Tom Meschery
Encyclopedia
Thomas Nicholas "Tom" Meschery (born October 26, 1938 as Tomislav Nikolayevich Meshcheryakov ) is a Russian American
former professional basketball
player. He was a power forward
with a 10 year National Basketball Association
career from 1961 to 1971. He played for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors
and the Seattle SuperSonics
. He led the league in personal fouls in 1962 and played in the 1963 NBA All-Star Game
. His jersey, number 14, was retired by the Warriors.
, China
. His parents were Russian emigrants
who fled from the October Revolution
in 1917. The Meschery family was later relocated to a Japan
ese internment camp near Tokyo
during World War II
. After the war, Meschery and his parents emigrated to the United States
. It was also in this phase of his life where his father renamed the family "Meschery" due to the anti-Communist/anti-Soviet Red Scare
under Joseph McCarthy
, and Tomislav Nikolayevich was renamed Thomas Nicholas, which later was abbreviated to Tom. Living in San Francisco, California
, Meschery attended Lowell High School
. After graduating in 1957, he went to Saint Mary's College of California
in Moraga
, receiving his Bachelor of Arts
degree in 1961. In 1973 Meschery was inducted into the St Mary's Hall of Fame and his basketball jersey hangs in McKeon Pavilion on campus.
as the 7th pick overall in the 1961 NBA Draft
. Meschery played alongside legend Wilt Chamberlain
, to whom he later dedicated a poem. Meschery led the NBA in personal fouls in 1962 and played in the 1963 NBA All-Star Game
. Chamberlain left the Warriors in 1965, returning to his home town Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, to play with the 76ers
. The Warriors however, strengthened by the arrival of Rick Barry
, made it to the 1967 NBA Finals
, in which they lost to Chamberlain's 76ers. After his NBA Finals appearance, Meschery was selected by the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics
during the 1967 NBA Expansion Draft
.
In the SuperSonics' inaugural season, Meschery led the team in rebounds (10.2 per game) as well as personal fouls. He retired following the 1970-71 season, having played four seasons for the SuperSonics.
After retiring as a player, Meschery became head coach of the ABA's
Carolina Cougars
, which he guided to a record of 35–49 in the 1971-72 season before being replaced by Larry Brown
.
degree from the University of Iowa
in 1974. He studied poetry with Mark Strand
, U.S. poet laureate
at University of Washington
. After receiving his teaching credentials at University of Nevada, Reno
, Meschery taught high school English in Reno, Nevada
, until his retirement in 2005. He is also a poet, whose works often relate to basketball, teaching, and being a Russian immigrant. In 2002, Meschery was inducted into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame. Tom Meschery was also inducted to the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame
in 2003.
Meschery is living in Alameda, California with his artist wife Melanie Marchant Meschery. Meschery continues to write poems, fiction, and essays. He traces his love of writing to his Russian maternal ancestors, Alexei and Leo Tolstoy. He has recently completed a novel, 'Mr. Dolby's Dream' and a collection of poetry 'Some Men'. His blog 'Meschery's Musings' discusses a variety of controversial subject relating to sports. Each blog ends with a sports poem. Meschery says he wishes to introduce the public to fine contemporary poems whose subject is sports in the same way Garrison Keeler makes poetry in general available to his listeners on his morning radio broadcasts.
Russian American
Russian Americans are primarily Americans who traces their ancestry to Russia. The definition can be applied to recent Russian immigrants to the United States, as well as to settlers of 19th century Russian settlements in northwestern America which includes today's California, Alaska and...
former 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. He was a power forward
Power forward (basketball)
Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...
with a 10 year National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
career from 1961 to 1971. He played for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and the Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...
. He led the league in personal fouls in 1962 and played in the 1963 NBA All-Star Game
1963 NBA All-Star Game
GAME 13: at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, January 16, 1963.MVP: Bill RussellCoaches: East: Red Auerbach, West: Fred Schaus.-Eastern Conference: -Western Conference: -Score by Periods: *Halftime— East, 56-50*Third Quarter— East, 80-73...
. His jersey, number 14, was retired by the Warriors.
Early years
Meschery was born as Tomislav Nikolayevich Meshcheryakov in HarbinHarbin
Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...
, China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
. His parents were Russian emigrants
Ethnic Russians in China
Ethnic Russians form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, according to the ethnicity classification as applied in mainland China...
who fled from the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
in 1917. The Meschery family was later relocated to a Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
ese internment camp near Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After the war, Meschery and his parents emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was also in this phase of his life where his father renamed the family "Meschery" due to the anti-Communist/anti-Soviet Red Scare
Red Scare
Durrell Blackwell Durrell Blackwell The term Red Scare denotes two distinct periods of strong Anti-Communism in the United States: the First Red Scare, from 1919 to 1920, and the Second Red Scare, from 1947 to 1957. The First Red Scare was about worker revolution and...
under Joseph McCarthy
Joseph McCarthy
Joseph Raymond "Joe" McCarthy was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957...
, and Tomislav Nikolayevich was renamed Thomas Nicholas, which later was abbreviated to Tom. Living in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, Meschery attended Lowell High School
Lowell High School (San Francisco)
Lowell High School is a public magnet school in San Francisco, California. The school opened in 1856 as the Union Grammar School and attained its current name in 1896. Lowell moved to its current location in the Merced Manor neighborhood in 1962....
