The Phillies seemed to have a particular affinity for basketball players. While today’s game likes to feature very tall pitchers, the Phillies looked for tall guys early on. The starting five, a sixth man, and a coach for the squad are presented here.
Center: Neil Johnston 6’8”. Pitcher in Clearwater, 1949-51
Johnston is the most accomplished basketball player and least accomplished baseball player. Johnston never made it to the majors. He was a side-armed, buggy whip style flame thrower ala Walter Johnson. His first professional sport was baseball in the Phillies minor league system starting with training camp in Clearwater in 1949. Even though baseball was his first love, an arm injury and the lack of modern-day orthopedics caused him to switch to the NBA. He was a baseball/basketball standout with Ohio State, so the Philadelphia Warriors were happy to take him on. Playing with the Warriors from ‘51 – 59 he averaged 19.4 points per game and 11.3 rebounds per game for his career. When he finished playing, he coached the Warriors for two seasons and has the distinction of being Wilt Chamberlain’s first NBA coach. Johnston is enshrined in the basketball Hall of Fame.
Power Forward: Gene Conley 6’ 8”. Pitcher in Clearwater, 1959 & ‘60
There were three power forward candidates for this spot. One was moved to the small forward and the other becomes the 6th man for this team. Conley had the longer major league career in both baseball and basketball than the 6th man did. He also produced slightly better averages in his basketball career and had a far greater impact in baseball. Conley played in the NBA in the ‘52/53 season and then from ‘58 to ‘64. He began playing with the Boston Celtics through ‘61, then finished his NBA career with the New York Knicks. His career numbers include a 5.9 scoring average along with 6.3 rebounds per game.
Conley’s major league baseball career spanned 11 seasons, first appearing in 1952, then continuing from ‘54 – 63. Conley appeared in 276 total games beginning with the Boston/Milwaukee Braves franchise, followed by the Phillies and three final seasons with the Red Sox. He posted a win/loss record of 91 – 96 with 10 saves in his career.
Small Forward: Ron Reed 6’ 5”. Pitcher in Clearwater, 1976 – 83
Reed spent the greatest amount of time in the majors, appearing over 19 seasons from ‘66 – 84. He pitched for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Phillies and Chicago White Sox. His NBA career was very short by comparison, playing for the Detroit Pistons from ‘65 – 67. Reed averaged 8.0 points and 6.4 rebounds in the NBA. He was used primarily as a starting pitcher prior to coming to Philadelphia in 1976 where he spent the second half of his career in relief. Reed finished his career with a 146 – 140 won/loss record and 103 career saves.
Point Guard: Dick Groat 5’ 11’’. Shortstop in Clearwater, 1966 & ‘67
When you here about Groat’s basketball career, it’s usually in connection with the Duke University Blue Devils where he starred. He did play the ‘52 – 53 season for the Fort Wayne Pistons averaging 11.9 points along with 2.7 assists per game. He missed both basketball and baseball for military service and stuck solely with baseball after his return. Groat began his MLB career with the Pirates before moving to the St. Louis Cardinals and to the Phillies before finishing his career with the San Francisco Giants. Groat was a strong hitter with a lifetime average of .286 over 14 seasons including World Series victories with the ‘60 Pirates and ‘64 Cardinals.
Off Guard: Frank Baumholtz 5’ 10”. Outfielder in Clearwater, 1956 & ‘57
Really a lead guard type, Baumholtz did not play in the NBA. However, he was a top player on the University of Ohio team which finished runner-up in the 1941 NIT which was more prestigious than the NCAA tournament at the time. He scored 12 and 19 points in the final two games. Baumholtz began his professional baseball career in ‘41 finally breaking into the majors in ‘47 with the Cincinnati Reds. He played in 10 major league seasons between ‘47 and ‘57 (not appearing in 1950). He appeared in more than 100 games six of those seasons. He was traded to the Chicago Cubs in ‘49 and finished the final two seasons of his career with the Phillies in ‘56 and ‘57.
Sixth Man: Howie Schultz 6’ 6”. 1st Base in Clearwater, ‘47 & ‘48
Schultz’s pro basketball career spanned form 1949 – ‘53 although the ‘50 – ‘51 season was not spent in the NBA. He played for the Anderson Packers, Fort Wayne Pistons and Minneapolis Lakers. His rookie year was his most successful, averaging 8.3 points although rebound statistics were not kept that season. Prior to being traded by Anderson he also served as the team’s head coach. So, he was a rookie player and rookie coach the same season! His career numbers were 5.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.
Baseball-wise Schultz appeared with three teams across six seasons beginning with the Brooklyn Dodgers followed by the Phillies and finishing with the Reds. He only appeared as a regular in two seasons. For a 1st baseman, he finished with a paltry .241 batting average and little power.
Coach: Lee Riley 6’ 1”. Outfielder in Clearwater, ‘47 – 52 as a coach
Lee Riley was a Phillies player during the war year of 1944. He appeared in four games and went 1 – 12 hitting .083. He was a career baseball man starting in 1927 playing and coaching in the minors until the Phillies released him after the 1952 season.
Basketball? He likely didn’t do anything beyond high school, but his son, Pat Riley, is an NBA coaching legend. For this reason, plus his overall coaching experience, we want him coaching this team.
Note: 6′ 7″ Dick Ricketts, a two-time basketball All-American at Duquesne and a three-year NBA player was a member of the Phillies organization in 1960 and ’61 after spending ’59 in the majors with the Cardinals. He camped a few miles north of Clearwater in Dunedin with their Buffalo farm team in ’61 and ’62. He was almost another member of the squad!
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