Gary Springer Sr. (born February 18, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player who is best known for his collegiate career at Iona between 1980–81 and 1983–84.

High school career

Springer grew up in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

, New York and attended Benjamin Franklin High School (BFHS). He played on a dominant basketball team with the likes of Richie Adams, Kenny Hutchinson and

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, all of whom were jointly credited with making BFHS the country's top-ranked team in the fall of 1979. Walter Berry then joined the team one year later, making it possibly one of the greatest New York City high school teams of all time.

College career

After high school, Springer played basketball for the Iona Gaels. Springer went on to earn varsity letters all four years at the school and graduated as one of its most lauded players. He compiled 1,866 points and 1,021 rebounds in his 121-game career. Additionally, Springer was a three-time honorable mention All-American, a three-time All-

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC, ) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I. Of its current 11 full members, 10 are located in three states of the northeastern United States: Connecticut, New Jersey, and ...

selection, a four-time All-Metropolitan Area choice, and as a freshman in 1980–81 he was the

Haggerty Award __NOTOC__ The Lt. Frank J. Haggerty Award is given to the All-New York Metropolitan NCAA Division I men's college basketball player of the year, presented by the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and the Met Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) ...

winner. The annual award is bestowed upon the New York City metropolitan area's most outstanding men's college basketball player. During one week in his freshman season, he recorded totals of 58 points, 23 rebounds, and made two game-winning shots. His first shot was a buzzer-beater to defeat

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

, 82–80, followed by a 20-foot shot with six seconds remaining to defeat Holy Cross, 57–56. For his efforts, ''

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 twi ...

'' named him their national player of the week. The Gaels also reached the postseason three out of his four seasons. They reached the first round in the 1982 NIT, the second round in the 1983 NIT, and the round of 48 in the 1984 NCAA Tournament.

Professional career

After his collegiate career, Springer was drafted by the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers, but never played in the NBA due to injuries. Springer played briefly for the Puerto Rico Coquis of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) during the 1984-85 season.

Personal life

Springer has three sons, Gary Jr., who also later starred at Iona in the mid-2000s, Jordan played at

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in the early 2010s and Jaden, his youngest son, played for

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and was the 28th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. His nephew is NBA player

DeAndre' Bembry DeAndre' Pierre' Bembry (born July 4, 1994) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Saint Joseph's University. He was na ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Springer, Gary 1962 births Living people American men's basketball players Iona Gaels men's basketball players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Philadelphia 76ers draft picks Power forwards (basketball) Puerto Rico Coquis players Basketball players from Manhattan