Hoops HD

The National Sports Collectors Convention (nsccshow.com) is an annual summer gathering of collectors/dealers who have a passion for trading cards, autographs, and any kind of memorabilia that you can think of. First formed in 1980, it is now the premier collectibles industry event that attracts a majority of the licensing agencies from around the professional sports world. The 37th “National” was held during the 1st week of August at the Atlantic City Convention Center, and next summer it will head back to the Midwest in Chicago. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel attended this year’s event and will present photo essay installments of all the college basketball merchandise he saw in person.

Season previews begin tomorrow so we will have to finish up with a 3-for-1.  The most expensive college basketball-related item I saw was at the booth of Joe Drelich of East Coast Sports Marketing (start-collecting.com). It also happened to be the best item: a 1981 McDonald’s All-American Game ticket stub and program autographed by 18 different people including a high school senior named Michael Jordan and a coach named John Wooden.  For the last 6 years the game has been televised live on ESPN from the United Center in Chicago, but back in 1981 it was not televised at all and took place at Levitt Arena on the campus of Wichita State University.  On 4/11/81 a man named Brent House attended the game, got a bunch of autographs, and eventually realized the pristine prize he had in his personal possession.  A couple of years ago Joe purchased the ticket stub/program in a private sale in western Pennsylvania and he currently has the entire package listed for $20,000.  Here are 3 images of this 1-of-a-kind treasure:

1. This is the cover of the program and the ticket stub itself.  Joe said that none of the top Jordan collectors have this stub, which is probably why he has been offered $5500 just for that piece alone. 

2. This is a close-up of Jordan’s image inside the program that he autographed.  What makes this such a desirable item is that fact that it contains a “pre-career” autograph that is an “early exemplar”: everyone wants a guy’s signature once he is a Hall of Famer, but far few try to get it when the guy is just a high school senior.  Joe said that this autograph has been photographed by representatives of every major collectible company including Jimmy Spence (founder/president of JSA Autograph Authentication Services). 

3. This is the scorecard that was actually scored by hand at the game that evening.  As you can see by all the scribbling next to Jordan’s name he had a pretty good night (a McDonald’s Game-record 30 PTS, including the winning FT with 11 seconds left in a 1-PT win by the East), but somehow the John Wooden MVP award was shared by Adrian Branch (24 PTS) and Aubrey Sherrod (19 PTS).  There were also a pair of future Hall of Famers who joined Jordan that night: Patrick Ewing/Chris Mullin. 

If you like jewelry then you should talk to Scott Welkowsky of Out of this World Memorabilia (www.ringsofchampions.com).  There was not a lot of stuff for under $100, but then again he has stuff that was owned by champions.  Here are 4 of my favorites:

1. My most vivid memory of Antoine Walker was watching him join Paul Pierce to help lead the Celtics to the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals, but 6 years prior to that he helped lead Kentucky to the 1996 NCAA title.  He had 11 PTS/9 REB in a 76-67 win  over Kentucky, then turned pro and was selected 6th overall by Boston.  This original game-worn jersey was signed by Walker and inscribed “1996 NCAA Champs!”: it is on sale for $2500. 

2. Speaking of the Wildcats, here are a pair of genuine championship game rings.  The 1 on the left is from 2014 when Coach John Calipari reached the title game before a 60-54 loss to UConn.  The 1 on the right is a 10-carat gold ring from 1998 when Tubby Smith reached the title game and then finished strong with a 78-69 win over Utah.  If you like finishing 2nd then the 1 on the left is $1850; if you like finishing 1st then the 1 on the right is $5500. 

3. Forget a Rolex: this is the watch that will impress your friends.  This shiny watch was awarded to the 1992 Duke coaches and staff in honor of their 2nd consecutive NCAA title.  I doubt that Coach K hocked this 1 because he was short on cash, but it will cost you $375 to find out. 

Sal Dichiera of Amazing Adventures (http://stores.ebay.com/amazing-adventures) took me on an amazing adventure back in time.  Here are 4 of my favorites from the 1940s/1950s:

1. This is a schedule for the UCLA basketball team from the 1957-1958 season.  You think that strong non-conference scheduling is a new thing: check out a December 1957 trio of games against Oklahoma/Michigan State/Ohio State!  These types of schedules came with the original program cover art, but the company who made them eventually went out of business.  Sal deals with a lot of paper collectibles: to find something so paper-thin from the archives is very rare, which is why this 1 is available for $150. 

2. However, the kings of California college basketball during the 1950s were located several hours north of UCLA at the University of San Francisco.  The Dons won back-to-back NCAA titles in 1955/1956 led by a pair of future Hall of Famers in KC Jones/Bill Russell.  This photo of various players on the team from the 1954 school yearbook includes Jones up top and Russell palming a pair of basketballs right in the middle where he belongs.  Sal was able to get his hands on a 4-year set of yearbooks, and they can be transferred to your own hot little hands for $600. 

