Willie Long (born March 1, 1950) is an American former 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. Long starred at

South Side High School Southside High School or South Side High School may refer to: *Southside High School (Gadsden, Alabama) *Southside High School (Dallas County, Alabama), a school in the Dallas County Schools system * Southside High School (Batesville, Arkansas) * ...

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...

, where he earned

Indiana Mr. Basketball The Indiana Mr. Basketball honor recognizes the top high school basketball player in the state of Indiana. The award is presented annually by ''The Indianapolis Star''. The first Indiana Mr. Basketball was George Crowe of Franklin High School in ...

honors in 1967 after averaging 25.6 points per game. He led the Archers to the state finals, losing in the semi-finals to traditional Indiana power Lafayette Jefferson. As a junior, he led the Archers to an IHSAA Regional title (the equivalent of the Sweet Sixteen). Long played college basketball at the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

under head coach Bob King. Long was the leading scorer for the Lobos in 1969-70 and 1970–71, averaging 23.9 points a game both seasons, leading the

Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington (state), Washington, and Texa ...

in scoring as a senior.Longing for a title
. ''Fort Wayne News Sentinel''. Retrieved on July 26, 2014. He amassed 1,542 career points and 800 rebounds, averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds a game, ranking #10 in Lobo history in points scored and #4 in rebounds. He was selected All-WAC in 1969-70 and 1970–71 and a Helms All-American in 1970-71. Long was selected by the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

in the second round of the 1971 NBA draft, but he never played in the NBA. He instead spent three seasons 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, ...

with

The Floridians ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

and the

Denver Rockets Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

. In 213 games over his professional career, he averaged 11.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. In 1999 Long was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.Willie Long
Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Long later became an executive with

Taco Bell Taco Bell is an American-based chain of fast food restaurants founded in 1962 by Glen Bell (1923–2010) in Downey, California. Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. The restaurants serve a variety of Mexican-inspired foods, includi ...

, based in Atlanta.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Long, Willie 1950 births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball players from Fort Wayne, Indiana Cleveland Cavaliers draft picks Denver Rockets players Miami Floridians players New Mexico Lobos men's basketball players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Power forwards (basketball) Small forwards