Willard Leon Sojourner (September 10, 1948 – October 20, 2005) was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 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 recruited to Weber State University

Weber State University

Weber State University is a public university located in the city of Ogden in Weber County, Utah, USA. It was founded in 1889 and is a coeducational, publicly supported university offering professional, liberal arts and technical certificates, as well as associate, bachelor's and master's degrees...

 by head coach Dick Motta

Dick Motta

John Richard "Dick" Motta is a former basketball coach whose career in the National Basketball Association spanned 25 years, and he continues to rank among the NBA's all-time top 10 in coaching victories....

. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

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Sojourner's basketball career (1968–71) at Weber State included Big Sky Conference

Big Sky Conference

The Big Sky Conference is an intercollegiate college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I, with football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. The BSC was founded in 1963. Member institutions are located in the western United States in the states of Arizona,...

 records in scoring and rebounding. He led the Wildcats to three Big Sky Conference regular-season titles. His career stats include 1,563 points and 1,143 rebounds. Sojourner still ranks second in rebounding and first in career rebounding average at 14.1 per game.

Sojourner was selected in the second round of the 1971 NBA Draft

1971 NBA Draft

The 1971 NBA Draft was the 25th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on March 29, 1971 before the 1971–72 season. In this draft, 17 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players...

 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...

 and by the Virginia Squires

Virginia Squires

The Virginia Squires were a basketball franchise in the former American Basketball Association from 1970 until just before the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.-In Oakland :...

 in the 1971 ABA Draft.

Sojourner went on to play 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:...

 for the Virginia Squires

Virginia Squires

The Virginia Squires were a basketball franchise in the former American Basketball Association from 1970 until just before the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.-In Oakland :...

 and New York Nets

New Jersey Nets

The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...

. He was traded to the Nets along with Julius Erving

Julius Erving

Julius Winfield Erving II , commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a retired American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim....

 and was the best man at Erving's wedding. Sojourner dubbed Erving with the nickname "Dr. J". Sojourner also played professionally in Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

.

Sojourner was killed in an automobile accident near Rieti

Rieti

Rieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River...

, Italy, where he played professionally for six years. At the time of his death, he was serving as head coach of a club team in Rieti. At WSU he is considered one of the greatest basketball stars in school history. Nuova Sebastiani Rieti

Nuova AMG Sebastiani Basket Rieti

Nuova AMG Sebastiani Basket was a basketball team, founded in Rieti in 1998. In the 2009, last year of activity, the club moved the administrative headquarters and arena to Naples...

, the successor club to the Italian team where he had been a star, plays its home matches in an arena named in his memory, PalaSojourner

PalaSojourner

PalaSojourner is an indoor sporting arena located in Rieti, Italy. The capacity of the arena is 3,500 people. It is currently home of the Sebastiani Basket Club Rieti basketball team, and is named after Willie Sojourner, a star for the Sebastiani in the late 1970s and early 1980s....

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External links

• ABA/NBA playing statistics at basketballreference.com