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Bernard Toone

Bernard Arthur Toone (July 14, 1956 – July 9, 2022) was an American basketball player who played 23 games for the Philadelphia 76ers in the National Basketball Association (NBA) during the 1979–80 season. He earlier played college basketball for the Marquette Golden Eagles and helped the school win its only NCAA championship in 1977.

Bernard Toone
Personal information
Born(1956-07-14)July 14, 1956
Yonkers, New York, U.S.
DiedJuly 9, 2022(2022-07-09) (aged 65)
Yonkers, New York, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High schoolGorton (Yonkers, New York)
CollegeMarquette (1975–1979)
NBA draft1979: 2nd round, 37th overall pick
Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Playing career1979–1985
PositionPower forward
Number3
Career history
1979–1980Philadelphia 76ers
1980–1981Latte Matese Caserta
1982–1983Gaiteros del Zulia
1983–1984BV Orca
1984–1985SSV Hagen
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Early life

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Toone was born in Yonkers, New York, on July 14, 1956.[1][2] He attended Gorton High School in his hometown,[1] where he was an all-state player and a Parade All-American during his final year of high school in 1975.[3][4] He was also ranked as one of the top American high school basketball players that year,[5][6] when Gorton upset Lincoln High School, who were Section 1 AA champions, in a challenge game.[7] Toone then studied at Marquette University,[1] and worked at a Miller Brewing Company brewery in Milwaukee with Jim Boylan during the summer.[8]

College career

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Toone played collegiately for the Marquette Warriors (later to become the Golden Eagles) from 1975 to 1979.[4] As a sophomore reserve, he was a member of the Warriors' 1977 National Championship team in Hall of Fame coach Al McGuire's final season. His uneasy relationship with McGuire was fueled in part by Toone's lack of playing time[9][10] and McGuire's belief that Toone was indifferent towards improving as a player, specifically his defense.[11] The two quarrelled publicly throughout the season, including in the NCAA Tournament.[10] On one earlier occasion, during the first game of the Christmas Classic against the Clemson Tigers, McGuire took Toone off in the first half after the latter allowed a Tigers player to outmaneuver him and score. McGuire then continuously berated Toone to the point of tears. The home crowd – who were unhappy with McGuire despite being accustomed to his behavior – consequently gave Toone a standing ovation when he came back during the second half.[11]

Toone went on to score 18 points as a substitute against Wake Forest in the Midwest Regional Final,[9][12] and was named as the most outstanding player of that round.[5] He later played down his conflict with McGuire, stating that "it all paid off when we won the championship" and that "it meant a lot to me with all the controversy me and Al had".[10] As a senior, he averaged 18.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game[4] and was named a fourth-team All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).[13]

Professional career

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After his college eligibility was over, Toone was selected in the second round (37th overall selection) of the 1979 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.[1] He made his NBA debut on October 17, 1979,[1] scoring two points to go along with two assists and one rebound in six minutes played against the New Jersey Nets.[14] His NBA career lasted only one season, as he averaged 2.4 points and 1.5 rebounds per game in a reserve role for the 76ers in 1979–80.[1] He later played professional basketball overseas,[10] with clubs in Italy,[15] Venezuela,[16] the Netherlands,[17] and West Germany.[18]

Later life

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After retiring from professional basketball, Toone resided in New York,[19] where he played in summer basketball tournaments with Ken Owens and Gary Springer.[20] He reportedly worked at a doctor's office in his hometown during the 1990s.[21]

Toone was arrested on three occasions during the 1980s, twice for trying to steal vehicle audio and once for driving a rental car that had been reported stolen.[22] He also had issues with drug use.[5][10][23] In 2014, he was featured in an ESPN documentary film called Untucked, broadcast on the show 30 for 30.[3] He went back to Marquette in 2007 to attend the 30-year reunion of its championship team[10] but was absent from the 40th anniversary celebrations in December 2016 due to a minor illness.[24]