3. The NCAA tourney is now the biggest spectacle in the sport, but back in the day the NIT was where everyone wanted to end their season.  This is a program from the 1944 NIT: an 8-team field that concluded with St. John’s defending its home court with a 47-39 title game win over DePaul in Madison Square Garden.  The handwritten scores of the quarterfinal games on the left side of the page are a bit annoying, but the interior wide shot of MSG and the trophy front and center are quite lovely.  This program may have only cost 15 cents during WWII, but until WWIII rears its ugly head it will take $150 to bring this home. 

4. If you think Kris Jenkins gave us an exciting NCAA title game last spring…you are correct, but back in 1944 we had another doozy with Utah beating Dartmouth 42-40 in OT.  The 8-team field featured Dartmouth/Catholic/Ohio State/Temple in the East and Utah/Iowa State/Pepperdine/Missouri out West.  This program from the Eastern Regional shows a woman standing on a book to place a crown on the head of a tall basketball player who is bending down so that she can reach high enough.  Feel free to keep waiting for Dartmouth to make another title game if you have some time on your hands, but if not then send Sal a check for $150 immediately. 

The National Sports Collectors Convention (nsccshow.com) is an annual summer gathering of collectors/dealers who have a passion for trading cards, autographs, and any kind of memorabilia that you can think of. First formed in 1980, it is now the premier collectibles industry event that attracts a majority of the licensing agencies from around the professional sports world. The 37th “National” was held during the 1st week of August at the Atlantic City Convention Center, and next summer it will head back to the Midwest in Chicago. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel attended this year’s event and will present photo essay installments of all the college basketball merchandise he saw in person.

If you like autographed photos of your favorite players then you will love Jim DiCandilo of Main Line Autographs (www.mainlineautographs.com).  His formal collecting career began in 1980 when he was a high school senior.  As a kid he would chase down players in person to ask them for an autograph, but now he gets most of his items from agents/show promoters.  Jim’s collection is remarkable: Hall of Fame coaches, recent tourney MOPs, famous college basketball moments, etc.  I could have easily listed my top-25 but decided to limit it to 7:

1. The only photo that is not in color happens to be 1 of the most “colorful” images you will ever see of UCLA Hall of Fame coach John Wooden.  With the net hanging around his neck and a sea of players/fans celebrating wildly around him, he has a glimmer in his eye and just the hint of a smile on his face.  I suppose that when you win 10 NCAA titles in 12 years you just get used to it after a while and it really is not that big a deal.  The Wizard of Westwood passed away in 2010 at age 99, but you can own this slice of championship history for the low low cost of $79. 

2. When you think about basketball players who were born in Akron, became a McDonald’s All-American at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, were selected in the 1st round of the NBA Draft, and spent part of their career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the name “LeBron James” comes to mind.  However, he is just following in the footsteps of Jerome Lane, who did everything above before LeBron turned 8 years old.  Lane entered Pitt as a 170-pound freshman in 1985, but by his junior season he became the 1st player 6’6″ or shorter to lead the country in rebounding (13.5 RPG) since 1958.  He was selected 23rd overall by Denver in the 1988 NBA Draft and later played for several teams including the Cavs.  This photo is from a nationally televised game against Providence on January 25, 1988.  After taking a pass on the fast break from PG Sean Miller, Lane drove to the hoop for a thunderous 1-handed dunk that shattered the backboard.  If you do not remember the play then surely you recall color analyst Bill Raftery’s famous 4-word description: “Send it in Jerome!”  I do not know how much it cost the school to replace the backboard, but you can have a signed image of 1 of the most famous college dunks ever for a price that will not shatter your wallet: $20. 

3. Carmelo Anthony spent the past month winning his 3rd straight Olympic gold medal for team USA, but he 1st rose to national acclaim more than a decade earlier as a freshman at Syracuse.  After being name a McDonald’s All-American in 2002, he averaged 22.2 PPG/10 RPG, was named national ROY, and led the Orange to their 1st-ever NCAA title in 2003.  He had 20 PTS/10 REB in the title game win over Kansas and was named tourney MOP.  After deciding to turn pro he was selected 3rd overall by Denver in the 2003 NBA draft.  He is a 9-time All-Star, the 2013 NBA scoring champion, and his 24.9 career PPG places him in the top-15 all-time.  It is hard to place a price on the sheer joy we see on his face while wearing his iconic orange headband…but we have to start somewhere so let’s call it $79. 

4. Kemba Walker made the 2009 Final 4 as a freshman at UConn and then started all 34 games as a sophomore.  He saved his best performance for his junior year: 1 of the best scorers in the nation at 23.5 PPG, made the game-winning shot at the buzzer to beat Pitt in the Big East tourney en route to being named conference tourney MVP, 1st-team All-American, the Bob Cousy Award as the top PG in the nation, then scored 16 PTS in the NCAA title game while being named tourney MOP.  He left school that spring and was selected 9th overall by Charlotte in the 2011 NBA draft, and last season he scored 22.7 PPG in 7 playoff games for the Hornets.  Sports Illustrated was smart enough to put Kemba on 1 of its regional covers when he was a sophomore, and #15 will double your pleasure at a cost of $30. 

