Eldridge Recasner

Infobox NBAretired


width=
caption=
position = Guard
number=7, 3, 5, 3, 14
height_ft = 6
height_in = 3
weight_lbs = 190
birthdate=birth date and age|mf=yes|1967|12|14
deathdate=
debutyear=1996
finalyear=2002
draftyear=
draftround=
draftpick=
college=University of Washington (1987-90)
teams=Basketball Bundesliga (1990–91)
Louisville Shooters (1991–92)
Yakima Sun Kings (1992–93)
Turkish Basketball League (1993–94)
Yakima Sun Kings (1994–95)
Denver Nuggets (94–95)
Houston Rockets (95–96)
Atlanta Hawks (96–97)—(97–98)
Charlotte Hornets (98–99)—(01–02)
Los Angeles Clippers (01–02)
stat1label=3-point shooting percentage
stat1value=41%
stat2label=free throw percentage
stat2value=89%
stat3label=Games played
stat3value=296
letter=
bbr=r/recasel01
highlights=All-Pac 10 Conference (3X, 1988–90)
CBA MVP (1994–95)
CBA Champion (1994–95)
HOF=

Eldridge David Recasner (born December 14, 1967) is a retired American professional basketball player. In college, he was a three-time All-Pac 10 Conference guard for the Washington Huskies men's basketball team. After college, he played in a variety of professional leagues such as the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and Europe before entering the NBA. He subsequently played for several National Basketball Association's (NBA) teams including the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets and Los Angeles Clippers.

In the 1994–95 season, his fifth season after college, he earned the CBA MVP award while leading the Yakima Sun Kings to the league championship. After that CBA season was completed, he signed to play in the NBA at the end of the 1994–95 NBA season for the Nuggets. The following season, he earned a spot on the roster of the two-time defending champion Rockets. He played in the NBA for seven more season. He had a career 41% three point shot field goal percentage and 89% free throw percentage in eight NBA seasons. In each of his first four full seasons in the NBA, he shot at least 40% from the three point line, but he suffered injuries as a passenger during an accident in an automobile driven by Derrick Coleman before the 1999–2000 season and never achieved the same level of success after the accident.

Amateur career

Born in city-state|New Orleans|Louisiana, Recasner was introduced to basketball in fifth grade by his uncles. His first organized game was in junior high school. During the first game, Recasner scored on the wrong basket because he had learned the game on a half-court one-basket basketball court. While growing up, he admired Dr. J, George Gervin, and Marques Johnson. He attended Alfred Lawless High School in New Orleans and was a high school team mate with Robert Pack. Recasner was a senior when Pack was a sophomore. [cite web|url=http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19951224&slug=2159294|title=Sonic Report / Seattle 118, Washington 100 -- Family Makes Pack Feel At Home In Puget Sound|accessdate=2008-08-31|date=1995-12-24|publisher=The Seattle Times Company|work=The Seattle Times|author=Smith, Sarah E.] Recasner was a better professional prospect than Pack and outscored Gary Payton five of nine times when the two point guards opposed each other in college. [cite web|url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/archives/1995/9502050020.asp|title=WAITING FOR THE CALL EX-HUSKY RECASNER TOILS IN YAKIMA, DREAMING OF NBA|accessdate=2008-08-30|date=1995-02-04|work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|author=Vecsey, Laura]

Recasner attended University of Washington where he played for the Huskies.cite web|url=http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/recasel01.html|title=Eldridge Recasner|accessdate=2008-08-25|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=basketball-reference.com] He redshirted during his freshman 1985–86 season. [cite web|url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/archives/1986/8601050708.asp|title=UW FRESHMAN RECASNER WAITS FOR HIS DAY TO COME|accessdate=2008-08-31|date=1986-03-16|work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|author=Raley, Dan] Recasner was a member of the 1990 class at Washington, and he was a three-time All-Pac 10 Conference guard who was selected to the Washington Huskies all 20th century team.cite web|url=http://gohuskies.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/021302aac.html|title=Schrempf Heads up Washington All-Century Basketball Team: All-Time Husky Squad Honored Saturday During California Game|accessdate=2008-08-25|date=2002-02-13|publisher=cstv.com] He was the first three-time captain of the Huskies. Recasner was an architecture major at Washington by his own account, but another account claims he was a black history major. Recasner once scored 29 points against the undefeated and number one ranked Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team while guarding Sean Elliott. The Wildcats won the game while scoring the most points the Huskies had ever given up (109). [cite web|url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/archives/1987/8702040980.asp|title=ARIZONA TURNS HUSKIES TO DUST RECORD 110-71 BASKETBALL LOSS EMBARRASSES UW|accessdate=2008-08-30|date=1987-12-21|work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|author=Withers, Bud] [cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE7DC1F39F932A15751C1A961948260|title=COLLEGE BASKETBALL; Arizona Improves To 9-0|accessdate=2008-08-30|date=1987-12-21|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times]

