Darrall Imhoff

Darrall Imhoff

No. 18, 17, 14, 22, 30, 35
Center
Personal information
Date of birth	October 11, 1938 (1938-10-11) (age 73)
Place of birth	San Gabriel, California
Nationality	American
High school	Alhambra (California)
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
College	California
NBA Draft	1960 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall
Selected by the New York Knicks
Pro career	1960–1972
League	NBA
Career history
1960–1962	New York Knicks
1962–1964	Detroit Pistons
1964–1968	Los Angeles Lakers
1968–1970	Philadelphia 76ers
1970–1971	Cincinnati Royals
1971–1972	Portland Trail Blazers
Career highlights and awards
NBA All-Star (1967) NCAA Champion (1959) Consensus NCAA All-American First Team (1960)
Career NBA statistics
Points	5,759 (7.2 ppg)
Rebounds	6,099 (7.6 rpg)
Assists	1,405 (1.8 apg)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals Competitor for  United States Men's Basketball Olympic Games Gold 1960 Rome Team Competition

Darrall Tucker Imhoff (born October 11, 1938 in San Gabriel, California) is an American former professional basketball player. He spent twelve seasons in the NBA (1960-72), playing for half a dozen teams. Imhoff was the starting center for the New York Knicks, and played for 20 minutes in the game when Wilt Chamberlain scored an NBA personal scoring record of 100 points.

College

Imhoff attended Alhambra High School, Alhambra, California.^[1] After making the team as a walk-on, at the University of California, Berkeley, Imhoff was a two-time All-American and was the top rebounder on the 1959 NCAA championship team and hit the winning basket with just seventeen seconds to go. He was the leading scorer and rebounder on the 1960 NCAA runner-up Berkeley team and was a part of the gold medal-winning 1960 Olympic basketball team.

As a collegian, Imhoff was feared as a shot blocker, and was a respected rebounder who was the hub around which coach Pete Newell built his NCAA champion University of California team. The Golden Bears edged Jerry West's West Virginia University team in 1959, with Imhoff rated by some the best college player in the country. In 1960, leading the nation's top-rated defense from his center spot, the 6'10 235-pounder led Cal back to the NCAA Finals before losing to Jerry Lucas and Ohio State. He was a two-time First Team All-American and a member of Berkeley's Nu Chapter of Phi Kappa Tau fraternity.

Imhoff was inducted into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988 and enshrined into the Pac-10 Hall of Honor in 2005. His jersey at Cal (No. 40) was retired during a game between Cal and Stanford at Haas Pavilion on February 14, 2009.^[2]

Olympics

Imhoff was a senior awaiting entry into the National Basketball Association in 1960 when coach Pete Newell, now the U.S. Olympic coach, added his prize player to the Olympic roster. Playing behind Lucas, Purdue's Terry Dischinger and Indiana's Walt Bellamy, Imhoff still saw action during the Rome Games as the Americans usually jetted out to a big lead early and then rested their starters.

NBA

New York Knickerbockers

Imhoff was the most highly publicized draft pick of the NBA that same year. The New York Knickerbockers, picking third overall, made him their first pick, a move which generated much excitement for the team. The Knicks had two all-stars already, Richie Guerin and Willie Naulls, and looked for Imhoff to complete a potential contender in the league's largest city. Imhoff unfortunately, was not up to the pressure and had a season which fell well below hopes. Disappointed, he was the second backup center by season's end. Considered a major bust, he was dealt to the Detroit Pistons in 1962.

Detroit Pistons

Imhoff's lack of quickness and shooting skills at the NBA level had been exposed, but he never quit working to improve. He began to see more minutes with the Pistons until he was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1964.

Los Angeles Lakers

On a star-studded team that included Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and others, Imhoff was now a respected reserve. He contributed solidly to a team that won the NBA West and made it to the NBA Finals in 1965. The Lakers were encouraged enough to start Imhoff the next season, again winning their division, but were Finals runner-up again. Finally, in the 1966-67 season, Imhoff hit some of his potential, averaging 12 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks per game as a Laker starter. He made the 1967 NBA All-Star team as a reserve. But he was still badly outplayed by Boston's Bill Russell in the NBA Finals, a fact which repeated itself in 1968. This fact spurred the Lakers to sign Wilt Chamberlain that year, and Imhoff was traded to Philadelphia where he was again a solid backup center.

Philadelphia 76ers/Cincinnati Royals/Portland Trail Blazers

The 76ers were second in the East, but were knocked out by Boston and Russell again in the playoffs. Imhoff was a starter again for the 1969-70 campaign and Philadelphia made it to the playoffs before losing to Milwaukee and Lew Alcindor. He had one more decent season as the backup center for Cincinnati before finishing his career at the end of Portland's bench in 1972.

Later years

After retiring he lived in Hillsboro, Oregon, and then Eugene.^[3] He is currently the Vice President of Sales & Marketing at the United States Basketball Academy (USBA), a prestigious, internationally recognized basketball camp located in Oregon's McKenzie River Valley, about 45 miles east of Eugene.

References

1. ^ "Inaugural win takes back seat", Los Angeles Times, Sports Section, January 14, 2009
2. ^ Former Great Darrall Imhoff to Have No. 40 Jersey Retired
3. ^ Eggers, Kerry (September 3, 2008). "After final buzzer, Oregon’s still home". The Portland Tribune. http://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/story.php?story_id=121986778563346700. Retrieved 2009-04-01. 

External links

• Darrall Imhoff Profile and Stats at LakersWeb.com

Persondata
Name	Imhoff, Darrall
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	October 11, 1938
Place of birth	San Gabriel, California
Date of death
Place of death