Les Selvage
Encyclopedia
Lester Revell Selvage was an American professional basketball
player.
A 6'1" guard from Beaumont High School in St. Louis, Missouri
, Selvage played college basketball at Kirksville State Teachers College (now Truman State University
). He was named to the All-MIAA
First Team in 1963. After graduating, he moved to California to work with Douglas Aircraft, but continued to play Amateur Athletic Union
basketball on the side. He was discovered and signed by the ABA
's Anaheim Amigos
in 1967, and appeared in 78 games for the team during the 1967-68 season, averaging 14 points per game. Selvage also was briefly a member of the 1969-1970 Los Angeles Stars team.
Selvage was known for his eagerness to shoot three-pointers, and led the ABA in three-point field goals made (147) and attempted (461) during the 1967-68 season. Selvage himself attempted more threes that season than any other ABA team except the Pittsburgh Pipers, and once shot 26 three-pointers in a single game, making 10. Former Denver Rockets coach Bob Bass
recalled, "He acted like if he stepped over [the three-point line], he was going to get killed or something. He didn't just shoot 25-footers — he took 30-footers. [...] All he could do was shoot, and he shot too much. But when he was hot, he was unlike anything I had ever seen."
Selvage died in 1991 after a brief illness.
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.
A 6'1" guard from Beaumont High School in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Selvage played college basketball at Kirksville State Teachers College (now Truman State University
Truman State University
Truman State University is a public liberal arts and sciences university in Missouri, United States and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. About 6,000 students attend Truman, pursuing degrees in 43 undergraduate and 9 Graduate programs. It is located in Kirksville in...
). He was named to the All-MIAA
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association
The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association is a college athletic conference which operates in the states of Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and effective in 2012 in Oklahoma in the Midwestern United States. The conference was formerly known as the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic...
First Team in 1963. After graduating, he moved to California to work with Douglas Aircraft, but continued to play Amateur Athletic Union
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
basketball on the side. He was discovered and signed by the ABA
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 Anaheim Amigos
Anaheim Amigos
The Anaheim Amigos/Los Angeles Stars were an American Basketball Association team based in Southern California. They were the Amigos during their first season in Anaheim and later moved to Los Angeles to become the Stars...
in 1967, and appeared in 78 games for the team during the 1967-68 season, averaging 14 points per game. Selvage also was briefly a member of the 1969-1970 Los Angeles Stars team.
Selvage was known for his eagerness to shoot three-pointers, and led the ABA in three-point field goals made (147) and attempted (461) during the 1967-68 season. Selvage himself attempted more threes that season than any other ABA team except the Pittsburgh Pipers, and once shot 26 three-pointers in a single game, making 10. Former Denver Rockets coach Bob Bass
Bob Bass
Bob Bass is a former basketball coach and executive who worked in the NCAA, American Basketball Association, and the National Basketball Association....
recalled, "He acted like if he stepped over [the three-point line], he was going to get killed or something. He didn't just shoot 25-footers — he took 30-footers. [...] All he could do was shoot, and he shot too much. But when he was hot, he was unlike anything I had ever seen."
Selvage died in 1991 after a brief illness.