Professional career

Recasner, a height|ft=6|in=3, convert|190|lb|kg|lk=on guard, was never selected in the NBA Draft. However, after spending the 1990–91 season in Germany, he played in the Global Basketball Association in 1991–92. Then, he returned to Washington to play in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) during the 1992–93 and 1994–95 seasons. He played in the CBA for the franchise located in city-state|Yakima|Washington, which was near to the Seattle metropolitan area where the University of Washington was located. He played in Turkey in 1993–94. After leading the Yakima Sun Kings to the CBA championships as the league MVP, he signed to a 10-day contract with the Denver Nuggets on March 3, 1995 and played in three games.cite web|url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/archives/1996/9602060067.asp|title=RECASNER: FROM CBA TO ROCKETS STARTER FORMER HUSKY RETURNS TO SEATTLE|accessdate=2008-08-30|date=1996-02-05|work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|author=Moore, Jim] [cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE0DD1239F93AA15751C1A963958260|title=BASKETBALL;Struggling Nets Can't Stay With The Rockets |accessdate=2008-08-30|date=1995-12-29|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times|author=Willis, George] For the 1995–96 NBA season he signed as a free agent with the Houston Rockets. He signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Hawks for the 1996–97 and 1997–98 seasons. He then signed with the Charlotte Hornets in January of the 1998–99 season where he stayed for parts of four seasons. He ended his career with two 10-day contracts for the L.A. Clippers in January 2002 after having been waived by the team.cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/playerfile/eldridge_recasner/index.html|title=Eldridge Recasner|accessdate=2008-08-25|publisher=NBA Media Ventures, LLC.] [cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9907E7DA1539F93BA35752C0A9649C8B63|title=Transactions|accessdate=2008-08-30|date=2002-01-08|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times]

Recasner, considers being signed by the two-time defending NBA Champions Houston Rockets the highlight of his career. At that point he had gone from playing in the CBA to the best team in the NBA. Recasner earned the starting point guard spot over Kenny Smith and Sam Cassell. In one of his first games as a starter, he went five for six from the three point line in the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons. [cite web|url=http://paspn.net/default.asp?p=91&phaction=11&gameId=3287|title=The Detroit Pistons 85, The Houston Rockets 105 - Jan 27, 1996|accessdate=2008-08-30|date=1996-01-27|publisher=PASPN.net (PistonsAssemblyLine.com)] Unfortunately, by the end of the season the Rockets had several players injured and several CBA players on their roster. [cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9901EFD81F39F937A15757C0A960958260|title=PRO BASKETBALL;Certainly, It's No Way To Treat a Champion|accessdate=2008-08-30|date=1996-04-24|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times|author=Howe Verhovek, Sam]

His most productive seasons were the two seasons with Atlanta where he totaled over 250 rebounds, 200 assists and nearly 1000 points in 130 games. He played in four post-seasons with three teams. Three of the four teams advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs. Recasner posted a career 41% (239–584) three point shot field goal percentage and ranked in the leagues top 10 during the 1997–98 season with a 62–148 (.419) shooting percentage. His 1995–96 season three point statistics were better at 81–191 (.424), but he did not rank in the top 10 that season. He also posted an 89% (235–265) career free throw percentage.

Quote box
quote = "We played the Bulls in the second round of the [1997] playoffs. I remember hitting two 3-pointers on Steve Kerr, and Phil Jackson called a timeout to break the momentum. After the timeout, Michael Jordan switched over to defend me, and I remember asking him, ‘Wait a second, what are you doing?’ Jordan quickly responded, ‘I’m here to shut you down,’ and he smiled."
source = —Eldridge Recasnercite web|url=https://www.nbrpa.com/news/editorial/9_28_06.aspx|title=One-on-One with Eldridge Recasner|accessdate=2008-08-29|date=2006-09-28|publisher=National Basketball Retired Players Association|author=Stephens, Andrew]
width = 30%
align = leftIn a 1997 NBA Playoff game against the Chicago Bulls he got hot and scored 11 quick points in the third quarter to nearly help the Hawks comeback in the game to even the second-round playoff series at two games apiece. At one point after a hot shooting streak, the Bulls assigned Michael Jordan to defend Recasner and the Bulls then stopped the comeback. Recasner's defense also pressured Jordan into a travelling violation in the final minute of the game. [cite web|url=http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19970512&slug=2538677|title=Good, Bad Bulls Manage 3-1 Lead -- Chicago Bolts To Big Lead, Barely Holds On|accessdate=2008-08-30|date=1997-05-12|publisher=The Seattle Times Company|work=The Seattle Times] However, efforts by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippin saved the day for the Bulls.cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950CE6D81039F931A25756C0A961958260|title=Bulls' Laughter Suddenly Turns Serious|accessdate=2008-08-30|date=1997-05-12|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times|author=Roberts, Salena]

