Ron Thorsen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 April 1948 Hollister, California, U.S. |
| Died | 1 December 2005 (aged 57) Everett, Washington, U.S. |
| Nationality | Canadian / American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Prince George, British Columbia |
| College | University of British Columbia (1967–1972) |
| NBA draft | 1973: 19th round, 209th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Buffalo Braves |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 15, 23, 10, 7 |
| Career highlights | |
As player:
As coach:
| |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Ronald Albert Thorsen[1] (13 April 1948 – 1 December 2005) was a Canadian basketball player and coach. Among his many accomplishments, he was captain of the Canada men's national basketball team in the 1970s;[2] was a three-time Canadian university ("CIAU") First Team All-Canadian;[3][4] broke multiple CIAU and University of British Columbia ("UBC") scoring records;[2][5] is the only UBC player to be drafted in the NBA;[6][7][8] and was a three-time CIAU national champion, twice as a player (1970, 1972) and once while coaching the UBC women's team (1973).[5][7][9]
University
Thorsen played for UBC for five seasons from 1967 to 1972.[7] In his freshman season, he received the inaugural John Owen bursary[2][5] and was lauded for all-around citizenship by then-federal cabinet member and later prime minister John Turner.[5][9]
During his time at UBC, Thorsen was three-time First Team All-Canadian.[3][4][10] Only 17 other athletes in Canadian university basketball history were three-time First Team All-Canadians.[3][4] For context, there have been more season MVPs in Canadian university basketball than three-time First Team All-Canadians.[3][4][11][12]
In the 1969–70 season, Thorsen set the UBC records for most points in a single game (48), highest season points per game (20.3) and most total season points (650).[2][5] His single-game points record is notable because he did so while only playing three quarters of the game.[5] Then, in the 1972 season, he tied his own record for most points in a single season, with this record standing for 14 years.[5]
Thorsen was named the CIAU national tournament MVP and an CIAU national tournament all-star in 1970.[13][14][15][16] Thorsen was also named the BC University Athlete of the year in 1972.[2][5]
Thorsen was named a First Team conference all-star three times (1970, 1971, 1972).[2][5][10] In 1970 and 1971, Thorsen was named a Western Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Association ("WCIAA") all-star; in 1972 when the conference was split into the Canada West Universities Athletic Association ("CWUAA") conference and the Great Plains Athletic Association ("GPAA") conference, he was named a CWUAA all-star.[2][5][10][17] In 1971, he was the only unanimous conference all-star.[2][5] Additionally, in 1972 Thorsen was named UBC's graduating athlete of the year.[10]
Upon graduating, Thorsen set both the CIAU and UBC records for total career points (2,059).[2][5] He also set the UBC record for career points per game (19.1).[2][5] His UBC records for career points per game and career points stood for 18 years.[2][5]
Under Thorsen's leadership, UBC won two national championships in three years (1970, 1972).[6][8][9] In 1970, the Thunderbirds went undefeated in Canadian play.[6][8][9] In 1970, the Thunderbirds easily won the championship game against McMaster University 96–75.[8][18] These are the only national championships in program history.[8][19][20]
The Thunderbirds also won the conference championship in 1970 and 1972 and were the conference championship runner-up in 1971.[5][10]
Professional
Thorsen was drafted by the Buffalo Braves in the 1973 NBA Draft as the 209th overall pick.[9][21][22] Thorsen is the only UBC player to be drafted in the NBA.[6][7][8]
International career
Thorsen played for the Canadian national team in the 1970s, beginning in 1972.[2][5][6] He served as captain of the team.[2] Thorsen represented Canada in the Pan American Games, the FIBA World Championship, the World Student Games and the Pre-Olympic Tournament.[2][5][6]
Specifically, in the 1970 World Championship, Thorsen was Canada's third-leading scorer with 12.4 points per game.[23] His highest-scoring game in this tournament occurred against Australia when he led all scorers with 26 points.[24] He was also Canada's second leading scorer in their games against Korea and Panama, where he scored 18 and 13 points, respectively.[25][26] Additionally, in the 1972 Pre-Olympic Tournament, he was again Canada's third-leading scorer.[27]
Coaching career
Thorsen coached the UBC women's basketball team in the '70s, where he led the team to win the national championship in 1973.[2][5][9] He also coached and taught in British Columbia in the years preceding his death.[7]