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Message: [QUOTE="domestu, post: 294935, member: 1089"] Jack Twyman was one of the greatest basketball players of his era but his real legacy lies in what he did off the court. People are familiar with his extraordinary efforts in caring for Maurice Stokes and his fundraising events for retired NBA players but those humanitarian endeavors came naturally to a guy who cared for his fellow man. He was a person who always had time for anyone and his kindness and generosity graced the lives of everyone who ever knew him. When he started holding the Maurice Stokes charity game at Kutsher's in the Catskills, top players like Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson, and Wilt Chamberlain showed up for the event every summer. Following Stokes' death in 1970, Jack remained as devoted as ever to raising money for former players and he continued hosting fundraisers and holding the annual charity game in New York. The game of basketball grew enormously popular over the years and as the decades rolled on it became harder and harder to interest stars in a charity event that was launched in another era. NBA head coaches continued showing up to coach the teams but by the mid-1980s only a handful of pros were still participating with a bunch of college stars who who were headed to the pro league. When I heard during the summer of 1986 that Pearl Washington was going to play in the game, I decided out of the blue to call Jack in Dayton, Ohio and ask about the possibility of getting tickets. We ended up having a long conversation about Maurice Stokes, the charity game, the great players and all of the changes in basketball over the years. He was as gracious with his time as anyone I have ever known. Whenever our paths crossed, I always asked him about the charity game and he was constantly thinking about things he could do to keep the fundraising event going. He would mention how difficult it had become to get NBA players to appear and I remember him telling me that Danny Schayes was one of the few pros he could count on to show up every summer. Jack told me that Dolph had a lot to do with it and had basically told Danny that it was something he had to do. Jack Twyman was an incredible basketball player. He led the Cincinnati Bearcats in scoring three consecutive seasons and averaged 24.6 points and 16.5 rebounds his senior season. He is second in career rebounds at Cincy to Oscar Robertson. Twyman went on to have a great pro career and during the 1959-1960 season he and Wilt Chamberlain were the first players in NBA history to average thirty points a game. He averaged 31.2 while Wilt took the scoring title with 32.1. When he retired in 1966, only Chamberlain had scored more points during their career in the NBA. Jack Twyman is recognized as one of the greatest basketball players of his era but in many ways he is one of the greatest people in the history of sports. [/QUOTE]

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