Phil Tollestrup (born October 21, 1949) is a former

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

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 as a member of the

Canadian national men's basketball team The Canadian men's national basketball team represents Canada in international basketball competitions since 1923. They are overseen by Canada Basketball, the governing body of basketball in Canada. The team's head coach is Nick Nurse and its ...

during the 1970s. Six feet, six inches tall forward, Tollestrup attributes the development of his basketball ability to his being able to practice on a daily basis both at his school gym, where his father was janitor, and at the local cultural centre, which has an open gym. The native of

Raymond, Alberta Raymond is a town in southern Alberta, Canada that is surrounded by the County of Warner No. 5. It is south of Lethbridge at the junction of Highway 52 and Highway 845. Raymond is known for its annual rodeo during the first week of July and the ...

was later a member of his local basketball team which won the provincial youth basketball championship in 1967 and '68. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

, and was a teammate of Cougar and Yugoslav legend Kresimir Cosić. He then played an additional year of college ball with the

University of Lethbridge , mottoeng = '' Let there be light'' , type = Public , established = , academic_affiliations = Universities Canada , endowment = $73 million (2019) , chancellor = Charles Wease ...

Pronghorns where for 1972-3 he was named Male Pronghorn Athlete of the Year and a CIAU All-Canadian. After college, he was drafted by the

Buffalo Braves The Buffalo Braves were an American professional basketball franchise based in Buffalo, New York. The Braves competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division from 1970 ...

with their last pick in the 1973 draft (19th round, 211th overall), but never played in the NBA. Instead, he played professionally with a club in the Spanish first division for the 1973-4 season, Saski Baskonia - TAU Cerámica. Tollestrup participated in the 1971, '75, and '79 Pan Am Games, 1973 World Student Games, the

1974 FIBA World Championship The 1974 FIBA World Championship was the 7th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's teams. It was hosted by Puerto Rico from July 3 to 14, 1974. The tournament was won by the Soviet Union. Venues Comp ...

, and the

1976 Summer Olympics 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 P ...

. He finished the Olympics as the tournament's 3rd leading scorer as the Canadians finished just out of the medals in fourth place. Tollestrup coached

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood and Westdale, adjacent to the Royal Botanical Ga ...

from 1978 to 1980. He then turned to teaching school and coaching youth basketball in the Southern Alberta communities of Milk River,

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

, and most recently Magrath where he is the Magrath High School head coach. He has been inducted into the

Alberta Sports Hall of Fame The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, dedicated to the preservation and history of sports within the province. It was created in 1957 by the Alberta Amateur Athletic Union (AAAU). The museum ...

, Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame, Raymond Sports Hall of Fame, and Pronghorns Hall of Fame

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''horns.uleth.ca''''mccue.cc'' Phil Tollestrup interviewed
*http://www.insidehoops.com/nba-draft/1973.shtml {{DEFAULTSORT:Tollestrup, Phil 1949 births Living people Basketball people from Alberta Basketball players at the 1971 Pan American Games Basketball players at the 1975 Pan American Games Basketball players at the 1976 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 1979 Pan American Games Buffalo Braves draft picks BYU Cougars men's basketball players Canadian expatriate basketball people in the United States Canadian expatriate basketball people in Spain Canadian Latter Day Saints Canadian men's basketball players 1974 FIBA World Championship players Canadian people of Danish descent Lethbridge Pronghorns basketball players Olympic basketball players of Canada Pan American Games competitors for Canada People from Magrath People from Raymond, Alberta Saski Baskonia players Forwards (basketball) Alberta Sports Hall of Fame inductees