Alfred A. Bianchi (March 26, 1932 – October 28, 2019) was an American professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player, coach, general manager, consultant, and scout.
Early years
Nicknamed "Blinky", he attended P.S. 4 elementary school and graduated from
Long Island City High School
Long Island City High School, commonly abbreviated L.I.C. or LICHS, is a public high school in Long Island City, Queens, New York City. The present building was built in 1995. The school had an enrollment of around 2,500 in 2015.
Demographics
As ...
in 1950. A 1954 graduate of
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...
, he was voted to the "All-Ohio Team" and received honorable mention as a basketball All-American. He served in the
U.S. Army Medical Corps from 1954 to 1956.
Professional playing career
Starting in 1956, Bianchi played for the
Syracuse Nationals
The Philadelphia 76ers are an American basketball team currently playing in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 76ers are third in NBA history in wins and playoff appearances.
1946– ...
of the
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
. He moved with the team to
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
when it became the
76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...
for the 1963–64 season. He was one of the last proponents in the NBA of the two-handed set shot.
Coaching career
On May 1, 1966, Bianchi was selected by the
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...
in the NBA expansion draft but never played in a game for them and retired as a player. He then became assistant coach under former teammate Johnny "Red" Kerr, head coach of the Bulls. After a year in Chicago, he was hired as head coach of the expansion team
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...
, compiling a 53–111 record for the new NBA franchise.
He then became coach and general manager of the
Washington Caps
The Washington Caps were an American Basketball Association team from 1969 through 1970. The franchise had previously been the Oakland Oaks. From 1970 through 1976 the team played as the Virginia Squires.
Origins
With the formation of the ABA i ...
/
Virginia Squires
The Virginia Squires were a basketball team based in Norfolk, Virginia, and playing in several other Virginia cities. They were members of the American Basketball Association from 1970 to 1976.
The team originated in 1967 as the Oakland Oaks, a ...
of the
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...
from 1969 through 1975. In 1971, he won ABA Coach of the Year honors for guiding the Squires to the ABA's Eastern Division championship with a record of 55–29 (.655). The Squires then lost to the
New York Nets
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
in the Eastern Division finals, and the
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...
defeated the Nets in the ABA Finals. He finished his coaching career with a 283–392 record.
Front office
In 1976, he re-entered the NBA to work for head coach
John MacLeod as assistant coach for the
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...
, from 1976–1987, a tenure highlighted by the Suns' legendary triple-overtime loss to the
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...
in Game 4 of the NBA finals, won by the Celtics 4 games to 2.
[
He then moved to the front office as general manager for the ]New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...
from 1987 to 1991. Returning to Phoenix in 1991, he scouted college players for the Suns. In 2004, he became a consultant-scout for the Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...
, where he stayed through the 2008–09 season.
In September 2007, he was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame as a player, by the New York City Athletic Club.
Bianchi lived and worked as a consultant in Phoenix.
He was inducted into th
Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame
at the 11th Annual Ceremony on May 21, 2016 in Columbus.
Death
Bianchi died on October 28, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
from congestive heart failure
Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...
at the age of 87.[
]
See also
*
References
External links
*
Bianchi coaching record at BasketballReference.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bianchi, Al
1932 births
2019 deaths
American men's basketball players
Basketball coaches from New York (state)
Basketball players from New York City
Bowling Green Falcons men's basketball players
Chicago Bulls assistant coaches
Chicago Bulls expansion draft picks
Guards (basketball)
Minneapolis Lakers draft picks
Philadelphia 76ers players
Phoenix Suns assistant coaches
Seattle SuperSonics head coaches
Sportspeople from Queens, New York
Syracuse Nationals players
Virginia Squires coaches
Virginia Squires executives
Washington Caps coaches