5. I know that it is a strong statement, but Aaron Gordon is probably the greatest dunker to ever not win the All-Star Slam Dunk Contest.  He was MVP of the 2013 McDonald’s All-American Game, then went to Arizona and was named Pac-12 ROY in 2014 after starting each of his 38 games for the Wildcats.  After declaring for the NBA draft he was selected 4th overall by Orlando.  My favorite fun fact is that his great-great grandfather was a 7′ tall Native American Osage Indian.  In this photo we see Gordon posing with an Orlando jersey on the night he was drafted.  He decided to wear double-zero as a pro, but the price of this photo is $25. 

6. The parade of ex-Wildcats continues with Stanley Johnson.  He was a McDonald’s All-American in 2014, then went to Arizona and was named Pac-12 ROY in 2015 after starting each of his 38 games for the Wildcats: stop me if this sounds familiar.  After declaring for the NBA draft he was selected 8th overall by Detroit.  In this photo he is seen blowing by a defender as he drives the baseline en route to the basket.  If Johnson ends up as an NBA All-Star, then this will be a steal at $29. 

7. Last on the list is the most recent tourney MOP, Villanova PG Ryan Arcidiacono.  As a freshman he was named Big 5 ROY and as a junior he was named Big East co-POY.  Last spring he was named 2nd-team All-Big East and the final assist of his career to Kris Jenkins in the NCAA title game against North Carolina is now 1 of the most famous in the history of the sport.  Normally this would cost you $79, but there is always a deal to be found at the NSCC, and this 1 is listed at half-off for only $39. 

The National Sports Collectors Convention (nsccshow.com) is an annual summer gathering of collectors/dealers who have a passion for trading cards, autographs, and any kind of memorabilia that you can think of. First formed in 1980, it is now the premier collectibles industry event that attracts a majority of the licensing agencies from around the professional sports world. The 37th “National” was held during the 1st week of August at the Atlantic City Convention Center, and next summer it will head back to the Midwest in Chicago. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel attended this year’s event and will present photo essay installments of all the college basketball merchandise he saw in person.

There are websites, there are descriptive websites…and then there is Wayne Otto’s website.  He may call his company Pro-Am Sports, but when people can find you online at www.gamewornuniforms.com, you kind of know exactly what you are getting.  He usually tries to get his jerseys directly from the team, as that is the easiest way to know that they were worn during a game.  However, the Duke jerseys that caught my eye were acquired from a sales rep for a jersey company called Sand Knit.  The sales rep would show up every fall with a new set of jerseys and then take the old set of jerseys home with him.  The 2 below were part of a set that the guy kept stored in his garage for 28 years!

1. The 1st is a jersey worn by the alluringly alliterative Alaa Abdelnaby.  He moved to the US at age 2 after being born in Egypt, became a McDonald’s All-American in 1986, then came to Durham and was named 3rd-team All-ACC while scoring 15.1 PPG as a senior.  In his final game in a Blue Devils jersey he scored 15 PTS in the 1990 NCAA title game, but it was not enough as UNLV rolled to a 103-73 win.  Props to Wikipedia for his hilarious comment on Duke’s rigorous academic requirements: “The only way I can make five A’s is when I sign my name”!  Props to Abdelnaby for his college shooting prowess: 59.9 career FG%.  After being drafted 25th overall by Portland in the 1990 NBA Draft, he spent 5 years in the league before playing overseas for a couple of years.  13 may be your unlucky number, but it will take $1300 to get your hands on this #30 jersey. 

2. 1 of Alaa’s fellow teammates was Tommy Amaker, himself a 1983 McDonald’s All-American.  He was such a good player as a freshman at Duke that Coach K switched Johnny Dawkins from PG to SG so that he could get both of them onto the court at the same time.  As junior he helped lead the Blue Devils to the 1986 NCAA title game before losing to Louisville. He recorded 18 steals in 6 games that postseason, including 7 in the title game, both of which set records that have since been broken.  That summer he won a gold medal as part of team USA at the FIBA World Championship, then returned to campus to serve as team captain during his senior season.  He finished his career by winning the inaugural NABC Defensive Player of the Year award and was also named 3rd-team All-American.  Amaker set school records in numerous categories (assists, games, etc.) that now belong to other Duke PG legends like Bobby Hurley/Steve Wojciechowski, but until another ACC player has a season of more than 40 games then his name will remain in the conference record book.  His college coaching resume is somehow even more impressive: a pair of NCAA titles as an assistant to Coach K in 1991/1992, an NIT title at Michigan in 2004, and 6 straight postseason appearances at Harvard from 2010-2015.  With 351 career coaching wins at age 51, he might stick around long enough to become a Hall of Fame coach, and if he does then his old #4 college jersey will be a steal at only $2000.