Famous Mormons

Basketball Players and Coaches Page 1

 

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Photo: Star Bulletin 		Brandyn Akana
assistant coach
Dallas Mavericks 		Went on church mission from 1995 to '98.
 Source: Akana keeps winning as coach By Brandon Lee Honolulu Star Bulletin, 14 Mar 2003

 

 		Copyright © 2006 Deseret Book
Basketball Band CTR Ring

Photo: NBA.com 		Jarinn Akana
assistant coach
Nuggets 		A native of Molokai, Hawaii.  He began his collegiate career at Brigham Young-Hawaii in 1988 before going on a two-year church mission to Vina del Mar, Chile.
 Source: NBA.com 		 
Danny Ainge Ainge played basketball at BYU , after which he was selected in baseball's 1977 amateur draft by Toronto. He made it to the majors with the Blue Jays in 1979, but was able to amass only modest numbers for that team. In 1981, after receiving the John R. Wooden Award   as college basketball player of the year, Ainge was chosen in the NBA draft by the Boston Celtics, who had to buy out his contract from the Blue Jays after enduring a legal battle over the rights to Ainge's contract.  
Thurl Bailey
Utah Jazz

 

 The Utah Jazz drafted Thurl in 1983 as the 7th pick of the draft. Former Utah Jazz basketball player Thurl Bailey is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.   He is eager to clear up misconceptions about his newfound faith.   When he arrived in Utah 19 years ago, Bailey was like most visitors--he was smitten by the scenic beauty and stumped by the predominant religion.   After giving a speech at a school or attending a social function, people would hand him a gift, often the Book of Mormon.   He collected 57 copies.   Occasionally, he'd thumb through the pages, curious but not serious about Mormonism.   His conversion would come later, after he met and married a member of the Church named Sindi.   He calls his baptism in 1995 one of the best moments of his life.
Source: Newsday, Oct 2002 		Thurl Bailey.com

"Thurl Bailey's wonderful life," by Doug Robinson, Deseret News, 22 Feb 2003

NBA Profile

Copyright © 2006 Deseret Book
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Shawn Bradley
Photo: NBA 		Shawn Bradley
Philadelphia 76ers
New Jersey Nets
Dallas Mavericks		 Played only one season in college at Brigham Young University before serving a mission in Australia.   Drafted second overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1993 Draft.   He is one of the NBA's great shot-blockers.

NBA Profile

 

Photo: Sports Stats 		Chris Burgess
Duke University
University of Utah		 He is aware that, as a member of one of the best college teams in the country, he is a role model. "I think my mission is mainly playing basketball and speaking for the church," he says. "I am a missionary every single day when people ask me about my religion and I try to stand up for it."  (when playing for Duke) Ute Profile

NBA Profile
Tom Chambers
Photo: NBA.com 		Tom Chambers
Pheonix Suns 		During the late '80s and early '90s, he was were the driving force behind the Phoenix Suns' high-octane offense.  Over the course of five seasons, he guided the Suns to three Western Conference Finals appearances and one trip to the NBA Finals in 1993.  In 1993-94, he moved on, spending a couple of seasons playing alongside Karl Malone and John Stockton in his home state of Utah, and a couple more bouncing between teams.  But to Phoenix fans, "Tommy Gun" would always be a Sun.  Upon retiring in 1997, he returned to Phoenix, joining the Suns' community relations staff, and on April 19, 1999 was inducted into the team's Ring of Honor. 
 Source: One-On-One With Tom Chambers, NBA.com, 06 Mar 2001 		NBA.com

Kresimir Cosic
(1948-1995)

 

 Kresimir Cosic

(Yugoslavia)
silver 1968 Mexico City
1972 Munich
1976 Montreal
gold 1980 Moscow

The 6-foot-11-inch Cosic played center for B.Y.U. from 1971 to 1973, earning all-Western Athletic Conference selection each season and pacing B.Y.U. to two conference titles. He averaged 19.1 points a game.

After leaving B.Y.U., he was drafted for pro basketball but chose to return to Yugoslavia, where he was a national hero as a player and coach. Cosic was a four-time Olympian, leading Yugoslavia to a silver medal in 1968 and a gold medal in 1980.

 

 In the 1960s, attempts were made to begin missionary work in Yugoslavia, but it was not until Kresimir Cosic came to Brigham Young University, became a convert to the Church, and later was a basketball hero in his native country, that the Church could take hold there. A few missionaries were allowed to enter, but their opportunities to teach the people were circumscribed. www.lightplanet.com
Travis Hansen Hansen first played college basketball near his hometown of Orem, Utah at Utah Valley State Collage from 1996-1997. After serving as a Mormon  Missionary in Santiago, Chile  for two years, he played basketball at Brigham Young University for three seasons, from 2001-2003. With his selection by the Hawks in 2003, he became the first BYU men's basketball player to be drafted since Shawn Bradley in 1993.  
Vernon Hatton
Photo: UK Fans 		Vernon Hatton
Cincinnati 		One of the most renowned players in University of Kentucky history.  He was a guard and the high point man in 1958 when they won the NCAA championship  Drafted #10 overall in the 2nd round of the 1958 NBA draft by Cincinnati.   
  Skouson Harker
Birmingham Bullets
TS Goppingen
Akron Wingfoots 		He was born in Alberta, Canada.  He played college ball at Utah Valley State College, the University of Oregon and Montana State University at Billings.  He was drafted by Huron in 2002 and traded to TS Goppingen, Germany in 2003.
 		  
Mel Hutchins Mel Hutchins  played for BYU in
the early 50's.  He was an all American, and was the star on the team that won the NIT .  He was a four year letterman at BYU, was the second pick in the NBA draft, played 7 years in the NBA and was a 4 time all-star. He has worked at  the San Diego temple.  He also appeared in four NBA Star-Games, and he retired in 1958 with 4,851 career points and 4,186 career rebounds		  
Casey Jacobsen
Photo: NBA 		Casey Jacobsen
Phoenix Suns		 He played college basketball at Stanford University until he graduated in 2003.   Selected by the Phoenix Suns in the first round (#22 pick overall) in the 2002 NBA Draft. NBA Profile

Mighty Casey
fan site

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