John Givens
Encyclopedia
John Givens was a basketball player and coach.
Givens, a native of McHenry, Kentucky
, played college basketball at Western Kentucky University
. He was drafted by the NBA's Rochester Royals
in the sixth round of the 1950 draft.
Givens was a starting guard on the 1950-51 Sheboygan Red Skins of the National Professional Basketball League. The Red Skins finished with the league's best record at 29-16, after which the league dissolved. Givens was one of the league's most electric performers and finished seventh in NPBL scoring with 569 points in 44 games, a 12.9 per-game average.
Givens became the first head coach of the Kentucky Colonels
during the American Basketball Association
's first season in 1967-1968. Givens also became the first coach in the history of the ABA to be fired, after a 5-12 start. He was replaced as head coach of the Colonels by Gene Rhodes
.
Givens later coached at Thomas Jefferson High School and Fern Creek High School, both in Jefferson County, Kentucky
, before he retired.
Givens died on December 8, 2009 at his home in Louisville, Kentucky
.
Givens, a native of McHenry, Kentucky
McHenry, Kentucky
McHenry is a city in Ohio County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 417 at the 2000 census. Originally called Hamelton, the town was renamed in 1874 to honor Congressman Colonel Henry D...
, played college basketball at Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA. It was formally founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier....
. He was drafted by the NBA's Rochester Royals
Rochester Royals
The franchise that would become the Sacramento Kings initially started in the city of Rochester, New York, as the Rochester Royals of the National Basketball League....
in the sixth round of the 1950 draft.
Givens was a starting guard on the 1950-51 Sheboygan Red Skins of the National Professional Basketball League. The Red Skins finished with the league's best record at 29-16, after which the league dissolved. Givens was one of the league's most electric performers and finished seventh in NPBL scoring with 569 points in 44 games, a 12.9 per-game average.
Givens became the first head coach of the Kentucky Colonels
Kentucky Colonels
The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the league's history, but the team did...
during 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:...
's first season in 1967-1968. Givens also became the first coach in the history of the ABA to be fired, after a 5-12 start. He was replaced as head coach of the Colonels by Gene Rhodes
Gene Rhodes
Eugene Stephen Rhodes is a retired American basketball player and coach.Rhodes played college basketball at Western Kentucky University...
.
Givens later coached at Thomas Jefferson High School and Fern Creek High School, both in Jefferson County, Kentucky
Jefferson County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 693,604 people, 287,012 households, and 183,113 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 305,835 housing units at an average density of...
, before he retired.
Givens died on December 8, 2009 at his home in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
.