Donald R. Buse ( ; born August 10, 1950) is a retired 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. A 6'4" (1.93 m)

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...

from the

University of Evansville The University of Evansville (UE) is a private university in Evansville, Indiana. It was founded in 1854 as Moores Hill College. The university operates a satellite center, Harlaxton College, in Grantham, England. UE offers more than 80 differ ...

, Buse played 13 seasons (1972–1985) in 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, ...

(ABA) and

National Basketball Association 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 S ...

(NBA) as a member of 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 ...

, 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 ...

, the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

, and the

Kansas City Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

High school

Named an Indiana All-Star in 1968, following a stellar career at

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

High School, which consolidated with Huntingburg High School to become Southridge High School. He started from 1964 to 1968, and led the Dutchmen to Sectional Championships in 1967 and 1968. They finished the 1968 season undefeated but lost the Regional Championship game to perennial power

Jeffersonville High School Jeffersonville High School is a public high school located in Jeffersonville, Indiana. The school serves students in grades 9 through 12 from Jeffersonville, Utica, and sections of Clarksville not covered by that town's own high school. The sc ...

. Buse was selected to the Indiana All-Star Team in 1968.

College

* Played for legendary

Arad McCutchan Arad A. McCutchan (July 4, 1912 – June 16, 1993) was a collegiate basketball coach. The Evansville, Indiana, native coached his hometown University of Evansville from 1946 to 1977, guiding the Purple Aces to a 514–314 record. McCutchan spent ...

Evansville College The University of Evansville (UE) is a private university in Evansville, Indiana. It was founded in 1854 as Moores Hill College. The university operates a satellite center, Harlaxton College, in Grantham, England. UE offers more than 80 differ ...

; leading the Purple Aces to a four-year record of 68–42 and the 1971

NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship The NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament (officially styled by the NCAA as a "Championship" instead of a "Tournament") is an annual championship tournament for colleges and universities that are members of NCAA Division II, a grouping of ...

title. * Ranks # 13 all-time in scoring (1,426 pts.) * Ranks # 9 all-time in scoring average (16.9) * Ranks # 9 all-time in field goal percentage (.497) * Ranks # 7 all-time in free throws (364) * Ranks # 7 all-time in free throw percentage (78.5) * Selected as 1st Team All-Indiana Collegiate Conference in 1970–71 and 1971–72. * Selected as 1st Team All-District College Division (NABC) in 1972. * Selected as 3rd Team All-American College Division (UPI) in 1972. * Selected as 3rd Team All-American College Division (NABC) in 1972. * Selected as Honorable Mention All-American College Division (AP) in 1972. * Selected as 1st Team All-American College Division (Universal Sports) in 1972. * Retired his number (#10) * Selected to the

USA Basketball USA Basketball (USAB) is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in the United States. The organization represents the United States in FIBA and the men's and women's national basketball teams in the United States Olympi ...

Team in 1971;

Pan-American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

participant. * Invited to U.S. Olympic Trials in 1972; declined invitation for professional basketball career.

Career

Don Buse was selected for the NCAA squad to compete for positions on the 1972 U.S. Olympic basketball team, but he was replaced by Jim Forbes as he signed a professional contract. Buse went on to play professionally for the

, the

, and the

. Buse was known for his dependable ball-handling, tight defense, and clutch-shooting, and he appeared in two All-Star games (one in the ABA in

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

; one in the NBA in

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

) during the course of his career. His best season occurred in 1975–76, when he led the ABA in both steals per game (4.12) and assists per game (8.2) while also contributing a career high 12.5 points per game. In the next season, his first in the NBA, Buse again led all players in steals per game (3.47) and assists per game (8.5). In 1979, Buse helped take the Suns deep into the playoffs on a team with notable players, such as

Paul Westphal Paul Douglas Westphal (November 30, 1950 – January 2, 2021) was an American basketball player, head coach, and commentator. Westphal played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1972 to 1984. Playing the guard position, he won an ...

, Walter Davis,

Truck Robinson Leonard Eugene "Truck" Robinson (born October 4, 1951) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Washington Bullets (1974–77), Atlanta Hawks (1977), New Orle ...

and

Alvan Adams Alvan Leigh Adams (born July 19, 1954) is an American former professional basketball player. Adams spent his entire career with the Phoenix Suns and retired in 1988 as the second all-time Suns scorer with 13,910 career points. College career D ...

. Buse was an All-Defensive Team member six times, from the 1974–75 season through the 1979–80 season. The first two were in the ABA and the final four were in the NBA. After Buse's career he was selected to several All-time teams, including: * Selected to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame 'Silver Anniversary' Team in 1993. * Selected to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998. * Selected as one of Indiana's Greatest 50 player

in 1999. * Selected to the All-Time

Basketball Team in 2005.

References

External links

*
"No Boo-boos For Boo Boo"
1977 ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

'' article
"Buse Putting Go in Pacers"
1982 ''

Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

'' article *Indiana Basketball Hall of Fam

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buse, Don 1950 births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball players at the 1971 Pan American Games Basketball players from Indiana Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball players Indiana Pacers players Kansas City Kings players National Basketball Association All-Stars Pan American Games competitors for the United States Phoenix Suns draft picks Phoenix Suns players People from Huntingburg, Indiana Point guards Portland Trail Blazers players

High school

College

Career

See also

References

External links