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The history of the 1948 United States men's Olympic basketball team
After 12 years of war and atrocities unlike civilization had ever seen, the Olympics returned in 1948 and along with them basketball. This time the games were hosted in a much friendlier city in London. Once again the US team was made up of Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and college players. The 1948 team was coached by Bud Browning.
Unlike in 1936, players from more than two AAU teams were chosen as representatives for the US. Though, the Philips 66ers did have 5 players from their AAU chosen to represent the US and the University of Kentucky also had 5 players. The rest of the rosters represented Baylor, The Oakland Bittnners and Denver Nuggets
The 1948 squad was loaded with talent and chief among those was the quintuplet of Kentucky Wildcats of Cliff Barker, Ralp Heard, Alex Groza, Wally Jones and Kenny Rollins. These five players lead the Wildcats to back-to-back NCAA championships in 1948 and 1949. The team also had the three best AAU players in Don Barksdale, Vince Boryla and Bob Kurland.
The 1948 games also seen some other major changes from 1936. The rule attempting to disqualify players 6'2" and above was abolished, and the games were played in doors. Another rule that got changed was that all 14 players were available for every game, not just 7. The 1936 gold medal game was a fiasco because of a downpour of rain making the outdoor clay court unplayable.
Once again 23 nations competed in the games. The game also saw some of the most unever basketball games ever played, Iraq for example lost by more than 100 twice. In an uncounted exhabition scrimmage against the US before the Olympics, the US coaches called the game after the US score 50 points in a row in what was essentially a lay-up drill.
The US opened Olympic play against Switzerland and the game was not even close. The US got out to an early lead and easily coasted to an 86-21 victory.
The second game was slightly more competitive but the US handled Czechoslovakia 53-28.
The third game was one of the most competitve games the US has ever played in the Olympics. The Argentina team lead the US most of the game and even had a 10 point lead late in the game, but Kurland and Groza scored 20 points between the two of them to lead the US to a fierce comeback and a 59-57 victory.
After the near scare vs Argentina, the US once again got back to clobbering their opponents. They beat Egypt 66-28 and Peru 61-33 to advance to the knock out stages.
In the first knockout game the US handled Uruguay 62-28. Mexico put up a better fight but lost 71-40. The US would take on the French in the gold medal game and easily win that game 65-21. The US avoided the Brazillian team who claimed to be the best in the world but lost by 10 to the French team. Brazil would win the silver medal.
The 1948 games seen a much better product with a lot better execution than the 1936 games. The indoor games made it better for the fans and players and the quality of player was much better - with Iraq being an exception.
Also, unlike in 1936, and today, there were consulation seeding games were teams played more games than just their pool bracket games. This would make it easier to easily determine which place a team finished. The US won gold, France silver, and Brazil bronze with Mexico coming in 4th. Because Ireland refused to play a game they are listed as last place, despite going 0-4 to Iraq's 0-5. Iraq also had a negative 432 point differential - the worst in Olympic history. To put that in perspective, in 2023-24 the Utah Jazz played 82 games and only had a negative 401 point differential; Iraq played just 5 games.
Alex Groza would lead the USA in scoring at 11.1 points per game. Groza would finish his career at Kentucky and go on to join the NBA and become a two time All-NBA player for the Indianapolis Olympians. Groza was involved in a point shaving scandal while at the University of Kentucky which lead the NBA to banning him for life.
Bob Kurland is often considered the greatest player to never play in the NBA, or its predecessors. He remained in the AAU circuit playing for the 66ers and won 3 championships. He also became the first basketball player to win two gold medals when he won gold in the 1952 Helsinki games. In 1961 he was introduced into the Basketball Hall-of-Fame.
Don Barksdale was one of the first African American players to ever represent the US in basketball, and in 1951 he would become one of the first black players in NBA history. He would be a one-time NBA all-star with the Baltimore Bullets and eventually would be selected into the Basketball Hall-of-Fame.
Vince Boryla would go on to play in the NBA for the Denver Nuggets and than the New York Knicks. He would make one all-star team and was a key member to a Knicks team who appeared in three straight NBA finals. Later Boryla would go on to have two seperate stints as general manager of the Denver Nuggets of both the ABA and NBA, and the ABA's Utah Stars - where he helped the team win the 1971 ABA title.
Like Groza, Beard would go on to play for the Olympians in the NBA and like Groza would be banned for life for the point shaving scandal. Beard found his ban not only extended to the NBA but the MLB refused to take him as well. He found work as a scout in the ABA but was soon let go from that position as well.
Cliff Barker would be implicated in the point shaving scandal with Groza and Beard but was not banned. Barker also has the distinction of being the only NBA player to ever be a prison-of-war. Barker was a gunner on a B-17 Flying Fortress that was shot down over Nazi Germany and he spent 16 months as a POW.
The fact Lew Beck could even play basketball was a miracle after he suffered a leg wound in World War II. Beck never played in the NBA and stayed in the AAU circuit.
Gordon Carpenter also never joined the NBA but did coach the US team to silver in the 1950 FIBA world Championships.
Wallace "Wah Wah" Jones was another one of the point shaving Wildcats but like Barker he never was suspended. He played 3 seasons in the NBA and was eventually elected sheriff in Fayette, Kentucky. He also ran for the House of Representatives but lost.
Ray Lumpp quietly played 7 seasons in the NBA and would have the longest career of any one on the 1948 team. He played one season with Groza, Beard and Barker in Indianapolis before joining the Knicks for 5 season and finishing his career with the Bullets.
Robert RC Pitts played in the AAU circuit and never played in the NBA. He flew 22 missions with the US Air Force in World War II.
Jesse Renick became the second Native American to win an Olympic gold after Jim Thorpe. He never played in the NBA and played with Kurland in the AAU.
Jackie Robinson, no not that Jackie Robinson, never played professionally and his playing career ended shortly after the Olympics. He is most remembered as being part of a US deligation that got to meet the King of England, where he corrected the King's misapprehension about Texas and California. He also met with the princesses Margaret and Elizabeth, Elizabeth was said to have been taken aback by the handsome Texan. He would live until he was 94 and only die in 2022, being the last living member of the team.
Kenny Rollins would go on to play for the Chicago Stags and Boston Celtics of the NBA.
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