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.

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. 

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.

We now come to the ACC portion of our show.  Mike Stoner of Stoner Sports & Collectibles (www.stonersports.com) is the king of the mid-Atlantic region: he went to Duke, 1 of his brothers went to North Carolina, and his family/friends are alums of most of the other schools in the conference.  He makes a point to always root for ACC teams…whenever they are not playing the Blue Devils.  Clemson is trying to lead a conference resurgence on the football field, but basketball is still the star of the show due to its rich history.  Here are 3 of my favorite photo collages:

1. This is a pair of signed photos from UNC Hall of Fame coach Dean Smith.  Even though a lot of Dukies hate their neighbors from Tobacco Road, it is impossible to deny the greatness of the namesake of the “Dean Dome”.  The poses are great, the signatures are great, and the price is $395. 

2. Speaking of Coach Smith, this piece is dedicated to his 1st NCAA title team in 1982.  They were so stacked with talent that a ridiculous TWELVE members of the roster were eventually drafted by the NBA.  They beat a pair of #2 teams in the regular season (Kentucky/Virginia) as Michael Jordan was named ACC ROY.  They beat Ralph Sampson by 2 PTS in the ACC title game, then beat Hakeem Olajuwon/Patrick Ewing by a combined 6 PTS in back-to-back Final 4 games as James Worthy was named NCAA tourney MOP.  In addition to a replica championship ring this includes photos of Worthy with the net around his neck, Jordan’s famous title-winning shot, and a photo of the entire team.  The shadow box frame makes this a little pricier than normal, but find me 1 Tar Heel fan who would turn down a chance to own this for $325. 

3. Have no fear Duke fans, I saved up something for you too.  The final item is Coach K’s most recent NCAA title team from 2015.  They might not have had as strong a bench as the 1982 Tar Heels or as much veteran leadership, but their freshman class (Grayson Allen/Tyus Jones/Justise Winslow/Jahlil Okafor) has to be in the discussion among the best in college basketball history.  They also beat a pair of #2 teams in the regular season (Wisconsin/Virginia) as Okafor was named national ROY.  In the NCAA tourney all they had to do was win 3 straight games against Mark Few/Tom Izzo/Bo Ryan to clinch the title as Tyus Jones was named NCAA tourney MOP.  In addition to a replica championship ring this includes photos of Okafor signaling who is #1, the team hoisting the trophy, and Jones on a ladder as he cuts down the net.  The shadow box frame looks delightful, and any Duke fan would have a Devil of a time saying no to this for $325. 

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.

We now come to the Kentucky Wildcats portion of our show.  The good news is that I found a guy with plenty of programs and ticket stubs.  The bad news is that he wished to remain anonymous, so I cannot even give him a shout-out.  Without any further adieu, here are 4 of my favorites:

1. This is a program from the 1970 Mideast Regional in Columbus, OH.  Apparently they did not play defense back in the 70s: Jacksonville won the 1st Sweet 16 matchup 104-103 over Iowa, Kentucky won their own game 109-99 over Notre Dame, and then Jacksonville beat the Wildcats 106-100 in the regional final.  Kentucky was ranked #1 in the nation and was led by future Hall of Famer Dan Issel with 28 PTS/10 REB, but the underdog Dolphins had a future Hall of Famer of their own in Artis Gilmore who had 24 PTS/20 REB.  Jacksonville ended up making the title game before losing to UCLA.  This official program originally cost 25 cents, but today it will cost you $50. 

2. This program goes back even further, dating to Kentucky’s game against Minnesota at Memorial Coliseum on 12/28/53.  Dick Garmaker led the Gophers with 23 PTS but was no match for future Hall of Famers Cliff Hagan/Frank Ramsey who combined to score 43 PTS in the Wildcats’ 74-59 victory.  Kentucky finished a perfect 25-0 in the regular season but did not play in the NCAA tourney.  Several of their best players had graduated the previous year while Kentucky was still on probation from their 1951 point-shaving scandal, and when those players were ruled ineligible for the NCAA tourney Coach Adolph Rupp decided that his team would not participate.  With 3 Hall of Famers (Hagan/Ramsey/Rupp) from 1 of the best teams ever on the cover, this 1 seems like a steal to me at only $150. 

3. The most recent item I saw was from the Cats’ trip to the 1998 Final 4 at the Alamodome, which was their 3rd straight appearance in the title game.  The other 3 teams were 2 who had not been there in decades (Stanford/Utah) and another blue-blood making its 3rd Final 4 in 6 seasons (North Carolina).  These “Comeback Cats” had their hands full, but had an 86-85 OT win over Stanford in the semis and then beat Utah 78-69 to win the 7th national title in school history.  Jeff Sheppard scored 16 PTS against the Utes and was named tourney MOP.  Coach Tubby Smith won 35 games in his 1st year on the sideline in Lexington, and if you want a pair of memories from this championship season you can have this pair of tickets for $100. 

4. When I 1st saw this ticket from the 1975 title game at the San Diego Sports Arena I must confess that I was less than impressed.  When I realized that Kevin Grevey scored 34 PTS in a 92-85 losing effort to UCLA, who got double-doubles from 3 different players (Ralph Drollinger/Dave Meyers/tourney MOP Richard Washington), I could not even understand why a Kentucky fan would want to own this.  When I learned that this was the final game of Bruins’ coach John Wooden’s Hall of Fame career, I wanted it.  Wooden only used 6 players but apparently he knew what he was doing as he won his 10th title in 12 years.  This was the 1st title game that took place during my lifetime, and it was on sale for $295. 