. After graduating in 1957, he went to Saint Mary's College of California
Saint Mary's College of California
Saint Mary's College of California is a private, coeducational college located in Moraga, California, United States, a small suburban community about east of Oakland and 20 miles east of San Francisco. It has a 420-acre campus in the Moraga hills. It is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church...
in Moraga
Moraga, California
Moraga is a suburban incorporated town located in Contra Costa County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is named in honor of Joaquin Moraga, whose grandfather was José Joaquin Moraga, second in command to Juan Bautista de Anza...
, receiving his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in 1961. In 1973 Meschery was inducted into the St Mary's Hall of Fame and his basketball jersey hangs in McKeon Pavilion on campus.
Professional basketball career
Standing 6 ft 6 in, Meschery also was a highly talented basketball player. After graduating from St. Mary's, he was drafted by the Philadelphia WarriorsGolden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
as the 7th pick overall in the 1961 NBA Draft
1961 NBA Draft
The 1961 NBA Draft was the 15th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on March 27, 1961 before the 1961–62 season. In this draft, nine NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players. A player who had finished his four-year college...
. Meschery played alongside legend Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain was an American professional NBA basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers; he also played for the Harlem Globetrotters prior to playing in the NBA...
, to whom he later dedicated a poem. Meschery led the NBA in personal fouls in 1962 and played in the 1963 NBA All-Star Game
1963 NBA All-Star Game
GAME 13: at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, January 16, 1963.MVP: Bill RussellCoaches: East: Red Auerbach, West: Fred Schaus.-Eastern Conference: -Western Conference: -Score by Periods: *Halftime— East, 56-50*Third Quarter— East, 80-73...
. Chamberlain left the Warriors in 1965, returning to his home town Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, to play with the 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
. The Warriors however, strengthened by the arrival of Rick Barry
Rick Barry
Richard Francis Dennis Barry III , better known as Rick Barry, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is considered by many veteran basketball observers to be one of the greatest pure small forwards of all time as a result of his very precise outside shot, uncanny court vision,...
, made it to the 1967 NBA Finals
1967 NBA Finals
The 1967 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 1966-67 National Basketball Association season, and was the conclusion of the 1967 NBA Playoffs. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Conference champion San Francisco Warriors and the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia...
, in which they lost to Chamberlain's 76ers. After his NBA Finals appearance, Meschery was selected by the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...
during the 1967 NBA Expansion Draft
1967 NBA Expansion Draft
The 1967 NBA Expansion Draft was the third expansion draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on May 1, 1967, so that the newly founded San Diego Rockets and Seattle SuperSonics could acquire players for the upcoming 1967–68 season. Seattle and San Diego had been awarded...
.
In the SuperSonics' inaugural season, Meschery led the team in rebounds (10.2 per game) as well as personal fouls. He retired following the 1970-71 season, having played four seasons for the SuperSonics.
After retiring as a player, Meschery became head coach of the ABA's
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:...
Carolina Cougars
Carolina Cougars
Carolina Cougars was a basketball franchise in the former American Basketball Association that existed from late 1969 through 1974. The Cougars were originally a charter member of the ABA as the Houston Mavericks in 1967. The Mavericks moved to North Carolina in late 1969 after two unsuccessful...
, which he guided to a record of 35–49 in the 1971-72 season before being replaced by Larry Brown
Larry Brown (basketball)
Lawrence Harvey "Larry" Brown is an American basketball coach and former player. He most recently served as head coach of the National Basketball Association's Charlotte Bobcats....
.
Post-basketball life
Meschery returned to school after his coaching stint, receiving his Master of Fine ArtsMaster of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
degree from the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
in 1974. He studied poetry with Mark Strand
Mark Strand
Mark Strand is an American poet, essayist, and translator. He was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1990. Since 2005, he has been a professor of English at Columbia University.- Biography :...
, U.S. poet laureate
Poet Laureate
A poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...
at University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
. After receiving his teaching credentials at University of Nevada, Reno
University of Nevada, Reno
The University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA...
, Meschery taught high school English in Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
, until his retirement in 2005. He is also a poet, whose works often relate to basketball, teaching, and being a Russian immigrant. In 2002, Meschery was inducted into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame. Tom Meschery was also inducted to the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame
Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame
The Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame honors sports figures who have made a significant impact in the San Francisco Bay Area. The organization is a section 501 non-profit, that was created by the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce in 1979.-Inductees:...
in 2003.
Meschery is living in Alameda, California with his artist wife Melanie Marchant Meschery. Meschery continues to write poems, fiction, and essays. He traces his love of writing to his Russian maternal ancestors, Alexei and Leo Tolstoy. He has recently completed a novel, 'Mr. Dolby's Dream' and a collection of poetry 'Some Men'. His blog 'Meschery's Musings' discusses a variety of controversial subject relating to sports. Each blog ends with a sports poem. Meschery says he wishes to introduce the public to fine contemporary poems whose subject is sports in the same way Garrison Keeler makes poetry in general available to his listeners on his morning radio broadcasts.
Works
- Over the Rim (1970), New York: McCall Publishing.
- Caught in the Pivot: a Diary of a Rookie Coach in the Exploding World of Pro Basketball (1973). Dell.
- Nothing We Lose Can Be Replaced (1999), Black Rock Press, University of Nevada, Reno.