Ah Chew Goo (April 10, 1918 – January 9, 2015) was an American basketball player and coach of the

University of Hawaii A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

men’s basketball team, who was known primarily for his basketball dribbling and passing abilities. Goo, who stood at only , was known for his remarkable ability to dribble the ball and keep it away from defenders and for his no-look and seemingly gravity-defying passes. He started working on his basketball skills at age 7, practising his passing off telephone poles as he walked down the street. As a result, he became one of Hawaii’s most famous basketball players, leading

Hilo High School Hilo High School is a Public school (government funded), public, Coeducation, co-educational high school of the Hawaii State Department of Education, and serves grades nine through twelve. Established in 1906, its first class graduated in 1909. ...

to three straight Territorial championships between 1934–1936. After high school, Goo played with a traveling team of Hawaiian all-stars in the United States. He retired from competitive basketball in 1940, due to ill health, and never played in college or professionally. In the mid-1940s, Goo coached a local team in a game against the

Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Created in 1926 by Tommy Brookins in Chicago, Illinois, the team adopted the name ''Harlem'' because of i ...

. Before the game, he asked

Abe Saperstein Abraham Michael Saperstein (; July 4, 1902 – March 15, 1966) was the founder, owner and earliest coach of the Harlem Globetrotters. Saperstein was a leading figure in black basketball and baseball from the 1920s through the 1950s, primarily bef ...

, coach of the Globetrotters, if he could pull two stunts: one where he would replace a basketball with a deflated ball after a timeout so when a player tried to dribble it, it wouldn't bounce, and the other to tie fishing line around a ball so he could pull it back after faking shooting a free throw. Saperstein said no, but the next year when the Globetrotters returned to Hawaii, they used those both tricks as part of their showtime repertoire. "I originated that, I take credit for that," Goo said.

Press Maravich Petar "Press" Maravich (August 29, 1915 – April 15, 1987) was an American college and professional basketball coach. He received the nickname "Press" as a boy, when one of his jobs was selling the ''Pittsburgh Press'' on the streets of his homet ...

, father of basketball great

Pete Maravich Peter Press Maravich ( ; June 22, 1947 – January 5, 1988), known by his nickname Pistol Pete, was an American professional basketball player. Maravich was born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, and raised in ...

and a future college coach, was stationed in Hawaii during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and saw Goo perform his tricks with a basketball. The elder Maravich told Goo that if he ever had a son, he was going to teach him all the tricks he saw Goo perform. His eventual son, "Pistol" Pete Maravich, was renowned for his ball-handling and passing skills and became the highest scoring player in

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

history. Maravich called Goo "the best ball-handler I've ever seen." Goo coached the University of Hawaii men’s basketball team from 1954–1957, compiling a 31–46 (.402 winning percentage) record over three seasons. He later served at boxing matches, where he was the official knockdown timer. The University of Hawaii women’s basketball team designates a player each season as the recipient of the Ah Chew Goo Achievement Award, the program's most prestigious individual award, which is given to the player who attains basketball excellence through dedication, determination and perseverance. The Hawaii men’s team awards the Ah Chew Good Most Inspirational Player Award each season. Goo was a member of the

Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame The Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame is a sports hall of fame and museum in the U.S. state of Hawaii. According to the hall's official website, it servers as the "state museum for sports history in the islands," and "is best described as an educational ...

. He was married to Clara Kim Goo. He died at the age of 96 in 2015.

References

1918 births 2015 deaths American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Hawaii Basketball players from Hawaii Hawaii Rainbow Warriors basketball coaches People from Hawaii (island) American sportspeople of Chinese descent {{Hawaii-sport-stub