| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 19, 1936 Chillicothe, Ohio |
| Died | January 23, 2021 (aged 84) Ocala, Florida |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Chillicothe (Chillicothe, Ohio) |
| College | Cincinnati (1955–1958) |
| NBA draft | 1958: 7th round, 49th overall pick |
| Selected by the Cincinnati Royals | |
| Position | Small forward |
| Number | 20 |
| Career history | |
| 1959 | Cincinnati Royals |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Wayne Leroy Stevens (June 19, 1936 – January 23, 2021) was an American professional basketball player.[1]
Biography
Stevens was born in Chillicothe, Ohio, and attended Chillicothe High School, where he was a three-time All-Central Ohio League selection in basketball.[2] As a junior in 1952–53, he was named Class A (big-school) second-team all-state by the Associated Press (AP). As a senior in 1953–54, he was again named second-team all-state, along with future basketball hall-of-famer Wayne Embry and baseball hall-of-famer Bill Mazeroski.[3] In track, he was also the state high-jump champion.[4]
Stevens played college basketball for coach George Smith at the University of Cincinnati. As a sophomore starting forward in 1955–56, Stevens scored 10.3 points per game and grabbed a team-leading 13.9 rebounds[5] per game for the 17-7 Bearcats.[6]
As a junior in 1956–57, Stevens averaged 13.0 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, both second on the team behind center Connie Dierking, for the 15-9 Bearcats.[6]
As a senior in 1957–58, third-year starter Stevens and Dierking served as co-captains and Stevens averaged 10.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. The Bearcats, who welcomed sophomore starters Oscar Robertson and Ralph Davis to the team, went 25-3 and won the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, where, in the Midwest Regional, they fell to Kansas State in overtime before defeating Arkansas.
Stevens was selected in the seventh round (49th overall) of the 1958 NBA draft by the Cincinnati Royals.[1] He played in eight games for the Royals during the beginning of the 1959–60 NBA season, and averaging 1.6 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.[1]
Stevens died on January 23, 2021, in Ocala, Florida.[7]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA
Source[1]
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959–60 | Cincinnati | 8 | 6.1 | .158 | .700 | 2.0 | .5 | 1.6 |
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Wayne Stevens NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- ↑ "Chillicothe High School - Arrow Yearbook - Class of 1952". e-yearbook.com. p. 44.
- ↑ "Associated Press All-Ohio Teams".
- ↑ "• View topic - Top 5 Chillicothe B-ball Players of all time". Archived from the original on 2014-03-22. Retrieved 2014-03-21.
- ↑ "Cincinnati Basketball: The Top 50 Players in School History". Bleacher Report.
- 1 2 "Cincinnati 2010-11 Men's Basketball Media Supplement" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 16, 2018.
- ↑ "Wayne Leroy Stevens". legacy.com. Retrieved February 4, 2021.