Phil Tollestrup
Encyclopedia
Phil Tollestrup is a former Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
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 as a member of the Canadian national men's basketball team
Canadian national men's basketball team
The Canadian national men's basketball team represents Canada in international basketball competitions. The team is currently ranked 24th by FIBA. Athletes for this team are selected by Canada Basketball...
during the 1970s.
Six feet, six inches tall forward, Tollestrup attributes the development of his basketball ability to his being able to practice on a daily basis both at his school gym, where his father was janitor, and at the local cultural centre, which has an open gym. The native of Raymond, Alberta
Raymond, Alberta
Raymond is a town in Warner County, Alberta, Canada. It is located in southern Alberta south of Lethbridge on Highway 52. Raymond is known for its annual rodeo and its large Mormon population...
was later a member of his local basketball team which won the provincial youth basketball championship in 1967 and '68. He played college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
at Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
, and was a teammate of Cougar and Yugoslav legend Kresimir Cosic
Krešimir Cosic
Krešimir Ćosić was a Croatian professional basketball player who represented Yugoslavia internationally, a member of FIBA Hall of Fame and Basketball Hall of Fame...
. He then played an additional year of college ball with the University of Lethbridge
University of Lethbridge
The University of Lethbridge is a publicly-funded comprehensive academic and research university, founded in the liberal education tradition, located in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, with two other urban campuses in Calgary and Edmonton. The main building sits among the coulees on the west side of...
Pronghorns where for 1972-3 he was named Male Pronghorn Athlete of the Year and a CIAU
CIAU
The letters CIAU may mean any of the following:* CIAU-FM 103.1, a radio station in Radisson, Quebec* An acronym for "Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union", now known as Canadian Interuniversity Sport...
All-Canadian. He then played professionally with a club in the Spanish first division for the 1973-4 season, Saski Baskonia - TAU Cerámica.
Tollestrup participated in the 1971, '75, and '79 Pan Am Games, 1973 World Student Games, the 1974 FIBA World Championship
1974 FIBA World Championship
The 1974 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Puerto Rico from July 3 to 14, 1974.-Venues:- Competing nations :- Preliminary round :-Group A:-Group B:-Group C:-Classification round:-Final round:...
, and the 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
. He finished the Olympics as the tournament's 3rd leading scorer as the Canadians finished just out of the medals in fourth place.
Tollestrup coached McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
from 1978 to 1980. He then turned to teaching school and coaching youth basketball in the Southern Alberta communities of Milk River
Milk River, Alberta
Milk River is a town in the province of Alberta, Canada, located on and named after the Milk River, which flows immediately to its south. It is south of Lethbridge, and from the Canada-U.S. border. It is primarily a service centre for the many farms and cattle ranches which surround...
, Stirling
Stirling, Alberta
Stirling is a village in the County of Warner No. 5, Alberta, Canada. The village is located on Highway 4, approximately southeast of Lethbridge and northwest of the United States-Canada border....
, and most recently Magrath
Magrath, Alberta
Magrath is a town in Cardston County, Alberta, Canada. Its 2006 population was 2,081. Magrath is located near the Canadian Rockies and is south of Lethbridge and south of Calgary.- History :...
where he is the Magrath High School head coach. He has been inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame, Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame, Raymond Sports Hall of Fame, and Pronghorns Hall of Fame.