Sihugo "Si" Green (August 20, 1933 – October 4, 1980) was an American professional basketball player. After playing college basketball for the Duquesne Dukes, he was selected as the first pick of the

1956 NBA draft The 1956 NBA draft was the tenth annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 30, 1956, before the 1956–57 season. In this draft, eight NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball pla ...

by the Rochester Royals.

College career

Green attended Boys High School in Brooklyn, New York, where he played for coach Mickey Fisher. Green then attended Duquesne (1953–1956), where he starred alongside teammate

Dick Ricketts Richard James Ricketts, Jr. (December 4, 1933 – March 6, 1988) was an American professional basketball and baseball player. Ricketts was the No. 1 overall pick of the 1955 NBA draft by the St. Louis Hawks out of Duquesne University. Ricketts pl ...

and his younger brother,

Dave Ricketts David William Ricketts (July 12, 1935 – July 13, 2008) was an American catcher and coach in Major League Baseball who played parts of six seasons (, , –) with the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates. Ricketts was a reserve catcher on ...

. As a sophomore in 1953–1954, Green averaged 13.4 points and 8.2 rebounds, as the Dukes went 26–3 under Coach

Dudey Moore Donald W. "Dudey" Moore (April 5, 1910 – April 8, 1984) was an American college men's basketball coach. He was the head coach of Duquesne from 1948 to 1958 and La Salle from 1958 to 1963. He coached his teams to a 270–107 record, winning t ...

, losing in the Final of the

1954 National Invitation Tournament The 1954 National Invitation Tournament was the 1954 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. Selected teams Below is a list of the 12 teams selected for the tournament.

Holy Cross Holy Cross or Saint Cross may refer to: * the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus * Christian cross, a frequently used religious symbol of Christianity * True Cross, supposed remnants of the actual cross upon which Jesus was crucified * Feast ...

with future Hall of Famer Tommy Heinsohn. In 1954–1955, Green averaged 22.0 points and 13.6 rebounds and the Dukes were 22–4, winning the

1955 National Invitation Tournament The 1955 National Invitation Tournament was the 1955 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. Selected teams Below is a list of the 12 teams selected for the tournament.

. In the Final, on March 20, 1955, Duquesne beat the Dayton Flyers 70–58 before a sellout crowd of 18,496 at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

, as Green scored 33 points and Dick Ricketts had 23. As senior in 1955–1956, Green averaged 24.5 points and 13.2 rebounds as Duquesne was 17–10 following Dick Ricketts's graduation the year prior. The Dukes won 7 of their last 8 after a slow start to advance to the quarterfinals of the

1956 National Invitation Tournament The 1956 National Invitation Tournament was the 1956 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. Selected teams Below is a list of the 12 teams selected for the tournament.

, losing to eventual champion Louisville.

Professional career

A 6'2" guard-forward, on April 30, Green was selected by the Rochester Royals as the first overall NBA draft pick of the

over Bill Russell, the University of San Francisco star center. The St. Louis Hawks chose Russell one spot later; the Hawks traded Russell to the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

and the Celtics went on to win 11 of the next 13 NBA titles together. As a rookie in 1956–1957, Green averaged 11.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 14 games for the Royals, he also played some games that season for the Easton Madisons of the EPBL. Green then missed the next NBA season due to military service with the U.S. Army. There, he played on a Fort Dix team with Tom Gola and Alvin Clinkscales that won the U.S. Army championship. On January 14, 1959, while averaging 12.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists, Green was traded by the Cincinnati Royals to the St. Louis Hawks for

Med Park Medford R. "Med" Park (April 11, 1933 – July 23, 1998) was an American professional basketball player. Park grew up in Lexington, Missouri. Park attended Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington from 1947 to 1951 and was a star athlete. He the ...

and Jack Stephens. Green played four seasons for St. Louis, averaging 6.9 points and 4.4 rebounds. Green was traded by the St. Louis Hawks to the Chicago Packers on November 21, 1961. He was traded, along with Joe Graboski and Woody Sauldsberry for

Barney Cable Byrum William "Barney" Cable (born July 29, 1935) is a retired American basketball player. The fourth most prolific rebounder in Bradley basketball history, Barney Cable, a six-foot-seven forward from Rochester, Pennsylvania, was only the third BU ...

and

Archie Dees Archie William Dees (February 22, 1936 – April 4, 2016) was an American professional basketball player. Dees was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1958 NBA draft from Indiana University; Basketball career A 6'8" forward/center born in Ethel, Miss ...

. With Chicago in 57 games that season, he averaged 13.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists. On October 10, 1965, Green was traded by the Baltimore Bullets to the

for a 1966 fifth round draft pick (John Jones was later selected). He averaged 3.2 points in 10 games in a reserve role for the Celtics, playing his last NBA game on November 20, 1965. Green then joined the New Haven Elms of the EPBA for the remainder of the season. With the Celtics, Green played with his fellow 1956 draft pick, Bill Russell. Green last played for the Wilmington Jets of the Eastern Professional Basketball League in 1966–1967. Overall, Green played nine seasons in the league NBA with four teams, scoring 5,039 career points and averaging 9.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.3. assists in 504 career games.

Personal life

"Si never said a word. He always wore his jumping socks, those thick gray ones with a green trim. The kind hunters wear. That was his superstition. Si's touch outside with a line-drive jumper was pretty good, but he could tell you he was going around you and he'd still get around you. He would give you a fake and a real big first stride," former Duquesne assistant coach Red Manning said in describing Green years later. Green died of cancer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 4, 1980 at age 47.

Honors

* No. 11 retired by Duquesne University * Green was named to the Duquesne All-Century Team in 2016.

References

External links

Sihugo Green Info Page
at NBA.com * *
Sihugo Green Personal Contract Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Si 1933 births 1980 deaths Basketball players from New York City African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973) players Basketball players from New York (state) Boston Celtics players Boys High School (Brooklyn) alumni Chicago Packers players Chicago Zephyrs players Cincinnati Royals players Deaths from cancer in Pennsylvania Duquesne Dukes men's basketball players New Haven Elms players Point guards Rochester Royals draft picks Rochester Royals players St. Louis Hawks players Wilmington Blue Bombers players 20th-century African-American sportspeople