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 are into Final 4 ticket stubs then the man to talk to is Mark Townsend of Tickets from the Past (TicketsFromThePast.com).  It is fascinating to see how these big-time tickets have changed over time: prices have gone up, bar codes have been added, etc.  I have only been fortunate enough to attend 1 Final 4 (Arizona’s loss to Duke in the 2001 title game in Minneapolis) but with the inspiration of seeing all these memorable tickets I hope to make it to Glendale this spring for championship #2.  Here are 3 of my favorites:

1. The oldest 1 I saw was from the 1995 Final 4 at the Kingdome in Seattle which featured a pair of legendary programs (UCLA/North Carolina), the defending national champs (Arkansas), and a team (Oklahoma State) whose coach (Eddie Sutton) was 1 of the 1st to win 800 games in D-1.  UCLA needed a buzzer-beating coast-to-coast layup from Tyus Edney in a 75-74 win over Missouri just to make the Sweet 16, then beat Arkansas 89-78 in the title game to win its 11th NCAA title.  Ed O’Bannon had 30 PTS/17 REB en route to being named tourney MOP, and a couple of decades later he became 1 of the most famous athletes to ever sue the NCAA.  The face value of this ticket to the national semifinals is only $35, but it will cost you $95 for a keepsake from a time when they still played basketball in Seattle. 

2. If you like back-to-back titles then your best option is this ticket to the 2007 title game.  Florida returned its entire starting lineup from the year before when it beat UCLA in the title game, but the Bruins were good enough to make it back to the Final 4 in the Georgia Dome as well.  The 2 other past championship programs who joined them were Ohio State/Georgetown, who had faced each other in the 2nd round of the 2006 NCAA tourney.  The Gators had destroyed the Buckeyes 86-60 in December of 2006, then their football team beat the Buckeyes in the BCS National Championship Game in January of 2007, and a few months later their basketball team gave them another title with a an 84-75 win over Ohio State.  Corey Brewer scored 13 PTS and was named tourney MOP: this fall he prepares to begin his 10th year in the NBA.  Back-to-back titles are quite rare in college basketball, which is why this ticket is listed for $195. 

3. Last up is a stub from the 2014 title game at Jerry World that was the 1st to ever not have a top-3 seed (#7-seed Connecticut has a 60-54 win over #8-seed Kentucky).  The Huskies became the 1st #7-seed to ever win the title, then the very next day UConn’s women’s team won its own NCAA basketball title.  Florida also made the Final 4 after only having 2 regular season losses, but the 2 teams they lost to were the 4th team in the Final 4 (Wisconsin) and national champion UConn.  Shabazz Napier scored 22 PTS in the title game and was named tourney MOP.  The face value of this ticket up in the 400 level is $95, but the price has tumbled and you can own this for just $50.  

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.

A lot of dealers who have college basketball memorabilia specialize in only 1 aspect, be it team jerseys, Final 4 ticket stubs, stuff specific to a school, etc.  However, 1 of the most diverse collections I saw was courtesy of Hank Reizes, a retired police detective in Arizona who has a company called 99% Basketball.  Hank was born in Venezuela and played basketball as a kid until he broke his arm in the 9th grade.  He still loves the sport and remembers attending his very 1st pro basketball game at Madison Square Garden even though it was almost 50 years ago.  He had all kinds of items from many different Hall of Famers, and here are 5 of my favorites:

1. Hall of Famer Julius Erving is still remembered as 1 of the greatest dunkers of all time, but most people have only seen video of his time in the ABA/NBA.  When he played at Rucker Park in Harlem the crowd came up with nicknames for him like “Black Moses” and “Houdini”, but it eventually evolved into “Dr. J”.  In 1968 Erving enrolled at the University of Massachusetts: he only played 2 seasons on the varsity but they were quite memorable, as he averaged 26.3 PPG/20.2 RPG to become 1 of a handful of players to ever average 20 & 20.  He left school early to pursue a pro career, but despite these astronomical numbers he joined the ABA in 1971 as an undrafted(!) free agent with the Virginia Squires.  In 1986 he earned his bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst through the University Without Walls program to fulfill a promise to his mother and he also holds an honorary doctorate from the school.  This freshman photo of the Doctor and his teammates dates to 68, but is on sale for only $65. 

2. This is a freshman team program that is signed by Erving, and even though he is not in the photo himself Hall of Fame signatures do not come cheap, so this 1 is listed for $350.  

3. It would take a thick book to review Coach Dean Smith’s entire resume but among the highlights: 879 wins in 36 years of coaching, 35 consecutive seasons with a winning record, 27 NCAA tourneys, 11 Final Fours, and a pair of NCAA titles.  40 years ago he led team USA to a gold medal at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, and next spring marks the 65th anniversary of his 1952 NCAA title as a player at Kansas.  Smith passed away last year at age 83, but his sartorial splendor and stunning signature lives on at a price of $150.  

4. I thought I had seen almost every kind of collectible there is on the market until I was introduced to the concept of “leader discs”, which used to serve as lids to candy dishes.  This rare 1 dates to 1934 and has a basketball player preparing to shoot the ball on top of an NYU pennant.  Hank said he has only seen 2 of these in the past 35 years, which is why this 1 is valued at a whopping $600.  

5. Last but certainly not least is an autographed Sports Illustrated cover from November of 1978 featuring Michigan State then-sophomore Earvin Johnson.  Magic made quite an impact as a freshman: 17 PPG/7.9 RPG/7.4 APG, a Big 10 title, and a trip to the 1978 Elite 8 before a 52-49 loss to eventual champion Kentucky.  SI was pretty prescient in its preview prognostication, as Magic finished the year with a 75-64 win over Indiana State in the title game en route to being named tourney MOP.  It is a beautiful photo and a bold autograph, and it will cost you $750 to make it your own.