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{{Short description|American basketball player (1929–1981)}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = John Azary
| name = John Azary
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| image_size =
| image_size =
| caption =
| caption =
⚫
| position = [[Guard (basketball)|Guard]]
⚫
| height_ft = 6
⚫
| height_in = 4
⚫
| weight_lbs =
⚫
| nationality = American
| birth_date = {{birth date|1929|10|14}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1929|10|14}}
| birth_place = [[New York City|New York City, New York]]
| birth_place = [[The Bronx, New York]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1981|9|16|1929|10|14}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1981|9|16|1929|10|14}}
| death_place = [[Washington, D.C.]]
| death_place = [[Washington, D.C.]]
⚫
| nationality = American
⚫
| high_school = Commerce (New York City, New York)
⚫
| height_ft = 6
⚫
| height_in = 4
⚫
| weight_lbs =
⚫
| high_school = Commerce ([[New York City, New York]])
| college = [[Columbia Lions men's basketball|Columbia]] (1948–1951)
| college = [[Columbia Lions men's basketball|Columbia]] (1948–1951)
| draft_year = 1951
| draft_year = 1951
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| draft_round = 7
| draft_round = 7
| draft_pick = 66
| draft_pick = 66
⚫
| career_position = [[Guard (basketball)|Guard]]
| years1 = 1951–1953; <br> 1954–1955
| team1 = [[Scranton Miners]]
| highlights =
| highlights =
* All-[[Eastern Professional Basketball League|EPBL]] Second Team (1955)
* [[Haggerty Award]] (1951)
* [[Haggerty Award]] (1951)
* Second-team [[NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|All-American]] – [[United Press International|UPI]], [[Look (American magazine)|Look]], [[Collier's weekly|Collier's]] ([[1951 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|1951]])
* Second-team [[NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|All-American]] – [[United Press International|UPI]], [[Look (American magazine)|Look]], [[Collier's weekly|Collier's]] ([[1951 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|1951]])
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* 2× All-[[Ivy League|EIBL]] (1950, 1951)
* 2× All-[[Ivy League|EIBL]] (1950, 1951)
}}
}}
'''John Azary''' (October 14, 1929 – September 16, 1981)<ref>Department of Health, City of New York, Certificate of Birth No. 33343</ref><ref>District of Columbia, Department of Human Resources, Certificate of Death</ref> was an American standout basketball player for [[Columbia University|Columbia College]] (now Columbia University) between 1948–49 and 1950–51.
'''John D. Azary''' (October 14, 1929 – September 16, 1981)<ref name=nyhsml /> was an American professional [[basketball]] player. He played [[college basketball]] for [[Columbia University|Columbia College]] (now Columbia University) from 1948 to 1951.


Azary was born and raised in [[New York City]].<ref name=BIO>{{Cite web| title = John Azary – Basketball| work = GoColumbiaLions.com| publisher = Columbia University| year= 2008| url = http://www.gocolumbialions.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9600&ATCLID=1594729| access-date = May 21, 2011}}</ref> At {{height|ft=6|in=4}}, he played the [[guard (basketball)|guard]] position,<ref name=BIO/> and when deciding on where to attend college, he chose to stay in the city to attend Columbia. At the time, college [[freshmen]] were not eligible to play varsity sports, so Azary's career actually began when he was a [[Sophomore year|sophomore]] in 1948–49. In his first season, he scored 298 points in 20 games, which gave him a new school record for a first season scoring average at 14.9 points per game.<ref name=BIO/> This average surpassed [[Walt Budko]]'s mark, who had graduated just prior to Azary's first year.<ref name=BIO/>
Azary was born in [[the Bronx, New York]], to Hungarian immigrants who became naturalized American citizens.<ref name=nyhsml>{{cite web |title=John Azary |url=https://sports.nyhistory.org/john-azary/ |website=New-York Historical Society Museum & Library |access-date=November 1, 2021}}</ref> He was raised in [[New York City]].<ref name=BIO>{{Cite web| title = John Azary – Basketball| work = GoColumbiaLions.com| publisher = Columbia University| year= 2008| url = http://www.gocolumbialions.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9600&ATCLID=1594729| access-date = May 21, 2011}}</ref> At {{height|ft=6|in=4}}, he played the [[guard (basketball)|guard]] position,<ref name=BIO/> and when deciding on where to attend college, he chose to stay in the city to attend Columbia. At the time, college [[freshmen]] were not eligible to play varsity sports, so Azary's career actually began when he was a [[Sophomore year|sophomore]] in 1948–49. In his first season, he scored 298 points in 20 games, which gave him a new school record for a first season scoring average at 14.9 points per game.<ref name=BIO/> This average surpassed [[Walt Budko]]'s mark, who had graduated just prior to Azary's first year.<ref name=BIO/>


