.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University Athletics
Tiger in the Pros
May 23, 2000 | Men's Basketball
Princeton basketball has been well-represented in the professional ranks, both in this country and abroad.
Three of Princeton's most recent winners of the Ivy?League Player of the Year have gone on to play in Europe (Steve Goodrich in Spain, Kit Mueller in Switzerland, Sydney Johnson in Italy), and Goodrich became the most recent Tiger in the NBA when he joined the Philadelphia 76ers this year. In all 11 Princeton grads this decade have played professionally, including eight of the 12 Tiger seniors of the last three years.
Princeton has had 13 players drafted by NBA teams--Chris Thomforde and Andy Rimol by the New York Knicks, Reggie Bird by the Atlanta Hawks, Frank Sowinski, Joe Heiser, Rich Simkus and Bill Ryan by the New York/New Jersey Nets, Craig Robinson and Bob Roma by the Philadelphia 76ers, Ed Hummer and Kevin Mullin by the Boston Celtics, Tim van Blommesteyn by the Baltimore Bullets, and Barnes Hauptfuhrer by the Houston Rockets.
Tigers who have played their way into the American professional basketball ranks include: Bud Palmer (New York Knicks), Willem van Breda Kolff (New York Knicks), Bill Bradley (New York Knicks), Geoff Petrie (Portland Trailblazers), John Hummer (Buffalo Braves, Chicago Bulls, Seattle SuperSonics), Brian Taylor (New York Nets, San Diego Clippers, and Denver Nuggets), Ted Manakas (Kansas City Kings) and Armond Hill (Seattle SuperSonics and Atlanta Hawks).
Petrie was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1971, while Taylor earned the same distinction in the ABA in 1973.