Cyril Baptiste
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Baptiste with the Creighton Bluejays during the 1970–71 season | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 17, 1949 Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | August 14, 2006 (aged 56) Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Archbishop Curley (Miami, Florida) |
| College | Creighton (1969–1971) |
| NBA draft | 1971: Hardship round, 3rd overall pick |
| Drafted by | Golden State Warriors |
| Position | Center |
| Career history | |
| 1973–1974; 1975–1976 | Scranton Apollos |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Cyril Baptiste (November 17, 1949 – August 14, 2006) was an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Creighton Bluejays for two seasons. Baptiste was selected by the Golden State Warriors as a hardship case in the 1971 NBA draft but did not make the team due to difficulties from a drug addiction. He played two seasons in the Eastern Basketball Association (EBA) with the Scranton Apollos.
Baptiste's mother, Elsie Mae Baptiste, was of Bahamian descent.[1] On March 20, 1954, Baptiste's father, Cyril,[2] was killed after he suffered a fractured skull and two broken legs in a hit-and-run accident.[3] Cyril had been at work and received a call that his wife had given birth; his family were waiting outside the hospital for his arrival and witnessed his death as he tried to cross the road to greet them.[4] Elsie Mae worked 16 hours a day to support her four children.[5]
Baptiste first aspired to become a professional basketball player in 1960 while he played on a court at Rainbow Park Elementary School.[6] He attended Archbishop Curley High School.[7] He was selected as a fourth-team Parade All-American in 1968.[8] Baptiste was considered "perhaps the best basketball player ever produced in Dade County"[9] and "potentially the greatest basketball player Miami has produced."[4]
College career
Baptiste enrolled at Creighton University with a full athletic scholarship to play basketball for the Bluejays.[10] He was sometimes listed as high as 6-foot-10-inch (2.08 m) but claimed this height was fabricated to "psych out" other teams and he was actually only 6-foot-7-inch (2.01 m).[10]
Baptiste toured with the Olympic development team before his sophomore season.[11] Baptiste began to experiment with drugs during his sophomore season as part of an "innocent curiosity".[10] He developed an addiction to heroin which caused weight loss and he claimed that he played while high his entire junior season.[7] A decline in Baptiste's playing performance heightened the suspicions of head coach Eddie Sutton but physicals were unsuccessful in revealing anything untoward.[7] Baptiste's interest in his college classes declined and he was assisted with his grades by Creighton until he dropped out of university two weeks after his junior season ended.[7][10] Sutton lamented in 1989 that he "probably will never get another ballplayer with that much ability" as Baptiste.[12]
Professional career
Baptiste was made eligible for the 1971 NBA draft as part of a hardship round and was considered as a "glamour name".[13] He was selected by the Golden State Warriors and signed a $450,000 contract.[10] Baptiste was suspended in training camp before the 1971–72 NBA season for being "out of condition" and subsequently lost most of his contracted money.[10][14] The Warriors sent Baptiste to several drug rehabilitation programs and kept him on their suspended list until he was placed on waivers on January 15, 1973.[10] Warriors head coach, Al Attles, described the situation as "a tragedy" because Baptiste "seemed to be quite a nice person."[1]
Baptiste played for the Scranton Apollos of the Eastern Basketball Association during the 1973–74 and 1975–76 seasons.[15] He was sometimes paid only $150 per game.[10] Baptiste injured his knee during a playoff game in 1974 and missed the entire 1974–75 season.[5] He only showed up for 27 of the 33 games that the Apollos played during the 1975–76 season and head coach Stan Novak considered him as "unreliable."[5] Baptiste averaged 11.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game during the 1975–76 season.[5] Novak stated that "ability-wise, [Baptiste] can play in the NBA" but "he has a hard time dealing with life."[5]
In 1974, Baptiste believed that he could make a return to the National Basketball Association (NBA) despite his history of drug-related arrests and a conviction for arson.[10] In a 1979 interview, Baptiste claimed that Golden State Warriors owner, Franklin Mieuli, told him "there was a rumor going around that [he] had been blackballed out of the NBA."[16]
Baptiste also played in Israel, Germany, Switzerland and Venezuela.[16]
In 1977, Baptiste participated in training camp for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL).[17]
Personal life
Baptiste's two brothers, Leroy and Arnie, also played college basketball.[9] Leroy played for the Creighton Bluejays alongside Baptiste.[9] Arnie had also wanted to play for the Bluejays but was only offered a conditional scholarship and placed on probation; he instead played at Arizona Western College and Biscayne College (now St. Thomas University).[9]