Billy Harris (basketball)
Encyclopedia
Billy 'The Kid' Harris was an American basketball
player.
Billy Harris grew up in Chicago
, where he earned a reputation as a streetball
star. A prolific long-range scorer, he was nicknamed "Billy the Kid
" and "Shotgun". Scoop Jackson
of the magazine SLAM
later dubbed him the best playground basketball player ever. "No one has ever claimed to have seen, heard about or witnessed Billy having a bad game. Not one story, not one game," wrote Jackson.
Harris graduated from Dunbar High School in Chicago in 1969; he averaged a team-high 33 points per game as a senior. After being recruited by many colleges, including the University of Kansas
, he played at Northern Illinois University
from 1969 to 1973. During his junior season at NIU, he led the team to a 21-4 record, which was good enough for NIU to be ranked in the national top 20 for the first time in school history. Harris tallied 17.8 points per game that season, and 24.1 points per game the next season.
After college, Billy Harris was drafted by the Chicago Bulls
in the seventh round of the NBA Draft
. However, he did not make the team, and instead played in the American Basketball Association
with the San Diego Conquistadors
and in the Philippines
. Later in his life, Billy Harris coached basketball for young people in his Chicago neighborhood and became a car salesman. He was inducted into the Northern Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2002.
On January 3, 2010, Harris died of a stroke at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago. He is survived by his wife, six children, eight stepchildren, three brothers, one sister, and many grandchildren.
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.
Billy Harris grew up in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, where he earned a reputation as a streetball
Streetball
Streetball or street basketball is a variation of the sport of basketball, typically played on outdoor courts and featuring significantly less by way of formal structure and enforcement of the game's rules...
star. A prolific long-range scorer, he was nicknamed "Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid
William H. Bonney William H. Bonney William H. Bonney (born William Henry McCarty, Jr. est. November 23, 1859 – c. July 14, 1881, better known as Billy the Kid but also known as Henry Antrim, was a 19th-century American gunman who participated in the Lincoln County War and became a frontier...
" and "Shotgun". Scoop Jackson
Scoop Jackson (writer)
Not to be confused with former United States Senator Henry M. "Scoop" JacksonRobert "Scoop" Jackson is an American sports journalist and cultural critic currently contributing to ESPN.com's Page2 and ESPN The Magazine....
of the magazine SLAM
SLAM Magazine
SLAM Magazine is an American basketball magazine in circulation since 1994, published by Source Interlink. SLAM publishes nine issues a year to its circulation of over 500,000 readers worldwide.-History:...
later dubbed him the best playground basketball player ever. "No one has ever claimed to have seen, heard about or witnessed Billy having a bad game. Not one story, not one game," wrote Jackson.
Harris graduated from Dunbar High School in Chicago in 1969; he averaged a team-high 33 points per game as a senior. After being recruited by many colleges, including the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
, he played at Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...
from 1969 to 1973. During his junior season at NIU, he led the team to a 21-4 record, which was good enough for NIU to be ranked in the national top 20 for the first time in school history. Harris tallied 17.8 points per game that season, and 24.1 points per game the next season.
After college, Billy Harris was drafted by the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
in the seventh round of 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...
. However, he did not make the team, and instead played in the American Basketball Association
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
with the San Diego Conquistadors
San Diego Conquistadors
The San Diego Conquistadors, nicknamed the "Q's", were an American Basketball Association team based in San Diego, California. They were the only expansion team in the history of the ABA. The team played from 1972 to 1975. They were replaced in the ABA by the San Diego Sails.-San Diego...
and in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Later in his life, Billy Harris coached basketball for young people in his Chicago neighborhood and became a car salesman. He was inducted into the Northern Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2002.
On January 3, 2010, Harris died of a stroke at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago. He is survived by his wife, six children, eight stepchildren, three brothers, one sister, and many grandchildren.
External links
- ABA statistics at basketball-reference.com