Toone died on July 9, 2022. He was 65 and suffered from cancer prior to his death.[10][12][25]

Notes

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Bernard Toone Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  2. ^ "Bernard Toone". National Basketball Association. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  3. ^ a b LoPriore, Danny (March 12, 2014). "Yonkers Hoop Legend Bernard Toone Featured In Marquette Film 'Untucked'". Yonkers Daily Voice. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "Bernard Toone College Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Stanton, Barry (February 28, 1999). "The Journal News All-Century Basketball Team". The Journal News. White Plains, New York. p. C7. ProQuest 896769270. Retrieved July 16, 2022 – via ProQuest. Was the Most Outstanding Player in the Midwest Regional as Marquette marched to an NCAA title his sophomore year.
  6. ^ "Toone to Marquette". The New York Times. Associated Press. June 12, 1975. p. 48. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  7. ^ Carpiniello, Rick (March 23, 2006). "Playing matchmaker State Class AA champ State Class A champ". The Journal News. White Plains, New York. p. C1. ProQuest 442826804. Retrieved July 16, 2022 – via ProQuest.
  8. ^ McGraw, Mike (December 29, 2007). "Boylan recounts his Miller brewery days". Daily Herald. Arlington Heights, Illinois. p. 3. Archived from the original on July 16, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Berghaus, Bob (January 10, 1997). "Marquette's magical moment – Can you believe it's been 20 years?". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 2. ProQuest 260529870. Retrieved July 16, 2022 – via ProQuest.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Steele, Ben (July 11, 2022). "Bernard Toone, member of Marquette's 1977 championship team, dies at 65". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  11. ^ a b Jaynes, Roger (2004). Al McGuire: The Colorful Warrior. Sports Publishing LLC. pp. 95–96. ISBN 9781582618425.
  12. ^ a b "Marquette community mourns the loss of Bernard Toone". Marquette University. July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  13. ^ "NABC Division I All-America History". National Association of Basketball Coaches. December 17, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  14. ^ "October 17, 1979 Philadelphia 76ers at New Jersey Nets Box Score". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. October 17, 1979. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  15. ^ "Bernard Toone Profilo Serie A". www.legabasket.it (in Italian). Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  16. ^ "Letteratura e Basket FRANCESCO PICCOLO, IL PREMIO STREGA 2014, BERNARD TOONE E IL TERREMOTO DEL 1980". www.roseto.com. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  17. ^ "Bernard Toone Basketbal statistieken Spelers Dossier". db.basketball.nl. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  18. ^ "Alle Spieler ab 1951 und Bundesligaspieler ab 1966". Basketballarchiv Peter Krüsmann. Archived from the original on January 9, 2017. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  19. ^ Roquemore, Bobbi (March 4, 2007). "Notes: Title team comes together – Warriors enjoy 30-year reunion". McClatchy–Tribune Business News. McClatchy. p. 1. ProQuest 462640139. Retrieved July 16, 2022 – via ProQuest.
  20. ^ Litsky, Frank (March 18, 1982). "From Manhattan to Moscow". The New York Times. p. D21. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  21. ^ "'77 players: Where they are now". The Milwaukee Journal. March 24, 1994. p. A13. ProQuest 333690727. Retrieved July 16, 2022 – via ProQuest. Bernard Toone: Out of touch with his teammates, was thought to be working in a doctor's office in Yonkers, N.Y.
  22. ^ "Tennis Agassi Wins; Pate Upset in U.S. Clay Championships". Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. April 27, 1988. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  23. ^ Stanton, Barry (December 21, 1999). "Maldonado's numbers guarantee nothing now". The Journal News. White Plains, New York. p. C8. ProQuest 896778312. Retrieved July 16, 2022 – via ProQuest. Toone … threw away a pro career in a haze of drug problems.
  24. ^ D'Amato, Gary (December 10, 2016). "D'Amato: For Marquette, '77 feels like yesterday". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  25. ^ Bernard Arthur Toone
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