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Gary Keller (basketball)

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American basketball player

Gary Keller
Personal information
Born (1944-06-13) June 13, 1944 (age 80)
Elizabeth, New Jersey
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High schoolDixie M. Hollins
(St. Petersburg, Florida)
CollegeFlorida (1964–1967)
NBA draft1967: 6th round, 59th overall pick
Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers
Playing career1967–1969
PositionCenter / power forward
Number51, 42
Career history
1967–1969Minnesota Muskies / Miami Floridians
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Basketball Reference

Gary J. Keller (born June 13, 1944) is an American former college and professional basketball player who was a center and power forward in the American Basketball Association (ABA) for two seasons during the late 1960s. Keller played college basketball for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Minnesota Muskies and the Miami Floridians of the ABA.

Early years

Keller was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1944. He grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he attended Dixie M. Hollins High School. He played high school basketball for the Dixie Hollins Rebels, winning back-to-back Florida state championships in 1961 and 1962. He was a McDonald's fourth-team high school All-American selection as a senior.

College career

Keller accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, and played for coach Norm Sloan and coach Tommy Bartlett's Florida Gators men's basketball teams from 1964 to 1967. The Gators finished 21–4 in 1967—their best-ever win-loss record up to that time. Keller was an Academic All-American, and graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1967. He was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great," and was recognized as an SEC Basketball Legend in 2003.

Professional career

After his college career, Keller was drafted in the sixth round of the 1967 National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, and by the Denver Nuggets in the 1967 ABA Draft. After the Nuggets traded him to the Minnesota Muskies, he chose to play for the Minnesota ABA franchise instead of the NBA. Keller averaged 6.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game during his two ABA seasons.

Life after basketball

Keller is married, and he and his wife Barbara live in St. Petersburg, Florida. They have a son and a daughter.

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

ABA

Source

Regular season

Year Team GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG PPG
1967–68 Minnesota 69 17.6 .381 .000 .650 5.6 .6 7.3
1968–69 Miami 53 9.5 .406 .000 .600 3.2 .2 4.3
Career 122 14.0 .388 .000 .632 4.5 .4 6.0

Playoffs

Year Team GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG PPG
1968 Minnesota 10 14.2 .373 – .565 5.0 .8 6.3
1969 Miami 6 9.5 .571 – .600 3.8 .5 5.0
Career 16 12.4 .420 – .576 4.6 .7 5.8

See also

References

  1. ^ Basketball-Reference, Gary Keller. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
  2. ^ Bob Chick, "Tampa Bay's All-Century Team: No. 86 Gary Keller Archived July 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine," The Tampa Tribune (October 4, 1999). Retrieved April 25, 2010.
  3. F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  4. "Gary Keller ABA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
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