Gene Banks

Eugene Banks

Personal information
Born	(1959-05-15) May 15, 1959 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school	West Philadelphia
College	Duke
NBA draft	1981: 2nd round, 28th overall pick
Selected by the San Antonio Spurs
Playing career	1981–1992
Position	Shooting guard/Small forward
Number	20
Career highlights and awards
3× Atlantic Coast Confrerence MVP (1979–1981) ACC Rookie of the Year (1978) Duke University Basketball Hall of Fame (1994) McDonald's All-American (1977)
Career statistics
Points	5,305 (11.3 ppg)
Assists	1,335 (2.9 apg)
Rebounds	2,430 (5.8 rpg)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Eugene Lavon "Gene" Banks (born May 15, 1959 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a retired American professional basketball player. He is one of a handful of players to make high school All-America three times.

Prep

Banks was a mega star at West Philadelphia High School, who was considered above Magic Johnson, and just behind Albert King as the #2 best player in the country.

College & NBA Years

A 6'7" forward, Banks starred at Duke University, where he received the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Rookie of the Year award in 1978. He also received team MVP honors three times. His Duke career is noteworthy in other regards as well -- in 1980, during Mike Krzyzewski's first game against the Blue Devils' heated rival, the North Carolina Tar Heels, he hit the game-winning shot as time expired, sending the crowd into a massive frenzy and ushering in a new era in Blue Devils basketball. The shot was recently voted the #1 play in the history of the rivalry according to Dukeblueplanet.com.

He went on to play six seasons in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs and the Chicago Bulls. He averaged 11.3 points per game spanning over 468 games in his professional NBA career. Gene Banks is currently an Assistant Coach with the Washington Wizards.

Italian and Israeli leagues

In the 1988–1989 season he played in Italy for Arimo Bologna. He ended his athletic career as a member of the Maccabi Rishon Lezion basketball club in Israel in 1992.

Coaching

In 2009, Gene Banks became an assistant coach with the Washington Wizards.

Honors

Banks was inducted into the Duke Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994. In 2007, Banks returned to Israel and was announced and awarded by Maccabi Rishon LeZion to be the "Best foreinger player" to play in the club until 2007.

External links

• Career statistics at Basketball-Reference
• Gene Banks bio article at Duke Update website
• Gene Banks 1988 Player Profile - Legabasket.it
• Gene Banks' bio on the Wizards site at nba.com