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.

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. 

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.