James Stephen Hagan Sr. (February 18, 1938 – May 4, 2021) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. He was an All-American college player at

Tennessee Tech Tennessee Technological University, commonly referred to as Tennessee Tech, is a public research university in Cookeville, Tennessee, United States. It was formerly known as Tennessee Polytechnic Institute, and before that as University of Dixie ...

before earning similar honors with the

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

Phillips 66ers The Phillips 66ers (also known as the Oilers) were an amateur basketball team located in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and sponsored and run by the Phillips Petroleum Company. The 66ers were a national phenomenon that grew from a small-town team to an ...

. From

Glendale, Kentucky Glendale is an unincorporated community in Hardin County, Kentucky, United States. It is included in the Elizabethtown, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Railroad Once named Walker's Station for Lewis B. Walker's store, when a post ...

, Hagan played for Tennessee Tech from 1957 to 1960. While there, the

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

became one of the best players in program history. The slender big man was known as a prolific scorer with a deft shooting touch, particularly from the

free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the restricted area. Free throws ...

line. In his junior season, Hagan used his offensive skill very effectively in coach John Oldham's high post offense. Hagan averaged 28.8 points per game and engaged in a highly publicized national scoring race with eventual scoring leader

Oscar Robertson Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24, 1938), nicknamed "the Big O", is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Robertson playe ...

. At the close of the season, Hagan was named first-team All-

Ohio Valley Conference The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in the Football Cham ...

and a third-team All-American by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

. In his senior season, Hagan's scoring average dipped to 24.3 points per game. He was again named All-OVC and was the only unanimous choice for the squad. Hagan left Tennessee Tech holding a number of records - including total career points (1,539, since eclipsed), total career rebounds (1,108), season scoring average (28.8 points per game in 1958–59) and career scoring average (21.1 points per game). He was inducted into the Tennessee Tech athletic Hall of Fame in 1979 and his jersey has been retired by the school. Following the close of his college career, Hagan was selected by the

Minneapolis Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers franchise has a long and storied history, predating the formation of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Founded in 1947, the Lakers are one of the NBA's most famous and successful franchises. As of summer 2012, th ...

in the third round of the

1960 NBA draft The 1960 NBA draft was the 14th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 11, 1960, before the 1960–61 season. In this draft, eight NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball pl ...

(18th pick overall). Concerned that his thin frame might have trouble in a league marked with burly big men, he instead chose to join the

of the

National Industrial Basketball League The National Industrial Basketball League was founded in 1947 to enable U.S. mill workers a chance to compete in basketball. The league was founded by the industrial teams (teams sponsored by the large companies and made up of their employees) be ...

. With the 66ers, Hagan won an

(AAU) championship in 1962 and was named an AAU All-American in 1963 and 1964 before retiring to focus on his business career with Phillips. Hagan died on May 4, 2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hagan, Jim 1938 births 2021 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Kentucky Centers (basketball) Minneapolis Lakers draft picks People from Hardin County, Kentucky Phillips 66ers players Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles men's basketball players