Despite being "undersized", Azary was routinely given the top defensive assignments against much taller players. He even played against [[center (basketball)|centers]] and used his aggressiveness and hustle to outplay them.<ref name=BIO/> His head coach, [[Gordon Ridings]], said of Azary, "''I never saw a harder worker than John. He once stayed an hour after practice taking foul shots because he had missed two out of ten free throws in the previous night’s game.''"<ref name=BIO/>
Despite being "undersized", Azary was routinely given the top defensive assignments against much taller players. He even played against [[center (basketball)|centers]] and used his aggressiveness and hustle to outplay them.<ref name=BIO/> His head coach, [[Gordon Ridings]], said of Azary: "I never saw a harder worker than John. He once stayed an hour after practice taking foul shots because he had missed two out of ten free throws in the previous night’s game."<ref name=BIO/>


In three seasons as a Lion he scored 1,037 points.<ref name=NYT>{{Cite web| title = Obituary: John Azary| work = [[The New York Times]]| date = September 19, 1981| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1981/09/19/obituaries/john-azary.html| access-date = May 21, 2011}}</ref> His finest season came as [[senior (education)|senior]] in 1950–51. He [[captain (sports)|captained]] Columbia as they rolled through the regular season undefeated, won the [[Ivy League|Eastern Intercollegiate League]] (modern day Ivy League) championship, and reached the Sweet 16 of the [[1951 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|1951 NCAA Tournament]].<ref name=BIO/> Azary was the recipient of the [[Haggerty Award]], which has been given annually since 1935–36 to the top male collegiate basketball player in the New York City area.<ref name=BIO/><ref name=NYT/> He also capped his career with a second consecutive selection to the All-EIL First Team as well as [[1951 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|NCAA All-American]] honors by various media outlets.<ref>{{Cite web| title = Men's Basketball All-EIL Eastern Intercollegiate League (1904–53)| work = GoColumbiaLions.com| publisher = Columbia University| date = March 30, 2011| url = http://www.gocolumbialions.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9600&ATCLID=205126462| access-date = May 21, 2011 This source has several factual inaccuracies corrected in this article.}}</ref>
In three seasons as a Lion he scored 1,037 points.<ref name=NYT>{{Cite web| title = Obituary: John Azary| work = [[The New York Times]]| date = September 19, 1981| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1981/09/19/obituaries/john-azary.html| access-date = May 21, 2011}}</ref> His finest season came as [[senior (education)|senior]] in 1950–51. He [[captain (sports)|captained]] Columbia as they rolled through the regular season undefeated, won the [[Ivy League|Eastern Intercollegiate League]] (modern day Ivy League) championship, and reached the Sweet 16 of the [[1951 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|1951 NCAA Tournament]].<ref name=BIO/> Azary was the recipient of the [[Haggerty Award]], which has been given annually since 1935–36 to the top male collegiate basketball player in the New York City area.<ref name=BIO/><ref name=NYT/> He also capped his career with a second consecutive selection to the All-EIL First Team as well as [[1951 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|NCAA All-American]] honors by various media outlets.<ref>{{Cite web| title = Men's Basketball All-EIL Eastern Intercollegiate League (1904–53)| work = GoColumbiaLions.com| publisher = Columbia University| date = March 30, 2011| url = http://www.gocolumbialions.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9600&ATCLID=205126462| access-date = May 21, 2011}}</ref>


After his collegiate career ended, the [[NBA]]'s [[Boston Celtics]] chose him in [[1951 NBA Draft|that year's draft]] in the seventh round (66th overall).<ref name=DRAFT>{{Cite web| title = 1951 NBA Draft| work = basketball-reference.com| publisher = Sports Reference LLC| url = https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1951.html| access-date = May 21, 2011}}</ref> He never played in the NBA;<ref name=DRAFT/> instead, Azary played in the [[American Basketball League (1925–55)|American Basketball League]] and the [[Continental Basketball Association|Eastern Professional Basketball League]].<ref name=BIO/>
After his collegiate career ended, the [[NBA]]'s [[Boston Celtics]] chose him in [[1951 NBA Draft|that year's draft]] in the seventh round (66th overall).<ref name=DRAFT>{{Cite web| title = 1951 NBA Draft| work = basketball-reference.com| publisher = Sports Reference LLC| url = https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1951.html| access-date = May 21, 2011}}</ref> He never played in the NBA;<ref name=DRAFT/> instead, Azary played in the [[American Basketball League (1925–55)|American Basketball League]] (ABL) and the [[Continental Basketball Association|Eastern Professional Basketball League]].<ref name=BIO/> He played for the [[Scranton Miners]] of the ABL from 1951 to 1953.<ref>{{cite web |title=John Azary basketball statistics |url=https://www.statscrew.com/basketball/stats/p-azaryjo01 |website=Stats Crew |access-date=November 1, 2021}}</ref> Azary returned to the Scranton Miners when they joined the EPBL for the 1954–55 season and was selected to the All-EPBL Second Team.<ref>{{cite web |title=John Azary minor league basketball statistics |url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbasketball/stats/p-azaryjoh001 |website=Stats Crew |access-date=November 1, 2021}}</ref> He also served as the team's head coach for two games and lost both.<ref>{{cite web |title=John Azary minor league basketball coaching statistics |url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbasketball/stats/c-azaryjoh001 |website=Stats Crew |access-date=November 1, 2021}}</ref>


