Gene Ransom
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 21, 1957 |
| Died | February 4, 2022 (aged 65) Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Listed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Berkeley (Berkeley, California) |
| College | California (1975–1978) |
| NBA draft | 1979: 9th round, 175th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Golden State Warriors |
| Position | Point guard |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Horace Eugene Ransom II (January 21, 1957 – February 4, 2022), was a prominent basketball player for the California Golden Bears from 1975 to 1978. Ransom moved as a young boy from Fresno, California, to Berkeley, where he became a "three-sport legend" at Berkeley High School, excelling in baseball, football, and basketball.[1][2]
Ransom emulated the basketball style of Berkeley High School basketball stars Phil Chenier, Doug Kagawa, and Carl Shelton. Ransom "shadowed Chenier... trying to pick up on his game."[1]
When Ransom started playing for the Jackets his sophomore year at BHS, he quickly garnered the attention of the local and regional press, filling stadiums with local fans eager to watch the kid play.
“Gene is the only person that I know that they could sell out the Oakland Coliseum for a high school basketball game,” said Harris, a filmmaker who has captured Ransom’s accomplishments, along with those of many other athletes, on camera. Sports journalists started calling the rising Berkeley star a nickname that followed him throughout his career: Gene “the Dream” Ransom.[1]
Ransom averaged 14.8 points per game in his college career at the University of California, Berkeley, and led Cal's Golden Bears in assists all three years that he played.[3] In one game for Cal, Ransom was on the court for all but the final 90 seconds of a five-overtime game against Oregon, ultimately won by the Bears. Ransom played 63 1/2 minutes, which as of 2001 remained the Pac-10 record for most minutes played in a game.[4]
Ransom was inducted into the California Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001.[3]