. Unlike other forms of match fixing, sports betting invariably motivates point shaving. A point shaving scheme generally involves a sports gambler and one...
scandal involving three Kentucky players (one of whom was a teammate of Tsioropoulos on Kentucky’s 1951 NCAA champions) over a four-year period forced Kentucky to forfeit its upcoming season, which would have been the senior year for Tsiroropoulos and future Hall-of-Famers Frank Ramsey
Frank Ramsey (basketball)
Frank Vernon Ramsey, Jr. is a former professional basketball player and coach. A 6-3 guard, he played his entire nine-year NBA career with the Boston Celtics and played a major role in the early part of their dynasty, winning seven championships...
and Cliff Hagan
Cliff Hagan
Clifford Oldham Hagan is an American former professional basketball player. A 6-4 forward who excelled with the hook shot, Hagan, nicknamed "Li'l Abner," played his entire 10-year NBA career with the St. Louis Hawks...
. The suspension of the season made Kentucky's basketball team, in effect, the first college sports team to get the "death penalty."
Tsioropoulos, Ramsey and Hagan all graduated from Kentucky in 1953 and, as a result, became eligible for the NBA Draft
NBA Draft
The NBA Draft is an annual event in which the thirty teams from the National Basketball Association can draft players who are eligible and wish to join the league. These players are usually amateur U.S. college basketball players, but international players are also eligible to be drafted...
. All three players were selected by the Boston Celtics—Ramsey in the first round, Hagan in the third, and Tsioropoulos in the seventh. All three also returned to Kentucky for one more season despite graduating. After finishing the regular season (one in which Tsioropoulos averaged 14.5 points per game) with a perfect 25-0 record and a #1 ranking in the Associated Press, Kentucky had been offered a bid into the NCAA Tournament
1954 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1954 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 24 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 8, 1954, and ended with the championship game on March 20 in Kansas City, Missouri...
. However, then-existing NCAA rules prohibited graduate students from participating in post-season play. The Wildcats declined the bid because their participation would have forced them to play without Tsioropoulos, Ramsey and Hagan, thus jeopardizing their perfect season.
Tsioropoulos' #16 jersey was retired by his alma mater and he is in the University of Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame.
As Tom Heinsohn's backup at forward, Tsioropoulos played three seasons with the Celtics, winning championships in 1957 and 1959. In 157 games, he averaged 5.8 points per game. His best season was 1957-58; he averaged 7.7 points per game. This season was the only one of his three in which he played in the playoffs; he averaged 6.3 points per game. That year, the Bob Pettit
Bob Pettit
Robert Lee "Bob" Pettit Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player. He played 11 seasons in the NBA, all with the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks . He was the first recipient of the NBA's Most Valuable Player Award. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970...
-led St. Louis Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
(which also featured Tsioropoulos' ex-college teammate Hagan, who had been traded to the Hawks in the Bill Russell
Bill Russell
William Felton "Bill" Russell is a retired American professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association...
deal) defeated the Celtics in the NBA Finals
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
.
Tsioropoulos is a retired principal of Jefferson County High School and now lives in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
External links
- nba.com historical playerfile
- Lou Tsioropoulos profile @ celtic-nation.com