Azary died of a heart attack on September 16, 1981, at age 51.<ref name=NYT/>
Azary died of a heart attack on September 16, 1981, at age 51.<ref name=NYT/>
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[[Category:1981 deaths]]
[[Category:1981 deaths]]
[[Category:All-American college men's basketball players]]
[[Category:All-American college men's basketball players]]
[[Category:American men's basketball coaches]]
[[Category:American men's basketball players]]
[[Category:American men's basketball players]]
[[Category:American people of Hungarian descent]]
[[Category:Sportspeople of Hungarian descent]]
[[Category:Basketball coaches from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Basketball players from New York City]]
[[Category:Basketball players from New York City]]
[[Category:Boston Celtics draft picks]]
[[Category:Boston Celtics draft picks]]

Latest revision as of 04:10, 21 April 2024

John Azary
Personal information
Born(1929-10-14)October 14, 1929
The Bronx, New York
DiedSeptember 16, 1981(1981-09-16) (aged 51)
Washington, D.C.
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Career information
High schoolCommerce (New York City, New York)
CollegeColumbia (1948–1951)
NBA draft1951: 7th round, 66th overall pick
Selected by the Boston Celtics
PositionGuard
Career history
1951–1953;
1954–1955		Scranton Miners
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

John D. Azary (October 14, 1929 – September 16, 1981)[1] was an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Columbia College (now Columbia University) from 1948 to 1951.

Azary was born in the Bronx, New York, to Hungarian immigrants who became naturalized American citizens.[1] He was raised in New York City.[2] At 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m), he played the guard position,[2] and when deciding on where to attend college, he chose to stay in the city to attend Columbia. At the time, college freshmen were not eligible to play varsity sports, so Azary's career actually began when he was a sophomore in 1948–49. In his first season, he scored 298 points in 20 games, which gave him a new school record for a first season scoring average at 14.9 points per game.[2] This average surpassed Walt Budko's mark, who had graduated just prior to Azary's first year.[2]

Despite being "undersized", Azary was routinely given the top defensive assignments against much taller players. He even played against centers and used his aggressiveness and hustle to outplay them.[2] His head coach, Gordon Ridings, said of Azary: "I never saw a harder worker than John. He once stayed an hour after practice taking foul shots because he had missed two out of ten free throws in the previous night’s game."[2]

In three seasons as a Lion he scored 1,037 points.[3] His finest season came as senior in 1950–51. He captained Columbia as they rolled through the regular season undefeated, won the Eastern Intercollegiate League (modern day Ivy League) championship, and reached the Sweet 16 of the 1951 NCAA Tournament.[2] Azary was the recipient of the Haggerty Award, which has been given annually since 1935–36 to the top male collegiate basketball player in the New York City area.[2][3] He also capped his career with a second consecutive selection to the All-EIL First Team as well as NCAA All-American honors by various media outlets.[4]

After his collegiate career ended, the NBA's Boston Celtics chose him in that year's draft in the seventh round (66th overall).[5] He never played in the NBA;[5] instead, Azary played in the American Basketball League (ABL) and the Eastern Professional Basketball League.[2] He played for the Scranton Miners of the ABL from 1951 to 1953.[6] Azary returned to the Scranton Miners when they joined the EPBL for the 1954–55 season and was selected to the All-EPBL Second Team.[7] He also served as the team's head coach for two games and lost both.[8]

Azary died of a heart attack on September 16, 1981, at age 51.[3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "John Azary". New-York Historical Society Museum & Library. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "John Azary – Basketball". GoColumbiaLions.com. Columbia University. 2008. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c "Obituary: John Azary". The New York Times. September 19, 1981. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  4. ^ "Men's Basketball All-EIL Eastern Intercollegiate League (1904–53)". GoColumbiaLions.com. Columbia University. March 30, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  5. ^ a b "1951 NBA Draft". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  6. ^ "John Azary basketball statistics". Stats Crew. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  7. ^ "John Azary minor league basketball statistics". Stats Crew. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  8. ^ "John Azary minor league basketball coaching statistics". Stats Crew. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
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