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Lou Sugarman

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Lou Sugarman
Personal information
Born(1889-10-10)October 10, 1889
New York, New York, U.S.
DiedJune 14, 1951(1951-06-14) (aged 61)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Listed height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Listed weight145 lb (66 kg)
Career information
CollegeSyracuse (1907–1908)
Notre Dame (1908–1909)
Playing career1909–1929
Career history
As a player:
1909–1911Hudson Opals
1911–1912Kingston
1912–1913Gloversville
1913–1914Cohoes
1914–1917Greystock Greys
1917Scranton
1917–1918Carbondale
1919Reading Bears
1919–1920Wilkes-Barre Barons
1919–1920North Philadelphia
1919–1920De Neri
1920–1921Philadelphia
1921Camden
1921Wilkes-Barre Barons
1921Philadelphia
1921–1923Coatesville
1922–1923Elizabeth
1922–1923Cohoes
1922–1923Philadelphia Sphas
1923–1924Trenton Bengals
1925–1926Washington Palace Five
1926–1927Baltimore Orioles
1929Trenton Bengals
As a coach:
1914–1917Penn (Freshmen)
1917Scranton
1919Reading Bears
1920–1921Princeton
1921Philadelphia
1922–1923Coatesville
1925–1926Washington Palace Five
1926–1927Baltimore Orioles
1929Trenton Bengals
1929Fort Wayne Hoosiers

Louis L. Sugarman (October 10, 1889 – June 14, 1951) was an American basketball player, coach, and official.

Playing

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Sugarman played for the University Settlement Society of New York midget championship teams alongside Barney Sedran, Marty Friedman, Ira Streusand, and Jake Fuller. He was the first Jewish player to receive a basketball scholarship at Syracuse. After one season at Syracuse, he moved to Notre Dame.[1]

Sugarman began his professional career in 1909 with the Hudson Opals of the Hudson River League. During the 1911-12 season, he played for the Kingston team in the HRL. He split the 1912–13 season between the Gloversville and Cohoes teams in the New York State League. He was with Cohoes the following season and led the NYSL in scoring.[2] In 1914, he moved to Philadelphia to attend the Philadelphia Dental College.[2] He continued his playing career as a member of the Greystock Greys.[2] He graduated in 1917.[1]

In 1919, Sugarman joined the Reading Bears as named playing manager and captain.[3] His tenure with the team was short lived and he played for two other Eastern League teams (the North Philadelphia Americans and De Neri) as well as the Passaic Athletic Association and Wilkes-Barre Barons that season.[4] He bounced around a number of teams for the remainder of his professional career, playing for teams in Philadelphia, Camden, New Jersey, Plymouth, Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Coatesville, Pennsylvania, Elizabeth, New Jersey, and Cohoes, New York.[4] He finished his playing career in 1929.[2]

Reputation

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Sugarman was described by Sam Miller in Phyiscal Culture as "the swiftest man in the game" who "no man, big or little, with the possible exception of (Samuel) Melitzer...has been able to cope with".[5] Nat Holman called him "one of the hardest men to contend with" when it came to feinting and "the most successful one-handed tosser the game has ever produced"..[6] The Encyclopedia of Jews in Sports described Sugarman as "highly emotional" and a "loner" who was frequently involved in fights caused by antisemitic remarks.[1]

Coaching

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Sugarman coached the Penn freshman basketball team while attending dental school.[2] He was a player–coach for the Scranton Miners, Reading Bears, Philadelphia Phillies, and Coatesville Cotes.[7]

In 1920, Sugarman was hired to coach the Princeton Tigers men's basketball team. Princeton had veteran team and it was hoped they would compete for the Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League. However, a flat start followed by poor play around Christmas along with the loss of captain Stan Netts made it seem that there was no chance the team would have a chance to win the league. However, the team's fortunes turned around following the return of Armant Legendre.[8] Sugarman unexpectedly resigned on February 17, 1921 and was replaced by the captain of the previous season's team, Jim Hynson. The athletic association cited the need for a coach with an "intimate knowledge of the members of the team" and praised Sugarman for possessing "the widest knowledge of modern basketball and unusual skull as a teacher of the technique of the game".[9] Sugarman, however, stated that the team "needed a babysitter rather than a coach".[1]

In 1925, George Preston Marshall chose Sugarman to be the inaugural coach and general manager of the Washington Palace Five. He was fired midway through the season and replaced by captain Ray Kennedy.[10] The following season, he coached the Baltimore Orioles. After a 1–20 start, the team acquired John Beckman from the Original Celtics and fired Sugarman. On January 28, 1929, he was hired to coach the Trenton Bengals for the remainder of season and led the team to a 6–9 record. He started the following season as head coach of the Fort Wayne Hoosiers, but was fired on December 21, 1929.[2] From 1935 to 1936, he was the head coach at St. Joseph's Preparatory School.[11]

Officiating

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After his playing career ended, Sugarman was a college and professional basketball official. He was a referee in the American Basketball League from 1929 to 1931 and 1934 to 1940 and the Metropolitan Basketball League from 1932 to 1934.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Encyclopedia of Jews in Sports. Bloch Pub. Co. 1965. p. 96. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Marcus, Jeff (2003). A Biographical Directory of Professional Basketball Coaches. Scarecrow Press. pp. 385–386. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  3. ^ "Captain Selected". Reading Eagle. September 15, 1919. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Lou Sugarman". Pro Basketball Encyclopedia. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  5. ^ Miller, Sam (April 1910). "Physical Development Through Basketball". Physical Culture. XXIII (4): 386. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  6. ^ Holman, Nathan (1922). Scientific Basketball. Incra Publishing Company. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  7. ^ "Lou Sugarman". Pro Basketball Encyclopedia. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  8. ^ Lou (February 22, 1921). "Sporting Topics of the Hour". Schenectady Gazette. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  9. ^ "New Coach Named For Princeton Five". The New York Times. February 18, 1921.
  10. ^ Abrams, Brett; Mazzone, Raphael (2013). The Bullets, the Wizards, and Washington, DC, Basketball. Rowman & Littlefield. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  11. ^ Gormley, James (1976). A History of St. Joseph's Preparatory School: 125 Years, 1851-1976. p. 2.
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