Jerry Beck (basketball)

Jerry Beck

Personal information
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Career information
College	Middle Tennessee (1978–1982)
NBA draft	1982: 4th round, 89th overall pick
Selected by the Milwaukee Bucks
Playing career	1982–2001
Position	Small forward / Power forward
Career highlights and awards
Dutch Basketball League MVP (1984) Dutch All-Star (1984) 2× OVC Player of the Year (1981, 1982) 3× All-OVC First Team (1980–1982)

Jerry Beck is a former American expatriate professional basketball player of the Netherlands who is better known for his collegiate career at Middle Tennessee State University. Between 1978–79 and 1981–82, Beck scored 1,401 points, grabbed 782 rebounds and was twice named the Ohio Valley Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year. In addition, Beck was selected three straight years to the All-OVC First Team.

A 6'7" multi-position player who primarily switched between small forward and power forward, Beck led the Blue Raiders to the school's first ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 1982. In a first round match-up against perennial title contender Kentucky, he recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead MT to arguably its biggest win in school history. They defeated the Wildcats, 50–44, thereby spoiling a much-anticipated second round match-up between Kentucky and Louisville. The Blue Raiders lost to Louisville by 25 points the following game.

Years later, in a Murfreesboro Post column that ranked the top ten men's basketball players in MT history, they selected Beck as the #1 greatest player. Following college, the Milwaukee Bucks selected him in the fourth round (89th overall) in the 1982 NBA Draft, although Beck decided to play internationally in the Netherlands. He played in the Netherlands up until age 42, at which point he retired and became a permanent resident in Amsterdam.

References

1. "1982 NBA Draft". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
2. "Blue Raiders to Induct Five into Hall of Fame". GoBlueRaiders.com. Middle Tennessee State University. September 5, 2008. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
3. "OVC Men's Basketball History". CollegeHoops.com. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
4. Ezell, Josh. "Upset of Kentucky Highlights Top 10 List". murfreesboropost.com. Murfreesboro Post. Retrieved October 7, 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
5. Ezell, Josh. "Post Ranks Top 10 MTSU Men's Hoopsters". murfreesboropost.com. Murfreesboro Post. Retrieved October 7, 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)