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

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. He moved with the team to

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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

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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.

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