Recasner was such a good free throw shooter that once in 1998 during the midst of a 36 consecutive successful free throw streak he was fouled in a two-shot foul situation with his team down by three points and 2.3 seconds left. His team needed him to make the first and miss the second, but he was unable to miss. [cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E07EED81438F932A15750C0A96E958260|title=PRO BASKETBALL; The Knicks Rediscover Their Fire|accessdate=2008-08-30|date=1998-03-21|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times|author=Roberts, Salena]

On October 27, 1999 he was hospitalized in an automobile driven by Derrick Coleman. [cite web|url=http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/readers/NBAcancer.html|title=NBA's corrosive cancers|accessdate=2008-08-30|publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures] Coleman had been driving an Sport utility vehicle and had collided with a tractor trailer and was charged with drunk driving. [cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C00E4DE153AF930A25752C0A9669C8B63|title=PRO BASKETBALL; Hornets' Phills Killed in Car Crash|accessdate=2008-08-30|date=2000-01-13|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times|author=Wise, Mike] cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE1DD1138F93BA15753C1A96F958260|title=PLUS: PRO BASKETBALL -- CHARLOTTE; Coleman Accused Of Drunken Driving|accessdate=2008-08-30|date=1999-10-18|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times] Coleman was eventually acquitted of the charges and found guilty of "unsafe movement". [cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E06E0D61031F934A25751C0A9669C8B63|title=N.B.A.: ROUNDUP; Rose's 32 Help Pacers Win at Home Again|accessdate=2008-08-30|date=2000-02-17|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times] Recasner endured a fractured right shoulder, partially collapsed lung and other injuries, [cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_30_224/ai_63859092/pg_1|title=Eastern Conference|accessdate=2008-08-30|date=2000-07-20|publisher=CNET Networks, Inc.|work=Sporting News] and a female passenger was also hospitalized. He missed 52 games due to the accident and when he returned to the lineup he only played in seven games. [cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/playerfile/eldridge_recasner/bio.html|title=Players: Eldridge Recasner|accessdate=2008-08-30|publisher=NBA Media Ventures, LLC] [cite web|url=http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20000223&slug=4006383|title=Notebook|accessdate=2008-08-30|date=2000-02-23|publisher=The Seattle Times Company|work=The Seattle Times] Recasner was very upset with Coleman who did not even check in on whether Recasner was O.K. for over a week after the accident. [cite web|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2000/feb/24/sports/sp-2150|title=Mourning Scores 43 With Near-Perfection|accessdate=2008-08-30|date=2000-02-24|work=Los Angeles Times] On Christmas Eve 1999 during his time on the injured reserve, Recasner dragged a Continental Airlines clerk across a table by his necktie in frustration while attempting to book a flight to Texas to visit his sister, who was involved in a serious car accident. Recasner was uncertain whether his sister would survive. [cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DE7DC1439F934A15751C0A9669C8B63|title=PRO BASKETBALL; Mason's Arrest Adds to the Hornets' Troubles |accessdate=2008-08-30|date=2000-02-27|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times|author=Popper, Steve] He pled guilty to misdemeanor fourth-degree assault and was sentenced to a 24-month deferred sentence, 45 hours of community service and ordered to pay $200 in court costs.cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9907E3DA1F3DF93BA15750C0A9669C8B63|title=N.B.A.: ROUNDUP; The Spurs Dominate Inside |accessdate=2008-08-30|date=2000-03-28|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times]

In 2004 he was named assistant coach of the Bellevue Blackhawks of the American Basketball Association. [cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E00E1DF173EF932A1575BC0A9629C8B63|title=Transactions|accessdate=2008-08-30|date=2004-08-21|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times]

Personal

Recasner has retired to city-state|Bellevue|Washington where he is a real estate professional. As of September 2006, he lived with his wife of 13 years, Karen, and his four children; Sydney, 9; Erin, 6; Lauren, 3; and Eldridge III (22 months). Recasner had wed on August 14, 1993. During his NBA career his mother, Joyce, and sister, Schwuan, lived in New Orleans, but he lived in Bellevue.

Notes

External links

*NBA-profile|eldridge_recasner|Eldridge Recasner
*basketball-reference|name=Eldridge Recasner
* [http://www.basketballreference.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=RECASEL01 Career statistics]