Miles Aiken

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Miles Aiken
Personal information
Born (1941-12-27) December 27, 1941 (age 82)
New York City, New York
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Career information
CollegeSt. Bonaventure (1961–1964)
NBA draft1964: undrafted
Playing career1965–1970
PositionCenter
Career history
1965–1966Águilas Schuss de Bilbao (Spain)
1966–1969Real Madrid (Spain)
1969–1970Fides Napoli (Italy)
Career highlights and awards

Miles Aiken (born December 27, 1941) is a 6' 6" (1.98 m) American former professional basketball player, coach of the British Olympic basketball team, and sportscaster of basketball and American football.

He was a center in college for St. Bonaventure University in the 1960s, and averaged over 23 points a game before suffering a knee injury. After college, he played as a power forward in the Euroleague. There, he won two championships with Real Madrid.[1] He also won the FIBA Saporta Cup with Partenope Napoli.

Aiken coached the British Olympic basketball team in the 1970s, and later became a sportscaster of basketball and American football.

Early life

Aiken was born in New York City. He grew up in the neighborhood of Harlem in the New York City borough of Manhattan, playing basketball in its playgrounds.[2][3][4]

College career

Aiken attended St. Bonaventure University in New York State, and played center for their basketball team.[5] He averaged more than 20 points a game on the school's freshman squad in 1960–61.[2]

As a sophomore, he started for the Bonnies, and averaged 23.6 points and 11.0 rebounds per game.[6][7][8][9][10] By December 1961, he was rated one of the outstanding prospects in the United States.[11] On December 16, 1961, he broke Elgin Baylor's Bluegrass invitational basketball tournament record by scoring 58 points in two games.[12] On February 13, 1962, he was named to the weekly major college All-East Basketball Team by the Eastern College Athletic Conference.[13] Aiken averaged 23 points per game in his first two years of varsity play.[3]

In early 1963, after averaging 23 points per game and 14 rebounds per game in 10 games, he injured his left knee in a game against Duquesne University. He underwent surgery, and was sidelined for a good portion of the year.[10][14][15][16][17]

Professional career

After his prospects for a pro career in the National Basketball Association were ruined by his knee injury, and he was not drafted in the 1964 NBA draft despite his reputation for excellent footwork and an effective mid-range jumper, Aiken left the United States and went to Europe to play basketball.[4] There, playing with a brace on his injured knee, he led teams in Spain and Italy to European championships.[4][15]

Aiken played for Águilas Schuss de Bilbao (Spain) in 1965–66, and was the top scorer in the Liga Española de Baloncesto.[18] He also played for the Newcastle Eagles in 1965–66 under Spanish coach Antonio Diaz Miguel, and led the National League in scoring with 23.9 points per game.[15]

He then played for Real Madrid in the late 1960s, leading them to two consecutive Euroleague titles in 1967 and 1968.[19] In 1967, he led his team with 31 points in its semifinal win over Olimpija, 88-86, and had 23 points in the final to help Real Madrid beat Simmenthal Milano.[15][20] In 1968, in the title game he led all scorers with 26 points to lead Real Madrid to the title against Spartak Brno, 98–95.[21] In the 1969 European Cup final CSKA Moscow beat Real Madrid in double overtime, as he led Madrid with 24 points.[22]

He joined Partenope Napoli that summer and led it to the 1970 Saporta Cup title, over JDA Dijon Basket.[23] Jet magazine noted that he was one of four blacks in the European finals, along with Rudy Bennett (New York University), Larry Robertson (Oklahoma University), and Jim Williams (Temple University).[24] Concurrently with playing for the team, he coached and also finished his studies long-distance at the University of Southern California.[15] The U.S Army assigned him to England as a teacher, ending his playing career.[15]

On February 3, 2008, Aiken was among 105 players nominated for the 50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors list.[23]

Career after basketball

In October 1975, he became Britain's Olympic basketball team coach.[25] He lived in England for a number of years, and coached the British Olympic team in 1976.[4]

Aiken later moved into business and sports commentating.[26] In 1982, he began hosting broadcasts of British basketball games on British television.[4] The Boston Globe wrote in 1984 that he "has probably done more than anyone to stimulate interest for basketball in Britain, just by force of his personality."[4]

