Ron Thorsen
Canadian basketball player and coach From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ron Thorsen (born April 13, 1949) was a Canadian basketball player and coach. Among his many accomplishments, he was captain of the Canada men's national basketball team in the 1970s;[1] was a three-time Canadian university ("CIAU") First Team All-Canadian;[2][3] broke multiple CIAU and University of British Columbia ("UBC") scoring records;[1][4] is the only UBC played to be drafted in the NBA;[5][6][7] and was a three-time CIAU national champion, twice as a player (1970, 1972) and once while coaching the UBC women's team (1973).[4][6][8]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 April 1949 Hollister, California |
| Died | 1 December 2005 (aged 56) Everett, Washington |
| Nationality | Canadian / American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Prince George, British Columbia |
| College | University of British Columbia (1967–1972) |
| NBA draft | 1973: 19th round, 209th overall pick |
| Selected by the Buffalo Braves | |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 15, 23, 10, 7 |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As coach:
| |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Thorsen played at the high school level in Prince George, BC.[4][6] Thorsen was a two-time BC high school all-star[1][4] and the BC high school MVP (1967).[1][4][6]
Thorsen played for UBC for five seasons from 1967 to 1972.[6] In his freshman season, he received the inaugural John Owen bursary[1][4] and was lauded for all-around citizenship by then-federal cabinet member and later prime minister John Turner.[4][8]
During his time at UBC, Thorsen was three-time First Team All-Canadian.[2][3][9] Only 17 other athletes in Canadian university basketball history were three-time First Team All-Canadians.[2][3] For context, there have been more season MVPs in Canadian university basketball than three-time First Team All-Canadians.[2][3][10][11]
In the 1969–70 season, Thorsen set the UBC records for most points in a single game (48), highest season points per game (20.3) and most total season points (650).[1][4] His single-game points record is notable because he did so while only playing three quarters of the game.[4] Then, in the 1972 season, he tied his own record for most points in a single season, with this record standing for 14 years.[4]
Thorsen was named the CIAU national tournament MVP and an CIAU national tournament all-star in 1970.[12][13][14][15] Thorsen was also named the BC University Athlete of the year in 1972.[1][4]
Thorsen was named a First Team conference all-star three times (1970, 1971, 1972).[1][4][9] In 1970 and 1971, Thorsen was named a Western Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Association ("WCIAA") all-star; in 1972 when the conference was split into the Canada West Universities Athletic Association ("CWUAA") conference and the Great Plains Athletic Association ("GPAA") conference, he was named a CWUAA all-star.[1][4][9][16] In 1971, he was the only unanimous conference all-star.[1][4] Additionally, in 1972 Thorsen was named UBC's graduating athlete of the year.[9]
Upon graduating, Thorsen set both the CIAU and UBC records for total career points (2,059).[1][4] He also set the UBC record for career points per game (19.1).[1][4] His UBC records for career points per game and career points stood for 18 years.[1][4]
Under Thorsen's leadership, UBC won two national championships in three years (1970, 1972).[5][7][8] In 1970, the Thunderbirds went undefeated in Canadian play.[5][7][8] In 1970, the Thunderbirds easily won the championship game against McMaster University 96–75.[7][17] These are the only national championships in program history.[7][18][19]
The Thunderbirds also won the conference championship in 1970 and 1972 and were the conference championship runner-up in 1971.[4][9]
Thorsen was drafted by the Buffalo Braves in the 1973 NBA Draft as the 209th overall pick.[8][20][21] Thorsen is the only UBC player to be drafted in the NBA.[5][6][7]
Thorsen played for the Canadian national team in the 1970s, beginning in 1972.[1][4][5] He served as captain of the team.[1] Thorsen represented Canada in the Pan American Games, the FIBA World Championship, the World Student Games and the Pre-Olympic Tournament.[1][4][5]
Specifically, in the 1970 World Championship, Thorsen was Canada's third-leading scorer with 12.4 points per game.[22] His highest-scoring game in this tournament occurred against Australia when he led all scorers with 26 points.[23] He was also Canada's second leading scorer in their games against Korea and Panama, where he scored 18 and 13 points, respectively.[24][25] Additionally, in the 1972 Pre-Olympic Tournament, he was again Canada's third-leading scorer.[26]
Thorsen coached the UBC women's basketball team in the '70s, where he led the team to win the national championship in 1973.[1][4][8] He also coached and taught in British Columbia in the years preceding his death.[6]
Thorsen has been inducted into the Canada West Hall of Fame (2022),[8] the Basketball BC Hall of Fame (2006),[6] the UBC Sports Hall of Fame (in its inaugural 1993 class)[4][6] and into the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame (1999).[1]
Thorsen was born in Hollister, California and raised in San Jose, California.[1][4] Thorsen moved to Prince George, BC in 1965 after his father elected to spend his retirement there.[1][4] Thorsen earned bachelor's and master's degrees in physical education.[6]
Thorsen passed away in early December 2005 at the age of 56.[6]
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