He covered American football with Nicky Horne in the 1980s.[27][28][29] In 1983, he covered the Super Bowl for Britain's independent Channel Four, London, with the broadcast attracting two million British viewers.[30][31]

Writing

Aiken co-authored the Channel 4 Basketball Guide with Philip Linton (Statmill, 1983).[32] He also co-authored American Football: The Records with Peter Rowe (Guinness Books, 1989), which covers the history of football, the development of high school and college football and the National Football League, and football in Canada and Europe.[33][34]

See also

References

  1. ^ Scholastic Voice. Vol. 33. Scholastic Magazine. 1962. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "TB Sidelines 2nd St. Bonnies Star". Meriden Journal. May 9, 1961. Retrieved August 21, 2013. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ^ a b "St. Bonaventure is 5th Team to Accept NIT Bid". Williamson Daily News. February 20, 1964. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Robert Garrett (March 4, 1984). "The English Translation; Basketball Thrives in Britain, and the American Influence is One of the Big Reasons". Boston Globe. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  5. ^ "Akron Passers Retain Title". Reading Eagle. January 7, 1968. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  6. ^ Sheldon Sakowitz (December 1, 1961). "Duquesne Takes 6th Straight". The Owosso Argus-Press. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  7. ^ "K-State Spanks St. Louis Club for 2nd Win". Lawrence Journal-World. December 8, 1961. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  8. ^ "Bonnies Roll Past Xavier Five, 79–57". Youngstown Vindicator. December 10, 1961. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  9. ^ "Topper Quintet Romps, in Home Floor Debut". Kentucky New Era. December 13, 1961. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  10. ^ a b "Franchise players – after they are gone | The Bonnies Bandwagon II". Bonabandwagon.proboards.com. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  11. ^ "Oklahoma is not Match for St. Johns; Bradley is Beaten". Lawrence Journal-World. December 13, 1961. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  12. ^ "Cincinnati Hoop Team Captures 27th Straight". Lodi News-Sentinel. December 16, 1961. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  13. ^ "Lions' Harris All-East Pick". The Pittsburgh Press. February 13, 1962. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  14. ^ George O'Brien (December 11, 1963). "PC Hoopsters and Opponents; Season's Tilts Previewed; Impressive Teams Slated". The Cowl. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  15. ^ a b c d e f "Miles Aiken: El hombre de la no-canasta" (in Spanish). Acb.Com. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  16. ^ "Dukes Seek Revenge Over St. Bonaventure". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. February 22, 1963. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  17. ^ Milton Gross (November 29, 1963). "College Basketball—What's Ahead in '64". The Virgin Islands Daily News. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  18. ^ "Bilbao y el deporte de la canasta". Eldesmarquebizkaia.com. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  19. ^ Amateur Athlete. Vol. 40. Amateur Athletic Union of the United States. 1969. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  20. ^ "Euroleague final back in Madrid after 41 years". Euroleague.net. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  21. ^ "Real Madrid legend: Emiliano Rodriguez". Euroleague.net. May 2, 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  22. ^ "Barcelona 1969: The longest final". Euroleague.net. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  23. ^ a b "Player Nominees". Euroleague.net. July 15, 2008. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  24. ^ Art Simmons (May 21, 1970). "Paris Scratchpad". Jet. Retrieved August 21, 2013. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  25. ^ "Sports Briefs". The Daily Sentinel. October 28, 1975. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  26. ^ Marketing. Vol. 23. Haymarket Press. 1985. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  27. ^ Julian Farino (1987). Guinness Sports Challenge. Guinness. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  28. ^ "Channel 4". The Glasgow Herald. July 25, 1983. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  29. ^ William Taaffe (November 21, 1983). "Sunday night NFL games on the telly are a merrie olde". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 21, 2013. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  30. ^ "British Take in 1st Super Bowl". Youngstown Vindicator. January 31, 1983. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  31. ^ "Blimey! Super Bowl is Simply Super in Britain". Lakeland Ledger. January 21, 1984. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  32. ^ Miles Aiken, Philip Linton (1983). Channel 4 Basketball Guide. Statmill. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  33. ^ Peter Rowe, Miles Aiken (1989). American Football: The Records. Guinness Books. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  34. ^ "QBs, coaches tell their stories". Record-Journal. September 7, 1986. Retrieved August 22, 2013.

External links

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